More ammo for the unreasonable skeptic.

Skepticism puts most of its energies into avoiding error, and very little effort into finding truth.

-James Beilby Beilby and David K. Clark

Atheism.

To me, it is the religion of becoming our very own gods.

Traditionally, God (even if you don't believe in him yet) provided a source of authority, morality, ultimate justice, accountability and a plethora of other vital functions that enable humans to live meaningful, healthy, happy lives.

I know the argument of the other side, I know that there are many happy people who live meaningful lives apart from God. What I doubt however, is that the people who prescribe to atheism have really faced the full conclusions of their belief system. Specifically, I have never found a satisfying answer within the belief of atheism for ultimate meaning, purpose, or value. Atheism can masquerade as logical and reasonable up until the point where I start looking for the greater purpose of life... meaning beyond just the temporary.

Now, many people who prescribe to atheism as a world view, appear to be very well balanced, healthy, rational, responsible human beings. But what I don't think is recognized or honestly brought to the table, is that all of us human beings, are broken in some ways. We are always looking, searching and struggling to find something, which seems elusive and most of the time unnameable. In the quiet of the night, in the moments in between the incessant distractions and entertainment, after the last song of the dance is played, in between lovers, we begin to sense....we are aware of a void within.

If you have never felt this... I wonder what is different between you and I, and you and virtually all the poets, song writers, musicians, actors and artist of the past and present.

This unnameable void, this hunger without a source, this hole in our soul... I am convinced is the search for unconditional love.

And trust me when I say, there is only one possible source where we can find it.

No job, no charity, no reward, no treasure, no accolades, no reputation can offer unconditional worth let alone unconditional love.

No man, no woman, no child can offer unconditional love...because mortality is a condition.

So we toil and toil, we are in an endless cycle of happiness and despair, because we were made for the eternal, but everything we fight for is for the fleeting moment. We become our god, we are the foolish masters of ourselves, we create idols to worship, we ignore the conclusions of our choice... we turn our backs on the everlasting source of love and trade it for the unobtainable sands of time.

I have seen both sides of the coin, I understand the appeal of atheism...being my own god.

Believe me or not, atheism is the made up belief...not the realization of a God offering unconditional love.

Henri J. M. Nouwen reminds us who we really are and where our true home really is, in his book The Return of the Prodigal Son.

Home is the center of my being where I can hear the voice that says: "You are my Beloved, on you my favor rests"-the same voice that gave life to the first Adam and spoke to Jesus, the second Adam; the same voice that speaks to all children of God and sets them free to live in the midst of a dark world while remaining in the light. I have heard that voice. It has spoken to me in the past and continues to speak to me now. It is the never-interrupted voice of love speaking from eternity and giving life and love whenever it is heard. When I hear that voice, I know that I am home with God and have nothing to fear. As the Beloved of my heavenly Father, "I can walk in the valley of darkness: no evil would I fear." As the Beloved, I can confront, console, admonish, and encourage without fear of rejection or need for affirmation. As the Beloved, I can be tortured and killed without ever having to doubt that the love that is given to me is stronger than death. As the Beloved, I am free to live and give life, free also to die while giving life."

That is a glimpse of reality, that is the eternal story of our hearts. That is the seemingly unbelievable but definitely real purpose for you. God made you, knows you, loves you. That is the story of humanity. Anything outside of that ends in a nightmare of our own making.