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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

An Atheism That Claims to Believe in God

The fool has said in his heart there is no God--Psalm 14:1

Stephen Charnock:
" 'There is no God'...it is not Jehovah, which name signifies the essence of God, as the prime and supreme being; but Eloahia, which name signifies the providence of God, God as a rector and judge. Not that he [the fool] denies the existence of a Supreme Being, that created the world, but his regarding the creatures, His government of the world and consequently His reward of the righteous and punishments of the wicked."


Clay Miller: The denial of God being spoken of in Psalm 14 is not merely the being or existence of God. The fool might believe there is some kind of god out there, but the fool does not believe this being regards us or bothers with us. The fool does not believe this being actually governs this world or has authority over it. The fool does not believe there is any accountability to this Being that may exist. Many feel freed from this passage when they read it in English, but when we understand more specifically what the Psalmist is saying, the name he is using, it indicts many more. Agnostics believe there might be a god but they do not believe they are accountable to Him if there is. Those who say there is a god but live like there is not are described here as well. Those who say there is a god and enjoy and find entertainment in things He sees as abominations are described in this passage, and so on. More Later.