Anyone who knows me, really knows me (like my family), knows I am a book freak. I love books. I read books. I keep books–to the point they litter our house! I suppose it’s been that way since grade school when I started reading Nero Wolfe mysteries by Rex Stout and science fiction by Isaac Asimov. You might think a young mind would be swayed by the great Asimov, who was one of the most celebrated atheists of the twentieth century, into an atheistic worldview. Such was not the case for me. Although it’s been some time since I’ve read a “Robot” series or “Foundation” series book, I still have a deep appreciation for Asimov’s prolific writing and literary talent.

Lately, the darling of the atheistic movement has been Richard Dawkins, a British evolutionary biologist and author of a number of books, including the recent The God Delusion. I won’t slip into an extended discussion of atheism (no God) versus theism (some sort of God). I just want to point out that atheism is a religion. The tenants of atheism, I would argue, are not based in science but faith, as they are not “provable” in the same sense that God is not “provable.” No human was alive at the beginning of time. No one can go back and observe “the Big Bang.” There are no records from “millions of years ago” to aide us. Instead, we must deal with the evidence around us that exists in the here and now. And so, what we are left with, is an interpretation of the evidence. Atheists and creationists both have the same fossil record, the same stars, the same “facts” about science. It all comes down to how one interprets the facts. The facts are the facts! But interpretation of the facts differs widely.

Which brings me back to the point that atheism is not a valueless, clinical “scientific” view. It is full of faith–faith about what “likely” happened so long ago. Faith about man’s beginning. And faith about man’s destiny. I would call it a blind faith–as there is little if any evidence to support it! One of the most damning arguments against atheism is the logical outcome from such beliefs…such faith. If man is a product of cosmic goo from long ago, and man is in the center of his own universe, life becomes meaningless. I think it was rather well said in a recent American Thinker article titled, The Godless Delusion:

One might think that those who worship science would wake up. Knowing much beyond what we already know about the universe is increasingly improbable. No serious person today can think that material benefits will make us happier - not in a society in which the greatest health problem is obesity and the greatest emotional problem is boredom.

And how do we sate our boredom? Increasingly, our entertainment is horrific and perverse. Our obsession with violence, promiscuous sex and dangerous drugs is as obvious as the cure to those sicknesses: God. Without God, we cannot even imagine anything good (if you doubt that, try to imagine Heaven.)  Those who reject God suffer from the Godless Delusion.

And so what does this have to do with Greater Binghamton? I was visiting our local Barnes & Noble last week, one of my favorite local destinations. And I found it interesting there was a large display of books about atheism, including a number of books by Dawkins. I’m not knocking B&N–hey, they want to make money. But I did find myself thinking, “When was the last time I saw a prominent display of books about Christianity on display in here?”

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