The Bible tells Christians not to be of the world, sharing its distorted priorities, but it does call upon believers to be in the world, fully engaged. Many Christians have abdicated this mission. They have instead sought a workable, comfortable modus vivendi in which they agree to leave the secular world alone if the secular world agrees to leave them alone. Biologist Stephen Jay Gould proposed the terms for the treaty in his book Rocks of Ages when he said that secular society relies on reason and decides matters of fact, while religious people rely on faith and decide questions about values. Many Christians seized upon this distinction with relief. This way they could stay in their subculture and be nice to everyone.
But a group of prominent atheists-many of them evolutionary biologists-has launched a powerful public attack on religion in general and Christianity in particular; they have no interest in being nice. A new set of antireligious books-The End of Faith, The God Delusion, God Is Not Great, and so on-now shapes public debate. These atheists reject the Gould solution. They say that a religious outlook makes specific claims about reality: there is a God, there is life after death, miracles do happen, and so on. If you are agnostic or atheist, you have a very different understanding of reality, one that is formed perhaps by a scientific or rationalist outlook. The argument of the atheists is that both views of reality cannot be simultaneously correct. If one is true, then the other is false.
The atheists have a point: there are not two truths or multiple truths; there is one truth. Either the universe is a completely closed system and miracles are impossible, or the universe is not a closed system and there is the possibility of divine intervention in it. Either the Big Bang was the product of supernatural creation or it had a purely natural cause. In a larger sense, either the secular view of reality is correct or the religious view is correct. (Or both are wrong.) So far the atheists have been hammering the Christians and the Christians have been running for cover. It's like one hand clapping.
This is not a time for Christians to turn the other cheek. Rather, it is a time to drive the money-changers out of the temple. The atheists no longer want to be tolerated. They want to monopolize the public square and to expel Christians from it. They want political questions like abortion to be divorced from religious and moral claims. They want to control the school curricula, so that they can promote a secular ideology and undermine Christianity. They want to discredit the factual claims of religion, and they want to convince the rest of society that Christianity is not only mistaken but also evil. They blame religion for the crimes of history and for the ongoing conflicts in the world today. In short, they want to make religion-and especially the Christian religion-disappear from the face of the earth.
The Bible in Matthew 5:13-14 calls Christians to be the "salt of the earth" and the "light of the world." Christians are called to make the world a better place. Today that means confronting the challenge of modern atheism and secularism. My new book What's So Great About Christianity, which is just hitting the stores, provides a kind of tool kit for Christians to meet this challenge. The Christianity that is defended here is not "fundamentalism" but rather traditional Christianity, what C.S. Lewis called "mere Christianity," the common ground of beliefs between Protestants and Catholics. This Christianity is the real target of the secular assault.
I have written this book not only for believers but also for unbelievers. Many people are genuine seekers. They sense there is something out there that provides a grounding and an ultimate explanation for their deepest questions, yet that something eludes them. They feel the need for a higher sense of purpose in their lives, but they are unsure where to find it. Even though they have heard about God and Christianity, they cannot reconcile religious belief with reason and science: faith seems unreasonable and therefore untenable. Moreover, they worry that religion has been and can be an unhealthy source of intolerance and fanaticism, as evidenced by the motives of the September 11 terrorists. These are all reasonable concerns, and I address them head-on in this book.
This is also a book for atheists, or at least for those atheists who welcome a challenge. Precisely because the Christians usually duck and run, the atheists have had it too easy. Their arguments have gone largely unanswered. They have been flogging the carcass of "fundamentalism" without having to encounter the horse-kick of a vigorous traditional Christianity. I think that if atheists are genuine rationalists they should welcome this book. It is an effort to meet the atheist argument on its own terms.
Nowhere in this book do I take Christianity for granted. My modus operandi is one of skepticism, to view the claims of religion in the same open-minded way that we view claims of any other sort. The difference between me and my atheist opponents is that I am skeptical not only of the irrational claims made in the name of religion but also of the irrational claims made in the name of science and of skepticism itself.
