God's Not Dead: Evidence for God in an Age of Uncertainty Read Online Free Page A

of life all point to a rational intelligence. Theists push that logic , believing this intelligence isn’t merely an impersonal force but is conscious and relational as humans are conscious and relational beings. Just as we desire intimacy, trust, and love from the relationships we value, so does our Creator.
    The atheist worldview, also described as naturalistic , centers on nature. A- is the Greek prefix meaning “absence,” therefore an atheist believes in the absence of God. Everything can be explained by natural causes and effects. As the lead singer for Bad Religion stated in his book Anarchy Evolution :
    If people ask me about my worldview, I say that I am a naturalist. When most people hear that word, they think of someone who spends a lot of time outdoors watching birds and admiring landscapes—and I suppose that description applies to me. But I think of naturalism as a philosophy rather than a lifestyle. From a philosophical perspective, naturalists believe that the physical universe is the universe. In other words, there are no super natural entities or forces acting on nature, because there is no empirical evidence for anything beyond or outside of nature. 16
    This worldview eliminates the possibility of God from the outset; therefore, no evidence for an intelligent Creator will ever be convincing.
    The pretense of many atheists is that somehow they don’t really possess any of these presuppositions. They project this air of objectivity, arguing with Socrates, “Scientists follow the evidence wherever it leads.” 17 Unless, of course, it leads to God.To say that nothing exists outside the physical world is a statement of faith. There is no way that anyone can prove that is true. Atheism and other worldviews are just ideas—big ideas—and as history has proven, ideas have consequences. For example, the naturalistic worldview stemming from Darwinian evolution has had disastrous repercussions when applied philosophically and ethically: millions died at the hands of atheist Communists and Nazis during the twentieth century.
    “I MAGINE T HERE ’ S N O H EAVEN ”
    If there is an anthem of unbelief, it is no doubt the song “Imagine” written by the late John Lennon: “Imagine there’s no heaven . . .” 18 What if Lennon’s song were true? Would the world be a better place if there were no God? Let’s imagine.
    If there is no heaven, then there is no God. If there is no God or heaven, then this life is all there is: when you’re dead, you’re dead. What John Lennon imagined, Vladimir Lenin had already built in the communist state of Russia . The godless world of that Lenin was a living nightmare of torture, genocide, and darkness. The twentieth century was the bloodiest century in history, thanks to the atheistic regimes of Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot , and Mao Zedong.
    If God is dead, then man is dead as well. Utopian dreams of humanistic paradise seem ideal until one fatal fact is recalled: man is the true cause of evil. Without the restraint of God and His law, humanity is free to act out any impulse, desire, or passion. Nothing would be ultimately right or wrong. Imagine an announcement was made in any major city of the world that thepolice were taking the week off. No crimes would be prosecuted, no laws enforced. What do you imagine would be the result? Peace and tranquility or lawlessness and chaos?
    If there is no heaven , then there is no reward for any good deed done. Why sacrifice your life for your country or any other cause? If there is no hell, then there is no ultimate punishment for any crime. In other words, the terrorists who commit atrocities against their fellow men will, in the end, get away with it.
    The experiment to build a society without God has been tried. It has failed. At the same time religion without God is equally disastrous. The prophets of old warned that people could worship with their lips while their hearts were far away from God. The warning is echoed in the writings