Well-known atheist Richard Dawkins, who in the past sneered at Christianity, is now having seconds thoughts: not about God or the Bible or the Risen Christ, but about ”Christian culture” and its good works. In other words, although he does not love God, he does love his neighbors (or at least he prefers to live in a Christian culture engendering Love Thy Neighbor).
And why not: who would not prefer to live among people who are Sharing & Caring and Kind & Gentle, as well as embracing lifelong, monogamous, faithful marriages.
Surprise! Actually, the Apostle Paul observed that even many of the gentiles he befriended embraced Love Thy Neighbor, despite that they were pagans. (See Romans 2: 14,15; also Acts 28: 1 - 7.)
Perhaps he could ponder how people of faith could dream up Love Thy Neighbor without God‘s word. Perhaps he thinks it was just a random walk through all possible beliefs that led the Hebrew people and then Jesus to espouse God’s commandments.
In any event, we welcome Mr. Dawkins’ progress toward the Kingdom of God.
Amen.
My Dad was an atheist for most of his life. He was brought up with Catholic parents and seven sisters who believed. But at 10 years old, he got on his knees and prayed to God to save his Dad who had TB (that in 1941 had no cure). God said no, so my Dad decided there wasn't a God and kept that belief, anger and distrust til a couple yeas before his death - when he got on his knees again in his 80's, (being weak and ill with no fight left) and made his peace with God.
Some people need to be broken and facing death before God gets their attention.
Atheists are very conflicted when it comes to death - they don't want to die, are afraid and so are then more willing to open their door.
Back to the Christian culture.
Jesus has changed the world!
HIS Biblical principles have permeated civilization.
People live in and are protected by God through governments and authorities appointed by God. And so of course atheists and the rest of us benefit from what Jesus has transformed civilization into. Otherwise, we'd see barbarian hordes pillaging and plundering. Oops, they still do, they are just given different titles. Sin and evil is still around.
Atheists recognize and have learned partially from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they just don't know God sovereignly ordered the history of man in such a way that man would learn to appreciate Good and where it came from.
My Dad held onto Biblical principles ( unbeknownst to him) that he learned from his parents. But as an adult he thought civilization evolved towards good and we all just figured it out on our own _ what works _ apart from God. He sought out intellectual arguments that he thought sounded logical and reasonable that removed God out of the picture ... the Theory of Evolution. Not being well read, he watched the Discovery Channel and fed on that fiction.
Richard Dawkins is a Prince of that fictional tale. He has led many astray. He is one of Satan's sevants - likely not written in the Book of Life.
10% of the population of the world including the USA, are atheists who feed on that TOE. That's 800 million. Then you have billion Muslims, another billion Buddhists, a billion Hindus and then the remainder of non-Christian religions to total some 5.3 billion unbelievers.
Will all these unbelievers remain lost? No, but " wide is the gate that leads to destruction". That means more people will be lost than saved. Currently 1/3 believe in Christ. And highly influential people who have been responsible for leading millions astray ( like Richard Dawkins), likely are not on God's list to be saved
