HAVE YOU REALLY CONSIDERED WHAT YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE TO BE AN ATHEIST?
To say, “I do not believe in God,” seems simple enough. Yet when we pause and examine it closely, we discover a far-reaching set of assumptions that an atheist must embrace—beliefs that are often unexamined, unproven, and sometimes deeply counterintuitive. Every worldview rests on a foundation, and atheism is no exception.
First, consider the nature of reality. To deny God, one must assume that the universe, in all its staggering complexity, arose without design, purpose, or ultimate meaning. Life, consciousness, morality, and the very laws of physics are treated as products of chance, accidents of matter and energy over billions of years. “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Hebrews 11:3). To reject God is to reject the hand that sustains creation itself.
Second, an atheist must believe that objective moral values exist independently of a moral lawgiver. We know intuitively that theft is wrong, that love is noble, that justice matters. Yet with atheism, these are reduced to evolutionary happenstance or social convention. If all is matter in motion, why should right and wrong matter beyond human preference? And if there is no ultimate justice, how can hope for ultimate fairness endure? “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good” (Psalm 14:1). Even the psalmist understood that to deny God is to deny the foundation of truth and goodness.
Third, atheism presumes that the universe is self-sufficient, that existence explains itself, and that life requires no Creator. But when we look at the world—the intricacy of the eye, the balance of ecosystems, the order of the cosmos—can such self-sufficiency be taken at face value? As Paul wrote, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). To reject God is to ignore the evidence written in creation itself.
Finally, consider hope and purpose. To live as if there is no God is to live as if life is ultimately meaningless. Every joy, every achievement, every act of love, must find its fulfillment within temporal bounds. Yet the Word of God offers a promise that transcends these limits: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). Belief in God restores coherence to life, purpose to suffering, and hope beyond the grave.
To be an atheist is not merely to disbelieve; it is to accept a worldview with profound consequences for meaning, morality, and reality itself. Perhaps before we so readily embrace unbelief, we ought to pause and consider the weight of what must be assumed—and the freedom, hope, and truth we may be missing in Jesus Christ.
BDD
