Husezo Rhakho
THE topic “why am I not an atheist?” is not a new one. It has been wrestled over time and space by scores of profound Christian Apologists. Even Ravi Zacharias spoke on the same topic in response to an atheist, Bertrand Russell, who wrote an article on “why am I not a Christian?” which went viral among the Christendom. A couple of days back, during class, we were assigned to read up on this same article by Russell, and we were asked to submit our reading reports and responses to it. After going through the article, it really helped me to put my feet in their shoes, and see their notion with more clarity.
I always assumed that atheists only exist in the West; however, my study made me realize that the influence of atheism has already reached our land. It intrigued me when I came to the knowledge that, there are atheists even among the Nagas; it was indeed a very eye-opening and fascinating revelation! Since then, I have personally encountered many Naga atheists who openly claimed that they are atheists.
Free-thinkers or Atheism is one of the newest trends to hit Nagaland. A Naga atheist holds this belief- “If you were born in Israel you’d probably be a Jewish. If you were born in Saudi Arabia you’d probably be a Muslim. But because you were born in Nagaland, you’re probably a Christian! Your faith is not determined by some divine faith. It comes down to nothing more than simple geography!”
Even among theologians, a great numbers of free thinkers are emerging today.
Logic and philosophical thought seems to be the order of the day – replacing the simple child-like faith which is required to enter the gates of heaven. Quite a number of theologians have even begun to question the very existence of the Creator. The surge of many skeptics even in theologian circles is quite plain for all to see. C.S. Lewis quotes this idea perfectly when he says, “when you argue against Him you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all; it is like cutting off the branch you are sitting on”.
How it is even possible for a Naga to be an atheist? A westerner claiming to be an atheist is understandable but a Naga? I truly find it extremely contradictory.
Many free thinkers today tend to focus on the glass being half full instead of counting one’s blessings which are countless as the stars. We cannot fathom or presume to understand the reason behind every natural calamity on earth. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). We need only to trust Him because no matter how bleak the situation, He is in control.
As for rape, murder, assault, harassment, robbery and all evil human beings commit, the concept of moral absolutes emerges. Moral absolutism is the ethical belief that there are absolute standards against which moral questions can be judged and that certain actions are right or wrong, regardless of the context of the act. For Christians, morality is a straight path that leads directly to God. Fear of God draws the line between right and wrong. And the others who give in to the evil allures of this world abuse the free will God has bestowed on them.
God has given us free will so that we will choose Him- not because He forces us to do so, but because we want to be with Him as co-heirs in His kingdom forever. The Bible commands us “Thou shall not kill” (Exodus 20:13) but murder occurs because of listening to the voice of the evil one; the same goes for rape, thievery, abuse etc. Free thinkers cannot blame God for the wrong in this world because it is clearly established that free will exists.
Political science does not condone murder either but dictators like Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin killed in mass numbers for power and political gain. Joseph Stalin was a theological student who later turned into an atheist. Even during the hour of his death, this Russian dictator died showing his fist towards God. God had called him, but he chose to challenge God.
There is a world-famous theological historian from America whose son is an atheist. It would seem comical and even scandalous if such a situation occurred in our Naga society. But the sad truth is that similar situations exist even among Nagas. It is very disheartening to hear instances such as the one where a Naga theologian has become an atheist after receiving a doctorate in the field of theology. This is certainly an extreme case in which study of God has led to doubt and unbelief in the very existence of God.
Thus when we ponder upon it we realize that the situation is quite the same here. The Americans practice more of the ‘what you see is what you get’ culture. The Christians there are sincere and committed witnessing for the Lord and actively involved in bearing good fruit for the Lord. The ‘Christians’ of our land are more superficial and worried more about who is recognized and acknowledged in the Church and society.
In today’s generation, many young Nagas have started to openly challenge God. Self-declared atheists are a popular trend these days. But most of them are ‘wannabes’ who do it to defy norms, simply seeking attention.
