Melting Like Snow

Its amazing how fast snow can melt. We’ve had unusual snowfall this winter. February saw snow almost every day of the month—even with the extra day this year! I shoveled snow Saturday morning (two-to-three inches fell during the night) and hardly had a place to put it along our driveway.

Today the temps went up to the low 50’s for the first time in weeks. When we got home from church this evening—we were there all day; I made hospital calls during the afternoon—we could see our grass in the front yard! A few hours ago there was over a foot of snow covering everything (with piles as high as 5 feet); now only small, scattered piles remain! So quickly things can change.

This reminds me of the recent attempts to popularize “new” arguments for atheism. When the heat of honest inquiry is applied, they melt like snow on a warm day—leaving only unseemly piles of dirt behind.

A couple of weeks ago I finally got around to reading Richard Dawkin’s 2007 best seller, The God Delusion. I like to read the opposition but don’t buy their books until they hit the discount counter! It was a very disappointing exercise.

I had actually expected more: new arguments, new insights, new something! Fact is I found Christopher Hitchens’ God Is Not Great—How Religion Poisons Everything a bit more entertaining than either Dawkin or Daniel Dennett’s Breaking the Spell—Religion as Natural Phenomenon.

Turns out, however, that there’s really nothing new about the “new” atheism, except attitude. These guys are really angry! Their new twist is simple: Theists are dangerous.

“Faith is one of the world’s great evils, comparable to the small pox virus but harder to eradicate,” writes Dawkins. “Religion is capable of driving people to such dangerous folly that faith seems to me to qualify as a kind of mental illness.”

Hitchens’ analysis of religion demonstrates one truism: Ridicule (or sneering, or swearing) is not an argument. He simply employs ad homonyms, red herrings, hasty generalizations, and fallacies of all sorts.

Dawkins is worse, dealing so unfairly and outrageously that one wonders that his reputation would survive. It will, of course, but only because the choir to whom he preaches is already converted—not because he presents any real threat to those he opposes. He isn’t even able to do damage to false religion, much less the truth of God’s Word! His treatment of abortion alone is so outlandish it is hard to believe he is serious. And his claims regarding the doctrine of the trinity are so off the wall one suspects his research abilities—to say nothing of his ability to deal honestly with facts.

Rather than being “steamrolled” by the aggressive attitude, elitist snobbery and overstated claims, the fact is Christianity is a cause for good not evil in the world. The problem is religious error: either false religion, or truth improperly or inconsistently applied.

We should remember that this is the world we minister in. It’s held in the grip of the “delusion” of error, desperately needing the light of Truth. That’s where we come in! A confused and apostate Christianity is no help. Only the message of grace boldly proclaimed from the rightly divided Word will do.

So, as the snow melts on a warm day so does the boisterous threats of atheism when put under the light of truth. But have no fear; the weather report calls for more snow to fall tomorrow—and the Fools of Psalm 14:1 will continue to repeat their mantra, no matter what the evidence really is. It’s a “heart issue,” you see.

Marantha!