USA TODAY editorial by Jerry Coyne – JAM
This morning, as usual, I bought an USA-Today, settled down in the office to read and brief myself on the latest news. Again, as usual, when I came to “The Forum” (each Monday an invited editorial on religious/spiritual/faith topics) at the end of section A, I was filled with consternation to read another strike against faith in God. The author was Jerry Coyne, a University of Chicago professor in the Ecology and Evolution department. He evidently bears a grudge against God since this was not the first anti-religious editorial he has produced for this paper. Coyne is one of the “New Atheist Movement”, who are committed to aggressively destroying faith wherever they find it. This particular editorial claims that morality is instinctively inherent in our DNA as a result of Darwinian evolution. Coyne affirms that mankind will be just as moral without religious faith as with it. In fact, he declares “a morality based on our genes and our brains . . . is far better”! The tragedy is some folks will believe this one-sided diatribe without looking further. I have been to a country (the former USSR) where atheism reigned for 70 years and viewed its results: it wasn’t pretty! The new Russia is still trying to clean up the moral mess of two generations of godless society! I have studied the pre-Christian world that was dominated by Greek philosophy and ideas: it wasn’t pretty! Aside from the influence of Judaism, it was a world of “might makes right”. Rome was king and everyone else served at their desire—a world of slaves! Women were more of an object to be used than persons to be respected! Demosthenes said, “We have mistresses for pleasure, concubines for day to day needs, and wives to manage the house and have children.” “The right of refusal” was a right of Roman men to reject a newborn baby without consequence, casting it out on the street to die or be taken to a brothel. Gladiators fought wild animals or each other to the death for public entertainment. Many more details of what a society without Christ becomes could be listed, but surely this is sufficient. Is this the world Coyne longs for? Strip our world of the influences of faith in Jesus Christ and it becomes a cruel, selfish, “every-man-for-himself” existence. Would there be an occasional act of altruism? Perhaps. However, such would occur when “there was no time for calculation”!
Atheism feels good to sinful people. The more our culture condones sin the more atheism will grow.
Matthew 7:13-14 “(13)“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. (14)Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”