Taking as my foil the anti-religious arguments of prominent atheists like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens and the others, What's So Great About Christianity shows the following: 1) Christianity is the main foundation of Western civilization, the root of our most cherished values. 2) The latest discoveries of modern science support the Christian claim that there is a divine being who created the universe. 3)
If you want to read more about the book, check out my website dineshdsouza.com
Reader Comments ( Page 5 of 36)
61. The truth of the matter is, Even though people don't want to believe Jesus Christ is the Only way to obtain their salvation it doesn't take away the fact that this is true. Some may not believe that gravity exists but, the truth is if they jump off of a building they will hit the ground. He is the One and Only way, no other religion says this. Plus Christianity is not a religion it is a relationship which is built on faith. The Bible says that it is impossible to please God without faith. Those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ, God calls them cowards Revelations 21:8- "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." If you haven't accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, ask yourself why? your disbelief can qualify you as a coward and there is a place for you.
Take care
TheLordIsMyFriend at 3:25PM on Oct 12th 2007
62. re: #23 "It’s proven that abstinence education is 100% ineffective and that there are more underage pregnancies where this is being taught."
As one who reads lots of medical transcripts I am truly amazed at how well the "safe sex" education. Let's see, 1/3 of young ladies having at least one STD by the time of graduation from HS. A rapid increase in the rate of pregnancy among teens. Unfortunately the church is doing no better, but I doubt "abstainance" education is the cause, more likely no education.
"The Bush Administration funds these worthless programs and refuses to fund programs for Stem Cell research,"
I have not yet heard of any real success 25 years of embryonic stem cell research has accomplished. However adult stem cell research has shown promise. Yet all we hear from the media is how we need to spend more tax dollars on embryonic SCR. Why?
and dare I mention the “A” issue."
Most religious people are not actively trying to stop abortion. Most of us just have two wishes in this field: I do not want to pay for it unless it is mine. Make ALL parties tell the TRUTH about its long-term effects. Why does PPH sue every time a legislature passes a full disclosure law? What are they hiding?
Dale Greenlee at 3:32PM on Oct 12th 2007
63. However, you also should be aware that without an authority greater than man or mankind there is nothing which is truly evil. Only that which does not serve Me.
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Really? So if you didn't believe in your god, you'd kill whomever offended you and would steal whatever caught your fancy, with no thought about how your actions affect others? Hmmm... Maybe you're dumb enough to NEED that religion then, but it would be a whole lot simpler if you just developed EMPATHY and tried to look at things through the eyes of others, and not just yourself. The Golden Rule isn't religious, it's common sense. Try it sometime. And no fear of hell required! Just being a good person is it's own reward. Or don't you believe that?
Brian at 3:47PM on Oct 12th 2007
64. Religion is most like a computer virus for brains. It comes complete with instructions for development and propagation of the virus, and code that prevents the person from deleting it or noticing that it doesn't conform to reality. It is orchestrated, organized, and officially sanctioned psychosis, made easily digestible and palatable to the masses.
Brian at 4:01PM on Oct 12th 2007
65. Brian,
History shows that in regards your question (#61) there seems to be 4 kinds of men.
1. those who think that my feeling empathy would be sufficient to make others good.
2. the weak who do not have the ability to defend themselves and need my empathy.
3. those who choose not to feel empathy and thus prey on the first two.
4. those willing to defend #1 and #2 from #3.
Since it is painfully obvious from history that all four of these exist I prefer to be in the group #4.
Examples of people in group #3, A. Hitler, J Stalin. to them what they were doing which we think of as evil was only necessary because they were their own authority. We can either accept that their actions were evil and that there is an authority above men, or that there is no authority above men and these men were actually good.
Dale Greenlee at 4:02PM on Oct 12th 2007
66. "Religion is regarded by the common people as true; by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful."
