30 Reasons People Choose Atheism 25

Reason 25 - Existential Freedom

 

“Atheists often find freedom in the idea that life's meaning is not dictated by an external deity but is something individuals create for themselves. This existential perspective allows them to live authentically, pursuing their passions and values without fear of divine judgment.”

            

Existentialism - “A philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one's acts.” - American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. (2011).

 

Philosophy – “The study of the nature, causes, or principles of reality, knowledge, or values, based on logical reasoning.” - American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. (2011).

 

            Okay, so we are back to the notion that man can, because of their own logical reasoning, figure out life for themselves. This would also insinuate that all individuals have the same right to figure out life on their own. So then everyone would have their own definition of life and it’s meaning. There would be no constant; everything that each individual experiences would provide for them their yard stick, so to speak. Their way to express what life is to them. It apparently doesn’t matter that everyone has a different view of life. To me that is mind numbing. It really all comes down to the main fact regarding atheism; they simply don’t want ANYONE telling them how to live. Period. They can call it whatever they want, but that’s really just what it is. Autonomy. It means having the “freedom to determine one's own actions & behavior.” * Atheists do not want to be answerable to any divine entity, so they deny His existence. All this still does not provide an answer for the sin question. They are obviously all for self-governing, which is part of being autonomous. If they don’t believe in God, does sin not exist either?  

            It is interesting to me that the definition of ‘existentialism’ includes the phrase “responsibility for the consequences of one’s acts”. So they acknowledge the existence of consequences, yet why would any consequences be negative if there is no sin. Or is there? The topic of sin makes people uncomfortable if they aren’t under God’s umbrella of grace. Do they simply refuse to talk about it as if that would eliminate the existence of sin? Evil exists. Bad people do bad things. Is there no recourse? While we have law enforcement to deal with the bad people, that doesn’t eliminate sinful behavior on an eternal scale.

            It seems pretty clear that the atheist has the desire to live life any way they choose, without having to encounter any resistance. Live and let live. And the fact of the matter is that they CAN do that. But do they simply reject the notion of sin altogether? They don’t seem to believe in heaven or hell, so I suppose they just wish to live and die on their own terms. If there in fact IS a God, that would definitely cramp their style. Their understanding that there are consequences is interesting to me. Since they DO believe in consequences, they must be mentally prepared to accept whatever consequences may be the result of their actions. Therefore, if they ARE wrong about the existence of God, their rejection of everything spiritually divine condemns them to hell and they are okay with that? I wonder. 

            Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

*Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014.

Resource: An article titled 30 Reasons People Choose Atheism on a blog called Housley - written by Lisa O.; www.gotquestions.org.