If God isn’t real, then life is absurd. It is absurd, hopeless, and devoid of all meaning. And you’re being delusional if you say otherwise. I know that may sound harsh, and it’s not meant that way. I love you. 🙂 Even if I don’t know you, I love you. I want only the best for you, and that means…
I want the truth for you. Sometimes, the truth hurts. And this is one of those times. So, read these next words carefully…
For you to question or reject the existence of God carries implications that go beyond what you can possibly imagine.
Some of you reading this may think I’m just engaging in “preacher talk.” Of course, he’s going to say that. He’s a pastor! Well, let me introduce you to a philosopher.
Philosophers think deeply about meaning, purpose, and reality itself. That is their profession. While most people stay on the surface, philosophers go deep. They open things up, take them apart, and look at all the implications and ramifications.
There are implications and ramifications to believing in God or not believing in God.
When I was in my early 30s, I went through a period of intense doubt about my faith. I was a Christian school teacher and had started taking seminary classes. But seminary forced me to confront some anxiety, anger, and doubt that had been lingering at the back of my mind. Say what you will about Liberty University, but they didn’t just force-feed me a narrative and call it a day. Nope. They challenged me. And I’m grateful.
It was through seminary that I was introduced to some of the long-standing allegations, accusations, attacks, and tough questions leveled against God, Christianity, and the Bible. You might say that I was “sheltered” before that. Of course, I have to take responsibility for some of that sheltering. Still…
I was sheltered, and taking seminary classes caused me to lose that shelter.
That as well as the rapidly declining health of my mother, the onset of what (looking back) I can call a “mid-life crisis,” and frustrations about life in general.
I say that to say…
If you are reading this and have doubts, I’m not criticizing you or looking down on you.
It’s okay to have doubts. What matters is what you do with those doubts.
Trust me when I say that, I faced all my doubts about and frustrations with God — and Christianity. I faced some of the toughest questions ever put to Christians — questions about God, life, science, reality, eternity, the Bible, Jesus, etc. I immersed myself in some of the leading atheist critics of Christianity (past and present). And I read and listened to the counter-arguments.
One of the people who helped me navigate through all that confusion and stress was a man I’ve not met personally — not yet anyway. But a man I grew to respect. His name is Dr. William Lane Craig. He is a philosopher, Christian apologist, and professor. Currently, he teaches at Houston Christian University and at the Talbot School of Theology of Biola University. And, for the last few decades, he’s made a name for himself speaking at countless college and university campuses and frequently debating atheists and agnostics.
He’s written numerous articles, books, and essays. I don’t agree with him on everything, but I certainly do on most things. And I agree with him on this point…
Life without God is impossible. But if it were somehow possible (and it’s not), it would be utterly devoid of any objective or real meaning. It would be a miserable existence that, if anyone took any time to truly assess it, they wouldn’t want any part of it.
In Craig’s own words:
“If there is no God, then man and the universe are doomed. Like prisoners condemned to death, we await our unavoidable execution. There is no God, and there is no immortality. And what is the consequence of this? It means that life itself is absurd. It means that the life we have is without ultimate significance, value, or purpose.”
I encourage you to read his full essay…
“The Absurdity of Life Without God”
If the above link doesn’t work (and it should), just Google “William Lane Craig” and “The Absurdity of Life Without God.”
Look, God brought me through my period of doubt. He can and will do the same for you — if you let Him and if you want Him. But He also knows your heart. The evidence for God is so staggering and overwhelming that I’m utterly convinced (as Paul the Apostle essentially says in Romans 1) that, when people don’t believe in God, it’s because they don’t want to believe in God. That is the truth!
If that describes you, I encourage you to change course before it’s too late.
We think we’re being sophisticated and wise when we “deconstruct” the faith of our “naive childhood” or the “faith of our parents.” We think we’re “cool” when we come into our own – and “think for ourselves.” When we leave religion behind. And all that.
To be clear, I agree you shouldn’t just blindly embrace the faith of your parents or of your childhood – though you should honor and respect why your parents brought you up the way they did (assuming they aren’t toxic, abusive parents). There’s nothing wrong with taking something apart to better understand it. But the way deconstructionism plays out these days, most people don’t put their faith back together. They just leave rubble and debris behind.
🙁
Don’t let that be you.
Let me also say that I support your legal, civic, and social right to not believe in God. I will love you as my neighbor whether you share my faith or not. As a citizen of the United States, I believe in religious freedom and the freedom of both thought and conscience.
However…
I also care about you enough to say…
You don’t have to go through life without God.
He is real. He loves you. And, thanks to Him, life has meaning and purpose.
While I certainly hope you will unite with a good Bible-believing church, I’m not pitching a religion to you. I’m not trying to “sell” you on anything. I understand life can be tough. I understand people — including religious people — can let you down. I get it. I do.
I’m not selling people. I’m not selling people’s beliefs. I’m not selling anything man-made to you. I’m asking you to seek God with your whole heart. I’m asking you to set aside your cynicism and your pride. I’m asking you to humble yourself and let God speak to you.
Let God be a part of your life.
Will you do that?
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