Grace Evangelical Society

P.O. Box 1308, Denton, TX 76202
  • About
    • Home
    • Beliefs
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
  • Resources
    • Grace in Focus Blog
    • Grace in Focus International Blogs
    • Grace in Focus Radio
    • Grace in Focus Magazine
    • Free eBooks
    • Journal of the GES
    • Book Reviews
    • Partners in Grace Newsletter
    • Audio Messages
    • Videos
    • Email Subscription
    • Bookstore
    • Online Tracts
  • Store
    • Main Page
    • On Sale
    • Return Policy
    • Your Cart
    • Your Account
  • Events
  • Connect
    • Contact Us
    • Free Grace Church and Bible Study Tracker
    • Free Grace Jobs
    • Ministry Links
  • Donate
    • One Time Donation
    • Monthly Donation
    • Your Account
  • Search
Home
→
Blog
→
Lazy Atheists

Lazy Atheists

January 11, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog

My kids are extremely lazy when it comes to looking for something they’ve lost. It could be a toy, or a shoe, or a cup of water, but the conversation always goes the same way.

“Daddy, I’m thirsty.”

“Where’s the cup I just gave you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, look for it.”

The child will then briefly turn their head to the left and then to the right and after doing no searching at all will loudly declare, “I can’t find it!”

“You can’t find it because you haven’t even looked!”

Atheism has a similar problem.

What do atheists claim? “God does not exist.” And how do they know that? How much searching have they done? Where have they looked? Have they looked at all?

The story is told of a Soviet cosmonaut who circled the earth, did not see God in orbit, and so declared that God did not exist. Well, why would God be orbiting the earth? What if He was hiding behind the moon, or Saturn, or lived in another dimension? (Or, even more likely, exists beyond creation!) The point is, to know there is no God, a finite amount of searching will not do. You would have to look everywhere. You would need to know all the relevant facts in the universe to be sure God was not among them. But that poses a real challenge to atheism, because we are not capable of that kind of knowledge. Here’s what Gordon Clark said about it:

“The atheist who asserts that there is no God asserts by the same words that he holds the whole universe in his mind; he asserts that no fact, past, present, future, near, or far, escapes his attention, that no power, however great, can baffle or deceive him. In rejecting God, he claims omniscience and omnipotence. In other words, an atheist is one who claims that he himself is God” (Gordon H. Clark, A Christian Philosophy of Education, 38).

In other words, to be an atheist, you would need to be omniscient. If you were omniscient, then you would be God, meaning you can’t be an atheist. And if you aren’t omniscient, then you can’t know God does not exist, which means you still can’t be an atheist. Either way, atheism is self-refuting.

The Psalmist once said, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God” (Ps 14:1). Well, the lazy say that, too.

Subscribe by Email

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
Shawn_L

by Shawn Lazar

Shawn Lazar (BTh, McGill; MA, VU Amsterdam) was the Editor of Grace in Focus magazine and Director of Publications for Grace Evangelical Society from May 2012 through June 2022. He and his wife Abby have three children. He has written several books including: Beyond Doubt: How to Be Sure of Your Salvation and Chosen to Serve: Why Divine Election Is to Service, Not to Eternal Life.

If you wish to ask a question about a given blog, email us your question at ges@faithalone.org.

Cart

Recently Added

February 7, 2023

If You Throw Away or Abandon Your Faith, How Can You Still Be Saved?

Welcome to Grace in Focus radio. Today, Bob Wilkin and Ken Yates answer a question about “falling away from the faith.” What is the meaning...
February 7, 2023

Will the United States Be Excluded from Jesus’ Kingdom? 

Marguerite Galbraith, Sharon’s best friend, raised this interesting question. Many Evangelicals speculate that the United States will not be part of the Lord’s kingdom since...
February 6, 2023

What is the Difference in the “Follower of Jesus” and “Believer in Jesus”? Aren’t “Follower” and “Believer” Basically Synonyms? Also: Does Romans 11:35 Contradict the Doctrine of Eternal Rewards?

Welcome to Grace in Focus radio. Today and all this week, Ken Yates and Bob Wilkin are answering questions from listeners like you. What is...

Grace in Focus Radio

All Episodes

Listen to Stitcher

Listen on Spotify

Grace In Focus Magazine

Grace In Focus is sent to subscribers in the United States free of charge.

Subscribe for Free

The primary source of Grace Evangelical Society's funding is through charitable contributions. GES uses all contributions and proceeds from the sales of our resources to further the gospel of grace in the United States and abroad.

Donate

Bookstore Specials

  • Grace in Eclipse: A Study in Eternal Rewards (Second Edition) $15.00 $8.00
  • Grudem Against Grace: A Defense of Free Grace Theology $15.00 $10.00
  • Inerrancy for Dummies $7.95 $5.00
  • Here Walks My Enemy: The Story of Luis (Paperback) $6.95 $3.00
  • Confident in Christ, 2nd Edition $22.00 $5.00
Grace Evangelical Society

(940) 270-8827 / ges@faithalone.org

4851 S I-35E Suite 203, Corinth, TX 76210
P.O. Box 1308, Denton, TX 76202

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube