While the scientific study of atheism has only just begun, and there is still much to learn, some initial conclusions and further hypotheses can be put forward. In light of research concerning the naturalness of belief in God, however, it is suggested that atheism and its denial of God’s existence is an unnatural belief. In the last article in this column, we presented highlights from Michael Fergusion’s work with very young children that show evidence of their innate belief in God’s existence, leading to the conclusion that human beings are naturally “Born that way.” And if human beings are hardwired to believe in God, then it follows that nonbelief, or atheism, truly is unnatural.
But this is not earth-shattering news.Sureenough,theapostlePaul writes that the evidence of God is plain to all people, being clearly seen in the world around us. Because it is so obvious, anyone who does not acknowledge God is “without excuse.” These people, Paul says, consciously chose and intentionally suppress the truth of knowing that God exists (cf Rom. 1:19-20). Therefore, of necessity, those who suppress the truth do so to allow atheism to flourish with a crutch, which by all measures does indeed appear to be an unnatural belief. The sheer rarity of atheism seems to support just such a claim. Those in America professing atheism, by the way, make up a tiny portion of society at only 5 percent of the total population. Worldwide, atheists come in at 9 -10 percent of the global population. Although these numbers are no guarantee that atheism is not true, the overwhelming majority of people on the planet would agree that it isn’t.
Further support that atheism is unnatural comes from the research of psychologist Will Gervais, who “suggests that even avowed atheists in some of the most secular countriesonEarthmightintuitively prefer religion to atheism. Even hardcore atheists like Daniel Dennett admit that although atheists lack belief in God, many retain “belief in belief.” While evolutionists argue that religious belief has evolutionary benefits that led to the development of a moral code, and Christians agree that man was created with a moral compass by God, there may be more to it than that. Since it seems that human beings are “Born that way,” and have an innate sense of there existing a God who created the world, and since atheism requires a conscious suppressing of the truth, it would seem that the residual belief in God that atheists have stands as a resilient shadow of the truth they intentionally suppressed.
In other words, Daniel Dennett’s belief in belief, and atheists in general, maintain some remnant of the religious belief they were born with. In fact, Gervais notes, “many atheists considerthemselvestobehighly rational people who rate evidence and any analytical thinking above religion, superstition, and intuition. Theymightevenarguethatatheism is the most rational worldview. But that does not make them immune to having intuitive beliefs themselves. Science suggests the link between rationality and atheism is far weaker than is often assumed.” Nevertheless, rationality is not a safe haven for atheistic beliefs either. That is because the atheist’s explanation of how the world came to be is feeble. On atheism, there is no “rational” explanation for the Big Bang or the cause of the Earth’s fine-tuning for life. The same can be said, as we have said, concerning the origin of human morality. That humanmoralityisanadvantageous genetic mutation and an aspect of natural selection is a thin and baseless proposition. Further, atheism struggles to explain why belief, according to recent research, seems to be innately hardwired, making belief in God a fundamental aspect of what it means to be human. Perhaps having belief hardwired into our consciousness helps explain why almost all people, including atheists, turn to God in the midst of crisis. The adage “there are no atheists in foxholes” may very well, in fact, be true.
Finally, as I have written before, it must be said that atheism is built upon a negative assertion. Claims of truth are either positive or negative. A negative assertion of a truth claim is quite interesting and is based upon the adage: “You can’t prove something doesn’t exist just because you haven’t found it.” Now, since atheism makes the negative claim that God does not exist, and since the burden of proof falls on the person making the claim, the atheist must prove the negative claim that atheism is true and that God does not exist. The premise of atheism is quite interesting because it is not a belief in something, but rather a belief in that something’s polar opposite. In the case of atheism, it is the belief that there is nothing rather than something, namely God. Since there are only two options—either belief in God, or belief in nothing, then atheism is, in fact, belief in nothing, or rather a belief in something that does not exist, which is impossible. And that, just one more point of evidence, indicates that atheism may not be a natural belief.
Until next time, ponder a deep question: Is God Dead?
Gloria in excelsis Deo! Ty B. Kerley, DMin., is an ordained minister who teaches Christian apologetics, and relief preaches in Southern Oklahoma. Dr. Kerley and his wife Vicki are members of the Waurika church of Christ, and live in Ardmore. You can contact him at: dr.kerley@isGoddead.com.