During a break in one of the Democratic debates, an advertisement aired from the Freedom From Religion Foundation in which Ron Reagan, son of President Ronald Reagan, proclaimed that as a proud atheist he is “not afraid of burning in Hell.”[1] The logic behind running such an ad during a major political debate is concerning.
The number of individuals who identify as lacking religious affiliation is not only rising but has grown to its highest level in American history.[2] In fact, the Democrat Party recently passed a national resolution celebrating its largest religious constituency: it was not Catholics, nor was it Protestants; rather, it was those who identify with no religious faith—the non- and anti-religious is now the Democrat’s largest “religious” constituency.[3]
Without a knowledge of God, there is an unawareness of one’s purpose in life and therefore a lack of awareness about what is truly fulfilling for that person. Psalm 138:8 declares:
“The Lord will work out His plans for my life, for Your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for You made me.”
Each person’s life receives purpose when finding and following the ways of the Lord. And given the bleak worldview of atheism, it is not surprising that their rejection of a Divinely-given purpose in life can be detrimental to their own personal health as well as that of society at large.
The American Journal of Psychiatry analyzed the correlation between religious affiliation and lifetime suicidality, finding that:
“Religiously unaffiliated subjects had significantly more lifetime suicide attempts and more first-degree relatives who committed suicide than subjects who endorsed a religious affiliation.”[4]
Similarly, a study of obituaries conducted by Ohio State University concluded that religiously affiliated people lived an average of 4 years longer than their nonreligious peers.[5] There is mounting, objective evidence that religious belief is generally healthier than a lack of faith.
Atheism is also one of the core doctrines of communism, which consistently devalues individual lives, often to the point of committing mass murder under the banner of amoral necessity.[6] In the 20th century alone, atheist communist governments killed over 100 million individuals, and when adding non-Judeo-Christian beliefs (such as those of Hitler, Tojo, and scores more like them), the numbers killed soar to many times more.
Proverbs 9:10 state that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” and it can easily be argued that it is also the beginning of morality. After all, given the amoral nature of atheism, there is not a belief in any ultimate Divine consequences for behavior, so why should any Godless person do anything less than that which they want to do, without regard for any person other than themselves? Atheism fuels selfishness, which reduces service and self-sacrifice.
The rise of atheist philosophy removes hope, for if there is nothing beyond this life, then why put up with the pain of existence? Suicide therefore becomes a viable and even logical option in that worldview. Atheism further devalues what it means to be morally responsible for one’s actions and to live within the boundaries of moral rights and wrongs. The fact that a mainstream political party finds such an ad appealing to its viewership does not bode well for the overall health of our society or our nation.
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[1] “Not afraid of burning in hell?”, Freedom From Religion Foundation (n.d.), https://ffrf.org/unabashed
[2] Michael Shermer, “The Number of Americans with No Religious Affiliation Is Rising”, Scientific American (April 1, 2018), https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-number-of-americans-with-no-religious-affiliation-is-rising/[3]
[4] Kanita Dervic, M.D., Maria A. Oquendo, M.D., Michael F. Grunebaum, M.D., Steve Ellis, Ph.D., Ainsley K. Burke, Ph.D., and J. John Mann, M.D., “Religious Affiliation and Suicide Attempt”, American Journal of Psychiatry (December 1, 2004), https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ajp.161.12.2303
[5] “Religious Affiliation Linked to Nearly 4-year Longevity Boost”, Society for Personality and Social Psychology (June 13, 2018), http://www.spsp.org/news-center/press-releases/religion-linked-to-longevity
[6] “Communism”, All About Philosophy (n.d.), https://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/communism.htm
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