« Peterson Gets the Death Penalty | Main | High School Censors Christian Band »

Famous Atheist Now Believes in God

An interesting article about Antony Flew begins with the revelation that the noted atheist has changed his mind:

At age 81, after decades of insisting belief is a mistake, Antony Flew has concluded that some sort of intelligence or first cause must have created the universe. A super-intelligence is the only good explanation for the origin of life and the complexity of nature, Flew said in a telephone interview from England.

There you have it. Flew has become a believer in God based upon the natural revelation of creation. Or has he? The article continues by describing Flew's belief system.

"I'm thinking of a God very different from the God of the Christian and far and away from the God of Islam, because both are depicted as omnipotent Oriental despots, cosmic Saddam Husseins," he said. "It could be a person in the sense of a being that has intelligence and a purpose, I suppose."

While Flew has rejected one form of humanism he appears to have embraced another. I don't think his beliefs have changed remarkably.

His conclusions are based upon his limited observations of nature, his false understanding of Christianity and his personal beliefs about the attributes of God. Flew has created his own god that exists only in his imagination that fits his expectations of what a "god" should be like. By defining a god he has assumed a role that is higher than his god, a position in which the ultimate god is himself.

As an atheist, Flew's belief system was based upon faith, not science. Scientists understand that the evidence required to prove a universal negative is unattainable. Now, as a theist, Flew is still driven by faith, in himself. There is very little difference between an atheist who, based on faith, rejects the existence of God and a person who believes in "a god" (as in, "my god is ..." or "my god would never ...") that is defined according to their own expectations and desires.

Has Flew changed? Yes, and no.

Posted by tim at December 14, 2004 5:29 AM

Articles Related to Culture and Society: