It is common for Evangelicals to lie to themselves when confronted with facts and evidence that does not fit their worldview. One need only look at their theological beliefs to see how lies are routinely used to prop up beliefs that can no longer be intellectually and rationally supported. It’s the twenty-first century, not the sixteenth, yet Evangelicals continue to use past justifications to support their outdated, irrational, anti-human beliefs. In other words, they lie to themselves.
So it is for Evangelicals when it comes atheists. Let me illustrate how Evangelicals see atheists with a screen capture from an Evangelical discussion forum. I can’t remember which forum I found this, but it was either the Fundamental Forums, the Baptist Board, or the Puritan Board — three peas in a pod:
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According to this Evangelical dullard, atheism makes people angry, hopeless, and self-destructive. Sound familiar? This statement, of course, has no grounding in reality. This is a lie the man tells himself; a necessary lie in order for his worldview to make sense. In his worldview, the world is neatly divided into two categories: saved/lost, in/out, black/white, Heaven/Hell. Atheists, then, are lost and headed for Hell. Their refusal to believe in the Evangelical God is a sign of a reprobate mind; people who have been turned over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh (Romans 1,2). Fair enough, I suppose. That’s what the Bible says, right? I can’t fault Evangelicals for believing the Bible; even though they conveniently not-believe-it when it suits them. What people such as myself find irritating is the attacks on our character. Oh, you are an A-T-H-E-I-S-T? Well, that means you live a life without meaning, purpose, and direction. You love to sin. No matter how often atheists correct this false notion, Evangelicals remain steadfast in their beliefs about atheists. No matter how much evidence is presented to the contrary, Evangelicals continue to lie to themselves about atheists. Why?
Evangelicals are convinced that they are, in God’s eyes, special; that Jesus has chosen to save them by his grace; that everything that happens in their lives is according to their God’s purpose and plan for them; that Heaven awaits them after they die — God’s reward for their faith and obedience. In order for these things to be true, atheists must be viewed as their enemies; people who hate God; people who follow Satan; people who have hopeless, empty lives; people who love to sin against the thrice holy God of the Bible. Of course, none of these things is true. The evidence at hand suggests that atheists on the whole live lives filled with purpose and meaning. Atheists don’t hate God or follow Satan, because they do not believe either exists.
For Evangelicals, atheists are evil personified. It’s been that way, in particular, ever since avowed atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair successfully challenged the constitutionality of prayer and Bible reading in public schools. From the 1960s forward, atheists have become more vocal about their godlessness, and are far more willing to publicly and legally challenge the theocratic tendencies of Evangelicals. Groups such as American Atheists, Freedom From Religion Foundation, and the American Humanist Association have increasingly challenged Evangelical church and state violations in the courts — and have won. Things are so bad now for Evangelicals that even Satanists — who are atheists — are challenging the preferential treatment Evangelicals receive from the local, state, and federal government.
In reaction to what Evangelicals believe is a frontal assault on Christianity, they go out of their way to paint their atheistic enemies as bad, even evil, people. Atheists are called all sorts of names and tagged with all sorts of reprehensible behavior. Sure, there ARE atheists who are awful people, but talk about the pot calling the kettle black! Evangelicals have plenty of bad behavior going on in their own ranks, right? Evangelicalism is roiling with sexual abuse scandals and other sex crimes perpetrated by so-called men of God. (Please see the Black Collar Crimes Series.) Evangelicals have lost any sense of high moral ground, and are now considered the most hated religion in America. Many younger Americans believe Evangelicals are a hate group — people who despise LGBTQ people. Yet, despite all of this, Evangelicals continue to lie to themselves about atheists (and other non-Evangelicals). After all, if atheists have lives just as good and as meaningful as Evangelicals, why be a Christian? If atheists demonstrate the “fruit of the Spirit” without believing in said Spirit, what does that say about Christianity? If atheists love their spouses, love their children, hold down jobs, and contribute to their communities, what does that say about the claims Evangelicals make for their lives being “transformed” by the power of God? It seems to this atheist that Evangelical Christianity doesn’t offer anything that can’t be found outside of religion. Once the Bible with its Bronze Age foolishness loses its authority and power, people are free to craft meaningful, purposeful lives on their own terms. This scares the shit out of Evangelicals. And instead of accepting the fact that atheists are every bit as good, moral, and ethical as Evangelicals are, they lie to themselves as the man did in the above quotation.
There was a time when I would try to correct such false notions about atheists. I have, however, come to the place where I realize that until Evangelicals are willing to stop lying to themselves and are willing to see things as they are, there’s no hope of changing their minds. As long as their pastors preach thundering sermons and write scathing blog posts about the “evil” atheists, their lies will be reinforced. Who are they going to believe? Atheists, in their own words, or their pastors? Until Evangelicals come to the place where they rationally and skeptically weigh what their pastors say, they will continue to believe the lies that are told about atheists. There’s nothing we atheists can do about this except to continue living our lives in ways that give atheism a good name.