-Seneca
I like your Christ.
I do not like your Christians.
They are so unlike your Christ.
-Gandhi
When I was a child, I spake as a child,
I understood as a child, I thought as a child:
but when I became a man, I put away
childish things.
-The Apostle Paul
I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours
- Stephen Roberts
"If a Creator God exists, would He or She or It or whatever the appropriate pronoun is, prefer a kind of sodden blockhead who worships while understanding nothing? Or would He prefer His votaries to admire the real universe in all its intricacy? I would suggest that science is, at least in part, informed worship. My deeply held belief is that if a god of anything like the traditional sort exists, then our curiosity and intelligence are provided by such a god. We would be unappreciative of those gifts if we suppressed our passion to explore the universe and ourselves. On the other hand, if such a traditional god does not exist, then our curiosity and our intelligence are the essential tools for managing our survival in an extremely dangerous time. In either case the enterprise of knowledge is consistent surely with science; it should be with religion, and it is essential for the welfare of the human species."
-Carl Sagan
Secular schools can never be tolerated because such schools have no religious instruction, and a general moral instruction without religious foundation is built on air; consequently all character training and religion must be derived from faith
-Adolph Hitler (YES, HITLER!!!)
I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own--a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism.
- Albert Einstein
"Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion that has ever infected the world." Voltaire
"I consider Christian theology to be one of the greatest disasters of the human race." Alfred North Whitehead
"We have become so accustomed to the religious lie that surrounds us that we do not notice the atrocity, stupidity and cruelty with which the teaching of the Christian church is permeated." Leo Tolstoy
"I call Christianity the one great curse, the one great intrinsic depravity, and the one great instinct of revenge, for which no means are venomous enough, or secret, subterranean and small enough - I call it the one immortal blemish on the human race." Friedrich Nietzsche
"Of all the systems of religion that ever were invented, there is none more derogatory to the Almighty, more unedifying to man, more repugnant to reason, and more contradictory in itself than this thing called Christianity. Too absurd for belief, too impossible to convince, and too inconsistent for practice, it renders the heart torpid or produces only atheists or fanatics. As an engine of power, it serves the purpose of despotism, and as a means of wealth, the avarice of priests, but so far as respects the good of man in general it leads to nothing here or hereafter." Thomas Paine
"Christianity persecuted, tortured, and burned. Like a hound it tracked the very scent of heresy. It kindled wars, and nursed furious hatreds and ambitions. . . . Man, far from being freed from his natural passions, was plunged into artificial ones quite as violent and much more disappointing." George Santayana
"The careful student of history will discover that Christianity has been of very little value in advancing civilization, but has done a great deal toward retarding it." Matilda Joslyn Gage
"You find as you look around the world that every single bit of progress in humane feeling, every improvement in the criminal law, every step toward the diminution of war, every step toward better treatment of the colored races, or every mitigation of slavery, every moral progress that there has been in the world, has been consistently opposed by the organized churches of the world. I say quite deliberately that the Christian religion, as organized in its churches, has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world." Bertrand Russell
"When the churches literally ruled society, the human drama encompassed: (a) slavery; (b) the cruel subjection of women; (c) the most savage forms of legal punishment; (d) the absurd belief that kings ruled by divine right; (e) the daily imposition of physical abuse; (f) cold heartlessness for the sufferings of the poor; as well as (g) assorted pogroms ('ethnic cleansing' wars) between rival religions, capital punishment for literally hundreds of offenses, and countless other daily imposed moral outrages. . . . It was the free-thinking, challenging work by people of conscience, who almost invariably had to defy the religious and political status quo of their times, that brought us out of such darkness." Steve Allen
"There was a time when I believed in the story and the scheme of salvation, so far as I could understand it, just as I believed there was a Devil. . . . Suddenly the light broke through to me and I knew this God was a lie. . . For indeed it is a silly story, and each generation nowadays swallows it with greater difficulty. . . . Why do people go on pretending about this Christianity?" --H. G. Wells
"Man seeks to escape himself in myth, and does so by any means at his disposal. Drugs, alcohol, or lies. Unable to withdraw into himself, he disguises himself. Lies and inaccuracy give him a few moments of comfort." -- Jean Cocteau
Brian at 4:04PM on Oct 12th 2007
67. Dale, you seem to think that there must be a god (and perhaps a devil) for evil to exist, but it's not the devil, it's the egos of men that deceive them into not being empathetic, that convince them that to be empathetic is to be weak. They're evil in the sense of being severely imbalanced, and need to be dealt with harshly, as our empathy toward others would demand. Evil dictatorial types like Stalin, Hitler, and Bush need to be stood up to, questioned, and defeated. They're not devil worshippers, and satan doesn't whisper in their ears, it's their own PRIDE that is their compass, so in their pride they think that whatever they decide to do is good, by definition. They're a lot like fundies in this regard.
