April 1, 2013
An atheist created a case against Easter and Passover holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians and Jews who observe these and other holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days.
After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge who was hearing the case banged his gavel declaring, “Case dismissed!”
The lawyer immediately stood and objected to the ruling saying, “Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and other holidays. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah – yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays!”
The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, “But he does. Your client, counselor, must be woefully ignorant of this fact.”
The lawyer said, “Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists.”
The judge replied, “April First, counselor, April Fools Day. Psalm 14:1 states, ‘The fool says in his heart, there is no God.’ Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that, if your client says there is no God, then the Bible states that he is a fool. Therefore, April First is his day.”
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OK, this is not a true story. But it does make a good point! It is written twice in the Psalms, in Psalm 14:1 and 53:1, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” Why is such a person considered a fool?
• First, because there is a God. I cannot prove that to someone whose mind is set against this fact, but I am convinced by creation, the Bible and life experience that God is real and personal. So either I am wrong, or the atheist is wrong, and I think it is safer to be on my side, just in case I am right!
• Second, it says in Hebrews 9:27, “…it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment….” It is also written in the next chapter, Hebrews 10:31, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” How fearful? In Revelation 21:8 it says, “But the…unbelieving…shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
• Third, it is not only foolish to say there is no God, but also highly conceited. Such a position presupposes that person knows all about everything. For if there is something he does not know, that just might be God!
Oh, there are a lot more reasons why an atheist could be considered a fool. But ignoring the way of eternal and abundant life that God has given in His Son Jesus Christ is foolish. You see, Jesus claimed to be “…the way, the truth, and the life….” He said, “…no man comes unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). Logically, there cannot be two different truths concerning the same matter. If Jesus Christ is truth, then all opposing claims must be false! It is foolish to try to live life apart from Jesus.
Saint Paul points out the problem in I Corinthians. He says in I Corinthians 1:24 that “…Christ is the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” But “…the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness…” (I Corinthians 1:18). It doesn’t make sense to unbelievers because they are spiritually separated from God (see Ephesians 2:1, Colossians 2:1). Without the Holy Spirit there is no understanding of spiritual things (see I Corinthians 2:14). Such are blinded by Satan, the one who is called “…the god of this world…” (II Corinthians 4:4).
The only solution to the problem of being a fool before God is to come humbly to Him, admit you are the sinner and He the Savior, turn from sin and open your heart and life to Jesus Christ, trusting that what He did on the cross was payment for your sins also.
Now here is the kicker: It is not just the atheist who is the fool, the one who says “…there is no God“; it is also the one who acts as if there is no God! The one who does so runs his own life, making his own decisions, by his own will – apart from what God wants! Such a one is acting as if God does not matter, and that is very foolish!
So why is it called April Fools Day? The origins can be debated, but one theory is that it was the day Jesus Christ was crucified. If, as quoted above, “…the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness…” (I Corinthians 1:18), it would be because of (in unbelievers’ eyes) the fool who was nailed to that cross. Just remember how God views it all: “…the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” (I Corinthians 3:19).
So you can be wise in the world’s eyes and at the same time be foolish in God’s. Or you can be wise in God’s eyes, even if the world thinks it is Foolish Wisdom! I pick the latter! As Paul said in I Corinthians 3:18, “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.“