Media opinion leaders would have us believe that atheism is for the elite, i.e. for those who are truly rational (intellectually superior). But if you must have a god, you must make sure that god is no more special than a human being. As such, your god must:
- Not be born of a virgin
- Not be able to perform miracles
- Not be unique
- Not be able to overcome death, i.e. be resurrected
“So, providing your god is not god-like, we will let you believe in him/her. No god must be bigger than ourselves. We have said so.”
In reality, such thinking is both crass and illogical.
Either God is… (and is therefore somuch more than we can conceive), or God doesn’t exist. But the emasculated, watered down god of liberal theology neither satisfies the logic of the atheist, or the rationality of conventional Christian theists.
If God really did come to us in history – it would be entirely logical, even probable, that events such as those recorded in the gospels occurred. What else, other than the events recorded in the Bible, would convince us:
- That God exists
- That God is the final definition of love and goodness
- That God is inviting us to know and love him
- That God indentifies with us completely
- That God came up with an idea to rid us of sin that would otherwise disbar us from his presence
- That God will finally kill off injustice and suffering
- That God’s end game is that we live with him in his eternal kingdom
So, wrap your desire for autonomy in simplistic, poorly thought-through atheistic clichés if you must, but don’t mess with the Christian gospel and turn it into a pale reflection of what it really is. To do that is to turn Christianity into a bland moralism that offers no hope.
Here’s a special aside to the Uniting Church in Australia, which, sadly, has charged well down the liberal rabbit hole:
In the last 25 years, the Uniting Church Assembly has invented legal ways to disenfranchise its people and foist on its congregations non-biblical morality most didn’t want. As a result, despite branding itself as the most socially progressive denomination, the UCA is the fastest dying denomination in Australia. Recent “National Church Life Survey” data shows that it is now only the fifth biggest denomination (in terms of church attendance) – and it would be a great deal smaller if it weren’t for some big evangelical/charismatic churches that have more in common with Hillsong than the UCA. Sadly, to date, there are no indications that the UCA Assembly has either the will or the capacity to repent and reform.
So, to return to my original thesis: Accept it, or reject it… but don’t mess with the Christian gospel.
