The Making of An Atheist: How Immorality Leads to
Unbelief (2010)
by James S. Spiegel
by James S. Spiegel
"Perhaps we should consider the possibility that sceptical objections
are the atheists' facade, a scholarly veneer masking the real causes of their
unbelief," writes James in this book that looks at how morality or the
lack thereof plays an important role in the rejection of God. "[Atheists] willfully reject God
despite the fact that the entire universe proclaims His existence."
Can immorality lead to unbelief? Surprisingly (or maybe not), Spiegel argued,
many well-known atheists are not reticent in acknowledging the volitional
aspect of their atheistic beliefs.
But what about those of
faith? To my mind that is the bigger question here. Does a lifestyle which
rejects the basic tenants of Biblical morality lead to a rejection of God by
those of a Biblical world view? After reading this book, I believe you’ll find
the answer to that question is an unfortunate - Yes. Scary!
According to Spiegel,
"the root of the problem,
apparently, is not a lack of intelligence but rather a hardness of heart that
is itself caused by immoral behaviour." Morality by its very nature is
a God attribute. Without God mankind’s competing self-interests are ultimately
destructive. Without God each of us becomes merely the next meal in an endless
evolutionary food chain. Is that really how we want to see the beauty and mystery
of the world around us? Is science enough? With God, will it be fuller?
I know James tried not be
bias as Christian philosopher, tried to be generous and graceful in the first
chapter ("Atheistic Arguments,
Errors, and Insights"), I respects him for that. Theists and atheists
(even sceptics) will be benefited by reading this book. My most uneasy part in
this book is when he examines "the
faith of the fatherless." The "defective father hypothesis" - the notion that a broken
relationship with one's father predisposes some people to reject God. He ends
this book well by telling the benefits of being theist and especially as
Christ's followers.
Read it! Or watch James's
talks/sermons online. Worth it!
THINK BIG.
START SMALL. GO DEEP.
No comments:
Post a Comment