Or why else did YOUR RELIGION make PRIDE one of the seven deadly sins? You people can't understand the dangers of pride, since you're all to proud of yourselves and your religion to see it in yourselves.
Brian at 4:14PM on Oct 12th 2007
68. Oh, and if "pride goeth before a fall" you christians are due for quite a fall in the near future. Hope so. I'm frankly tired of your illogical ego-based rants.
Brian at 4:17PM on Oct 12th 2007
69. If divine authority is the *only* basis for morality, then don't we just have the ultimate case of 'might makes right'? What, then, is the difference between people who collaborated with the Nazis and those who obey the commands of a god? Is it *really* just that the collaborators picked the wrong bully to submit to?
If you actually think morality flows only from divine command, Google for the "Euthyphro problem" some time.
Ray Ingles at 4:22PM on Oct 12th 2007
70. Are you insinuating that secular people have no values/ I assure you, just because we don't believe in some celestial father figure, doesn't mean we lack values. Theres something called doing what is right simply because it is right, and not because you will get some reward in the afterlife for it. Really athiesm shaping public debate? If so why have all but one U.S. president been prodestant? Clearly us heathens have all the control here. Not all of us reject compromise based solutions. I actually accept that despite all factual evidence their may be a god(s) or creator of some kind. Science doesn't know everything. Do I expect if there was it would be the god of a specific religion, not likely. It's entirely likely that nobody has it right. Of course athiests argue that both views can't be simultaneosly correct. They are exact polar opposites based around the existance of a god or lack thereof. Why exactly aren't Christians arguing that? The athiests hammering the Christians while you guys run for cover? Please show some evidence of this persecution you claim Dinesh, I would love to see it. Until then I consider it book selling tactic and no more. Um isn't every time the time for the Christians to turn the other cheek. It's kinda one of those founding principles of the religion. Way to use a bad religious analogy there Dinesh. Please do read up on the historical and financial implications of the moneychangers at the temple before you start using it incorrectly to refer to athiests and agnostics. No longer want to be tolerated, nope we want to be tolerated. Pretty sure we do, just saying Dinesh. Yes, we do want to expel Christianity from politics. You are damn right about that Dinesh. Read about seperation of church and state kid. Trying to commision law on abortion or anything else based on your religious beliefs is tantamount to treason far as I see it. That and God isn't too fond of forcing your religion upon your government either. "Render unto God that which is his, and unto Ceasar the same' I may have just butchered that quote, but I assume you'll get the meaning. What are these "factual claims of Christianity" you keep bringing up. Maybe I will dispute them, maybe I won't. But it would be good to hear you specify for once. Um, religion does have it's evils and is responsible for some of the crimes of history. Now whose disputing factual evidence Dinesh? The crusades, the church's silent acceptance of the holocaust, propaganda abut birth control, gaycamps, nazi pope, the spanish inquisition, moving child molestors from church to church. We're not giving you guys any more credit than hat you actually deserve. Now as far as from an athiest viewpoint you have to remember that you have a large multinational organization brainwashing people by feeding them lies froma young age. Just the same as from your viewpoint we are heathans doomed to Hell. It's a fairly large break from one sides viewpoint to not see the other side as inherintly evil. 1) We can have values (some would argue purer values) without religion. 2) Oh, please do specify (and no more of the oh look it's too orderly to be an accident bull) 3) Well that just ruins my hopes for legitimate discussion on #2 4) Yes, but science tends to want evidence before it goes around declaring factual imformation. The lack of evidence against doesn't men there is. Can we find concrete evidence stating that bigfoot can't possibly exist? 5) In the same way that it's reasonable to believe that Bill gates will walk into my house this very second and sign over all of his money to me? Reason is based upon fact not speculation, use a dictionary. 6) We have a few of our own yes, but I'd love to see how your pinning the crusades and 9/11 on us. 7) Moral escapism? WE athiests don't lack in morals and values I assure you. Infact I would love an afterlife, and hope that I am dead wrong. Your argument is false, derogatory, and offensive.
