“By him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible … all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” Colossians 1:16-17

It’s hard to believe anyone could deny the existence of God, yet one often encounters such people. They argue that there is no God and that positive evidence favours the assumption of nonexistence. They’re also convinced that all religious belief, evidence and faith are false. As Friedrich Nietzsche, a renowned atheist said, “God is dead!”

But can the atheist be sure of this position? Is it rational to believe there is no God?

To begin, in order for an atheist to claim there is no God, he or she would have to possess unlimited and infinite knowledge of everything. To do this the atheist would have to have simultaneous access to every part of the created order. Which means that for an atheist to claim there is no God, the atheist would have to possess godlike characteristics. This is impossible, for as we well know, humans have limited abilities. Without omniscience and omnipresence the atheists’ claim is clearly invalid and unjustifiable. For a claim is only valid when proved beyond reasonable doubt. Atheism is therefore nothing less than a logical fallacy.

Furthermore, the atheist has a deficient world view. Atheism makes little to no attempt to explain or make sense of the reality around us. It’s unable to provide an adequate explanation for the existence of the universe and everything in it. Nor does atheism make an effort to explain the necessary preconditions which account for the laws of science, nature, logic, and morality. In short, atheism cannot account for the meaningful realities of life.

It’s therefore hard to grasp how intelligent people can believe there is no God. In fact, it seems to me it takes more faith to believe in the nonexistence of God than it takes to believe in the existence of God. But maybe the atheist holds this position, not because the atheist is convinced of the nonexistence of God, but because the atheist wants to avoid being accountable to God. If so, then the words of H. G. Wells are appropriate when he said that “until a man has found God, he begins at no beginning, he works to no end.”

That’s a chilling thought with obvious implications. It indicates how ultimately, life is meaningless for the atheist. It’s nothing more than “chasing after the wind” Ecclesiastes 2:11. Thus, as a theory atheism is bankrupt. For without a meaningful explanation for the existence of humanity, atheism robs mankind of any reason to live. No wonder Time magazine once concluded an article on Friedrich Nietzsche with these poignant lines: “God is dead. (Signed) Nietzsche. Nietzsche is dead. (Signed) God.”

Fortunately, there’s more to life than atheism’s minimalistic and nihilistic view. Francis Schaeffer, the noted apologist, said, “God is there and He is not silent.” That’s a wonderful reality. Behind creation there is a Creator. God is very much alive. God is the originating cause, the continuing cause, and the conserving cause. As it says in His Word, “By him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible … all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” Colossians 1:16-17. Yes, “In the beginning was … God … Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it” John 1:1,3-5.

Now compared to atheism, that’s not hard to believe, is it?