18 Nov, 2008
'Why Believe in a God?' Ad Campaign Launches on D.C. Buses
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
WASHINGTON, D.C. You better watch out. There is a new combatant in the Christmas wars.
Ads proclaiming, "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake," will appear on Washington, D.C., buses starting next week and running through December. The American Humanist Association unveiled the provocative $40,000 holiday ad campaign Tuesday.
"We are trying to reach our audience, and sometimes in order to reach an audience, everybody has to hear you," said Fred Edwords, spokesman for the humanist group. "Our reason for doing it during the holidays is there are an awful lot of agnostics, atheists and other types of non-theists who feel a little alone during the holidays because of its association with traditional religion."
Yet few Americans describe themselves as atheist or agnostic; a Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life poll from earlier this year found 92 percent of Americans believe in God.
Edwords said the purpose isn't to argue that God doesn't exist or change minds about a deity, although "we are trying to plant a seed of rational thought and critical thinking and questioning in people's minds."
The group defines humanism as "a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism, affirms our responsibility to lead ethical lives of value to self and humanity."
(To see the full story, go to FOXNews.com)
Good for goodness sake?
Romans 3:10-12
10 as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.” (ESV)
What does God's Story scripture teach us about how "good" we really are?
Today's story is a clear assault on the Biblical idea that God exists...which is an attack that Christians need not fear. In fact, it is a completely normal and healthy question for everyone to answer at some point in their life.
Does God exist? After digging through scripture, looking at creation around us and investigating other areas of support...anyone who is honest with themselves will land at the conclusion that He does exist.
This ad, however, attaches a statement that is neither normal or healthy. In fact, it is a flat out lie and the truth of God's Word clearly reveals it as such. These verses in Romans basically call us evil, unrighteous and worthless...incapable of doing any good on our own. Pretty encouraging huh!?!
Well, God isn't trying to make us feel bad...He is just letting us know that since sin entered this world through Adam and Eve, we are born with a completely sinful nature and are in desperate need of a Savior.
If these verses aren't enough proof for you of just how bad we are without Christ, just check out Genesis 6:5, Genesis 8:21, I Chronicles 6:36, Romans 3:23...or the news...or your life...or my life. The truth is, we ain't so good (at grammar or "being good")
How can we connect today's story and God's story to our story?
So that's the bad news...but here's the great news...as a Christ-follower, God sees you as completely good and without sin! Psalm 103:8-12 helps us know the heart of the Father when it says
The lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger
abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will
He harbor his anger forever; He will not treat us as our
sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For
as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is
His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from
the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
The news gets even better!...Not only are our sins gone...we have been made new and it IS possible for us to be good. This only happens when God is living in us and empowers us to live that way...but it is possible! II Corinthians 5 teaches us that we have become new creations and that God made Him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness (good) of God.
Praise God for that fact today!
How can we connect today's story, God's story and my story to my friend's story?
- Don't be afraid of the question "Does God exist". I Peter 3:15 calls us to be prepared with our own answer to that question. If you have friends that are asking that question...walk with them through that time of questioning and love them through to the answer.
- Today's article said that 92% of Americans believe there is a God. Maybe you could throw out that statistic and ask your friend if they are a part of that. If they say that they do believe in God...don't stop there and assume this means they are a Christian. Ask them what that means to them and how it impacts their life.
- Be compassionate towards your lost friends. Remember that if they are lying, gossiping, being hurtful or destructive...they are only being who they are. They were born that way...as God's Word so clearly taught us. Continue to love them and pray that they will one day be free from that sinful nature and be a new creation capable of doing good for God's sake.
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