Wait... Atheists have their own convention?

Psalm 14:1, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.”

Today is April 1st. What has traditionally been known as April Fool's Day has more recently been called National Atheists” Day. It's a reference to Psalm 14:1, that says only a fool believes there is no God. However, some atheists have adopted the intended slur and celebrate the day as a sort of “in your face” to Christians.

Atheists are such a tiny minority that they qualify as “fringe” by any standard. However, they seem to be much louder than their tiny numbers would allow. How? I think it's because they are so brazen about their unbelief. As I was doing research the other day (I like to call surfing the net, “doing research”), I came across a sponsored ad on FakeBook for the “American Atheists 2022 National Convention.” It's scheduled to be held on Easter weekend (no doubt another “in your face” to Christians) and has planned a host of speakers including Matt Dillahunty and Aron Ra. I normally would provide a link to any article I use as a source but I don't want to promote this event. You'll have to google it yourself if you want to find it.

The site says this about the convention:

American Atheists is committed to presenting new, compelling, and diverse perspectives at our national conventions, featuring stories you haven’t heard before, rising stars within our community, hands-on trainings from activists and secular allies, and unique perspectives on the most important issues of our day.

Atheists, as well as other anti-creation skeptics, are extraordinary word smiths. While normal people think an atheist is someone who believes there is no god, they like to describe themselves as someone who lacks a belief in a god. It might seem like splitting hairs but they're very emphatic about it. I think they do this to avoid the absurd position of claiming an absolute negative. I wonder what word they use to describe someone who actually believes there is no god? //RKBentley scratches his head// Any way, I find the idea of an atheist convention to be somewhat befuddling. Why do people who lack a belief in something, see the need to get together and talk about their unbelief?

I believe in God. I believe the Bible. I believe in creation. I'm not coy about my beliefs and spend a great deal of time defending them. If you've ever read my blog, you'll see that I'm sincere. Conversely, I don't believe in Big Foot. However, I don't get together with other unbelievers in Big Foot and talk about how much we don't believe in it. I don't write books or give lectures about it. I don't have a blog or YouTube channel where I give my thoughts as an unbeliever in Big Foot. I don't have debates with believers in Big Foot. I certainly would never describe myself a Big-Foot-denier, as though that is something that defines who I am. Yet all of these things are exactly what atheists are doing. Weird, huh?

Do you remember the country singer, George Jones? He had a song called, She Thinks I Still Care. Some of the lyrics go like this:

Just because I asked a friend about her
Just because I spoke her name somewhere
Just because I rang her number by mistake today

She thinks I still care

The story the song tells is a typical country theme – a man lost the woman he loves. He pretends he's over her but the little things he does over and over, like “accidentally” calling her number or asking his friends how she's doing, demonstrate he's actually obsessed with her. This is how I see militant atheists. They claim to not believe in God but they simultaneously seem obsessed by Him.

God is real. It's not that I believe in God because it sort of make sense. I know there is a God because that is the only thing that makes sense! I believe that's why the Bible calls a sincere unbeliever – one who says in his heart there is no god – a fool. He is someone who denies reality. I don't think that is what is going on at the atheist convention. These are people who deep down really do believe in God and are trying to convince themselves that they don't.  They're having a convention about it, for Pete's sake!  This attitude is described in Romans 1:18-22:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.