Irenaeus, Siteadmin, Check users, oversight, Administrators
351,387
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Line 7:
Line 7: + + + + + + + + + + +
Denials that atheists exist (view source)
Revision as of 03:44, March 4, 2017
, 03:44, March 4, 2017no edit summary
The Christian Cyclopedia states regarding atheism the following:
The Christian Cyclopedia states regarding atheism the following:
{{cquote|It is not possible for a man to be an atheist, in the commonly accepted sense, in his innermost conviction. No amount of reasoning will erase from the human heart the God-given conviction that there is a Supreme Being; those who theoretically deny God's existence replace Him with something else.<ref>http://www.lcms.org/ca/www/cyclopedia/02/display.asp?t1=A&t2=t</ref>}}
{{cquote|It is not possible for a man to be an atheist, in the commonly accepted sense, in his innermost conviction. No amount of reasoning will erase from the human heart the God-given conviction that there is a Supreme Being; those who theoretically deny God's existence replace Him with something else.<ref>http://www.lcms.org/ca/www/cyclopedia/02/display.asp?t1=A&t2=t</ref>}}
J.W. Wartick wrote in his article ''The Unbeliever Knows God: Presuppositional Apologetics and Atheism'':
{{Cquote|"[A]ll men already know God–long before the apologist engages them in conversation–and cannot avoid having such knowledge… People lack neither information nor evidence… [A]ll men know that God exists… In a crucial sense, all men already are “believers”–even “unbelievers” who will not respond properly by openly professing and living obediently in accordance with the knowledge they have of God." (Greg Bahnsen, Van Til’s Apologetic, 179-180, emphasis his, cited below).
One crucial point of presuppositional apologetics is that even the unbelieving atheist really does know God. All people have knowledge of God. None can turn from it, none can escape it: everyone knows God. This knowledge is not saving knowledge. Instead, it is knowledge which is suppressed. The knowledge is ignored or even reviled. The quote above from the famed presuppositionalist Greg Bahnsen is just one example. C.L. Bolt, a popularizer of presuppositional apologetics, says similarly:
:It is in the things that have been created that God is clearly perceived. This perception is, again, so clear, that people have no excuse. Not only do all of us believe in God, but we know God. (C.L. Bolt, cited below)
What are we to make of this claim? What is the point from the presuppositionalist perspective? The claim is firmly rooted in Paul’s discussion of God’s wrath against evil in Romans 1-2 (see the text at the end of this post). Therefore, it behooves all Christians to reflect upon the notion that God is known to all people. Presuppositional Apologists have done much reflecting on these subjects, and here we shall reflect upon their insights.
It is important to outline what exactly it is that this knowledge is supposed to be. Greg Bahnsen notes in Van Til’s Apologetic that the claim is, in part, that “[all people/unbelievers] ‘have evidence’ that justifies the belief that [God] exists”.<ref>[https://jwwartick.com/2013/04/01/unbelievers-know-god/ ''The Unbeliever Knows God: Presuppositional Apologetics and Atheism''] by J.W. Wartick</ref>}}
A famous phrase, most often attributed to journalist Ernie Pyle, states, "there are no atheists in foxholes."<ref>Malin, Don. "Military Chaplains and Religious Pluralism." ''Watchman Fellowship''. http://www.wfial.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=artGeneral.article_6</ref> Although this aphorism has a narrow context (military personnel serving in active duty) and is not always meant to be taken literally, there is at least some truth to it. It shows that it is human nature to look to some higher power for assistance, strength, comfort, or guidance in times of great need.
A famous phrase, most often attributed to journalist Ernie Pyle, states, "there are no atheists in foxholes."<ref>Malin, Don. "Military Chaplains and Religious Pluralism." ''Watchman Fellowship''. http://www.wfial.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=artGeneral.article_6</ref> Although this aphorism has a narrow context (military personnel serving in active duty) and is not always meant to be taken literally, there is at least some truth to it. It shows that it is human nature to look to some higher power for assistance, strength, comfort, or guidance in times of great need.