I Don't Believe in God

Shocked? A former chaplain at Harvard reportedly responded to students who said they did not believe in God in this manner: tell me about the god you don't believe in; it may be that I don't believe in such a god either. He then proceeds to describe the God in whom he does believe, the God of the Bible as represented by the God-man, Jesus. This prompted me to think about the "gods" today's atheists don't believe in.

The kindly grandfather god. Picture a white-bearded old gentleman with a warm smile rocking on some heavenly porch. He looks down on us with unconditional approval, perhaps shaking his head forlornly when we mess things up badly.

The angry stepfather god. This stern visage glares at our every move. He waits for the moment he can whip us mercilessly for any misdeed he chooses. He lives to whip us; he enjoys whipping us. Nothing is ever good enough for this perfectionist.

The absent landlord god. There is no clear picture of this deity, for he is not around. He put the universe together quite some time ago and took off for parts unknown. He may have left some rules behind, but one need not be too concerned about them in his absence.

The capricious mythological god. Imagine Zeus casting thunderbolts from high on Mount Olympus. If he doesn't like your hair style today, he will drive the humidity into triple digits to destroy it. If you aren't prepared for a quiz, this will be the day he prompts your teacher to pop one on you.

The eastern mystic god-is-everything god. This unknowable universal life force mysteriously influences everything and everyone, assigning consequences to the actions of all creatures. No personal attributes can be described because there is no person.

The vending machine god. This is the god of the gift. Make the correct prayer, say the proper chant, complete the required task and this cosmic Santa will slide everything you need down your chimney. Need to know the future; drop your token and wait for your own personal palm reading.

I don't believe in these gods either. The God I believe in is the God-with-skin-on, Jesus of Nazareth. This God forswore his divine prerogatives for one lifetime in order to walk about dusty Palestine and demonstrate who God really is. This God, in true iconoclastic fashion, demolished the misguided notions and practices of the religious leaders of his day. (Read any one of the Gospels for a blow by blow report; start with John if you are unfamiliar.) For three years he said if you would see the Father, look at me. Then, after the religio-political institutions put him to death, he was brought back to life to validate all he had spoken. Scores of once atheists have set out to prove this God false, their conversions bearing witness to the power of the One who is Truth. I too believe in this God.