People seem to be increasingly turning back to faith. Theism is becoming more popular. A “Christian” magazine is surprised and presents a strange understanding of belief in “a deity”.
Inhalt / Content
A countermovement used
More and more people turned their backs on their church and chose atheism. The younger generation doesn’t even come up with the idea of adopting the Christian faith. The rapidly shrinking number of church members in Germany seems to confirm this thesis. After all, around half a million people in Germany left the Roman Catholic or Protestant church in 2023. In a modern world, religion has less and less place. Especially in the USA, the trend towards “believing in nothing” seems to be continuing.
But there seems to be a lot of movement in both directions. Parallel to the flow of renunciation of faith, there is also a lively influx. An increasing number of people who once described themselves as atheists are now professing belief in God, according to Christian Post magazine. (Source).
The author of the book “The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again.“, Justin Brierleys, convinces with numerous evidence of a kind of renaissance of theism. Atheists experienced a change in perspective, from original disbelief in God to acceptance of the existence of the divine.
Return to the “higher power”
The verbal battles that once took place between believers and atheists have become less frequent. Science alone cannot fully explain the mysteries of the universe. Other reasons for the former atheists’ turn to faith include less perceived satisfaction from materialism and the growing longing for “deeper meaning and connection.”
The magazine expects the “surprising resurgence of theism” among former atheists to have a significant impact on the future of faith. This shows that atheism is not the only result in a secular age. It shows that theism is not a thing of the past. Humans have an “innate capacity for wonder” and the recognition of a power greater than themselves.
This trend is encouraging because it invites “all of us” to approach life’s profound questions with “humility and empathy” and to be amazed by the experiences and beauty that God’s present love and wisdom reveal. Therefore, theism offers hope for all people who seek meaning, purpose and truth in a confusing and chaotic world. Theism is not a declining phenomenon, says the magazine, but rather it is evolving and flourishing.
No matter what – the main thing is theism
You’re amazed! Not about the increasing move away from atheism towards theism, but about what this “Christian” magazine connects with theism. According to the belief in a “higher power” that is simply called God, this could also apply to the apple that first fell from the tree in autumn. Whether one hugs a tree trunk to “feel” its power or bows down in front of the first fallen apple in the garden and idolizes it, in both cases one believed in a “higher power”. You are already a theist.
“Hope in a confusing and chaotic world” addresses exactly what was already foreseeable, if not the means to an end. The mass exodus from the churches is largely due to the unspeakable activity of the “diverse rainbow philosophy”. A minority cult, supported primarily by the once Protestant churches, but equipped with media mouthpieces for the masses. Anyone who fled the church for this reason is not fundamentally an atheist and is unlikely to choose to “not believe”. Rather, it is without orientation, looking for support and alignment.
Replacement religion for the disorientated
It is precisely at this point that the “substitute religions” that are already available come into play, preferably the religion of “climate and nature conservation”. (Info). The “preservation of creation” for the believer and the “preservation of living space” for the atheist.
“The supernatural,” or “the greater power,” as a deity defined within the framework of theism, is an ideal glue for the “theology” of New Protestantism, the pantheism of the Roman Catholic Church, and the cosmic world of the New Age. The article in the “Christian” magazine shows that it is about nothing else because the name “Jesus Christ” cannot be found anywhere. Instead, pseudo-spiritual outpourings like “deeper realizations of meaning and connection and experiences of beauty.”
A Christian magazine, if it were to live up to its name, should actually know that no man can pass by Jesus Christ for his personal salvation,John 14:6:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.“
Appropriate image for prophecy
However, this development, the “theism” in the form of whatever “god”, fits into the picture of prophecy according to Revelation 13. In this chapter, two animals play the main roles. The second beast carries out the will of the first beast (Revelation 13 – more info). This beast will cause people to give themselves a mark and worship the first beast.
Worship is clearly a religious aspect. But the beast is neither God the Father nor Jesus Christ (Info).
All that remains is “The Faith”
Therefore, such theism only leads “from the rain to the fire”. Hope exists for man only when his God is the true God of the gospel. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And not a “pseudo-god” in the form of a “higher power” that gives you a good feeling and a sense of belonging with like-minded people.
At this point, opinions will differ, because the Word of God is a two-edged sword. A majority will attack a minority and “firmly believe” that they are doing the right thing (Info).
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
Matthew 10:34-36
Bible verses from King James Version
