Do atheists lack a belief in God?

A common rebuttal from atheists regarding their responsibility to defend their own view is to say that they simply do not have a belief. This, according to their view, absolves them from any obligation to shoulder a burden of proof. They claim that not believing God exists is substantially different from saying God does not exist.

One such atheist once explained this by using the illustration of a jar of jellybeans. He said if someone told him there were 500 jellybeans in the jar, he might not believe them. But that does not mean that he believes there are not 500 jellybeans in the jar. Therefore, this is an example of a lack of belief and is parallel to the atheist's lack of belief in God.

The problem with this illustration is, it is not parallel. The number of jellybeans in the jar does not have any implications in how a person lives his or her life. How I treat other people is not impacted by whether or not I believe there are 500 jellybeans. Even taking and eating a handful of the jellybeans is not affected by whether or not I believe there are 500 of them in the jar.

What if Someone Believes in God for Bad Reasons?

Do you believe in God? Why do you believe in God? Do you know anybody that would answer that question using a less than ideal answer? Perhaps something like, "My parents were Christians." Or maybe, "Everyone I know is Christian."

If you or somebody you know is a Christian for one of those kinds of reasons, you (or they) don't have a very good reason to be a Christian. There are lots of people all around the world, but particularly in United States, who are Christians for those kinds of reasons. In other words, lots of people are Christians for really bad reasons.  An important question to ask when this is the case is, "So what?"

Can Christians Watch Rated R Movies?

In many ways, this question is similar to the question about Christians using profanity. The basic premises still apply. The quote used from 1 Corinthians 6 still applies here in the same way that it applied to cursing.

All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable.
1 Corinthians 6:12a

Essentially, the short answer is that, yes, Christians can watch rated R movies. Watching a movie with an R rating is not, necessarily, a sin. That said, there are a number of various nuances that we should probably take a look at with respect to this question.

Is Theism More Dangerous Than Deism?

Before I get to answering that question, for the sake of those who may not be entirely familiar with certain terms, I suppose I should take a few moments to provide some clarity regarding some of the terms and concepts. The first of which is the ideas of "theism" against "deism."

Most people of various faiths would be considered "theists." That is, they believe in a personal God of some sort and this God is compatible with the Christian concept of the God. It is also compatible with the gods of many other faiths such as Islam, Mormonism, Judaism, etc. Theism encompasses not only a supernatural creator of the universe, but one who acts in the world and takes an interest in creation.