A is for Atheist

Atheism is strangely difficult to define.

The Stanford Dictionary of Philosophy defines atheism primarily in propositional terms. There are only two answers to the proposition 'is there a God?": 'yes', which is theism and 'no', which is atheism. Either there is a God or there isn't, which is a question of fact. It has nothing to do with belief. It is a proposition. Atheism is the proposition that there are no gods.

Many, though, prefer to describe atheism in psychological terms, as a belief or non-belief. According to the American Atheists (AA) website, atheism is a rejection of the assertion that there are gods. "To be clear: Atheism is not a disbelief in gods, or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods."

So, not a disbelief, but a lack of belief. To be... erm... clear.

AA's argument is that atheism is the default option until a person chooses to believe in God or gods. As the philosopher Antony Flew wrote in 1976, in his book with the same title, there is a "presumption of atheism". The onus to prove the existence of God is on the theist. Atheism, in this sense, does not require a positive belief. A new-born baby is an atheist. Indeed, we are all atheists until we positively choose not to be.

After listening to a theist's arguments for the existence of God, an atheist's response can legitimately be: "I remain unconvinced". It means that the famous message on the side of the bus - "There probably is no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life" - is an atheist message, despite the element of doubt. As Richard Dawkins once put it: "We cannot prove that there is no God, but we can safely conclude that He is very very improbable indeed."

So, there is a distinction between:

- a belief there are no gods; and

- a non-belief that there are gods.

The latter is atheism, whereas - according to the AA website - the former is not ("atheism is not a disbelief in gods").

Yet it clearly is. Antony Flew described it as 'hard' or 'positive' atheism and there are many atheists who would say that this is precisely what they believe. Although Richard Dawkins is not officially one of them, he nonetheless called his most famous book 'The God Delusion', rather than 'I See Where You're Coming From, But I Remain Unconvinced'.

Indeed, until recently, 'hard atheism' was the only atheism. In 1953, Bertrand Russell wrote: "An atheist, like a Christian, holds that we can know whether or not there is a God. The Christian holds that we can know there is a God; the atheist, that we know there is not. The agnostic suspends judgement, saying that there are not sufficient grounds either for affirmation or for denial."

But, using the AA definition, this no longer applies. Agnosticism is no longer the fuzzy grey between the black and white of theism and atheism. "Agnostic isn't just a 'weaker' version of being an atheist," the AA website says. "It answers a different question. Atheism is about what you believe. Agnosticism is about what you know."

Yes, but.

On the basis that no-one knows, or can know, whether a God or gods exist, we are all agnostics. The Pope is an agnostic. Richard Dawkins is an agnostic. Friedrich 'God is Dead' Nietzsche was an agnostic. And the word loses all meaning.

This confusion over the definitions of atheism and agnosticism makes it difficult to assess how many atheists there are. Surveys suggest that between 8% and 13% of the world population describe themselves as 'convinced atheists'. In 2010, 20% of the EU population said that it did not believe in "any sort of spirit, God or life force".

A final point: whilst atheism may pertain to a non-belief that there are gods (or, as explained above, a belief that there are no gods), there is a distinction between that belief and a belief system. Atheism is just one piece in the jigsaw of a person's belief system. One of Ricky Gervais' lesser known Tweets puts it: "Saying [atheism] is a belief system is like saying not going skiing is a hobby". It is wrong to extrapolate a person's belief system based upon just one component. Atheists can be liberal, conservative, Stoic, Epicurean, Buddhist, humanist or indeed anything - indeed, according to one survey in 2014, 2% of Anglican priests believed that God was just a human construct.

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Written by Pete Mansfield

Sunday: Word For The Day

Sunday 10th January

Prayer Week

Remember the story of the house built on the rock and the one built on the sand? During this time of Covid I think we can safely say the storm is raging, but God invites us to take shelter under the shadow of his wings, to come into his strong tower. The Lord longs to hold you, to love you, to remove all fear. Lean back into the loving arms of the father and his promises. He has the power to sustain you, to lead you into peace.

Where will you fix your gaze? Where will you put your meditation, your focus? What will you let into your heart, the trouble of this world or its overcomer? In Jesus you are more than a conqueror, his hand is steadfast to hold you, his heart is unswerving in his love for you. Put your hope in him who doesn’t change and let him give you his rock to stand on. The sand keeps moving with the tide, with each news broadcast, but his rock remains. Sure up your foundations.

