Friday 23 August 2013

G. K. Chesterton: Atheists Have a Doctrine Against the Supernatural


G. K. Chesterton. Image courtesy of Wikipedia.





Joel Kontinen

In his book Orthodoxy, British author G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936) wrote on the illogical thinking of sceptics:

Somehow or other an extraordinary idea has arisen that the disbelievers in miracles consider them coldly and fairly, while believers in miracles accept them only in connection with some dogma. The fact is quite the other way. The believers in miracles accept them (rightly or wrongly) because they have evidence for them. The disbelievers in miracles deny them (rightly or wrongly) because they have a doctrine against them.”

Chesterton was right. The only reason for not believing in the supernatural is to reject the supernatural. The apostle Paul wrote:

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20, NIV).

Source:

Chesterton, G. K. 1986. Orthodoxy. In Collected Works. Volume 1. San Francisco: Ignatius Press.