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Written by Tim Groves
On March 24, thousands of atheists, secular humanists and others who live a “god-free lifestyle” plan to gather in Washington D.C. in an attempt to make their voices heard in the upcoming elections.
Later this month an event called the Reason Rally will take place at the National Mall in the U.S. capital. According to the event’s website, the organizers have three main goals:
- To encourage attendees to come out of the closet as secular Americans (secular Americans are those who don’t believe in God or religion).
- To dispel stereotypes of atheists.
- To promote legislative equality of secular Americans.
Come out of the closet?
Why have those who deny the existence of God kept their views private? Could it be because most of America’s past heritage placed a high value on religion?
David Silverman, a chair for the Reason Rally Coalition and president of American Atheists, asked, “What’s more important: the Bible or the Constitution?” (“Atheists to Hold Massive Rally on National Mall Next Month”).
Perhaps Mr. Silverman has forgotten some American history. The founding fathers, though they did not all understand the Bible the same way, still strove to build the Constitution around biblical principles. John Adams, one of the founding fathers, said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other” (The Changing Political Thought of John Adams, 1966, p. 189).
Speaking of those who deny God’s existence, the apostle Paul says that God’s existence can be proven simply by the natural world around us (Romans 1:18-20). Paul continues, saying that nonbelievers “became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools” (verses 21-22).
Yes, in more than one place the Bible says that those who say there is no God are fools (Psalm 14:1; 53:1).
Believing the lie
Mr. Silverman says that those attending the rally want to “celebrate the fact that we are growing, we are stronger, and we are taking our place in American society.”
Atheism is certainly growing in the United States, and it is even stronger in most Western nations. But is this something to celebrate? The Bible says that those who deny the need for God “exchanged the truth of God for the lie” (Romans 1:25).
What is this lie? It is the same way of thinking as that of modern secular Americans: We don’t need God; we can decide for ourselves what is right and wrong.
Yes, this line of thinking is “the lie” that Satan told Eve. “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5).
And contrary to what Satan has led humanity to believe, we’re not as smart as we think. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12).
There is a direct correlation between America’s ongoing rejection of religion and the increase of our national problems. Many atheists continue their pursuit of total removal of religion from public life in a country that was founded with respect for the Bible.
Promoting a godless lifestyle
Those participating in the Reason Rally want to have their ideas heard, especially in the upcoming elections.
Their website says that Americans use different terms to describe their god-free lifestyle, but secularism is on the rise and coming out of the closet.
A god-free America. Is this what we really want?
Perhaps supporters of this rally have forgotten about Sodom and Gomorrah. They, too, were god-free societies. Because of their ungodliness, God destroyed them as an example to all of mankind (2 Peter 2:6).
Americans can look around and see how our country is self-destructing because we have already removed God from so much of our culture over the last few decades. Look what a god-free lifestyle is doing to us.
Former President Ronald Reagan once said, “If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.” He was right.
Both times President Reagan took the oath of office, he had his mother’s Bible opened to 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
No, America doesn’t need a rally to be god-free. Rather, we need to truly repent and become more godly. Our future as a nation hangs in the balance.
Tim Groves is a member of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association. He and his wife, Teresa, along with their four children, live in South Carolina.
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