Atheist in the Time of Crisis

Whenever a religious person encounter a crisis in life, there are only two kind of people they will be. First, they stay to be theist. Second, they fall down to become atheist. However, the general human respond is fall out into the second. What does I mean by they become atheist? Does it mean that suddenly they throw out their religion and deny God? Yes, that's the general understanding but that's not what I mean by being atheist specifically in the time of crisis. What I mean is more into the attitude rather than conceptual belief. Yet, both are closely related ideas either Conceptual Atheist (No-Concept or Agnostic) and practical Atheist (denying God's providence). 

Let us take example of being atheist because of the attitude, or practical atheism. When a certain crisis come, take for instance our current Pandemic situation, what is the thing that being amplified more, our faith in God or self-effort? In this case, probably, people will tend to choose the second easily. To belief in one power and their own capability (Self-Exaltation) rather than surrendering more to the God who is the source of power is also a kind of atheism. When one believe without belonging or to put in boldy, hypocrisy, that's an attitude that can lead religious people to be pratical atheist. Craig Groeschel in his book describe that with this term, in Christian context, The Christian atheist.  

In reality, for some, it is easier to blame God for all the problems and crisis in life, the other favorite form is to retreat our self from all spiritual activities for a moment. Here, we can distinguished two kind of crisis, outer crisis (we blame God), and spiritual crisis (we run away from God). Both crisis can make one, an atheist for a time being. This is so real because of the sinful nature within us, and as we all know, the essence of sin is "alienation." If atheist means, a believe that there is no God or an act as if there is no God, hence we can say we are a some kind atheist when we are counting on our strength most. By doing this, the notion of God that we believe is somehow lost in our posture in life thus, we deny God through our attitude in the time of crisis. We are not run to him but to the other sources of hope and security frequently.  

In the time of crisis, one might also think (Echoing the title of the book by John Dickon), "If I were God, I'd end all the pain." Then the logic comes down like this, if I am God and capable and willing to end all pain, I will do it as soon as possible (now). But since God that I believe do not do it now, then I am better than God, emotionally speaking. Therefore, why must I believe in God who does not even care? This struggle is real. Even the great Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians plea to God to remove His pain for three times but nothing seems to happens. How can then we believe in God more than self?

No wonder, in history we can see many great thinker in the most extreme case recant their faith or at least, turn out to be a deist conceptually or deny one of His Omni-descriptions, especially when they encounter various disasters, tragedy, and countless suffering and pain. The famous example of this people is like Barth Erthman or people like Harold S. Kushner. So It is not strange hitherto that the problem of evil is stays as the strongest argument that often turn religious people down to be an atheist in the time of crisis. However, even if it is a normal respond of sinful man it should not be the norm, or the normal way to respond and behave in the time of crisis. 

Here, therefore, we need to follow the primary example of the true man, Christ Jesus. In the Gospel, Christ, has shown the example and evidence that in the time of Crisis, truly, one must be more religious than ever until the last breath albeit Christ Himself was experiencing that God the Father somehow mysteriously forsaken Him. But in this case, He still believe in God. At the cross, as the ultimate form of crisis in history, Christ shout out loud, "Father, into Thy Hands I commit my spirit"(καὶ φωνήσας φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν Πάτερ, εἰς χεῖράς σου παρατίθεμαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου).

Historically and theologically, this statement of Christ want to tell us, the reader, that Christ died (not fainted) and the reason of his death is his own will, and not because of the suffering he went through. In other words, Christ presented both his divinity and humanity at the end, that He is hundred percent God and hundred percent man whereby he can die, yet also He can control life. Cross, is the greatest crisis in history that man could ever experienced. The poet reveal the event with this kind of word, "The agony of our Savior, I hear that when I hear his cry of dereliction." 

Nonetheless, what interest me is particularly on Christ's clear declaration, in which I believe as the highest and the boldest expression of faith, that is to say, in facing into crisis, Christ show the possibility of the posture of total surrender God. The word of Christ echoes the similar word of Psalms when the Psalmist say, "In you, O Lord, do I take refuge" (Psalms 31:1-5). 

Moreover, at the lowest crisis of the Cross, Christ did not even doubting the very existence of God, or even try to use His own strength to heal himself or get away from the cross or crucifixion, rather than trust and obey to God's will fully. This crucial on the cross event teach us one vital lesson once again that it is possible as human being to keep on being theist, either in our thought and deed. At face value, it is a matter of choice however, it can be done of course, through the power of Christ, applied by the Holy Spirit, and not of our own. 

To trust God in every crisis is always the best option we can choose, and it is because of who He is not of the crisis we experience. For our part, to tune to a right Image of God is really important. One writer best describe total-surrender posture and who God is, "Abandoning ourselves to the God who loves us." True, He is the God of love and the loving God base on His own nature from eternity to eternity (Abandoning ourselves is a declaration that we are hopeless as human, and cannot do anything good apart of Christ's help). That is why, we can come to Him in every crisis with confidence of His constant providence that is beyond our time and expectation, just "like a little child who sleeps without fear in its fathers' arm" as Lisieux famously remark.