Atheism and love

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Joseph Stalin's atheistic regime killed tens of millions of people. See: Atheism and mass murder

From a metaphysical, moral and spiritual perspective, atheists have an inability to satisfactorily explain the existence of love.[1][2] See also: Atheism and morality

Dr. Taylor Marshall wrote about atheism and love:

“ All my atheist friends and family members believe in “love.” But what is love? Here’s a question:

If humans have no soul, and are merely evolutionary advanced animals, is ‘love’ anything more than instinct or hormones?

....if love is not exclusively religious, then what is it? Let's explore the two most basic forms of love: love of a parent for a child and the nuptial love between husband and wife.

When mommy says to her one year old, “I love you,” the atheist says she is not expressing anything metaphysical or spiritual. In fact, says the atheist, the mother is verbalizing the instinct to preserve her species, just as a mommy zebra protects and fosters the growth of the baby zebra. That’s it. Nothing more. It is instinct combined with verbal tags. When a parent “loves” her child, she is just adding a verbal cue to an advanced evolutionary instinct to carry on the species.

The same empirical reality is true between two lovers. For the atheist, nothing sacramental, metaphysical, or spiritual is happening in a loving relationship. The two don’t “become one flesh” as we say in Biblical and matrimonial language any more than a rooster and a hen “become one flesh.”

When a man says, “I love you,” to his wife, he is simply expressing something about his hormonal levels toward her as a mate. What he is really saying is, “My hormones surge for you,” not “You are my soul mate,” because the atheist doesn’t believe in souls or metaphysical connections between humans.

Incidentally, a man’s hormones might start surging for another woman (or several women) at some point. The same man might also be ready to say, “I love you,” to these new women, too.[3]

”
Jesus Christ and his apostles taught a gospel of love.[4] For example, the New Testament teaches that a husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25). See: Christian marriage and Atheism and marriage and Atheist marriages

A Christian apologist wrote about atheism and love:

“ It seems that atheist naturalism struggles to present an adequate account of ‘love’. It is certainly difficult to describe love from a purely ‘scientific’ perspective. i.e. it is not something we can see, measure,taste or touch. Tepper presented a couple of atheist attempts at describing what love is (from sources such as asktheatheist,com and daylightatheism). They proposed that love is an abstraction, it is a subjective feeling, it doesn’t have any physical manifestation, it speaks of an internal state of the mind – perhaps it isn’t rational? According to the atheist it seems that love is simply chemical reactions.

But is love simply chemical reactions? I wonder if this is too reductionistic?

Yet if we accept this, that love is simply chemical feelings, the outcome becomes unsatisfactory. Tepper went on to suggest that if love is only a feeling it leads to a consumerist attitude – ‘love’ becomes what I can get out of it. Hence relationships only last as we benefit from them. ‘Love’ only lasts as long as the feelings.

Yet humans hunger for more, humans want love to go beyond the transient. True love transcends the feelings and in some cases when we feel true ‘love’ we sense an aspect of the spiritual that atheism can’t explain.

Tepper argued that the best source of this ‘love’ is God. 1 John 4 describes ‘God as love’. She said that love comes in relationship (we can’t love being alone) and God is love because God is Trinity. She went on to propose that love is never self-centred, in fact love is sustained through self-sacrifice (we wouldn’t have many friends if love is all about me).[5]

”
Saint Valentine's Day cake. Christians do good deeds through the grace of God and the compassion that is taught in the Bible. Going to heaven is simply the icing on the cake.

The Christian website Good to those who love God declares:

“ Atheists believe in the evolutionary theory that everything a person does can be linked to either the drive to survive or the drive to reproduce. And they do mean everything. They believe that a child loves his mother because the mother is needed for survival; a man loves a woman because she can help him reproduce; people do good deeds because it keeps them from being killed by those who might otherwise dislike them; etc. Christians, on the other hand, do good deeds through the compassion that is taught in the Bible. Going to heaven is simply the icing on the cake.[6] ”

Atheism, marriage, domestic violence and atheist population's sub-replacement level of fertility

  • Global atheism (Atheists have a sub-replacement level of fertility and are shrinking as a percentage of the world's population)

Atheism, theism, love, choice and consciousness

The human brain is the most complex physical structure in the universe.[7]

See also: Atheism and irrationality

Although many atheists advocate determinism, human beings have a free will.[8][9][10] As a result, love is a choice. And the Bible teaches that God will hold people responsible for their actions (Romans 3:19; 6:23; 9:19-21).

