The document discusses how the fundamental Christian view of God as an angry, vengeful deity who demands sacrifice and punishment has led to the rise of atheism. This view traces its origins to ancient pagan gods rather than reflecting the true character of God revealed through Jesus Christ. The "killer God" concept portrays God in ways that contradict his nature as love, as described in the Bible. By correcting misunderstandings of God's character, atheism can be addressed and people will be drawn to the God revealed through Jesus rather than driven away.

1. 1
The
“God”
who
started
Atheism.
An alternative view, by T W Palm

2. 2
Atheism Defined
• Athe-ism - noun
– a disbelief in the
existence of a deity
– the doctrine that
there is no deity
(god)
– Archaic definition –
“ungodly
wickedness”
• Merriam-Webster
Dictionary

3. 3
Synonyms for Atheism
• non-belief
• disbelief
• scepticism
• incredulity
• ungodliness
• mistrust

4. 4
Ancient Gods
• Baal (god of thunder & rain)
• Ashtoreth (mercy &
destruction)
• Dagon (goddess of being)
• Isis (fertility goddess)
• Zeus (king of gods and men)
• Asherah (fertility goddess)
• Amon-Ra (king of all gods)
• Apophis (god opposed to
light)
• Osiris (god of the afterlife)
• Nintu (goddess of childbirth)
• Adad (god of storms)
• Ereshkigal (ruler of
netherworld)
• Damkina (earth mother
goddess)
• Anu (great god of the sky)
• Ishtar/Inanna (great goddess o
love)
• Kingu/Qingu (dragon
commander)
• Marduk (creator god/ruler god)

5. 5
Ancient View of god/s
• Dwells in a place where worshippers cannot
reach him.
• Needs to be appeased
• Hard to please
• Is easily offended
• Forgives only after retribution (punishment)
• Desires the sacrifice (of innocent: virgins and
children)
• Withholds blessings
• Arbitrary /Vengeful
• Adherents are ignorant of his ways and are

6. 6
Fundamental Christian View of
God
• Can only be approached through an
intermediary
• Needs to be appeased
• Impossible to please (looking for perfection)
• Is easily offended
• Forgives only after retribution (punishment)
• Desires sacrifice (of innocent – e.g. Jesus)
• Withholds blessings as punishment
• Arbitrary /Vengeful (needs to vent his anger by
sometimes making you lose your job or a loved
one)
• Adherents are ignorant of his ways and are
afraid of him.

7. 7
The “Killer God” wipes out sinners
with…
• Natural disasters e.g. floods, droughts,
tsunamis, hurricanes, landslides,
avalanches, volcanic eruptions, plagues
(boils) and pestilences (Aids).
• Using a political superpower to defeat
sinners and then hold them captive for
100’s of years.
• Punishing sinners through generations by
making the children and the children’s
children pay for the sins of the great-

8. 8
The True
Character of God
Is Revealed On A
Hill Outside
Jerusalem called
“Golgotha”…The

9. 9
The Fundamental
Christian View of
The Crucifixion
versus
God’s View of The
Crucifixion

10. 10
Fundamental Christian View of the
Crucifixion of Christ
• God was/is angry at sinners.
• God wanted/wants to destroy sinners.
• Jesus wanted/wants to save sinners from
the Killer God The Father.
• Picture this: Jesus has his back to the
Father and says “beat me up instead of
the sinners so that you can deal with your
pent up anger.”
• God “killed” Jesus to get rid of his rage…
so that He does not have to kill sinners
any longer.

11. 11
God’s View of the Crucifixion
To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling
the world unto himself, not imputing their
trespasses unto them; and hath committed
unto us the word of reconciliation.
(2Co 5:19 KJV)

12. 12
Christian Fundamentalism
Paradox
God is Love (1 John 4:8 and 16)
1. God is Love but Kills Sinners who refuse to
listen.
2. God is Love but wipes out those who are
imperfect.
3. God is Love but gets angry and needs to vent
from time to time.
4. God is Love but is coming to destroy the earth
because he is sorry that he made people.

13. 13
Christian Fundamentalism
Paradox
• The fundamental Christian view of God as
presented through the centuries can trace
its origins to the original views that people
clung to about ancient gods like Ra and
Baal.
• Christ stepped into this religious mindset
(theological paradigm) and desired to set
the record straight on the TRUTH about
the character of God that Satan had
maligned.

14. 14
Fundamental Christian Paradox
• Did Christ condemn anybody?
• Did Christ reject anybody?
• Did Christ hate anybody?
• Did Christ curse anybody?
• Did Christ hurt anybody?
• Did Christ turn his back on anybody?
• Did Christ kill anybody?

15. 15
Fundamental Christian Paradox
• It this “killer God” worldview that is
responsible for the creation of Atheism.
• If this is who God really is then I don’t
want Him and declare myself an “atheist”
with immediate effect.
• But if God is the God as expressed
through the son “Jesus” then I embrace
Him with immediate effect and call upon
all atheists to do the same.

