Creationist Ken Ham, busy working overtime promoting his friend Ray Comfort’s new movie, The Atheist Delusion, has a new blog up in which he argues that atheism is “hopeless, meaningless, purposeless” and that only belief in his God can bring hope, meaning, and purpose into one’s life.

Like most things Ham believes, however, they are not rooted in reality.

So how does this current argument stack up?

He starts by making the argument that atheism is a religion and is faith based. Odd that he views that so negatively when it doesn’t apply to him. It’s a weird way to insult something, but claiming it’s exactly what you adhere to.

Atheism is a system of beliefs that atheists cling to with both ardor and faith. Below are some of the tenets of this belief system. Notice that none of them are scientifically proven (and even go against science!)—that’s where atheists’ faith comes in. They accept these assertions based on faith that they are true. There is no God or gods.

There is no supernatural.

Everything is the result of naturalistic processes over time.

Life evolved from a single-celled organism.

Death is the end—when you’re dead, that’s it.

Let’s break these down.

There is no God or gods.

This is not a fact claim by atheists. Atheists do not make the claim to know there is no god(s), we claim to not know, but based on the evidence provided, don’t believe it is likely. If something is not likely to exist, why should someone believe in it?

There is no supernatural.

See above. Provide evidence and we will talk.

Everything is the result of naturalistic processes over time.

This is a scientific fact. Naturalism offers a perfectly understandable and logical explanation for all life on earth and the entire universe. It can all be explained through a natural process without needing to invoke a god. This is not faith when you have evidence to back up each claim.

Life evolved from a single-celled organism.

The theory of evolution by natural selection is a scientific fact. Provide evidence otherwise, if you’re going to claim it’s not.

Death is the end—when you’re dead, that’s it.

To the best evidence we have, this is also true. You can go back to the god question here, though. We don’t know what happens after death because you don’t come back from death to tell anyone. To claim you do know is arrogant.

Ham then breaks down this main claims. Let’s look into those.

Hope

Consider this: according to the atheistic religion, there is no God and death is the end. Because we are nothing more than animals, our fate is the same as the animals—we return to the dust. We have maybe 80 years on this planet—more if we are especially fortunate, less if we’re not so fortunate—and then we are gone. We won’t remember we ever lived, and eventually no one else will either. … None of our accomplishments, advancements, breakthroughs, triumphs, or heartbreaks will ultimately matter as we face extinction along with our universe. This is certainly a bleak and hopeless perspective.

This has to be one of the most selfish arguments I have ever heard. This all boils down to any good Ham thinks he has done on earth, he needs to know he will remember doing them when he dies. He isn’t doing “good” for you, he is doing good for him.

Yes, our universe and species will be extinct one day, but I don’t think that’s a reason to let people suffer while they are alive. I may not be remembered after I die, and I won’t even know what happens in the world when I do. Yet, I know now I am doing what I can to make this life amazing for myself and those I can touch. If I can help one person, it was worth it. I don’t need to be remembered to feel good about that.

Ken Ham needs a pat on the back. That’s not moral, or good, that selfishness.

Meaning?

“Why am I here?” is a question that every human wants answered. We innately know that our lives have some kind of meaning. But where does it come from and what is it? Does atheism give the answer?

Ham’s argument for meaning comes to you via dictatorship. He wants someone else to give him meaning. In my first book, Parenting Without God, I discuss how one can find their own meaning in life, or meanings, plural, because we can find many calling that drives us to do good every day.

You see, in an atheistic worldview, we are animals headed for the grave, and our universe is spinning each day toward the end. Why does it matter if we help anyone? Why does it matter if we make humankind better? We will die, and they will die.

Again, this is an argument for selfishness. Ham only thinks others are worth helping if he gets rewarded for it later. That’s not meaning, that’s fear. Again, Ham proves he is neither moral or good.

Purpose?

First, it seems that Ham doesn’t realize that purpose and meaning are basically the same thing.

Does atheism offer a sense of purpose for our short lives? To put it simply, no it doesn’t. You see, in an atheistic worldview it doesn’t matter how we live or what we do, because there is no ultimate standard for right and wrong and because everyone’s fate is the same—death.

This, like every other argument Ham has made boils down to one thing. He needs someone to tell him what to do and then to reward him for it. He cannot find a meaning or purpose out of simply doing good for those who need it. He only does something he deems good if it will benefit him.

Ham ends this piece by listing biblical verses he believes prove not only that god is real, but that hope, meaning, and purpose can only be achieved through supernatural dictatorship.

What his post proves to us, however, is that Ham does not do good for others. He does good deeds for himself. He is a selfish, self-centered human being who only cares about how he will be remembered and rewarded for what he thinks are acts of good.

Atheism is not, as he claims, a faith-based religion, as I have shown, but it is also not void of hope, meaning, or purpose.

In fact, our lives mean more and have more purpose because we realize this is all we have, and we don’t seek an afterlife of rewards. We do good for the sake of doing good.

Ken Ham cannot make the same claim.