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."

Peter Hitchens' Addresses New Atheists like his brother in his new book Rage Against God

Upon the recent release of Peter Hitchens' new book, Rage Against God, a reviewer in The Guardian traces the themes of his book and his fraternal relationship with Christopher.

"First there was Cain and Abel, and then there was Christopher and Peter. The brothers Hitchens are engaged in what Peter, in this book, calls 'the longest quarrel of my life'. Sometimes it has been about politics. Both began on the extreme Left, but Peter moved much more quickly than Christopher to the Right. But really, as so often with disputes which appear to be political, this quarrel is about religion."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/charlesmoore/7535715/Can-faith-bring-back-the-Prodigal-Brother.html

Moody's Publishers launches "Pray for an Atheist" initiative on Facebook to coincide with National Atheist Day on April 1st

Raised in a Christian home in an area where few people are believers, 20-year-old Emily Moore says she became a fan of the “Pray for an Atheist” initiative on Facebook because it’s gives her a chance to share her faith with her atheist friends.

Moore, a native of Durham, North Carolina who is a professional writing major at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, has been talking on Facebook to a friend who is an atheist. Her friend told her the initiative might offend atheists.

“We had an extremely long conversation on Facebook about the pros and cons of having a group like this,” Moore says. “In the conversation, she revealed why she’s an anti-theist and the root of why she chose to be the way she is. Because of this, it has encouraged me to continue to minister to her and have her be the person I’m praying for.”

Encouraging Christians to choose an atheist friend or relative and to pray for them by name every day for the month of April, the “Pray for an Atheist” page on Facebook has attracted more than 900 fans, including many atheists.

Christopher Reese, an editor at Moody’s Publishers who edited “The Making of an Atheist” – one of the books released in conjunction with Moody’s “Pray for an Atheist” initiative, says the campaign has generated controversy and many atheistic and agnostics have become fans to “challenge us.”

“But I think it’s beneficial because, first, it reminds Christians to pray for their non-believing friends and family members, and it also provides a forum for atheists and Christians to discuss their differences and share their different viewpoints,” Reese says. “If you never interact with people on the other side, you don’t really know them. It’s very easy for Christians and atheists to create stereotypes of each other. We need to talk more and be able to share without the defensive walls immediately coming up. Of course, we have good news in the Gospel to share, and we need to do it in love and respect.”

Brayden Simms, a 28-year-old writer who lives in New York City, says the Facebook page is a “slap in the face for atheists worldwide” and he joined to express his dissatisfaction.

“My historical reason for my atheism is thus: For all other aspects of life except for religion, it is perceived as a wise decision to only believe things that can be proven,” Simms says. “Similarly, I demand irrefutable proof for God. People always like to ask: ‘Why are you an atheist?’, but I think that’s asking the wrong question. The question should be: ‘Why do you believe in God?’ See, it’s not that I have chosen to disbelieve in God. Rather I have simply never chosen to believe in something that is not real. I believe that the burden of proof lies not with atheists but with theists.”

Maurice Snellen, a 40-year-old systems administrator who lives in Goes, The Netherlands, says he joined the page and is praying for several friends and business associates who are atheists. Snellen, who recommitted his life to Jesus Christ in 2004, says his mother never stopped praying for him and that played a major role in his return to faith.

“Knowing this, I have all the more reason to pray for those who never learned about Jesus because of their upbringing or who made the choice to turn away from him,” Snellen says. “The campaign to make people more aware of the need to pray for atheists is a great idea. When we pray, most of us have no trouble thinking of things to pray for ourselves, for people in our congregation and the church in general. We tend to forget those friends, relatives and especially all the people we don’t know who have not yet received the Lord into their hearts. That’s a pity because it is them that we need to reach; it is them that the Lord doesn’t want to see lost forever.”

Troy Anderson

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pray-for-an-Atheist/324325528476?v=app_4949752878&ref=ts

Atheists With "Father Issues"

Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche was nearly 5 years old when his father died from a brain ailment followed, 6 months later, by the death of his two year old brother.
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche/

Philosopher, Bertrand Russell's parents both died when he was three years old.
http://www.personal.kent.edu/~rmuhamma/Philosophy/bertrandRussell.html

French philosopher, Jean-Paul Sartre, was 15 months old when his father died.
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/sartre.htm

At age 7, Thomas Hobbes father, an uneducated clergyman, got into a physical altercation with a vicar after which he ran off and abandoned the family.
http://www.enotes.com/literary-criticism/hobbes-thomas

Author Jim Spiegel responds to questions about his recent publication, The Making of An Atheist, for Evangelical Philosophical Society

EPS: How does this book uniquely contribute to critiques of atheism and the “new atheism”?

Most Christian apologists’ responses to the new atheists challenge their arguments and reveal the many fallacies in their objections to religious faith. This is helpful, of course, and I applaud the work of Ravi Zacharias, Alister McGrath, Dinesh D’Souza, Paul Copan, William Lane Craig, Tim Keller, and others for their superb contributions to the debate. What they so well demonstrate is that atheism is not the consequence of any lack of evidence for God. So the question naturally arises, What is the cause of atheism? That is the question I address in my book.

EPS: Given your approach to atheism in this book, how would you like to see this area further explored and developed by Christian philosophers?

I would like to see Christian philosophers do more to explore the relationship between personal ethics and the psychology of belief-formation. And, generally, I'd like to see more work done on various aspects of the negative side of the moral life—the phenomena of sin and vice. This have been underexplored by Christian philosophers.

The Psychology of Unbelief

As for widespread theoretical atheism, it is a relatively new phenomenon. Vitz believes that atheism, rather than traditional theism, is a social construct, and one prone to changing habits and tastes. While environmental influences do not determine unbelief, the social milieu can predispose people to a particular way of expressing their moral and theological rebellion. It happens that since the late 17th century, explicit skepticism has been the most convenient and acceptable outlet. As Samuel Johnson said of the libertine poet, the Earl of Rochester: "He lost all sense of religious restraint, and finding it not convenient to admit the authority of laws which he resolved not to obey, sheltered his wickedness behind infidelity."

An atheist's upbringing is revealing. Even more so is his high level of egotism. "Nietzche's pride and his arrogance," observes Vitz, "often to the point of pathos, are widely acknowledged." The same was true of Ludwig Feuerbach, H. G. Wells, Bertrand Russell and Adolf Hitler. In his other recent book, Psychology as Religion: The Cult of Self-Worship, Dr. Vitz discusses the problem of selfism or "self theory," which is liberal psychology's rationalization of egocentrism. It is "an example of a horizontal heresy, with its emphasis on the present and on self-centered ethics." As such it manifests itself in as many guises as egotism is capable of: materialist sociology, group therapy, New Age movements, or the "power of positive thinking" Protestant sects. At the root of this is metaphysical denial.

"A final profound conflict between Christianity and selfism," Vitz explains, "centers around the meaning of suffering. The Christian acknowledges evil... as a fact of life." Christianity accepts the existence of sin and death. It also provides a way to transcend and transform them. "In contrast, selfist philosophy trivializes life by claiming that suffering (and, by implication, even death) is without intrinsic meaning. Suffering is seen as some sort of absurdity, usually a man-made mistake that could have been avoided by use of knowledge to gain control of the environment." Evil is thus externalized, or removed from the realm of personal moral culpability. It is the predictable operation of pride. We tend to credit success to ourselves while blaming our failures on others.
seattlecatholic.com

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