Taking every thought captive for obedience to Christ (2 Corinthians 10.5)

The Question
What does someone mean who claims to be an atheist? (8)
It should not be too difficult to demonstrate that the person who claims to be an atheist is not really an atheist at all. He may not believe in the God of the Bible, or the god of any other known religion. But he still believes in something final, ultimate, and supremely desirable, to which he devotes his conscious moments, that he may know and attain to it.

This unseen, hoped-for, sought-after reality is his god. Even if this is nothing more than a set of material circumstances, this hoped-for reality orders, draws, and guides his life, and commands his devotion, as surely as the God of the Bible does ours.

But even this is not quite the whole truth. Looming over, behind, under, and beyond the unseen god of your friend’s desires and longings is another deity, and we need to coax that deity into view.

Once you’ve identified what your friend hopes in, longs for, and lives toward, you’ll want to ask, “How have you come to decide that this is what you should devote your life to?” What influences have led your friend to settle on this particular deity as the one he will serve?

He may respond by pointing to any number of sources for his thinking: his upbringing, teachers, friends, the findings of science, books and articles, or even something as vague as “everybody knows.” We might also ask whether such things as advertising, pop culture, or the lifestyles of his friends or “idols” have had any influence on his thinking?

All that clutter of clamoring voices, each claiming to know the best way to a full and happy life – the best way to god. How, we will wonder aloud, does a person decide between such voices? Buick or Lexus? IRAs or gold? Marry or remain single? This job or that? Golf or tennis? Sushi or barbecue? This city or that? The choices are thrust upon your friend daily, and the decisions he makes are driven by his view, be it ever so vague, of the good life. The good life is his god, yet only a deity of a lesser kind.

For, lying back of this deity, this idea of the good life, and the myriad daily choices and acts of devotion your friend engages in pursuit of this deity, lies the greater deity that determines everything in his life.

That deity is his own mind – his own ideas, preferences, desires, visions, and longings; how he thinks about life; what he decides about what’s in his best interest. At the end of the day, he decides, he chooses, he is the master of his fate, he is the captain of his soul.

And thus, far from being an atheist, your friend has a god, and even a god beyond the good life he so eagerly pursues. It is the god of his own mind, his own thoughts, his own views, opinions, and choices.

Your friend is not an atheist at all; rather he is an autotheist, and regards himself as the only and final being to whom he is accountable, whom he must please, and whom he will serve.

Simply put, your friend prefers himself as god rather than the God of the Bible. And, should we be inclined to point out to him that this does not take our God by surprise, we might invite him to consider that the God of the Bible knows him, knows what he is doing, understands the choice he has made, and warns him, in love, what course this choice, persistently made, will lead to in the end: “…because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools…” (Rom. 1.19-22).

For reflection
1.  What do we mean by saying someone is an autotheist?

2.  Why is it important that people who reject God understand that they are making themselves god in His place? Are they really “up” to that role? Explain.

3.  Mediate on Romans 1.18-32. Why might it be a good idea to keep this passage in the background of your mind while you’re talking with someone who claims to be an atheist?

Next steps: Each day this week, pray for an opportunity to talk with an unbelieving friend or co-worker about what he or she believes in and lives for each day. Reflect on their answers in the light of today’s The Week.

T. M. Moore

We depend on the Lord for the needs of The Fellowship of Ailbe. This means we come to Him daily, asking for His help in giving us wisdom to know His will, strength and skill to do it, and the resources we require for each day. As for this last, we understand that God intends to support our ministry from within the ranks of those who are served by it (Ps. 20.1-3; Rom. 15.26, 27; Gal. 6.6).

If this ministry is important to you, we ask you please prayerfully to consider becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe. It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Dr., Essex Junction, VT 05452.