“The problem of disbelieving in God is not that a man ends up believing nothing.
Alas, it is much worse. He ends up believing anything.” ~G.K Chesterton
I heard of a gentleman traveling to a third-world country where driving regulations were minimal and police virtually nonexistent. He noted that in terms of road etiquette it was a matter of “he who drives the biggest truck rules.” So it is where God has been rejected. Lawlessness ensues and the strong oppress the weak. It is no coincidence that in all countries of the 20th Century dominated by strident atheists, the citizens were brutally oppressed. However, removing accountability to God leads not only to lawlessness and tyranny, it also produces moral and spiritual blindness, foolish behavior, and hardened hearts.
For the first time in America’s history less than half of its citizens claim to be Christians, according to recent polls. There have always been scorners in America, but until recently they were largely on the fringe of society. Over the past several decades, however, they have gained a foothold both culturally and politically and have launched an assault against God and Christianity that those who are only superficially Christian are unwilling to bear. When Christ explained to His followers, in John chapter six, that there would be a cost in seeking righteousness, many deserted Him then as well. There is often a cost in following Christ, but there is a greater cost in deserting Him. America, founded upon biblical truth and principles, cannot survive without them.
Atheism, contrary to all claims to the opposite, has neither an inherent morality nor a compulsion to create it. While atheists may develop an ethic, they must borrow it from elsewhere. Their own morality “document” is a blank page. Nations which have discarded God and religion to become atheistic or secular have only three possible sources for a common morality: cultural traditions derived from their religious heritage, a dominant government, or the will of the majority, should they manage to secure some form of democracy.
In any case, there is no reason to assume that the moral standards of that nation will be or will remain ethical. Atheism’s natural antipathy toward God and religion often leads its proponents to reject much of what is derived from them, creating cultures that do not value traditions or principles associated with religion. Therefore, it is not surprising that most nations dominated by atheists have eventually become hostile to human rights. The notion of humans having objective value and thus unalienable rights is sourced exclusively in Christianity. In the rare cases where kings or emperors were toppled and there was no alternative controlling authority, such as religion, anarchy flourished, as in the case of the French Revolution.
The strange notion, propounded by modern atheists, that the burden of proof for the existence of God lies with us, rather with them to prove His non-existence, reminds me of a person viewing a house and nonsensically declaring that it is easier to believe that the house just happened than that it was built by a contractor. Romans chapter one states that from creation we understand God’s “eternal power and godhead.” The existence of a universe is as certain a proof of God’s existence as a house proves the existence of a builder! Denying God’s existence is not intellectually based. It is spiritual rebellion.
Romans one declares that there comes a time when God runs out of patience with recalcitrant people and turns them over to their own desires, therewith to be enslaved. They become bound by sin, reckless of its cost, and unable to understand the causes for their suffering. They grow tolerant of any and all deviant and debauched behavior, living without moral restraint; and the only evil in their eyes is that of someone saying “no” to their evil. An example of this is the interaction of a police officer with a lawbreaker. The yelling that often ensues is not from the officer! Nowadays it is the officer who is considered the offender!
Once people reject God they have no objective standard of right and wrong. Each person assumes he can decide for himself what is good or evil. Isaiah 53:6 notes, “All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned every one to his own way…” In Judges 21:25 we read, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in their own eyes…” The popular challenge one often hears to “follow your heart, because your heart will never lead you wrong,” is the modern version of this serious error. Scriptures admonish us, however, that, “he who trusts in his own heart is a fool,” (Prov. 28:26).
Having rejected Truth, God-haters are forced to live by lies; and while those lies contradict one another, they neither notice nor care. Anything goes, and woe be to the one who attempts to introduce a normative moral standard! Those who accept the premise of “No God” become gods in their own minds, and the mantle of “god” is a heady thing! One can now draw the lines as he chooses, and when everyone is drawing crooked lines, the only lines not tolerated are straight lines.- because they expose the crookedness of the rest.
