Don't Believe or Don't Care?

For some reason, I've been wanting to write about this for a while. There is an overwhelming sense in our world that the need for organized religion is overrated and that a relationship with God isn't important. Enough for the atheist community to be exploding. That last sentence is not based on research but on perception, I will say that. I do, however, believe there is a difference in the atheist that believes that there is no God whatsoever and the person that just doesn't want a relationship with him. 

An atheist, by definition, is someone who disbelieves the presence of a supreme being or beings. I think the 21st century atheist is becoming more of the mold that they believe there is a God but just chooses not to recognize Him. In fact, is it possible that the 21st century atheist doesn't know that they're an atheist yet? I think there's two categories and I'm sure someone like Bill Maher could better describe this in his own "eloquent" way but....there are those that are the true atheists and can't understand faith or a higher being and will have a scientific explanation for everything that is around us.

The other category is, I believe, more common. People who have just turned off God. They know he's there but really don't care or something happened in their past to turn them away from organized religion and the church to turn them away from God's people. I don't know what the word is for someone who has stopped believing in God's people but, whatever that term is, that's the word I would categorize them as.

My dad and other ministers have always said that the worst part of God's church is the people. We get in the way of wanting religion and God's plan to be our way. There are so many people who have given up hope that church and "THE Church" can help our world and the people hurting in it. Besides, how can we save the lost when we're too busy fighting about the petty things. 

Today's Detroit Free Press has an article titled, "I'm an atheist, so what?" The basic premise of the article is that people can be good and love without having to belong to organized religion. The writer talks about going to a strict Catholic school where people ran away from answering questions and that he was able to find everything himself. The point that hurts, to a Christian, is the point that his belief of no God has opened him up to a free mind where barriers of racism and sexism do not exist. The invitation to heaven is not as important as the feelings and care he has for others. The idea that those two previous things are seperate don't make sense to me. Because of our love and care for others and acceptance to be Christ-like to others is what will help us get to heaven. God is love and all of the things in our New Testament Christianity that we should know is that the sacrifice of sending your only son isn't an example of that love for others. 

It's not the atheist that I worry about so much. I care for them and wonder what they are missing or, at some point, will they cry out to God in their most low moment? I worry more about the ones that know what God's love is and may have had that relationship before and have decided to walk away from it because, in some way, I know that as a part of "THE Church", it very well may be our fault.