Do atheists exist?

Some people don't think atheists exists because of what Paul said in Romans 1:18-21.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

I'm not convinced that Paul is saying that everybody knows God exists. Let me walk through this passage and explain why. The first part tells us the people Paul is talking about. It's talking about people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Concerning these people, Paul is condemning their ungodliness and unrighteousness. So already, Paul isn't necessarily talking about everybody. It could be that some are atheists because they are suppressing the truth in unrighteousness and others are atheists for other reasons. Maybe they've never heard of God. Maybe they are honestly persuaded that God doesn't exist due to arguments from incoherence or the problem of evil. Or maybe they are just suspicious because of all the diversity in religions and the fact that they have yet to be persuaded that there is a God.

You might think, though, that Paul is closing the gap on honest atheists when he says that "that which is known about God is evident within them." It would seem that Paul is referring to general revelation that all people are privy to, in which case he's implying that everybody knows, deep down, that God exists. I'm not so sure, though. Paul may mean that they could know if they'd simply think about it carefully and honestly because the evidence is right there staring them in the face.

Paul goes on to talk about how God's attributes are evident in nature and can be clearly seen, and that leaves people without excuse. I don't think this implies that people aren't really atheists. It just means there's no excuse for being an atheist. It would be like saying there's no excuse for me not knowing to use backing soda in my banana nut bread instead of baking powder since it's written right there in my recipe. Granted, I have no excuse for not knowing, but it wouldn't follow that I do know. I may not know because I may not be looking at the recipe, reading it, or paying attention.

Next, Paul said, "For even though they knew God. . ." This, it seems to me, indicates that the people he's talking about actually do know that God exists. But again, he may not be talking about everybody who denies the existence of God. He may be talking about a subset of those people.

On the other hand, Paul goes on to say that "their foolish heart was darkened." Notice that Paul says they knew God, in the past tense. Then he says they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. So maybe Paul is talking about people who used to believe in God but no longer do because of their foolishness or their suppression of the truth.

You may wonder why I'm resisting the conclusion that everybody knows God exists when that seems at first glance to be what Paul is saying. I have a few reasons for being unsure in spite of what Paul said.

The first reason is because Paul says these people suppress the truth. It seems at least possible to me that a person who was suppressing the truth in unrighteousness might have some success in doing so. People can fool themselves or manipulate themselves into believing things that aren't true and that they ought to know aren't true.

Second, in Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1, says, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" Granted, it may be a foolish thing to say, but it seems to me that if you're saying something in your heart, then you probably believe it. Either that, or you're trying to convince yourself, in which case it's possible to succeed.

Third, in 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12, it says that some people do not receive a love of the truth so as to be saved, and because they do not love the truth, God sends them a deluding influence to cause them to believe what is false. So why couldn't it be the case that some people actually believe that God does not exist? This passage seems to allow for it.

Fourth, I just have a hard to believing that all the atheists I've talked to are lying. I've run into a lot of people for whom deconversion was a painful process. They wanted to believe but couldn't bring themselves to do it. Also, a lot of atheists act like you're a moron for being a theist. Maybe they're grandstanding, but it sure seems like they actually believe theism is foolish. Some of them think we are lying. Mark Twain defined faith as "believing what you know ain't so."

Fifth, even among people who remain Christians, they sometimes have serious doubts. I remember reading on a message board that somebody who had read Richard Dawkins book, The God Delusion, was really shaken up by it. This person didn't abandon their faith in the end, but their doubts were probably honest. If a person can honestly have doubts about the existence of God, then I don't see why they couldn't have doubts that were substantial enough to undermine belief in God and cause them to think God doesn't actually exist or that there isn't sufficient reason to think God exists.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe all these atheists who used to be Christians and who struggled with their deconversion are just lying. Even if that's true, it seems like we ought to give them the benefit of the doubt. If they're being honest, then at least we will not have lost our audience by offending them. And if they're lying, what difference does it make to us? That's between them and God. We can still offer arguments. Our arguments may not persuade them if they already secretly believe, but maybe the arguments can make them uncomfortable with their denial until they finally repent of their unrighteous suppression of the truth. So whether they're lying or not, arguing with them can still serve a purpose.

If I were an honest atheist, and if I were convinced that Paul was saying that nobody was an honest atheist, then I'd know Romans was not the word of God. That would tend to disconfirm scripture in my mind which would cast doubt on Christianity as a whole. Imagine if you were thinking of the number three, and a prophet came along and told you that you were thinking of a different number. Well, you'd know with certainty that the prophet was wrong because you have direct and immediate access to the contents of your own thoughts. You know what number you're thinking of with far more certainty than you know that this person is actually a prophet.

Of course there is such a thing as denial. What does that mean, though? Does a person who is in denial actually know something, but refuse to affirm it or be honest with themselves about it? Do they know that they know? I'm not sure, but I suppose if it's possible to be in denial about something, then maybe you don't necessarily know the content of your own beliefs with certainty.