The Laborious Study of Anything

 

I recently heard a quote, and I might not get it exactly right, but here is the gist of it: Laborious study does not lead to disbelief (or maybe it was unbelief); It comes through a love of sin.

From the nature of the quote, assumption could be made that the reference was to belief, or the suspension of it, in the God of the Bible. I don't recall if the word used was disbelief or unbelief. I’m sure it wasn’t nonbelief. In the context of the quote, disbelief seems the correct choice.

But is there really any difference?

From Merriam-Webster:

Disbelief: the mental rejection of something as untrue

Unbelief: incredulity or skepticism especially in matters of religious faith

Nonbelief: absence or lack of belief, especially : absence or lack of religious belief

When I wrote Our Town Atheist, I included this book cover tagline: Can an unbeliever bring revival to a small town in the Bible belt? With Adam Bender’s luck, it could happen.

My publisher changed the wording, and rightly so, from unbeliever to nonbeliever. Not that Adam Bender isn’t incredulous and skeptical, but nonbeliever is the better characterization of an atheist.

The faint disparities between the three words give them leeway in everyday use. But not on a book cover—that’s why God made editors. My concern, at least for this moment, is not the un or non, but the disbelief that comes from the study of something. It might be science, or sociology, or modern culture or politics. It might even come from studying the Bible. A person can believe in love and forgiveness and grace, but falter when it comes to judgment and wrath and the absolute validity of the sin problem. It’s easy to say you’re a believer until you come across some words you just can’t believe. If it’s an easy decision and shut the book and walk away, believer was never your label.

And your belief was shallow if the laborious study of anything brought you to disbelief. You were an unbeliever trying to believe, but you didn't. Or a nonbeliever trying to prove yourself right.

So, how does the love of sin lead to disbelief? You said you believed and you lived like a believer, but the knowledge you think you've gained has led to disbelief. Where’s the sin in that? And how can anyone tell you that you love sin?

You didn’t become a bad person, just one who no longer accepts the notion that God is real. Rejection of God, who gladly reveals His nature and character through His word, is the sin of rebellion. You haven’t lost your compassion; you simply unshackled yourself from outdated ideas. Elevating your own intellect above the wisdom bestowed by God results in the sin of pride. Now your disbelief (rejection of the truth) morphs into unbelief (skepticism) which lands you where you think you want to be: you’re a nonbeliever, an atheist. Because you loved sin? Yes. Because you loved a world ripped loose from God more than a world united with God.

A young, church-going friend of mine recently declared that due to her laborious (she didn’t really use that word) study of science, she is now an atheist. I won’t correct her if she interchanges the words disbelief, unbelief, and nonbelief. I won’t scold her about her studies. I will tell her I’ve studied science longer and harder that she has, and I've never found that God was not there. I will remind her the Holy Spirit leads us to the truth, every time. I will encourage her, and love her, and tell her with a smile and a pat on the back this one thing: Atheism is temporary.