The human brain is the most complex physical structure in the universe (The Bible and the scientific evidence strongly suggests that there is no intelligent life on other planets).[11]

The atheist worldview cannot explain the existence of consciousness and the theistic worldview can offer a reasonable explanation.[12]

Evolutionary belief and sexual immorality

The evolutionist and atheist philosopher Peter Singer defends the practice of bestiality (as well as abortion, infanticide and euthanasia). Despite holding these immoral views the liberal and pro-evolution academic establishment rewarded his views with a bioethics chair at Princeton University.[13] See: Atheism and bestiality

See also: Evolutionary belief and sexual immorality and Social effects of the theory of evolution

Since World War II a majority of the most prominent and vocal defenders of the theory of evolution which employs methodological naturalism have been atheists or agnostics.[14]

In July of 2000, Creation Ministries International reported:

“ For years, many people have scoffed at any suggestion that the evils in society could be linked with the teaching of the theory of evolution. But new research has confirmed what Bible-believers have known all along—that the rising acceptance of Darwin’s theory is related to declining morality in the community.

The research survey of 1535 people, conducted by the Australian National University, revealed that belief in evolution is associated with moral permissiveness. Darwin himself apparently feared that belief in evolution by the common man would lead to social decay. The survey showed that people who believed in evolution were more likely to be in favour of premarital sex than those who rejected Darwin’s theory. Another issue which highlighted the contrast between the effect of evolutionary ideas and that of biblical principles was that Darwinians were reported to be ‘especially tolerant’ of abortion.

In identifying the primary factors determining these differences in community attitudes, the author of the research report, Dr Jonathan Kelley, said: ‘The single most important influence after church attendance is the theory of evolution.’[15]

”

See also:

Atheists/evolution cannot explain the origin of sexual reproduction

In addition to atheism/evolutionism being causal factors for sexual immorality, Pastor Carl Gallups of the PPsimmons YouTube channel points out that the evolutionary paradigm cannot explain the origin of sexual reproduction in his video entitled Sex and evolution - An Embarrassing Conundrum.

Christian satire about atheism and romantic love

True Free Thinker is a Christian apologetics website run by Ken Ammi which offers many refutations of atheism.

See also: Christian marriage and Atheism and marriage and Atheist marriages

The Christian apologist Ken Ammi, in order to demonstrate the moral and spiritual poverty of atheism, satirically gave this example of words that would be appropriate for an "Atheist Valentine's Day" card:

“ I am currently secreting manifestations of brain stuff towards you...

My cost-benefit analysis has concluded that you qualify as a mate, adequate to assist my survival and reproducing my genes - will you be my valentines.[16]

”

Atheism and lower empathy towards others

A child in Thailand where the nontheistic form of Buddhism called the Theravada school of Buddhism is prevalent. In 2010, the Pew Research Forum indicated that 93.2% of the people of Thailand were Buddhists.[17]

Per capita atheists and agnostics in America give significantly less to charity than theists even when church giving is not counted for theists (See: Atheism and uncharitableness).

See also: Atheism and uncharitableness and Agape

In 2007 the Baptist Press reported:

“ ...a pollster at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, found that adults who profess a belief in God are significantly more likely than atheists to say that forgiveness, patience, generosity and a concern for others are "very important." In fact, the poll found that on 11 of 12 values, there was a double-digit gap between theists and atheists, with theists more likely to label each value "very important."

The survey by sociologist and pollster Reginald Bibby examined the beliefs of 1,600 Canadians, 82 percent who said they believed in "God or a higher power" and 18 percent who said they did not.[18]

”

Atheism and uncharitableness

Per capita atheists and agnostics in America give significantly less to charity than theists even when church giving is not counted for theists (See: Atheism and uncharitableness).

