New Atheists: No Sense of Humor or No Sense?

The battle between Christians and the New Atheists is very serious since they seek to remove children from homes if parents teach that there is a Hell and Jesus Christ is the exclusive way of salvation. That is super serious; however, the New Atheists are always good for a few laughs as a recent letter proves.

Joseph wrote seeking to answer my challenge for atheists to “Put up or Shut Up.” He did what most of the atheists do who respond to my book (The God Haters), my websites (cstnews.com and thegodhaters.com), or my columns. Atheists almost never get to the issues but attack me, i.e., my credentials, my motives, my character. Of course, that is much easier than proving their point. It doesn’t matter whether I am a farmer, salesman, or factory worker. Nor does it matter if I got my Ph.D. from a cereal box. How about some answers?

Joseph suggested that I am lazy because I don’t try to find out what scientists are saying when “they say that the universe could have come from nothing. Basically what they are saying is that empty space is not empty.” He is wrong: what they are saying is that everything came from nothing, so nothing created everything! I spent over three years researching and writing The God Haters that involved researching more than 35 atheists’ books, many of which I read in their entirety. (I wonder how many New Atheists will read my book.)

He describes “empty space” as “a bubbling froth of particles jumping in and out of existence.” Alright, Joe, have your own definition, but please tell me where the particles came from and how do you know they are “jumping in and out of existence.” Scientific double talk. He then seems to know what is coming from people who can think and read so he backs off a little by adding, “that is what the evidence indicates.” He does not provide any evidence.

Joe did provide a link to a lecture by a New Atheist who teaches that the universe “came from nothing” but it was the typical dog and pony show without any explanations how anything can come from nothing. The famous scientist took every opportunity to ridicule Christians and when the opportunity was not there, he made one. He obviously thought of himself as a wit and I think that maybe he was half right.

What brought laughter to me and my editor was Joe saying, “I don’t have much respect for the intelligence level of any of the good ole boys who go to tracker (sic) pulls and demolition derbies.” That was a reference to my statement, “What is nothing? Atheists don’t know but they know everything came from nothing! Aristotle suggested that nothing is what a rock dreams about! Look, Bible haters can’t flimflam me because I’ve been around. I’ve been across the state line in two directions, been to three county fairs, one state fair, attended three tractor pulls, one demolition derby, and even been to the Grand Ole Opry where I shook hands with Minnie Pearle. So this is one good ole boy who can’t be seduced with snake-oil salesmanship.”

First of all I don’t know what a “tracker” is but I suppose he meant “tractor.” However, we were shocked and surprised that Joe, seeking to involve himself in this war between Christians and New Atheists, was so naïve, unsophisticated, and dim-witted that he could not discern my humor/sarcasm when it jumped in front of him. For his information, I have never been to a tractor (or tracker) pull or a demolition derby, not that there might not be some entertainment in such events.

None of this makes me an expert on anything, but I will provide the information so that Joseph can stop wondering. While I am West Virginia born, I was educated in IL, IN, TN, and WV, have traveled to the Middle East at least 14 times, lectured and taught in Africa, Australia, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and often in various nations of Europe. I have had White House briefings, testified before the U.S. Congress, plus to select legislative committees of Maryland and Indiana. Moreover, I have defended my beliefs on hundreds of talk shows. However, having been elected to the Indiana House might be a detriment in my attempt to disprove Joe’s characterization of me as being an uninformed cracker.

Joe wrote, “But I guess it is easier to spend your time attacking straw men. They are easier to destroy than facing up to the real thing.” Not straw men, Joe, but the God Haters’ teachings. After all, we are here. Where did everything come from? Many of the New Atheists tell us everything came from nothing; and you can deny that but informed people are aware that you are uninformed as to what your own crowd teaches. I have challenged New Atheists to provide some answers to origins but they refuse to “face the real thing.” They either ignore my questions or attack me which is easier than explaining to ordinary people how anything can come from nothing. So they degenerate into obfuscation, ridicule, and generous portions of balderdash–all with scientific jargon. What is always surprising is that they do so without blushing, thinking discerning people don’t realize what they are doing. They would produce answers if they could.

Joe exposes his ignorance stating that I “find it so incredibly unbelievable that there could be something that exists without a cause, while at the very same time suggest[ing] the answer is something that exists without a cause (i.e.: a ‘God’).” Let me educate him or highlight his disingenuousness: Creationists don’t maintain that everything that exists must have a cause, but we believe everything that has come into existence must have a cause. God has always existed, so a cause is not required! Yes, Joseph, that does require faith.

He closes with what, at first blush, may appear to be a legitimate criticism of my work. He accuses me of “rage, anger, and hatred.” Anger, yes, rage and hatred, no. I am angry because the New Atheists want to rip up our Constitution and remove our right to teach children what the Bible teaches: there is a Hell and Christ is the only escape! They have declared war against us so I am serious. I do take it personally. I can chat, dialogue, talk, discuss, debate, etc., with anyone about anything but when scientific jerks want to take my grandchildren from me and accuse me (and their parents) of child abuse, then I will not sit around a table and treat them like gentlemen. They are tyrants and totalitarians. We are at war, and the New Atheists are an angry, aggressive, attacking enemy.

Joseph’s letter did produce some lighter moments for me as he proved once again that Atheists don’t have a sense of humor. I always knew they had no sense. After all, God says they are fools.