• “As atheism rises, American declines”

     

    A fascinating op ed piece from OneNewsNow.com. A fellow by the name of Peter Heck has responded to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

    As the decline of American society persists, it is not coincidence that the atheist movement in the United States is simultaneously growing.

    According to The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, one in five American households profess no religious affiliation. That can’t be too surprising to anyone who understands human nature or historical trends. A prosperous society built upon the back of the very values espoused in the Judeo-Christian worldview inevitably yields to satisfaction, complacency and arrogance — the belief that our material possessions, our comforts, our good fortune are all the result of our own hands. Soon it’s more than just not “needing” God for our provision. Man rebels against Him, and is offended by the mere suggestion of His authority. This culminates in an inevitable downward slouch that has accompanied so many great civilizations of the past. So it appears to be with us.

    I’ve got a couple issues with that second paragraph. While I’d have to research a bit, I have a hunch that the values our country is built on aren’t necessarily exclusive to Christianity.

    Granted, the number of “nones,” as these trendy hipsters like to call themselves, is not overwhelming, but it’s certainly higher than it should be if we were still a humble and rational people. The inversion of those two principles (humility and rationality) is one of the most stunning things about the atheist. They claim to be people of reason, yet eschew and despise its very foundation. They fail to grasp that apart from the eternal consistency provided by the biblical God, they would have absolutely no basis for reason at all.

    The “nones” are trendy hipsters? I’ll be darned. I’m going to inform my son of this new phenomenon.

    Obviously, when it comes to the claims of Jesus of Nazareth, Christians believe we have it right and others are wrong. But it is wholly inaccurate to suggest that Christians think they alone are right on the most fundamental question there is, and that everyone else is wrong. That distinction belongs to … you guessed it … the atheist.

    I personally know a number of atheists. The vast majority are of the “I don’t know” category, not the “everyone else is wrong” variety. I suspect this author didn’t research his subject. 🙂

    I write about this in my book [note: I removed his book title]. Imagine a four-lane highway full of traffic all traveling in one direction. Then suddenly, one singular car traveling the opposite way down the same roadway appears, heading into oncoming traffic. While it’s possible that the driver of the one car was the only one who knew the right way and everyone else was just mistaken, logic and rationality would suggest otherwise. It would take an extremely arrogant driver to stick his head out of his sunroof and start screaming at all the other drivers about how dumb they were, without ever pausing to consider he might be in the wrong.

    Such is the worldview of the atheist … or “none.” So pardon my lack of excitement at the fact that such an irrational, arrogant and foolish worldview is becoming more common in American culture. It says a lot about who we are becoming and where we’re going as a people.

    Ah. Now I get it. This whole un-researched, name calling, hackle rising, emotional button pushing, inaccurate, idiotic editorial was simply a ruse to sell his book. Why am I not surprised.

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    Category: FYI

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    Article by: Beth Erickson

    I'm Beth Ann Erickson, a freelance writer, publisher, and skeptic. I live in Central Minnesota with my husband, son, and two rescue pups. Life is flippin' good. :)