Agnostic:

1. One who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God.
2. One who is skeptical about the existence of God but does not profess true atheism.

Atheist:

1. One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God

According to a BBC report, “nations that report the highest rates of atheism tend to be those that provide their citizens with relatively high economic, political and existential stability.”  The article states that ‘religion’ is where people turn to fill the vacuum of uncertainty.  “Capitalism, access to technology and education” reduce the perception of uncertainty, and the need for religion.  Some scholars imply religion is the prop of the poor and ignorant.

This message is for you:

“Men of <insert your city name here>, I perceive that in every way you are very religious – after all, you worship Wealth, Science, Capitalism, access to Technology, and even Education. For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also a memorial with this inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’  What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in things made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything.

And he made from one, every nation of men to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their habitation, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us, for ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your poets have said, ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the Deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, a representation by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all men everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all men by raising him from the dead.”

The fact is, Jesus died and rose again to provide a means of salvation for all people.  Wealth, science, capitalism, access to technology, and education are all being shaken to their foundations today – those things come and go – but what remains?  Jesus is the Son of God, who offers to reunite us in God’s good grace for eternity.

I side with the poor and ignorant – it is easier for them to enter God’s kingdom, than a man distracted by wealth and possessions.