Belief in God is an invitation not a threat
Q: Does God punish, either in this life or in an afterlife, those who do not believe he exists? -- J in Wilmington, NC
A: Thanks, J. You are the source of many of my best questions. Your question is whether or not atheism is a sin and not just a mistaken belief. The difference between a mistake and a sin is that a mistake is just a wrong conclusion from the evidence at hand while a sin is a willful rebellion against those facts. You can, for example, make a mistake in driving to your in-laws' house for Thanksgiving dinner because you inadvertently made a wrong turn on the way. That is a mistake. However, if you purposely drive the wrong way so that you miss the dinner and the uncomfortable political conversations that follow the pie, that is a sin. You knew the right way and chose to ignore it.
There are mistakes and sins we can make while driving to God as well. Let's examine the theological traffic. I am making the case here that atheism is either a mistake or a sin. That is for you, dear J, and all my dear readers, to decide individually. Atheists make the case that no credible evidence supports the belief in God much less a God who created the universe and everyone in it.
Here's how the main arguments for and against God break down:
For: The order in the universe is so perfect it requires an orderer.
Against: Earthquakes, famines, diseases and black holes all show more chaos than order in the world.
For: Something had to begin the universe or we would be trapped in an infinite series of causes. That beginner of the universe, who was not itself begun, is God.
Against: The universe could have been created by a Big Bang that started everything without God.
For: Our morality comes from the Bible and the Bible, in large measure, comes from God. Without it we have no moral code by which to live our lives. Our virtue is proof of a good God.
Against: Many people who do not believe in God live virtuous lives. Many cultures that have never been exposed to the Bible live virtuous lives. There are parts of the Bible that are not virtuous.
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