March 31, 2010

As the New Atheists have argued in recent years that belief in God is absurd and dangerous, Jim Spiegel has noticed a conspicuous lack of attention in the responses by Christian apologists to the moral and psychological roots of atheism.

Now, in his new book, "The Making of an Atheist," the professor of philosophy and religion at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana says atheists don't come to the conclusion there is no God through a careful study of the evidence, but rather as a result of a "moral rebellion." Spiegel argues atheism is a cognitive disorder arising from willful resistance to the evidence of God. In short, he argues it is the atheists who are delusional.

"The thesis of my book is that people don't become atheists because of any perceived lack of evidence," Spiegel says. "It's not the result of intellectual questioning, but rather a willful suppression of the evidence - as Paul says in Romans 1: 20. That makes it more of a heart issue than an intellectual issue, which underscores the need for the Holy Spirit to change a person's heart."

The release of Spiegel's book – and "Not God's Type" by former atheist Holly Ordway - comes as Moody's Publishers has started the "Pray for an Atheist" initiative on Facebook. The initiative, coinciding with National Atheist Day on April 1, offers Christians an opportunity to connect with atheists through social networking sites. Moody's is encouraging people to pick an atheist friend or relative to pray for during April and to send them positive, personal messages with some non-intrusive theological ideas from www.shareanddefend.ning.com.

So far, the Facebook site has more than 600 fans.

Tracy Wagman, a stay-at-home-educating mom in Chicago, Illinois, says she's a big fan of the Facebook page. "I love the heartbeat of their mission … prayer," Wagman says. "We can be a united front of believers agreeing in prayer for specific atheists. I want to be busy standing in the gap between God and atheists, interceding for their conversion."

The page also has a number of atheist fans. Brayden Simms, a 28-year-old writer living in New York City, disagrees with the premise of Spiegel's book, arguing his atheism doesn't stem from moral rebellion.

"Christians see morality as directly tied to the Bible so they can't understand why atheists wouldn't just be 'evil,'" Simms says. "To wit: Atheists like myself think that being 'good' just because a book told you so is a false morality. People like me aren't 'good' simply because we fear the consequences of an eternal punishment; we do things the way we perceive as the right way, for the betterment of humankind."

The ongoing debate has a long history, dating in modern times to the 19th century when Sigmund Freud described belief in God as a psychological projection triggered by wishful thinking.

In recent years, the New Atheists - Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett - have made similar arguments, claiming faith is not only irrational, but potentially dangerous. Since then, Christian apologists like William Lane Craig, Dinesh D'Souza, Ravi Zacharias and Lee Strobel have written books, given interviews and debated the atheists, revealing the holes in their arguments, the evidence for the existence of God and confirming what Paul wrote in Romans 1:20, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

Other biblical writers have also addressed this religious skepticism: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands," the psalmist wrote. Or, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God. They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one that does good."

Based on these verses, Spiegel argues atheistic rejection of God is often precipitated by immoral indulgences, and sometimes combined with deep psychological disturbances, such as a broken relationship with one's father. The skeptical objections, Spiegel says, are the atheist's façade, "a scholarly veneer masking the real causes of their unbelief – causes which are moral and psychological in nature."

"The reality of God is manifest all around us, from the unimaginable vastness of our universe, with its hundreds of billions of galaxies, to the breathtaking complex micro-universe of individual cells to the elaborate machinations in animal and plant physiologies and the diverse ecosystems they comprise," Spiegel writes. "To this list we could also add the phenomena of human consciousness, moral truths, the existence of beauty, mystical religious encounters, miraculous occurrences, and fulfilled biblical prophecies."

In the book, Spiegel notes that many well-known atheists share the experiences of having lost fathers when they were young, or have fathers that were alcoholics, abusive or "defective" in some other way.

Among celebrity atheists, both Jodie Foster and George Carlin lost their fathers when they were young. Spiegel also cites research by New York University Psychology Professor Paul C. Vitz who found a significant link between fatherlessness and atheism. In his book, "Faith of the Fatherless," Vitz lists influential atheists who as children experienced the death of their fathers: Friedrich Nietzsche, Bertrand Russell and Jean-Paul Sartre. He also names atheists such as Thomas Hobbes who had weak or abusive fathers. Spiegel notes that Professor Daniel Dennett's father died in a plane crash when the boy was 5 and Christopher Hitchen's father was distant and his mother killed herself in a suicide pact with a lover when Hitchens was 24 years old.

"This doesn't prove that every atheist necessarily is the product of bad father relationships, or that's a necessary condition for atheism, but it's very suggestive and I'd see it as one significant, causal influence," Spiegel says. "From the standpoint of scripture … the basic idea is that God – as our heavenly father – is mirrored by our earthly father. And so when that relationship is broken, it has a kind of psychological influence on our approach to God."

Exploring the "biblical diagnosis" of atheism, Spiegel argued it involves a "hardening of the heart" (Ephesians 4:18) and the suppression of the truth by wickedness (Romans 1:18). And although a broken relationship with one's father is often involved in this process it's often combined with a form of rebellion - resentment, hatred, vanity, unforgiveness or pride.

"The hardening of the atheistic mind-set occurs through cognitive malfunction due to two principal causes," Spiegel wrote. "First, atheists suffer from paradigm-induced blindness, as their worldview inhibits their ability to recognize the reality of God that is manifest in creation. Second, atheists suffer from damage to the sensus divinitatis, so their natural awareness of God is severely impeded. Both of these mechanisms are aspects of the noetic effects of sin. This combination of factors amounts to a deadly cognitive cocktail when it comes to religious belief. However, thankfully, even the atheist is not beyond reach of the redemptive power of God."

In a second book released as part of the "Pray for an Atheist" initiative, Holly Ordway, an English professor at a community college in the San Diego area, tells about her intellectual and emotional journey from atheism to faith in Jesus Christ.

"A young, white, highly educated atheist, Ordway represents the kind of person that many observers of religion say cannot be converted anymore –a demographic supposedly beyond the reach of the church in postmodern America," Moody's spokeswoman Jennifer McDow says. "Yet through a series of conversations with a wise and patient mentor, Ordway became convinced of God's existence and gave her life to the Lord."

For many years, Ordway says she was very hostile toward Christianity.

"I thought it was a total crock, but I didn't actually know anything about it," she says. "I think a lot of it was I was afraid it might be true and I didn't want it to be true. I was very fortunate. I think God guided me to a place where I met people who do his work, who got to know me – and not as just a potential convert – and were able to answer the questions I had."

Ordway, 35, grew up a "typical Yankee kid," went to good public schools and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, ultimately earning her doctorate. Ordway says she learned how to think at these colleges, but didn't really apply that "to thinking about the big questions."

"I just sort of assumed my vague ideas that God was a myth must be correct and certainly nobody at these colleges was encouraging me to think about that," Ordway says.

She worked as a high school teacher briefly before moving to California and discovering what she really wanted to do – teach English literature.

"I think a lot of those years I was trying to find meaning in my life in other things – trying to find it in writing, trying to find it in my work, not finding it there and not knowing what I was missing," she says.

As she prepared for her courses, she discovered that most of the best literature and poetry was written by Christians. As she read more of these books and poems, she found "they were speaking to me in a way I had not experienced before." About the same time, she discovered that her competitive sabre fencing coach was a Christian.

"This sort of threw me for a loop because I assumed Christians were uneducated idiots," Ordway says. "But my coach is a thoughtful, educated and all-around good guy."

She started asking him and his wife questions about Christianity and eventually began attending a church where she gave her heart to the Lord. Now, she's enrolled in the apologetics program at Biola University to learn more about her faith.

"I think one of the things I took pride in when I was an atheist is that I was willing to be tough and face the most unpleasant truth about reality," she says. "If you think life has no meaning and look into the abyss and deal with it – that takes a certain amount of courage. But if you have that courage, use it to find out what is true because it's terrifying to think that God is real. I think that's one of the reasons why prayer is so important. Prayer changes the person who is praying as well as inviting action on behalf of the person they are praying for."

Canadian Outrage to Last Week's Article At What Cost?

Response by Wesley J. Smith to letters below:

I am not sure why Canadian objectors to my column are so put out. Perhaps I didn’t adequately define my terms. I did not say that Canadians are routinely denied chemotherapy—as in curative treatment. Rather, I wrote that that cost benefit boards turn down “life extending” chemotherapy, that is, chemo not aimed at a cure but buying extra time in terminal cases. This seems beyond dispute. For example, as noted recently in the National Post, Ontario placed limits on colon cancer patients receiving life-prolonging Avistin to save $9 million a year—a decision decried by the Province’s ombudsman Andre Marin as “arbitrary” and “bordering on cruelty.” http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/story.html?id=2066531

But even chemotherapy and treatments that have a chance of cure may be hard to obtain in a timely fashion. Just do an Internet search, such cases are ubiquitous. A few weeks ago, the media carried a story of an Edmonton chef diagnosed with brain cancer. Canadian doctors said it was inoperable, but obtained life-saving surgery at the Mayo Clinic. He was then prescribed Avistin—but Alberta won’t fund the drug. So he spends $4500 out of pocket for the chemotherapy, while American brain cancer patients receiving the same treatment are fully covered. Thanks to American medicine, he is in remission. Had he compliantly relied on the Canadian system, he undoubtedly would not be doing nearly as well. http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2490374