On deeper study, however, we will find that the Naga atheists are in essence agnostics – merely confused about the existence of God. This can occur due to three core reasons and the response needs to be based accordingly.
Firstly, the disillusionment of the church. Most of the atheists criticize the Christian leaders on their lifestyle and use it as an excuse to mock Christianity. They follow Mahatma Gandhi’s famous statement- “I am not a Christian but for the Christian.” The best response here would be that leaders are also flawed, being finite beings. But using their weakness as the sole reason to disapprove of God’s existence would be fatally extreme indeed. We need to show these people that there are good leaders too, and they should not be generalized. Also, if such atheists really want to bring about change for the benefit of the society, they need to also try a hand at committing their life to Christ and showing forth good examples.
Second, blaming God for all the evil in the world. Different people encounter different kinds of experiences – both good and bad. The Naga atheists today have a knack for blaming God for every experience they undergo because He could have intervened, but He refrained from doing so and allowed the evil to continue. So the solution to their problems, apparently, is to ignore God and follow the phrase- ‘live and let live.’ The church leaders today need to confront such people head-on and make them understand that God does not encourage evil. Lewis states that “For Christians, evil exists because of free will. God tolerates evil in this world on a temporary basis so that those who choose to love him freely will one day dwell in heaven with Him free from the influence of evil, but with their free will intact. God’s intention concerning evil is to one day destroy it”
Third, many youth regard atheism as a way to make a statement about their uniqueness. Many others profess themselves as agnostics in order to capture the attention of their peers or the society. Christian leaders need to realize that such attention-seekers are simply lonely and hollow people. They need to be reminded that they are loved, that they are precious, and that they are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” A direct but subtle approach would be best suited for such lost and confused people.
Many atheists in Nagaland comprise of students pursuing philosophical, science studies, arts and theological studies. Their studies directly or indirectly influence them in one way or the other. Philosophy students, for instance, are taught by their professors that God does not exist (may not be all). Not only are their teachers atheist themselves, but their syllabus requires them to study the teachings of various atheists in varying detail. It is only normal in such a situation for a young mind to be carried away and led astray. It is sad to see that some philosophy teachers even go out of their way to force their students to accept atheism as the natural truth.
Science students, on the other hand, are required to study about evolution and origin of the universe. Such scientific hypothesis and theories also confuse the minds of the students who are not deeply rooted in the teachings of the Bible. Many people of this era have even begun to worship science through the religion called Scientology. A good number of science students begin to accept the concepts of the Big Bang for the creation of the universe. Christian leaders today need to be aware of all such issues which make people doubt the existence of God. We cannot answer their questions intellectually unless we are aware of such theories. Therefore proper study and wisdom is required to defend our faith and win the souls back to our side.
“The fool says in his heart, there is no God” (Psalm 14:1). The Bible calls atheists and agnostics ‘fools’- they are deceived by the great deceiver either because of their naïve-ness or because they are pursuing their academic career with misplaced zeal. Both are lethal arsenal of the enemy. We need Christian leaders who can recognize such symptoms and prevent either extremity from taking control of the Nagas.
India is a secular state with religious tolerance. But ‘Nagaland for Christ’ is also the motto declared by our state. Therefore, when it comes to atheists and agnostics, a direct confrontation which jolts them, rather than a soft and timid approach, is required. Empowered Christian leaders need to take up the mantle and fight this evil with the one-on-one counseling sessions, seminars, work-shops and conferences to wake them up from their delusional sleep and snap them back to reality.
Ravi Zacharias says “The best apologetic strategy is to make people wish that something were true- and then show them that it is. Once people get a vision of the difference that the gospel makes to the way they see and understand the world, they will have new interest in asking whether this really is true.” Therefore, we need not be clever enough in engaging them, but we should be content to tell the truth and deliver them from the chains of ungodly philosophies that bind them.
Kohima Bible College