Atheists with family/social contacts with religious people give more to charity than other atheists

Dr. William Lane Craig points out that the social science research indicates that atheists who have family/social contacts with religious people give more to charity than atheists who do not have such an influence.[19]

Atheism and mass murder

See also: Atheism and mass murder and Militant atheism

It is estimated that in the past 100 years, governments under the banner of atheistic communism have caused the death of somewhere between 40,472,000 to 259,432,000 human lives.[20] Dr. R. J. Rummel, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Hawaii, is the scholar who first coined the term democide (death by government). Dr. R. J. Rummel's mid estimate regarding the loss of life due to communism is that communism caused the death of approximately 110,286,000 people between 1917 and 1987.[21]

Richard Dawkins has attempted to engage in historical revisionism concerning atheist atrocities and Dawkins was shown to be in gross error (see also: Atheism and communism and Persecution of Christians in the Soviet Union).

Objective love exists. Atheists are wrong about love/morality being merely subjective

Biblical Christianity indicates that objective love/truth/morality exists and that God is love (1 John 4:8). Atheists commonly make the errant claim that only subjective morality/love exists (see: Atheism and morality).

Reverend Barron wrote:

“ What is Love? Love, as I’ve said very often, is not a feeling or a sentiment. Not a private subjective conviction. Love is willing the good of the other. As other, meaning, love gets you out of this, sort of, black hole of your own subjectivity, your own egocentrism. If I’m kind to you that you might be kind to me, that isn’t love. That’s just indirect egotism. Or if I say, I’ll be just to you that you’ll be just to me in return, that isn’t love. That’s just a clever way to be self interested.

What’s love? See, love is a very peculiar thing. . . It means I’ve broken free of that self reference. I want your good for you. Period. No strings attached. No reciprocation required. The Church has said traditionally that love, so described, is a theological virtue . . . The Church identifies love, as I’ve been describing it, as a participation in God’s way of being. See, God who has no need, (God is God. God is perfect. Absolute. God has no need.), therefore God alone can truly want the good of the other for the sake of the other. God can operate in a totally non-selfinterested way. And see, when we do that, when we are capable of that, it’s only because we’ve received an infusion of grace. We’ve received a participation in God’s own life.[22]

”
Dr. William Lane Craig

The Christian apologist Dr. William Lane Craig declared about theism/atheism and objective morality/love:

“ Consider, then, the hypothesis that God exists. First, if God exists, objective moral values exist. To say that there are objective moral values is to say that something is right or wrong independently of whether anybody believes it to be so. It is to say, for example, that Nazi anti-Semitism was morally wrong, even though the Nazis who carried out the Holocaust thought that it was good; and it would still be wrong even if the Nazis had won World War II and succeeded in exterminating or brainwashing everybody who disagreed with them.

On the theistic view, objective moral values are rooted in God. God’s own holy and perfectly good nature supplies the absolute standard against which all actions and decisions are measured. God’s moral nature is what Plato called the “Good.” He is the locus and source of moral value. He is by nature loving, generous, just, faithful, kind, and so forth.

Moreover, God’s moral nature is expressed in relation to us in the form of divine commands which constitute our moral duties or obligations. Far from being arbitrary, these commands flow necessarily from His moral nature. In the Judaeo-Christian tradition, the whole moral duty of man can be summed up in the two great commandments: First, you shall love the Lord your God with all your strength and with all your soul and with all your heart and with all your mind, and, second, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On this foundation we can affirm the objective goodness and rightness of love, generosity, self-sacrifice, and equality, and condemn as objectively evil and wrong selfishness, hatred, abuse, discrimination, and oppression....

Moreover, if atheism is true, there is no moral accountability for one’s actions. Even if there were objective moral values and duties under naturalism, they are irrelevant because there is no moral accountability. If life ends at the grave, it makes no difference whether one lives as a Stalin or as a saint. As the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky rightly said: “If there is no immortality, then all things are permitted.”...

Thus, if naturalism is true, it becomes impossible to condemn war, oppression, or crime as evil. Nor can one praise brotherhood, equality, or love as good. It does not matter what values you choose—for there is no right and wrong; good and evil do not exist. That means that an atrocity like the Holocaust was really morally indifferent. You may think that it was wrong, but your opinion has no more validity than that of the Nazi war criminal who thought it was good. In his book Morality after Auschwitz, Peter Haas asks how an entire society could have willingly participated in a state-sponsored program of mass torture and genocide for over a decade without any serious opposition.[23]

”

Evolutionary racism played major role in causing the Holocaust. See also: Social effects of the theory of evolution

St. Paul defends his preaching (Giovanni Ricco)

The Apostle Paul taught about love in a letter to the Corinthian Church:

“ Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, endures all things. Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. - 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8[24] ”

Love and atheist arrogance/anger/quarrelsomeness

See also: Atheist bullying and Atheist movement and Atheism and the internet

As noted above, the Apostle Paul taught that arrogance and easily provoked anger are antithetical to love. The atheist population has a significant problem with pride, anger and quarrelsomeness (see: Atheism and arrogance and Atheism and anger and Atheism and social intelligence and Atheist factions).

