I Don't Believe in Atheists

There is a long tradition of atheism and agnosticism in the west. We extol the virtues of the mind, free-thinking and reasoning, and for many this leads to the diminishing of any serious consideration of God. In some enlightened circles atheism is the standard frame of reference for all things. If you use your mind at all, the thinking goes, you will realize that religion- any religion- is simply superstition.

My first problem with this line of thought is an old argument from the field of Christian apologetics. To be an atheist, to not believe in God, implies that you know what it is you do not believe in. Therefore, God must exist since you know what God is. If God is all-powerful, all-knowing and all-present, then the best a person can do is to say that he does not believe that what others think about God is true. A person cannot truly be an atheist, but merely an agnostic- one who has doubts about the existence of God.

But recently I came across a new approach. I think that this is absolutely true. There are many people who call themselves atheists simply because they are too lazy to think about, learn about or decide about God. It is much easier to not think, than it is to think. Most people do not examine their lives and beliefs at all. We come up with labels for people, institutions and ideologies so that we can dismiss them or address them in the shortest amount of time possible. I believe that many people accept the label "atheist" so they do not have to do the hard work of thinking about what they truly believe about God.

God help them, and us!

Why School Prayer is a Bad Idea

It comes up once in a while. "The USA is going to hell in a hand basket because some atheist tricked the Supreme Court into banning prayer in our schools." I have a couple of problems with that statement. First of all, we are not going to hell in a hand basket. The USA is still the greatest, most free, nation in the world. We have the most money, the most liberty, the most everything. Millions of people all around the world recognize this. That is why they are trying to come here.

Secondly, whatever you may think of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, she tricked no one, and she was not acting alone. It is a sad day when we truly believe that one person, unelected and unappointed in our government, can have that much influence. The challenge for us should be that if one person can have that much influence in a negative way, why shouldn't we offer pressure and change in the other direction?

Finally, prayer is not banned in schools. It is true that teachers and other faculty members may not lead or facilitate prayer, but that does not mean that pray is illegal. (Just ask any teen who forgot to study the night before the geometry test.) Prayer is legal anywhere and at any time in America. Our freedom to worship is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution. Although schools may not promote, endorse or encourage prayer, they also may not prohibit it.

Now, with all that being said, let me say that organized school prayer is a very bad idea. Here's why:

• When the school organizes prayer, our children will be exposed and susceptible to some very poor spiritual examples. We must be careful who we allow spiritual leadership in our communities and especially with our children. It is not acceptable that Buddhists, Muslims or Atheists would be teaching Christian children about prayer.
• When children participate in organized prayer at school, it gives them a potentially false sense of spiritual security. One short, memorized prayer daily does not give one a relationship with God.
• Parents lose the incentive to teach prayer to their children when the school is doing it. It is important for parents to be the spiritual leaders for their children. Many parents will neglect that responsibility if they believe that someone else is doing it.

Okay, maybe I'm being a little too hard. I would like it if my daughter would be involved in prayer at school (in an official capacity), but I will never allow someone else to have the leadership role in the spiritual lives and development of my family.