The Superior Atheist
Posted: Saturday, July 16, 2011
by John Waddey
firstcenturychristian
Anyone who has had occasion to dialog with an atheist has likely observed an air of superiority in his opponent. The typical atheist tends to look down with arrogant pity on Christians as poor deluded children who need to be delivered from their misery. I use to wonder why atheists act this way? Years of observation have led me to conclude the following:
• Because he believes what the majority rejects, he feels superior to the great host of believers.
• Because many intellectuals are unbelievers, he thinks that by identifying with them, it will make him an intellectual. He conveniently overlooks the millions of intellectuals who were and are devout Christians.
• Because Christians believe they were created by a Superior Being (Gen. 1:26-31), to whom they are indebted, the atheist rejects their message. He thinks he was not created by anyone. He is the consequence of a cosmic accident that resulted in a protein molecule. Millions of years later, his ancestors crawled out of the muddy water as some slimy primitive form of life and after a few more million years they grew fur and became monkey-like creatures. A million or more years later, they emerged, primitive, pitiful creatures, part animal and part human. For that, he feels superior to those who think that God made them in his image and gave them dominion over His earth (Gen. 1:28).
• Because Christianity appeals to the poor, the humble and downtrodden (It also appeals to the educated and powerful), he does not want to be identified with those lowly groups. His peers in atheism imagine themselves to be the superior cast of humanity.
• Because Christians are expected to live a life of self-denial (Matt. 16:24), the atheist rejects it, preferring to be counted among those who can do whatever they wish to do.
• Because Christians must live in subjection to Christ and obey his will in all things (Heb. 5:9), the atheist rejects Christianity. He wants to be his own Master and not accountable to anyone or anything above himself. He forgets that everyday of his life he must obey laws written by people who occupy positions above him. Most of those law-makers he will never see.
• Because Christians think and talk much about the joys of heaven and life beyond this present existence (John 14:1-3), the atheist rejects their faith. He wants all his joys and pleasures now. He has difficulty imagining an existence beyond planet earth. But he can easily believe in life on other planets such as Mars, etc.
• Because Christianity has much to say about a day of Judgment when all will have to answer for their conduct in this life (II Cor. 5:10), the atheist rejects it. He and his fellow-atheists prefer to live their lives with no thought of being held accountable. That would take much of the joy out of the atheist’s lifestyle.
• Because Christians believe in a Hell where the wicked, including unbelievers, will spend their eternity (Rev. 21:8), atheists reject their religion. Atheists don’t like to hear about, think about or worry about Hell. By denying it, they feel superior to those poor Christians who are careful to avoid going to such a place.
Did you hear about the pig who imagined he could fly. He look down with pity on all the other pigs in the lot. They could not fly. He bragged about his superior position as a flying pig. He scorned the company of his neighbor pigs who wallowed in the mud. He told romantic stories about his superior talent and the suffering he endured because the other pigs could not see his wings. Finally, when cold weather arrived, the farmer set the day for slaughtering his pigs. Amazingly, the superior pig, did not escape by flying away. He was as helpless as all the rest of the pigs. He ended up in some cook’s frying pan. Proud Atheists are not much different from the pig who thought he could fly.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)The only atheist I have ever had contact with is a former boss of mine. He would always like to put the 'dig' in, as it were, but always in a light-hearted way. I think he respected what I believed, but could never really get his head around it. His little jabs would allow me to respond with why I believe as I do. I really enjoyed working with him and I think he enjoyed our little swipes at each other.
Hi John, thank you for sharing these thoughts. I have found them to be true is some cases, but to be fair to some of these same atheists, it's not what we profess that makes them "hate" Christians, it's the manner in which it is professed. Unfortunately I have heard some Christians belittle non believers and look down on them because of their sinful life styles or lack of belief. I think if we look beyond the "smugness" and take the time to get to the heart of the matter, we could learn something of great value. I have had this same experience of "smug Superiority with some Christians. There have been times when I was studying with other Christians and things were going great - "Iron sharpening Iron"... until something of my before Christ days came up, or I disagreed with a particular issue - all of a sudden I was a leper. I fully believe it is possible to respect one - another regardless of our beliefs, but it is on a one - on - one basis. I think many Christians as well as many non- Christians are guilty of lumping everyone together in their perspective "groups". Thanks again a nicely written article. Blessings to you! Teresa
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