What would it take to convince some people that there is a God? Quite honestly, there are individuals so convinced that any kind of God is merely a fabrication of delusion, deceit, or ignorance that they would explain away the very hand of God if it ever tapped them on the shoulder. Even if everyone they knew told of a spiritual experience or testified of their actual knowledge of God, they would still cry foul – all because they missed the event or were able to explain it away. In many cases, they refuse to pay the price of admission that leads to such wonderful experiences. They remarkably and arrogantly claim that if there is a God, surely he should reveal himself on their terms, as if an omnipotent, omniscient being wouldn’t define his own terms.
To demonstrate this foolishness, let’s say Bob has heard of movies played in movie theaters all of his life, but has never actually seen a movie in a theater. Every time he goes by the theater, he assures himself that movie goers are delusional, theater ads are deceitful, and those who listen intently to summaries of these movies are foolish and ignorant. He notices the posters lining the exteriors of these theaters with the titles of these delusions that the misguided and mindless hoards discuss so often. He is able to tell himself, “these ‘movies’ are just stupid pictures on a wall. What a bunch of morons.” The worst of it, he decides, is that these theater owners require a sacrifice of his hard-earned money to gain entry into their monuments of mass neuroses. Why is Bob so stubborn? I think anyone can see that Bob is missing something he might like and enjoy because he can’t go beyond what he already knows – especially when knowing more requires a sacrifice.
This is how I view many who refuse the knowledge of God. I don’t hate or resent them. I’m not even really puzzled by them. I am, however, saddened by the tragedy of this kind of hubris, arrogance, and close-mindedness. I know what they’re passing up. I will admit, however, that there is a difference between Bob’s denial and Atheism – the implications of accepting God are much more significant. Accepting God can affect everything. One’s axiology and epistemology usually require major and even painful alterations to fit these new metaphysics. Many things must be sacrificed: pride, lifestyle, indulgences, addictions, vices, guilty pleasures, and even relationships. But what is not realized is that refusing God may actually be sacrificing God’s acceptance and the potential to be like Him. What could be more free and satisfying than becoming like God? Is sex without the constraints of marriage, consuming damaging substances, shifty morals, popularity and prestige, unmanaged appetites, or anything that puts down Christ and His teachings, really worth the possibility of losing out on the presence of pure love and infinite peace at the right hand of God?