While fairy stories can be charming and entertaining I would like to discuss two different fairy stories that I find many adults believe in. The eminent British scientist and mathematician, John Lennox, shares the following amusing quote that really caught my eye: “Stephen Hawking said, ‘religion is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.’ I said, ‘atheism is a fairy story for people afraid of the light.’”1 Let’s look at each of these fairy stories in turn.
When Stephen Hawking said that “religion is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark,” I believe that he was correct for you see all religions, except Christianity, are man-made attempts that, not only try to give people some sense of ultimate meaning, but falsely lull many into thinking that the natural darkness that they have in their hearts can be filled by their erroneous concepts of God. For you see mankind invents religion and god in an attempt to fill a void that all of us are born with, but sadly to no avail.
But John Lennox is also clearly correct when he says “atheism is a fairy story for people afraid of the light.’ One of the main reasons I believe atheists deny the existence of God is because they don’t want to face the reality that if there is a God they would have to face accountability for their sinful lifestyle. Thus, they falsely live their lives thinking that they can live anyway they please and not have to face the serious consequences of their sins.
Thankfully, Christianity is the only belief system that can fill the natural darkness that all mankind lives in with the brilliant light of the one true God – Jesus. My friends when we come to Jesus, through faith in that marvelous name, we not only no longer have to live in darkness, but we can become dispensers of light to the rest of the world that is living in total darkness. So let’s rejoice in the light and share the light of the gospel to people of all other religious faiths, but especially to the atheist!
1 Aron Ra & 10 Bad Arguments for Atheism | Free Thinking Ministries