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contained in the picture of God given us in sacred scripture. But it is less easy to accept the idea that God himself is in process of development, that he is being fundamentally enriched by his contact with creation, that he is subject to time, etc. This seems to blur the distinction between God and the world and to oppose the teaching of scripture.
29. What are some of the causes lor the contemporary denial of God? The problem of evil is still probably the greatest obstacle to accepting the reality of God (see question 25). But recent cultural advances have caused some to deny God. though usually they are rejecting a distortion of God and not the God revealed in the bible and authentic religious experience. Thus, modern science does not appeal to God for explanations of how the universe functions; here in fact it rejects the "god of the gaps." Likewise, science often finds it impossible to suppose that any outside will is influencing what takes place in the world and history; usually, it is thinking of God as just another cause, operating in the same way as other causes, but more powerfully and universally. Others have denied God. because religious persons have used the idea to legitimize their own selfish purposes. Religion. by merely preaching generosity to the rich and resignation to the poor, became an opiate of the masses, preventing them from achieving their true dignity. Still others have denied God in the name of human liberty. If God is man's creator, gives him his nature and destiny, works in the world and in all human activity, it seems to them that belief in God has destroyed human freedom. 30. What positive service does atheism perform? Atheism is a constant summons to purify our idea of God. We need to ask ourselves whether we wish to affirm precisely the understanding of God that the atheist is denying. If not, then we must clarify what we are affirming. If so, we must still try to appreciate his difficulty and to respond to it by a profounder faith and knowledge of God.