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And that is exactly what we have been hearing for years from the atheist world. The world would be a better place if we could jettison those weird religious ideas. It’s a bit how Jordan Peterson put it. Atheists seem to think that if we rid the world of the superstitions of the past, we would see a glorious civilisation in which Baconian rational thinking would reign. You can already hear Elon Musk laughing because he too knows this is not the case.

First, just a quick note: What is Baconian Rationalism

It doesn’t matter much for this video, but Francis Bacon was an English philosopher who presented the inductive approach to science. We use this form of science a lot. We see certain things happening, based on those events we collect data, based on that data we look for a recurring pattern, and based on those patterns we formulate a hypothesis. In other words, inductive reasoning moves from specific observations to broad generalisations.

Well, combine this way of thinking with a purely rational approach, and there you go! Everyone makes the right decisions because those decisions are no longer subject to biased religious ideas. At least, so the atheists suggest.

Absolute Morality or Not

It is weird that atheists think that humans are capable of making good moral decisions based on purely rational thinking. Atheism does not believe in a supreme being who gives certain fixed rules. Morality, according to atheism, is changeable and so absolute moral values are dropped. This means that human beings start determining the value of another human being. One must then look at what brings the most benefit for the greater good.

The issue of abortion, for example, is then no longer a question of the sanctity of life. Abortion is then pitted against the rational decision of whether the mother will suffer or not. Suffering in this case is a very broad term, though. If the mother will have trouble raising the child; the mother may not be able to finish her education; the mother still lives at home with her parents.

Science Getting Good Again?

Of course, science will be much better off without the influence of religion. Well, one can question this remark. The ‘science’ that atheists seem think of is mainly about historical sciences such as evolution, the age of the earth, and the origin of the universe. The atheists don’t like it when their ideas on these matters are being questioned. Conveniently, they forget that these matters are simply impossible to study in an empirically way.

The other day I received an article from a brother on this topic. It was an interview in the Dutch daily newspaper, Trouw with writer Patrick Chatelion Counet.ⁱ This Dutch philosopher, who, as far as I know, is not a Christian, a kerfuffle with his book ‘the absurd universe’. Among other things, he said “I prove that we cannot prove anything” and “we will never know how the universe came into being. It is fundamentally unknowable.”

Patrick says that everything we think we know about the origin of the universe is based on calculations and not on verifiable facts. He says there are two ideas about origins. The first is that it came into being from nothing which he says is humanly impossible, hence absurd. The second idea suggests that the universe has always existed and is always in motion. Patrick finds this equally absurd. He tells his students that whoever has a third option may come to him for a PhD. “Oh,” he says, “God as a creator is out of the question, science won’t let them.”

Obviously, Christians can study computer science, physics, technology or whatever, just fine. As long as these are areas for which we can simply find rock-solid empirical evidence, that is of course no problem at all. Similarly, a brain or heart surgeon does not need an understanding of evolutionary theory to operate. But once we think we know how reality works by just mathematical calculations and not by what we observe, yes, then it becomes difficult not to let your beliefs come into play.

Can we do without the Morality of Religion?

Of course people intuitively know what is right and wrong, a person does not have to be a believer to have this knowledge. The Lord Jesus Himself also suggests that unbelievers know what is right and wrong.

Matthew 7:11

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

But we also know that people are very quick to displace their knowledge of God.

Romans 1:18-20

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse

It is strange to think that things are going well, morally wise, in northern Europe. Many have given up their faith in God, and we have seen, if it was not already obvious, the sickening results in, for example, the opening of the Paris Olympics.

The Experiment Failed

It is as if Paul was talking about 2024 when he wrote his letter to the Romans.

Romans 1:22-24; 26-32

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Again, did Paul write this with an eye on 2024? No, things could get crazy even in his time. Actually, Europe got rid of the worst of the misbehaviour when Christianity made its appearance. But now we see another adamant drift away from all that is good and pure.

Even the people we had expected to bring some stability to society are completely letting their imagination and ideology run wild. Doctors, psychologists, politicians, and many other confused scientists, all lead the way when it comes to transgenderism, for instance. And what does everyone else do? Afraid of being called transphobic, they run with this human-life-destroying ideology. We see the pervasive fear at the highest level.

Parents are now simply removed from authority if they do not want to cooperate in their son or daughter’s transition. Without pardon, doctors prescribe puberty-blocking drugs. Recently, parents were ordered by Swiss authorities to approve their teenage daughter’s gender change. Meanwhile, the daughter had been away from the parents for more than a year. They placed her in a so-called gender-affirming environment.ⁱⁱ And since we already heard how Elon Musk laughed at the silly idea that an atheist world would be better, I’d like to quote him on this topic as well.

“This is insane,” he said on ‘X’, adding, “This suicidal mind virus is spreading throughout Western Civilisation”ⁱⁱⁱ

What is the Moral of the Story?

We started this video with a laughing Elon Musk. Not for nothing do more and more people see that a society without active Christians is doomed to decline. It’s not at all nice to hear, of course, but atheist thought is by definition a failed project.

Of course people know what is right and wrong. But if one no longer has the delimitation of God, a society quickly becomes a hedonistic Utopia. What do I mean by that? Utopia is an imaginary land where everything is perfect. It is imaginary because it cannot be achieved, an impossible reality, a wishful thinking. Hedonism teaches that everything is about pleasure. In many cases, hedonism puts spiritual pleasure above all else and often seeks immediate fulfilment of physical pleasure.

The huge anti-Christian attitudes we see in the many anti-religion debates are not surprising in this sense. Activists for pro abortion, the climate, LGBTI+, and all sorts of other woke activists are big proponents of equality and tolerance, except when it comes to active Christians.

It is not surprising that there is such resistance to the Church. As long as there are genuine Christians walking around, the evil one will struggle to express his full depravity.

2 Thessalonians 2:5-8

Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming

I believe this ‘withholder’ or ‘restrainer’ is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit holds up a mirror for people to look at themselves as they are.

John 16:8

And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment

Although the Spirit did not dwell on earth in Old Testament days, he exercised a inhibiting influence

Isaiah 59:19b

When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

How much more, then, would the Spirit of God work now? After all, He dwells in God’s children.

Stay Vigilant

To go back for a moment to the second letter to the Thessalonians. Paul clearly warns us with the following words.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

In this verse, we see two conditions before the ‘day of Christ’ can take place. The first is the apostasy of faith, and the second seems to suggest that we will see the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction, revealed.

We are all looking forward to the day of Christ! What a feast it will be. But until then, we must remain vigilant. Why? Well, apparently many will fall away from the faith. We see that happening all around. The more believers will fall away the more bold the evil one will become. Paul warns that we, as the Church, will still know who the antichrist is before Jesus returns.

That means we haven’t seen the worst yet! How exactly the rapture will take place I can’t quite get my head around, but apparently we will at least get to know who the antichrist will be. There is much speculation about that, but it should be clear that we need to keep our eyes on the Lord.

To conclude

The next time someone claims that a society can function just fine without the Christian faith, you may well smile pityingly. If you have the time, you can remind the person in question of the experiment in northern Europe.

Follow and Support

Just let me know what you think in the comments. Remember! I am mostly active on my Odysee channel. You’ll find a link to that channel in the description of this video or on my website.

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I really appreciate your prayers and support! Check out the description of this video to see how you can help me. I will also post a link there to both the Dutch and English transcripts of this video.

Anyway, thanks very much for watching.

I close with the words from 2 Peter 1:2

grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord

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