The systemic problems in Canada extend far beyond cancer. Indeed, Dr. Anne Doig, the incoming president of the Canadian Medical Association stated last August, “We all agree that the system is imploding, we all agree that things are more precarious than perhaps Canadians realize,” http://www.mofopolitics.com/2009/08/17/cma-president-dr-anne-doig-the-system-is-imploding-more-precarious-than-perhaps-canadians-realize/

As for the NHS and NICE, the system is imploding even faster than Canada’s, with almost daily reports in UK media of horrors like filthy hospitals, women giving birth in elevators, patients forced to remain hours in ambulances before being allowed into emergency rooms, etc. Any reader can easily find a good sampling of these by going to my blog http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/secondhandsmoke and doing a search of the term, “NHS Meltdown.”

Oh dear America. I feel so sorry for you, and attempt in love to hold up a mirror. Your polarized and partisan disrespect for each other, your refusal to work together, your continual demonizing of the “other”, your ideological positions which find only the negative in your opponents, and which you then take to absurd exaggerations, your unwillingness to consider compassionate and logical compromises, and your cultural myth of absolute individualism and freedom dooms you to continual war within and without. Despite the rhetoric there does not appear to be much of the Spirit of God at work in any of this. - D.K.

I continue to be dismayed at the misrepresentation of the British National Health Service by you and many other US brothers and sisters in Christ. You propagate a false picture based on a lack of knowledge. I and my family receive excellent care, especially at the point of urgent need. One year ago my wife nearly died with a complex heart problem; she is alive today and thriving because of top quality care under the NHS. My prostate cancer was treated successfully by the NHS. For decades my severely handicapped son has been cared for with compassion and competence by the NHS. Your acceptance of such lies does your reputation no good, nor does it enhance the Gospel in the eyes of many in the UK who benefit from the NHS or work in it. May God bless you with more wisdom than you appear to have on this issue right now, and with courage to speak to real people in my beloved country rather than the malcontents who must have fed your thinking until now. - T.F.

I have been a faithful subscriber to "To the Source" for many years and have always appreciated your perspective on important issues. But your depiction of health care in Canada is completely false. In particular your statement "Canada is a vivid example, where terminal cancer patients are routinely refused life-extending chemotherapy by cost containment boards" is so far from the truth, it makes me wonder about some of the other To The source information I have received. As a Canadian I can tell you first hand that in Canada terminal ill cancer patients are given treatment until they choose on their own to stop. I have friends who remained on chemo therapy way longer than they should have as a desperate attempt live as long as possible. The choice is left to the patient and the patient alone. Your statement is false. Perhaps you are, in a very, very misleading way, referring to newly emerging treatments that have not been approved in Canada. These situations are very few in number but they are the ones that make the headlines and get distorted. My father who is 88 has had so many tests, doctors visits, and hospitalizations that it would cost a million dollars in the US but not a cent in Canada. No one questioned any of his treatments nor was he ever denied. I thank God everyday for the health care system we have in Canada. Health care in the US is a BIG Billion Dollar Business and this fear mongering has been generated by big business that doesn't want to be controlled by government. - C.C. London, Ontario Canada

I must protest at Wesley J Smith’s comments about the option for chemotherapy in Canada. In late January my husband saw his family doctor after discovering a “lump” in his abdominal muscle. Appropriate tests were executed, a biopsy done and the results determined cancer. On February 6th he had an appointment with the surgical assessment team and on February 9th he underwent surgery to have the “lump” removed. He was followed up by his surgeon a week after discharge and went on antibiotics to combat a wound infection. Subsequent visits were arranged to monitor his progress. My husband met with the radiologist on the cancer team to discuss further treatment. Since the CAT scan showed no lymph involvement chemo was not required. But radiology could eradicate any lingering cancer cells. The choice was ours! We decided no further treatment. But the wonderful doctors and nurses at The London Health Science Centre, in London, Ontario will continue to see my husband in follow up and will be open to more treatment if he should so choose. By the way my husband is 83! Respectfully submitted - M.H.

Wesley's Smith's argument is considerably weakened by his failure to acknowledge that millions of Americans have lived for years with the fears he writes of. Refusal of medical care for financial reasons has not just appeared on the horizon with the Obama bill. It has already been a reality for decades. - S.M.

The article is far too short-sighted and negative. This reform is easily a step in the right direction, but the fact is that there is still a long way to go, and that has been obvious from the start. What this health care reform could do is finally bring America on par with the rest of the world instead of being years behind. But what it needs is more constructive criticism, and more support, instead of a bunch of rich powerful white people standing around with their hands in their pockets saying no to everything. Such constant derision will only leave America with a job half-done, and everyone will lose. - M.T.