For some, “God doesn’t believe in atheists” is just a clever (nor not-so-clever) jab directed against the faithless in our culture. But based on the findings of secular researchers, the statement may not be so far from reality.

That is because multidisciplinary research is increasingly backing the idea that human beings are hard-wired to believe in God, according to Science 2.0 writer Nury Vittachi in an article titled, “Scientists discover that atheists might not exist, and that’s not a joke.”

“[A]theism is psychologically impossible because of the way humans think,” Vittachi cites avowed atheist Graham Lawton as writing in New Scientist. “They point to studies showing, for example, that even people who claim to be committed atheists tacitly hold religious beliefs, such as the existence of an immortal soul.”

Even atheists hold to several tacitly religious concepts, including the existence of an immortal soul, according to Lawton. The article also cites another atheist researcher who demonstrated that all people engage in internal monologue, regardless of whether the person to whom their thoughts are directed is actually present.

Equally demonstrable is the intrinsic human tendency to believe in divine justice. Vittachi describes both religious and non-religious persons as possessing the innate sense that “If I commit a sin, it is not an isolated event but will have appropriate repercussions.” This sense of cosmic justice is credited for the popular belief in “karma.”

This idea, he writes, is played out on a number of differently levels—including narrative literature, where even atheist authors invariably write stories that “exist to establish that there exists a mechanism or a person—cosmic destiny, karma, God, fate, Mother Nature—to make sure the right thing happens to the right person.”

Even the staunchest nontheists are not exempted from such habits, according to the writer. “If a loved one dies, even many anti-religious people usually feel a need for a farewell ritual, complete with readings from old books and intoned declarations that are not unlike prayers,” Vittachi writes. “In war situations, commanders frequently comment that atheist soldiers pray far more than they think they do.”

According to the writer, atheists tend to exhibit the same sociological, psychological dependence on the intangible as religious folk do, even if the former reject the existence of anything supernatural. “Statistics show that the majority of people who stop being part of organized religious groups don’t become committed atheists, but retain a mental model in which ‘The Universe’ somehow has a purpose for humanity,” says Vittachi.

While Vittachi attempts to connect all these theistic proclivities to an evolutionary source, missing one key bit of evidence: it is the biblical Christian worldview, not the secular humanist worldview, which accurately predicts a human bent towards belief in God.

In Romans 1:18-23, the apostle Paul writes that “what can be known about God is plain to them”—that is, all men—and that “his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” He then goes so far as to state that all such people “knew God” (v. 21). The implication, thus, is that man innately assumes the existence of his Creator until he convinces himself to think otherwise.

This biblical teaching is not unique to Paul. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding,” echoing the same sentiment of other Old Testament passages. In essence, one cannot truly possess wisdom and knowledge if one denies the essential fact of existence: that the transcendent God is the ultimate measure of reality.

While Vittachi may be a few steps short of walking down the aisle at the next altar call, the findings he describes lead to one critical conclusion: perhaps it is atheists, not God, who truly do not exist

Charisma News

Newport West AM said it is “excellent news” that Food Utopia is reported to have taken over the Avana Bakeries plant, potentially saving 650 local jobs.

Contact Mark for more information.

Chris Evans MP: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what
assessment she has made of the preparedness of the police to respond to
a cyber-attack.

Atheists and secular humanists consistently make the claim that religion is the  cause of violence and war throughout the history of mankind. One of hatetheism’s key cheerleaders, Sam Harris, says in his book The End of Faith that faith and religion are “the most prolific source of violence in our history.”

While there’s no denying that campaigns such as the Crusades and the Thirty Years’ War foundationally rested on religious ideology, it is simply incorrect to assert that religion has been the primary cause of war. Moreover, although there’s also no disagreement that radical Islam was the spirit behind 9/11, it is a fallacy to say that all faiths contribute equally where religiously-motivated violence and warfare are concerned.

An interesting source of truth on the matter is Philip and Axelrod’s three-volume Encyclopedia of Wars, which chronicles some 1,763 wars that have been waged over the course of human history. Of those wars, the authors categorize 123 as being religious in nature, which is an astonishingly low 6.98% of all wars. However, when one subtracts out those waged in the name of Islam (66), the percentage is cut by more than half to 3.23%

That means that all faiths combined – minus Islam – have caused less than 4% of all of humanity’s wars and violent conflicts. Further, they played no motivating role in the major wars that have resulted in the most loss of life

The truth is, non-religious motivations and naturalistic philosophies bear the blame for nearly all of humankind’s wars. Lives lost during religious conflict pales in comparison to those experienced during the regimes who wanted nothing to do with the idea of God – something showcased in R. J. Rummel’s work Lethal Politics and Death by Government:

Non-Religious Dictator Lives Lost

• Joseph Stalin – 42,672,000
• Mao Zedong – 37,828,000
• Adolf Hitler – 20,946,000
• Chiang Kai-shek – 10,214,000
• Vladimir Lenin – 4,017,000
• Hideki Tojo – 3,990,000
• Pol Pot – 2,397,0003

http://carm.org/religion-cause-war (thanks to the writer & Editor for this article, Robin Schumacher & Matt Slick)

The Bible in James (naturally) agrees with Christ when he says: “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel,” (James 4:1–2).

Country Unspecified.(outside Uk)

Three men were walking down one of the streets in the shanty town, specifically looking for people who needed prayer for healing.

One of the gentlemen then had a strong sense that “the next man they would come across would have neck pain and God would heal him”.

They stopped outside the next shop. The 45yr old man standing there had had neck pain for several years, unhelped by medicines.

He was asked ,”can we pray for you in Jesus name”. He agreed willingly.

They prayed together for about a minute and then stopped to ask how he was feeling. With almost expressionless face he said “yeah, the pain in my neck has completely gone but my back still hurts” So the three man prayed for his back for another minute. That also improved. (He has been seen several times since & remains well)

Note.

Miracles on their own do not bring people into relationship with Jesus. People are often willing to have their illness prayed for but the idea of repenting & turning to a new faith is not so popular.

Extract from “GO” July -Sept 2014

Barnardo’s Caerphilly & Newport Young Carers Service offices are based in Risca and Newport. We deal with young carers between age 7 and 25 years in the Caerphilly and Newport Boroughs.

Our aims are:

• to provide you with a break from your caring role
• to support you when you feel frustrated and angry
• to get you the right help so that you are able to get some time to yourself
• to help you access the information you need to be a young carer
• to work with other people so that you are able to continue your education.

Do you help your parents to do the shopping, washing, ironing? Do you look help to look after your brother or sister? Do any of your parents suffer from mental health problems? Do your parents misuse drugs or alcohol? Do you struggle with your school/college because of your caring responsibilities? Do you have any health problems yourself?

Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm, we are at

Caerservices@barnardos.org.uk

After that time we have an answer phone. Leave a message and we’ll get back to you.

Our office in Newport is based at

Newport Young Carers
114 Lower dock Street
Newport
NP20 2AF

Phone
01633 251192

If you are experiencing any of these things, our service can help. Being a young carer is a very important job and this service is just for people like you.