Picture of Greta Christina in 2010.

(photo from Flickr, see: license agreement)

The atheist and lesbian Greta Christina told the journalist Chris Mooney on the Point of Inquiry podcast, "there isn't one emotion" that affects atheists "but anger is one of the emotions that many of us have ...[it] drives others to participate in the movement."[25]

Blair Scott served on the American Atheists board of directors. Mr. Scott formerly served as a State Director for the American Atheists organization in the state of Alabama. On December 1, 2012 he quit his post as a director of outreach for the American Atheist due to infighting within the American atheist movement.[26]

Mr. Blair wrote:

“ I have spent the last week mulling over what I want to do at this point in the movement. I’m tired of the in-fighting: at every level. I am especially tired of allowing myself to get sucked into it and engaging in the very behavior that is irritating..me.[27] ”

The atheist Brendan O'Neill wrote in The Telegraph in an article entitled How atheists became the most colossally smug and annoying people on the planet: "These days, barely a week passes without the emergence of yet more evidence that atheists are the most irritating people on Earth."[28]

For more information please see:

Atheism has a poor track record in terms of creating art/music about atheism/love

Michelangelo's Creation of Adam

See also: Atheism and art/music and Atheism and a lack of appreciation for the beauty of the human body and Argument from beauty

Solomon's Song of Songs is considered to be a classic piece of literature dealing with romantic love.

In addition, theists have created many great works of art dealing with the human physique such as Michelangelo's Creation of Adam. For thousands of years lovers have been giving compliments to their lovers about their beauty. Objective beauty exists and beauty is not merely subjective in nature.[29] Theologically conservative Christians believe in the existence of objective beauty whereas atheists commonly reject the existence of objective beauty (See: Argument from beauty),

Despite atheism being around since at least ancient Greece, there has not been a strong tradition of creating musical and artistic works related to atheism, atheism/love or atheism/beauty.

Musical/artistic talent can be enhanced through practice and the atheist creed of "there is no God" is not an inspiring creed that produces a significant amount of music/art. For example, despite Wikipedia being founded by an atheist and an agnostic, there are no articles specifically devoted to the topics of atheist music or atheist art at Wikipedia, but Wikipedia does have articles devoted specifically to Christian art and Christian music.

For more information please see: Atheism and art/music

Atheism, satanic deception and malevolence

Charles Baudelaire

See also: Atheism and satanic deception and Atheism Quotes

Charles Baudelaire expressed a common belief concerning atheism and satanic deception in his short story The Generous Gambler written in 1864:

“ He complained in no way of the evil reputation under which he lived, indeed, all over the world, and he assured me that he himself was of all living beings the most interested in the destruction of Superstition, and he avowed to me that he had been afraid, relatively as to his proper power, once only, and that was on the day when he had heard a preacher, more subtle than the rest of the human herd, cry in his pulpit: "My dear brethren, do not ever forget, when you hear the progress of lights praised, that the loveliest trick of the Devil is to persuade you that he does not exist! ”

For more information, please see: Atheism and satanic deception

The Apostle John records Jesus making an allusion to the devil and declaring that he is a thief that comes to rob, kill, and destroy.[30] Jesus also declares the children of the devil want to carry out their father's wishes and that the devil was a liar and a murderer.[31]

The Russian revolution caused the most notable spread of atheism

See also: Atheism and communism and Soviet atheism

According to the University of Cambridge, historically, the "most notable spread of atheism was achieved through the success of the 1917 Russian Revolution, which brought the Marxist-Leninists to power."[32] Vitalij Lazarʹevič Ginzburg, a Soviet physicist, wrote that the "Bolshevik communists were not merely atheists but, according to Lenin's terminology, militant atheists."[33] However, prior to this, the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution established an atheist state, with the official ideology being the Cult of Reason; during this time thousands of believers were suppressed and executed by the guillotine.[34]

Militant atheism and repression, deception and violence

As far as the methods used to promulgate atheism, there is a history of using deception. In addition, atheistic communist countries have used violent means to suppress theism.

