Best of
Atheism

1974

If There's a God, Why Are There Atheists? Why Atheists Believe in Unbelief


R.C. Sproul - 1974
    They think that psychology and the social sciences have explained away religion and thus abolished our need for it. Probably without knowing it they have accepted the arguments of a number of atheist thinkers, especially these four:Sigmund Freud (Religion arises out of guilt and the fear of nature.)Karl Marx (Religion is used to keep the lower classes happy.)Ludwig Feuerbach (Religion is only wish fulfillment.)Friedrich Nietzsche (Religion is rooted in man's weakness.)But R.C. Sproul, with penetrating psychological analysis and scriptural insight, explains why their conclusions are not to be accepted blindly. He shows that atheists derive their unbelief from such psychological factors as fear of authority, fear of exposure, and fear of God's "otherness." He shows that there are as many psychological and sociological explanations for unbelief as for belief.Here is clear, thought-provoking discussion for the believer who is troubled by doubts or who wants to respond intelligently to unbelievers. And it is for the unbeliever who has an open mind.