I have heard that ‘even atheists pray.’ That intrigues me. Why would they pray and who are they praying to? Well known atheist, Christopher Hitchens, wrote a book, “God is not Great.” I disagree with his title, but in his book, he outlines how people have claimed to be ‘religious’ and done unspeakable acts. While I agree humans are really imperfect, that does not negate the greatness of the Living God to me. He never supported a claim about ‘God’ not being great, just people. Mr. Hitchens died in December, 2011. I am not 100% certain, but I understand that when his cancer was advancing, he claimed, ‘there is much comfort in the old scriptures.’ Does perspective change when circumstance changes? Now, Mr. Hitchens knows for certain if there is a God and if there is a heaven, but I would be greatly saddened that with his free will, he chose to not believe.
Another well known atheist, Stephen Hawking, was claimed to be the smartest man in the world. Mr. Hawking verbally stated he was a godless man. He said all the remarkable things that are true about our bodies and this planet ‘are so because they need to be so.’ I consider this the most ignorant thing I could ever imagine said, however, what else would a man without God think and say?
I have also heard so many contend that ‘all religions’ are good. Well, did all the religions have a God that created the universe? or are we still thinking it all came together without any thought or Divine intervention? I am too amazed at Creation to think life just happened to happen. Does it matter what religion we believe? In Joshua 24:15, Joshua states – ‘And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ Today, the same is true, if other religions are correct, follow them, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Living God, the God of Israel, the God, Jesus, Who died so I can live forever.
Does it really matter what we believe? Jesus told us in Matthew 7:13 – ‘Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it.’ What did He mean? When I look at these Words, they say to me that Jesus is the ‘Narrow Gate.’ He is the Only Way to life. The wide gate is all the other ways people think they can get to heaven. This is not ‘intolerance,’ it is the Truth and I believe our very lives depend on it. I believe ‘He is the Way, He is the Truth, He is the Life.’ (John 14:6)
The next question is always, ‘would a ‘loving God’ punish us?’ Deuteronomy 30.19 tells us ‘(God calls) heaven and earth to witness this day against you that (He has) set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life..’ It appears God allows us to make the choice and really wants us to make the choice to choose Him.
Yes, I know many ‘good’ people who even put many Christian believers to shame, but the fact still remains, no one will ever be ‘good enough’ to get to heaven and the Father without the blood of His Son. We all stand at the foot of the Cross in need of a Savior.
What causes one man to believe so little and another to be so consumed by God? I do not know, but I know I love Him with all my cold little heart is capable of.
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