Stain glass depiction of the Apostle John

Apostle John on Christian love and on the spirit of the antichrist

In an a letter to his fellow Christians, the Apostle John taught concerning love:

“ And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. - 1 John 4: 3-12 (King James Bible) [35]

”

Atheism and hatred of God

See also: Atheism and hatred of God

In debates with atheists, the popular Christian YouTube video maker Shockofgod often asks atheists the loaded question, "Is God evil?". Invariably, so-called atheists quickly say yes. Then Shockofgod informs the "atheist" that they admitted that God exists.[36] Shockofgod also declares that Christians never accuse leprechauns of being evil because they know they don't exist.[37] See also: Denials that atheists exist and Atheism has a lower retention rate compared to other worldviews.

Don Batten of Creation Ministries International wrote:

“ Recently, I have had a lot of conversations with atheists. Many express a strong hatred of God. I have been at a loss to explain this. How can you hate someone you don’t believe in? Why the hostility? If God does not exist, shouldn’t atheists just relax and seek a good time before they become plant food? Why should it matter if people believe in God? Nothing matters if atheism is true[38] ”

The Christian evangelist Ray Comfort contends that atheists hate God because they know he does exist.[39] Comfort declared in 2009: "Atheists don't hate fairies, leprauchans or unicorns because they don't exist. It is impossible to hate something that doesn't exist. And that makes the point."[40]

