"The passionately protesting atheist, sensitive to suffering, can be welcomed as a partner in a spiritual and moral struggle against evil. [That person's] companionship is a defense against smugness. The intellectually discriminating atheist can be accept as an ally in skeptically rejecting all the popular, half-baked stupidities named "god" that abound in our time and invited into conversations that explore what the best minds thought, and think, about God.
But there is one form of atheism that cannot be treated so charitably. Psalm 14 energetically attacks the one kind of atheism that the world is most tolerant of but of which it has most to fear-the people who say in their hearts, "There is no God." This is a quiet, unobtrusive atheism that never calls attention to itself. These people do not say with their mouths, "There is no God." To the contrary, with their mouths they say what everyone else says about God. They recite the Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer along with the best of them. With their mouths they articulate impressive arguments for God's existence. With their mouths they denouce the godless. With their mouths they demand public prayers and official religion.
But in their hearts they say, "There is no God." Their atheism is never voiced and may not even be concious, but it is lived-with a vengeance."
From Earth and Altar by Eugene H. Peterson.
High on the list of criticisms by my friends and acquaintances that don't believe in God is the way Christians act. Most stereotypes have a shred of truth in them, and christians, including myself, are to blame for creating images of hypocrisy, self-assuredness, isolating, and shaming others. Please understand as a Christ-follower I seek to become more like Christ, but that I will fail over and over again for the rest of my life. But also understand that I understand that.
A warning I gave to friend who wouldn't label herself as "christian" when she decided to send her kids to a christian school was: Don't base your opinion of God on the ignorant ones. I would give that to everyone, don't miss out on Jesus because his followers don't have it all together all the time. Pursue truth. I appreciate that there are people who will hold me accountable to a half-hearted ideation of God. That there are people who don't believe in God that can help me pick apart what I shouldn't believe about God.
Again, for those who cannot stand some of the "popular, half-baked stupidities named "God"", you dont know how close to understanding the way of Christ you are.
Find someone who can introduce you to Jesus, even if they can't act like him all the time, and forgive us in our ignorant times.
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