Theological Term of the Week
Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 9:03PM
rebecca in theological terms

atheism
The belief that there is no god, or the lack of belief in a god.

  •  From Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof:
  • [T]here is strong evidence for the universal presence of the idea of God in the human mind, even among tribes which … have not felt the impact of special revelation. In view of this fact some go so far as to deny that there are people who are … real atheists; but this denial is contradicted by the facts. It is customary to distinguish between two kinds, namely, practical and theoretical atheists. The former are simply godless persons, who in their practical life do no reckon with God, but live as if there were no God. The latter are, as a rule, of a more intellectual kind, and base their denial on a process of reasoning. They seek to prove by what seem to them conclusive rational arguments, that there is no God. In view of the semen religionis implanted in every man by his creation in the image of God, it is safe to assume that no one is born an atheist. In the last analysis atheism results from the perverted moral state of man and from his desire to escape from God. It is deliberately blind to and suppresses the most fundamental instinct of man, the deepest needs of the soul, the highest aspirations of the human spirit, and the longings of a heart that gropes after some higher Being. This practical or intellectual suppression of the operation of the semen religionis often involves prolonged and painful struggles.
Learn more:
  1. Theopedia: Atheism
  2. GotQuestions.org: What is atheism?
  3. Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry: What is atheism?
  4. Dustin Segers: No Good Reason To Be An Athiest
  5. Gary Gilley: The New Atheism
  6. Christopher Hitchens and Doug Wilson: Debate on the Existence of God (video)

Related terms:

Filed under Isms

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Article originally appeared on Rebecca Writes (http://rebecca-writes.com/).
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