andysullivan000123 at 4:22PM on Oct 12th 2007
71. Dale, you divide humanity into three categories, but your first one was false, so I thought I'd correct it...
1. those who think that my feeling empathy would be sufficient to make others good.
Huh?! Who is that? I feel empathy to all others, but I am not so delusional to think that this means that they will automatically feel likewise toward me. Jesus, if I recall, didn't EXPECT that the Romans would fall to his words of mercy and compassion. So he wasn't as dumb as you are evidentally.
I am empathetic, but to good and to evil both, as in, I can recognize both, and thus can react to either one. It's called balance.
The idea behind being empathetic is to make it a way of life and an example for others to follow, not that it will heal the world overnight. It's a slow process, made slower by religious types that can't even believe in it at all and think that god is a necessary part of it, which it most definitely isn't. And being empathetic is not being stupid. My empathy for people in general for example is precisely what allows me to see when someone is acting in an evil manner in the first place. Or to see when a religion that talks a lot about love and peace has been corrupted by egotistical people into a force for evil and not good.
Brian at 4:32PM on Oct 12th 2007
72. Brian: Evil dictatorial types like Stalin, Hitler, and Bush need to be stood up to, questioned, and defeated.
Here is the problem we all face in this statement: If I stand up to an evil dictator, what keeps him from killing me? Then what have I accomplished? No, I have lost. He continues in his evil. However, if I define and expose his evil I may be able to rally more to my "good" and together we defeat him.
And, how do I know that what I consider good to be really good except by my own pride?
With these dilemas Why should I not go along to get ahead, as the churches of Germany did. After all if I am trying to accomplish good can I not do more good with a little compromise than with being dead? But where do I stop compromising? After 6 million deaths, 48 million? When is evil too evil?
When will we realize without a higher authority than myself I can not hope to halt evil. I do not think it is pride to put myself under a higher authority. Rather pride is to believe that I am my own authority of good or evil.
Dale Greenlee at 4:33PM on Oct 12th 2007
73. I meant four categories. Typo, sorry.
Brian at 4:40PM on Oct 12th 2007
74. Every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord...that's a fact, and all the atheists wishful thinking cannot dispel this reality, they WISH it were true that man can just go and live any old way he wants, but, of course, it's NOT true.
glenn horlacher at 4:45PM on Oct 12th 2007
75. And, how do I know that what I consider good to be really good except by my own pride?
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By cultivating a balance within yourself between your head and your heart. By empathisizing with others in the best sense of the word. By feeling their feelings. Don't bother trying; you'd need to ditch the belief system in order to even start.
Good helps others, evil hurts others. It's not that hard, unless you're so imbalanced that you can no longer perceive that your actions are hurting others, or unless you just don't care about it.
Brian at 4:46PM on Oct 12th 2007