Recall the angry and violent response against those who said, “all lives matter!” It is objectively true that all lives matter, but one dare not say it! It is like flying into heavy clouds without instruments. Soon, losing sight of the horizon, it is impossible to determine up or down, and unless one escapes the clouds, the situation becomes deadly. Consider the events of Genesis chapter four where Cain killed his brother Abel. The Apostle John explains that Cain killed his brother “because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.” (I John 3:12). Mark Twain, ever insightful, noted that “nothing is more irritating than a good example.” It remains true today that the wicked persecute the righteous with far greater zeal than the righteous do the wicked. Proverbs 29:2 notes that “When a wicked man rules, the people groan…”
One would think that the painful consequences of godlessness would lead most people to change their behavior. Unfortunately, this is generally not the case. This again is addressed in Romans chapter one. By “suppressing the truth in unrighteousness,” the text notes, people become fools, meaning that they are unable to understand that their pain is the consequence of their own bad behavior. They become, in effect, like children. Try to reason with a three-year-old regarding why his taking another toddler’s toy caused a fight and you will understand the futility of pointing out the atheist’s error of hating God. Hostile God-rejecters do not and will not hear you! God quite literally withholds His wisdom from them! They want what they want and will not be deterred by reason or by pain.
Tragically, the lawlessness created by removing the Bible and Christianity from America’s cultural forums is now devastating the nation. With the elimination of objective truth, people are willing to believe and do whatever pleases them for the moment, as Chesterton noted. This explains why the Left is perfectly fine with anarchy, confusion, and violence. They are not only unconcerned about these things, they encourage them. We find chaos at the borders, lawlessness on our streets, unabated murder in our inner cities, abortion of the innocent unborn, men declaring themselves to be women and women calling themselves men. Criminals are unapologetically released back on the streets.
Violence and riots killed dozens, destroyed hundreds of businesses, and cost billions of dollars in damages in 2020, and the Left justified it as “mostly peaceful demonstrations.” They lie repeatedly, and when caught in lies, simply move on to another lie without embarrassment or apology. It is the modern iteration of Hosea 4:1,2, “There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, killing, and stealing and committing adultery, they break all restraint, with bloodshed upon bloodshed.”
The nation’s rejection of God is not accidental nor is it based upon a determination that the evidence does not support the existence of a Deity. It is a fist shaken in God’s face and a declared refusal to submit to His rule. It brings with it a cascading flood of costly and even fatal consequences to individuals and the country. The rabid atheism pushing the current anti-God movement is not driven by an honest search for truth, but by pride, self-will, and rebellion. Such things will produce no good.
We also recall Paul’s declaration in Ephesians 2:12 that those who are without God are without hope. If there is a label that applies to millions in America today, it is hopelessness. Depression, suicide, escapism into drugs and alcohol, and the revival of ancient pagan religions testify to the hungering of hearts for meaning yet rejecting the only fountain of truth and life, God’s word.
Rejecting God as sovereign leads necessarily to the exalting of the “Imperial I.” Without God, no one can legitimately claim ultimate authority, which leaves a vacuum that personal pride cannot resist filling. Individuals crown themselves sovereign, worshipping at their own feet. And seven billion gods walking planet Earth is a recipe for conflict. How often have you heard, “You can’t talk to me that way!” or “Don’t tell me what to do!” or, “Do you know who you’re talking to?”
This is America today! Need I say more?
If a dog bit you every time you tried to pet him, you would learn to keep your hands to yourself. Every culture that has rejected God has turned violent and tyrannical, so one would think we would learn as well. Tragically, most will not. The Scriptures note that, “The wicked shall be turned into Hell, and all the nations that forget God,” (Pslam 9:17).
It does appear that as America forgets God, it becomes more and more like Hell, doesn’t it? But it need not end with that! God’s grace and mercy are great and available to all who will come. He promises,
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
If we turn from sin and earnestly seek His forgiveness, He will abundantly pardon!
