Is believing in God still relevant in the digital age? Gallup released glaring statistics last July 20 showing the decline of belief in God in America, from 90% in 2001 to 74% this year (2023). Sadly, many non-believers come from young people who grew up in the modern world. What made them think that God does not exist anyway?
“To see is to believe” is the weakest possible reason, but there are more intriguing reasons why some people don’t believe in God. This blog delves into ten common reasons, if not excuses, why some individuals don’t believe in God, shedding light on the intricacy of their perspectives.
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1. “God Is a Control Freak.”
People don’t like to be controlled by others, especially the young ones of today. They don’t like that someone will tell them what to do. They believe that they exist not to please anybody but themselves. It is common thinking that believing in God is believing in a Supreme Being who controls everything. That triggers some people not to believe in Him. The same way the government triggers anarchism.
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2. “God Limits People to Do What They Want.”
One of the reasons why some people don’t believe in God is because they see Him as a God of rules and standards. They see the rules (like the Ten Commandments or Golden Rules) as not just hard to follow, but it’s also something that limits them to do whatever they want. If they can’t follow biblical standards, some will call them sinners, and no one likes that. Some people believe they are born wild and free and that even the sky cannot limit them.
3. “God Is Selfish.”
God likes to be the only center of the universe instead of the sun, let alone the Earth. That idea will cringe an egotist or a narcissist. Some people want the spotlight turns on them. But still, the focus is on believing in an unknown God. In a world where attention-seekers are growing, “seeking first the kingdom of God” is unpopular. Not trendy. Not viral.
4. “God Is Incomprehensible.”
It is hard for humans to understand a God with a voice that cannot be heard, a body that cannot be seen or touched, and a mind that cannot be fathomed. The fact is that even humans are still trying to discover and understand humanity itself. If the tangible world is hard to comprehend, how much more for the unseen things?
5. “God Cannot Be Proved by Science.”
No one can put God into a test tube. Thus, no visible proof can attest to God’s existence. With the advancement of science and technology, it seems that our young people (and some older ones) depend on what can be observed and inferred by empirical evidence. The abstract nature of a divine being can make it challenging for them to find conviction. This is the cousin, if not the twin, of “To see is to believe.”
6. “God Is Totally Not Believable.”
Some people reject God simply because they don’t want to believe. It is not that they cannot believe; they only choose not to believe. No matter what the facts may be, they will still refuse to believe. They think humans live a little while and just vanish afterward. No hell. No heaven. There is just us and the universe.
7. “God Is a Religious Figure.”
Religion is one of the reasons why some people don’t believe in God. It’s not just because it’s unbelievable, but because it’s also boring. If they believe in God, they will be tagged as someone religious. That is shameful for them. Also, they consider religious people hypocrites who don’t live what they preach. Unfortunately, some people also dare to commit blasphemy and sacrilege while using religion as a cloak.
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8. “God Is the Cause of Conflict and Indifference.”
People want to be social. But if they believe in God, they will be unfriended, blocked, or tagged as weird, insane, absurd, blinded, primitive, traditional, conservative, crazy, ignorant, stupid, etc. This is common in our contemporary world. People don’t like that their friends, families, workmates, and schoolmates will laugh at, be indifferent to, or avoid them because of their beliefs. This is one of the reasons why some people keep their faith private. Indeed, some folks are preaching that someone’s belief or religion must be confidential.
9. “God Is Not Relevant.”
Some people would say, “Hey, this is the twenty-first century. It is absurd to believe that this modern world will be affected by a God or someone who died on the cross two thousand years ago. That’s totally insane! That’s an obsolete belief!” People think there are more important things in today’s life, like business and education, than wasting time believing in a traditional God. They think you’re a boomer who’s not yet civilized with high technology.
10. “God Doesn’t Answer Prayers.”
Many people have experienced that God didn’t answer their prayers. Sadly, many of these are former believers or at least claimed to be such. They asked something, but God didn’t listen. God became silent. Thus, they concluded that God didn’t really exist at all. The bitterness of not being answered gives doubt to them on whether a God who is loving and good exists, especially since evil, pain, sickness, war, and suffering are everywhere. They think God is so detached from reality.
Well, anyone can say whatever they want. Everyone has the right to believe whatever or whoever they want. Anybody can make a plausible excuse to reject or refuse God. However, all the ten reasons we discussed why some people don’t believe in God have answers to them (which could be a good topic to tackle in the future). The problem is that many people will not take the time to find the answers. Whatever the case, no one has a legitimate excuse for rejecting God and the gospel of salvation. No one living in the modern world can deny they haven’t heard the good news. They simply don’t believe it, period.
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