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ How do atheists define love? by Dr. Taylor Marshall
  2. ↑ What is love? how materialist atheism fails to have a satisfactory answer, July 9, 2014
  3. ↑ How do atheists define love? by Dr. Taylor Marshall
  4. ↑ The Triumph of the Gospel of Love by Monk Themistocles ((Adamopoulo)
  5. ↑ What is love? how materialist atheism fails to have a satisfactory answer, July 9, 2014
  6. ↑ ATHEISM'S THIRTEEN BIGGEST FLAWS
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ The doctrine of determinism by Wayne Jackson, Christian Courier
  9. ↑ Atheism, Determinism and Social Problems
  10. ↑ Self-refutation and the New Atheists: The Case of Jerry Coyne by Michael Egnor, Evolution News, September 12, 2013
  11. ↑
  12. ↑ The Argument from Consciousness for the Existence of God by John Piippo, 3/20/2012
  13. ↑
  14. ↑ Multiple references:
  15. ↑ Morals decline linked to evolution
  16. ↑ Atheist Saint Valentine's Day Cards by Ken Ammi, Examiner, October 29, 2010
  17. ↑ Pew Research Center - Global Religious Landscape 2010 - religious composition by country.
  18. ↑ Foust, Michael (October 23, 2007). "Poll: Atheists less likely to 'do good'" Baptist Press. Retrieved on July 20, 2014.
  19. ↑ Christians Give more to Charity than Atheists (YouTube video featuring an audio clip of Dr. William Lane Craig)
  20. ↑ Multiple references:
  21. ↑ Rummel, R. J. (November 1993). "How many did communist regimes murder?" University of Hawaii website; Freedom, Democracy, Peace; Power, Democide, and War.
  22. ↑ To Love by Posted by Stingray in Marriage, Thoughts
  23. ↑ Can We Be Good without God? by William Lane Craig
  24. ↑ 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 NASB version
  25. ↑ Mooney, Chris (May 14, 2012). "Greta Christina—Why are you atheists so angry?" [interview of Greta Christina] Point of Inquiry website. Retrieved on October 6, 2014.
  26. ↑ An Open Letter from Blair Scott
  27. ↑ An Open Letter from Blair Scott
  28. ↑ Brendan O'Neill, The Telegraph, How atheists became the most colossally smug and annoying people on the planet, August 14th, 2013
  29. ↑ Is Beauty Objective? by Keith E. Buhler, posted October 24, 2007
  30. ↑ John 10:10
  31. ↑ John 8:44
  32. ↑ "Investigating atheism: Marxism". University of Cambridge (2008). Retrieved on July 17, 2014. “The most notable spread of atheism was achieved through the success of the 1917 Russian Revolution, which brought the Marxist-Leninists to power. For the first time in history, atheism thus became the official ideology of a state.”
  33. ↑ Vitalij Lazarʹevič Ginzburg (2009). On Superconductivity and Superfluidity: A Scientific Autobiography p. 161. Springer Science+Business Media. Retrieved on July 17, 2014. “The Bolshevik communists were not merely atheists but, according to Lenin's terminology, militant atheists.”
  34. ↑ Multiple references:
    • James Adair (2007). Christianity: The eBook p. 461. JBE Online Books. Retrieved on July 18, 2014. “Although the Civil Constitution called for religious liberty, which was extended to Jews as well as Christians, many revolutionaries pushed for the establishment of a new state religion, either the Cult of Reason (atheists) or the Cult of the Supreme Being (Deists). Changes to the calendar eliminated references to Christian holidays, and even the ancient seven-day week, and a list of officially recognized saints included such famous thinkers such as Socrates, Jesus, Marcus Aurelius, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. A period of political persecution, often with religious overtones, broke out, known as the Reign of Terror. Thousands of people were executed by the guillotine, including many of the original leaders of the French Revolution.”
    • William Belsham (1801). Memoirs of the Reign of George III. to the Session of Parliament ending A.D. 1793, Volume 5 pp. 105-6. G.G. & J. Robinson. Retrieved on July 18, 2014. “In allusion to the monstrous transactions of this portentous period, it has been eloquently and energetically observed, 'that the reign of atheism in France was avowed the reign of terror. In the full madness of their career, in the highest climax of their horrors, they shut up the temples of God, abolished His worship, and proclaimed death to be an eternal sleep:—in the very centre of Christendom, Revelation underwent a total eclipse, while atheism, performing on a darkened theatre its strange and fearful tragedy, confounded the first elements of society, blended every age, rank, and sex, indiscriminate proscription and massacre, and convulsed all Europe to its centre, that the imperishable memorial of these events might teach the last generations of mankind to consider religion as the pillar of society, the parent of social order, and the safe-guard of nations.'
      "It is wonderful that, amid the horrors of this dismal period, while 'the death dance of democratic revolution' was still in rapid movement, among the tears of affliction, and the cries of despair, 'the masque, the song, the theatric scene, the buffoon laughter, went on as regularly as in the gay hour of festive peace.'”
    • William Kilpatrick (2012). Christianity, Islam, and Atheism: The Struggle for the Soul of the West p. 57. Ignatius Press. Retrieved on July 18, 2014. “Actually, it's helpful to think in terms of two Enlightenments: the Enlightenment that cut itself off from God. The former led to the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence, the abolition of slavery, and the civil rights movement. The latter led to the French Revolution, the Reign of Terror, the suppression of church by state, and the godless philosophies of Marx and Nietzsche and their offspring—National Socialism and communism. More recently the abandonment of God has led to the regime of cultural relativism that regards rights as arbitrary constructions.
      "It's this second Enlightenment tradition that Cardinal Ratzinger referred to when he wrote, 'The radical detachment of the Enlightenment philosophy from its roots ultimately leads it to dispense with man.' Actually this transition happened not 'ultimately' but almost immediately. The first instance occurred when Enlightenment worship of abstract 'reason' and 'liberty' degenerated quickly into the mass murders committed during the antireligious Reign of Terror in France. 'Liberty, what crimes are committed in your name', said Madam Rolande as she faced the statue of Liberty in the Place de la Revolution movements before her death at the guillotine. She was one of the early victims of a succession of secular systems based on rootless notions of 'liberty', 'equality', and 'reason'.
      "As many historians have pointed out, the atheist regimes of modern times are guilty of far more crimes than any committed in the name of religion. Communist governments alone were guilty of more than one hundred million murders, most of them committed against their own people.”
  35. ↑ 1 John 4: 3-12 King James Bible
  36. ↑ Atheist loses debate to theist & admits God exists
  37. ↑ Atheist loses debate to theist & admits God exists
  38. ↑ Atheists hate God
  39. ↑ Evangelist: Atheists know they are wrong
  40. ↑ Evangelist: Atheists know they are wrong
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