We long for better times, but fixing our hope in the circumstances around us changing can be exhausting in this yo-yo climate. When trouble comes remind yourself -
“My house is built on the rock, my hope is built on Jesus, I choose not to fear, I am more than a conqueror through Christ who loves me”

John 16:33 “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Isaiah 49:23 “ those who hope in me will not be disappointed “

Romans 8:37 “ no in all these things we are more than conquerors thorough him who loved us”

How to Read the New Testament Well

A Summary of the recent Bible study course run by Dave Roderick

If you have been tuning in for our online Sunday services or read any of Dave’s weekly emails you will know that he recently ran a course on reading the New Testament, complete with zoom meetings.

Don’t worry if you missed out on a chance to get involved, we have stored all of Dave’s notes and recordings of the zoom meeting here so that you can catch up on all of the good stuff that was discussed.

Week One - Introduction, Gospels and Acts

Week Two - Letters

Week Three - Revelation

How to Not Lose Your Faith in Lockdown

Gyms and basketball courts have been closed for months now, and as someone who enjoyed going to the gym and playing basketball at least a couple of times a week, it’s been a challenge thinking of creative ways to stay active during lockdown.

They say that faith is like a muscle. Sadly the positive and negative sides of the similarity are true: muscle memory means it’s possible for faith to become easier and stronger when put into practise often. But it’s also possible for faith to weaken over time if it’s neglected. So, how do you not lose your faith in lockdown?

During a recent Zoom Bible Study, we all admitted that we have days where our faith is really struggling, and sometimes we’re not even sure that we’re Christians or that there is a God! We asked everyone in the group to answer this question: What do you do to keep your faith when you are doubting? Here are some of the answers, I hope these encourage you!

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1. Nature

Multiple people in the group agreed that for them, admiring nature is a real faith-booster for them. Whether it’s the colours of a sunset, staring up into the stars, thinking about the way the human body can heal itself, or the argument for intelligent design based on an impossibly fine-tuned planet which sustains life, there are plenty of spiritual and physical benefits for getting out there and enjoying God’s good creation.

2. Worship

One aspect of spiritual-life which has been particularly affected by lockdown is sung-worship. Although we can still listen to music and even enjoy it on YouTube, there’s something profound about actively singing worship. For me personally, some of the moments in my life when I’ve felt closest to God are when I’ve been singing worship songs either in festivals with bands and lighting, or small settings with just a guitar. If this is at all true for you, then find ways to build worship into your daily rhythm through Spotify playlists or singing along in your car!

3. Prayer

Answered prayers are one of the most effective proofs for God’s existence, and can really help to sustain faith when things get tough. I keep a journal of answered prayers, or things that God has said to me. I’m pretty rubbish and keeping this journal, but even reading a small number of God’s promises, or remembering answers to prayer, will lift your spirit and remind you that God is for you and can communicate with you.

4. The Bible

God’s book, The Bible, is the easiest and clearest way to hear his voice and get to know Him better. Reading even a single verse every day will help you to grow in faith. Maybe try reading a short Psalm each day. Or download the YouVersion Bible App and start a short reading plan over the summer. A friend of mine used to say he’d leave a Bible open in his house so that he’d remember to read it at least once a day, even if it was just a sentence. Pick the book back up, and get into it!

5. People

Who are you spending time with? They say that you should hang around people you want to be like. So if you’re struggling in your faith, it can be a good idea to try and make time for being with people who will encourage you in your relationship with God. Are you joining the Zoom call after church on a Sunday morning? Are you part of a small group or Bible study? Do you talk to Christian friends on a weekly basis?

“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”

— Proverbs 13:20

6. Practice

Our final pointer takes us back to where we started. Faith is like a muscle, so you need to activate it in order to keep it strong. So put your faith into action in some of the following practical ways:

• Go to church (or watch it from the comfort of your bed while it’s online!)

• Care for others who need it most (give to charity, volunteer at a youth club, offer a listening ear to a friend)

• Talk to your friends about Jesus and what difference He’s made in your life

• Attend an online Alpha Course and explore the basics of faith (this is a great idea for experience Christians as well as people new to faith)

• Join a group which meets during the week. You’ll be amazed at how many people struggle with faith and meeting during the week gives an opportunity for honest questions, chances to pray together and to read the Bible.

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Well, I hope that something in this list will encourage you. Don’t forget that the one thing we all have in common as Christians is the reality of doubt. We’ve all been there, which means we can all help to encourage one another towards faith. We all share one another’s stories - both the difficulties and the wins.

May you grow during this uncertain time as you begin to activate your faith and enjoy the full life that God has for you.

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