Bruce Gerencser, 66, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 45 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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They’re trying to keep cognitive dissonance away. And by the way, happy new year Bruce.
Evangelists do not “HATE” LGBTQ people.
If we did we would let them go to hell without the gospel of Jesus Christ who loves them and died and rose again to save them.
Nice try, Dude. Evangelicals (not Evangelists) are well known for their hatred toward LGBTQ people. Just ask the LGBTQ who frequent this blog if this is so. I suspect all of them will say YES! You can’t cover up that turd with a patine of “we just want to get them saved.” What you “want” doesn’t matter. Who consenting adults want to fuck, when, where, why, and how is non of your business.
Racer, try being a decent human being, and let people live as they wish. I can’t imagine any way in which LGBTQ people are harming you.
This is a typical christian response, nothing more than claiming “but but we are just following orders”.
Alas, you do hate LGBT+ folk, since your sadistic fantasies require them to be tortured forever for being what they are.
Happily, no one needs your cult, or you.
Rrrrright. The “love” just exudes from people like Steven Anderson / congregants of Faithful Word Baptist Church, Brian Brown / National Organization For Marriage, Tim Wildmon / American Family Association, Peter LaBarbera / Americans For Truth About Homosexuality, Tony Perkins / Family Research Council, Donnie Romero / congregants of Stedfast Baptist Church, Franklin Graham, etc. Oh, and if you go check out Westboro Baptist Church online, you’ll discover the church has a really cute and clever web address.
Bless your heart.
I really feel the love when I’m being kicked, punched and taunted!
Okay, I just got up from a nap and couldn’t resist checking out the WBC online. I wish I hadn’t.
Atheists love to sin! Sure, I…oh, wait.
Lying? Living lies is a lot of work, and doesn’t make my life better.
Stealing? No, I’m not in need. I don’t work, but Husband’s income lets us live comfortably, and I’m not into expensive things.
Killing? Are you serious? I haven’t met anyone in a long time that I would like to see dead. I know of some people that the planet might be better off without, but that call is actually above my pay grade. (Starting with Taliban officials, Islamic radicals who kill people because they’ve somehow offended Allah or Mohammed, and the jerk who’s conducting a war with Ukraine…)
Adultery? I’m married to a terrific husband, and we’ve grown old together. Why would I choose to perturb that?
Fornication/polyamory? Not into that. Works for some people. Big in the Old Testament, BTW. As far as I’m concerned, any sex between consenting adults, who are either free from intimacy obligations with other people or whose other partner(s) is/are fully on board, is fine by me. I’m picky about the concept of ‘consent’, though, having spent too many years, as a mature adult, getting a master’s degree. Real consent does not involve power imbalances, and there are college instructors (none of mine, but one hears of things) who ought to hold office hours out on the lawn, in front of the entire university.
Kindness, generosity, a lack of racism, sexism, xenophobia, ableism, and bigotry, including bigotry against people who aren’t straight and cis…maybe those are anti-Christian ideas. I stand firmly behind them. A deity who disagrees is a jerk. I don’t tolerate jerks well.
Yeah. I’ve mentioned before that I confided in a friend nearly a decade ago, that I was no longer a Christian. I didn’t say what I was, but she apparently assumed the worst. I never saw her again, as having me in her life would give her too much internal conflict. She’s not an evangelical, but she’s married to a conservative Catholic so she goes along to get along.
The person who refers to being unable to accept atheism intellectually, and who says atheism lacks evidence, is typical of the dreadful lack of understanding in evangelical circles. Atheism isn’t a positive claim (though it can lead to them), and is fundamentally nothing more than the default position, that until the believer presents compelling evidence for their god hypothesis then it is reasonable to assume there is no god. Of course, this person digs themselves in yet further with their reference to evolution not happening in front of their eyes (though actually, every single act of reproduction in the history of life has contributed to evolution), as though that’s what science claims. In any event, even if you could disprove evolution (nobody ever will), it doesn’t provide evidence of god, simply that a different explanation is required of life as we see it. God must be evidenced, not inferred.
As long as people believe things that have no basis in reality, they have to paint those who don’t as enemies and threats. That is true whether it’s a religious belief or theological position—or a belief in the innate superiority of their nation, race, ethnic group, gender or sexual identity.
Is Racer a new evangelical troll, or a rebranding of one we already know? In any case, most of us with any ties to evangelicalism know that evangelicals for the most part want LGBTQ people to change who they are. Period. When they’re “no longer LGBTQ” and swear allegiance to the thrice holy evangelical godhead, then they’ll be accepted. Otherwise, no way.
The person Bruce quoted sure is ignorant about a lot of things.
According to that logic, Jesus loves me as long as I don’t love whomever I love.
A logic that passeth all understanding?
Reading this reminded me of something I heard long ago: Never teach a pig to sing, it wastes your time and annoys the pig.
Of course, this could be used in either direction but I’ve stopped trying to reason with people who believe writings from the Bronze Age should dictate how to live in 2023.