I am sure most of you are familiar with the saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” While the origin of this saying is uncertain, it is believed to have originated during World War I. The logic goes that people will believe in, or hope for, some type of higher power during times of intense fear or stress such as during war.
But I also believe there are two other reasons why there really are no atheists, one intellectual and the other spiritual.
The late Christian apologist, Ron Carlson, summed up the intellectual argument well when he said: “It is philosophically impossible to be an atheist, since to be an atheist you must have infinite knowledge in order to know absolutely that there is no God. But to have infinite knowledge, you would have to be God yourself. It’s hard to be God yourself and an atheist at the same time!”1
However, the far more serious answer as to why, I believe, there are no real atheists, takes place in the world of the spiritual. (Romans 1:18-21) graphically shares that those who deny the existence of God do it to cover up their love of sin and desire to not be accountable to a holy God. For the Scriptures say:
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
In these four verses we see why apologetic arguments will often do little good in reaching these people, with the good news of the gospel, since they already have decided to suppress the truth that is staring them right in the face. When it comes to believing in God we can choose to acknowledge He exists, deny He exists, or just suppress the reality that He exists. Since the above verses from Romans clearly tell us that those who deny the existence of God have no grounds to stand on because the universe screams for the existence of a Creator. Sadly, many who live in sin and wickedness choose to suppress the reality of God. They believe that by suppressing this truth they will be OK. Unfortunately, these souls will have no excuse when they die and face a holy God at judgment because they have all the evidence they need to know that God exists.
Suppression of the truth is so dangerous because it gives one the illusion that they can go on sinning with no consequences. No wonder (Psalm 14:1) says: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God…”
While apologetics to the unbeliever appeals to a closed mind, there still is value in sharing these arguments since they may have future value. And that’s where prayer comes in. Since these non-believers have hardened hearts and closed minds, sometimes the only thing we can do is to depend on the Holy Spirit through prayer to open their blind eyes to at least consider the truth, wisdom, and logic of the Bible. As the Holy Spirit moves through our prayers apologetic arguments can prove effective in opening the minds of those individuals who previously wouldn’t give even a thought about God.
Prayer and apologetics are a powerful combination. And while they may not pay current dividends don’t give up sharing and praying for souls because their eternal destiny are weighing in the balance.
1 Quote by Ron Carlson : “It is philosophically impossible to be an athei…” (goodreads.com)