One existence that cannot be denied, a new sign has just been erected near the Kentucky State Fair and Expo Center and it has the city buzzing. Lifted high above the roadways near the Louisville airport a giant billboard reads: “Don’t believe in God? You are not alone.”
An advertisement for the Louisville Coalition of Reason, the billboard is said not to be an offense to anyone but actually proclaim a positive message. The coordinator of the organization has said they “want to reach out to others with like-minded beliefs,” “let others know [they] are here,” and “want to be accepted as an equal part of the community at large.”
Others who oppose the message on the billboard have said they believe the real intent of the message is “an invitation to a dead-end path,” or to “draw people away from God.” But according to one news reporter, the local organization has stated that the purpose of the billboard is to educate. “Our answer is not so much what we turn people away from, but what we turn them to, which is rational thought, and evidence based thinking [and] belief.”
A new kind of atheism is on the rise and America is under the influence. Because we live in a country that is tolerant and respectful of alternative views, it appears that this is only the beginning of what is to come. Already similar models have been appearing all over the nation, from St. Petersburg to Seattle, with messages such as: “Are you good without God? Millions are.”
These bold assertions are a once radical idea that has gradually shifted into a new cultural trend. While there have always been people that are skeptical about the existence of an all powerful God, only more recently has anyone put forth this kind of effort to prove what they believe does not exist.
Atheism, from the Greek word atheos, means “without – deity,” or “without – god,” and has been around long before its name. Some 3,000 years ago the Psalmist wrote, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘there is no God.’” (Psalm 14:1). But disbelief in the existence of something and taking out a personal vendetta to prove that it does not exist are two different things; for one is a lack of faith while the other requires it for consistency.
If no threat exists, why go to such great lengths to prove something instead of just letting it go? After all, preaching against something non-existent is pointless; or is there another reason for all the fuss? The Bible says, “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Billboards and bus signs are nothing more than smoke and mirrors set in place to distract people from the one true God. If the world could be rid of religious belief and practice, it still would not change the position of God as Creator of the universe and Redeemer of mankind. Which is why the Bible says, “For what can be known about God is plain (to them), because God has shown it (to them). For his invisible attributes…have been clearly seen” (Romans 1:19-20).
A message about the disbelief in God is a good trick to pull on unsuspecting people but the illusion will not last long. God won’t simply disappear because people stop believing and He cannot be disproved; however, He must be accepted by faith. The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
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