Ah, the irony of the atheist mindset. The United Kingdom opened its first “atheist church” in London last weekend. About 200 “worshippers” showed up. However, there are critics, who claim they are a contradiction.
According to The Christian Institute:
Stand-up comedians Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans, who are behind the ‘church’, say they like many aspects of religion but don’t believe in God.
But last year prominent atheist Richard Dawkins hit out at separate plans to build a £1 million “temple for atheists” in London, as a waste of money and a contradiction in terms.
The comedians, who had a BBC Radio 4 show called Showstopper, will meet as The Sunday Assembly once a month.
Jones said, “We thought it would be a shame not to enjoy the good stuff about religion, like the sense of community, just because of a theological disagreement”.
“It’s part atheist church and part foot-stomping show,” he continued. “There will be a speaker on a theme each month but there will also be an awesome house band, which Pippa will lead. We’ll be helping people try and stick to their new year’s resolutions in the first service.”
Jones then sounded like he might be able to partner with Christian charlatan Joel Osteen, as he declared, “We all should be ludicrously excited every single moment to be alive in one of the best countries in the world. If the church becomes a useful place for others, that would be a good thing. We just want people to feel encouraged and excited when they leave.”
“How can you be an atheist and worship in a church? Surely it’s a contradiction of terms. Who will they be singing to?” London Catholic parish priest Rev. Saviour Grech said. “It is important to debate and engage with atheists[,] but for them to establish a church like any other religious denomination is going too far. I’m cautious about it.”
Tad Cronn, at GodfatherPolics, writes,
The word “atheism” simply means “without God.” The word “religion” comes from the word “religare,” meaning “to bind.” “Religion” therefore is the state of being bound to an idea and the worldview, beliefs and morality that idea generates.
Other religions such as Buddhism and Taoism don’t require or encourage any belief in God, yet no one disputes they are religions because they do indeed “bind” their followers to a central belief about the nature of the universe.
And so it is with atheism. But point that out to one of the “nones,” and you’ll likely get a bumper sticker response, such as “calling atheism a religion is like calling bald a hair color.”
Bad analogies don’t change the facts. Atheists have ordained ministers, churches, a worldview, beliefs, doctrine and a throbbing need to proselytize about the superiority of their religion.
So it would seem that all those atheists I’ve dealt with in the past have to sort out some of their “fellow travelers” and correct them that atheism is not a religion, when in fact it is. Atheism is a theology, whether they admit it or not. The god they worship is simply not the God of the Bible. As the apostle Paul stated clearly about such men,
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 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, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man — and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
Many atheists are incredibly intelligent. Many atheists appear to be incredibly benevolent. However, the one thing they have in common is their faith that there is no God and that my friends requires far more faith than what is readily known. For even demons believe there is a God and they tremble. But atheists, well there truly is no such thing. They know there is a God, they just choose to worship something else: animals, their mind, science….in other words they worship the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. In the end, they become fools, rejecting what they know to be true.
The opening of such a “church” merely demonstrates the truth of what the apostle Paul wrote and that is man is religious by nature, because his Creator made him that way and if man will not worship the true and living God, he will find something else to worship, but he will worship.
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