16. 16
Who is The God of the Bible?
• For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore
ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. (Mal
3:6 KJV)
• Every good gift and every perfect gift is
from above, and cometh down from the
Father of lights, with whom is no
variableness, neither shadow of turning.
(Jas 1:17 KJV)
• Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to
day, and for ever. (Heb 13:8 KJV)

17. 17
Who is the God of the Bible?
• Moreover the law entered, that the offence
might abound. But where sin abounded,
grace did much more abound: (Rom 5:20
KJV)

18. 18
Who is the God of the Bible?
• “It is the darkness of misapprehension of
God that is enshrouding the world. Men
are losing their knowledge of His
character. It has been misunderstood and
misinterpreted. At this time a message
from God is to be proclaimed, a message
illuminating in its influence and saving in
its power. His character is to be made
known. Into the darkness of the world is to
be shed the light of His glory, the light of
His goodness, mercy, and truth.”

19. 19
Who is the God of the Bible?
• “Those who wait for the Bridegroom's coming
are to say to the people, "Behold your God." The
last rays of merciful light, the last message of
mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of
His character of love. The children of God are to
manifest His glory. In their own life and character
they are to reveal what the grace of God has
done for them. The light of the Sun of
Righteousness is to shine forth in good works--in
words of truth and deeds of holiness.” Christ’s
Object Lessons pp.415-416. Ellen White.

20. 20
So who/what is doing the
killing?
• For the wages of sin is death; but the gift
of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord. (Romans 6:23 KJV)
• God created the universe to function as a
circle, Himself at the centre of the circle as
the original Source of life, and love and
every good thing.
• Sin, on the other hand , is a departure
from God’s circle of beneficent love.

21. 21
So who/what is doing the
killing?
• Blessed is the man that heareth me,
watching daily at my gates, waiting at the
posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me
findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the
LORD. (Pro 8:34-35 KJV)
• But your iniquities have separated
between you and your God, and your sins
have hid his face from you, that he will not
hear. (Isa 59:2 KJV)
• Once separated from God, sin operates in
the sinner as a lonely line rather than a

22. 22
So who/what is doing the
killing?
• At first ,selfishness imparts an illusionary
sense of fulfillment, deceiving the mind
with the idea that looking out for Number
One is the only way to survive.
• Because God’s love is the law of the
universe, by which He created and
sustains all things, the principles of that
law are embedded into our very natures.
Within our psycho-social-emotional
makeup, love is encoded as the law of life.

23. 23
So who/what is doing the
killing?
• When we break God’s law, a malfunction
signal issues a warning in the form of guilt.
• Our conscience senses discomfort with sin
and identifies it as a destructive force/
virus in the computer system.
• Guilt is not arbitrarily imposed by God.
God made the human faculty of
conscience but He is not the source of
guilt. He made us with the capacity to feel
guilt as a merciful and wise deterrent to
sin.

24. 24
So who/what is doing the
killing?
• Take, for example, physical pain.
– If you put your hand on a red-hot stove, you
will feel the pain of the destruction that is
beginning to occur.
– Without pain, the destruction of your hand is
sure. But the pain serves as a helpful warning
that something is wrong, which causes you to
pull your hand away from the source of heat.
– Pain is a very wise divine invention.

25. 25
So who/what is doing the
killing?
• The same is true for disease.
– Sickness is attended by pain. We hate the
pain, but we need it to tell us something is
wrong so we can get help.
– If there were no pain involved in disease, we
would simply drop dead one day without
notice ,with no opportunity to solve the
problem. God is not the source of the pain,
although He created the physical laws that
make pain possible.

26. 26
The Solution to the Sin
Problem?
• Create in me a clean heart, O God; and
renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm
51:10 KJV)
• Come unto me, all ye that labour and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
(Matthew 11:28 KJV)
• And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread
of life: he that cometh to me shall never
hunger; and he that believeth on me shall
never thirst. (John 6:35 KJV)

27. 27
Conclusion: God does not…
• dwell in a place where He cannot be
reached;
• need to be appeased;
• take offence easily;
• forgive only after retribution/ punishment;
• desire the sacrifice of innocent – e.g.
Jesus;
• withhold blessings because of our
unfaithfulness;
• act in an arbitrary /vengeful manner; and

28. 28
Conclusion
• The Fundamental Christian View of God
as this “Killer God” is Biblically flawed and
is responsible for “protest atheism”.
• The “Killer God” concept is causing people
to leave the church in numbers and resist
the Gospel.
• Fearing God in order to avoid Hell is no
way to enter Heaven.
• God is not a man (Number 23:19) and
cannot be expected to think, act or behave
as a man would.

29. 29
Fundamental View of God
Leads To:
• non-belief
• disbelief
• scepticism
• incredulity
• ungodliness
• Mistrust
• In a nutshell…
Atheism

30. 30
“God Is
Love.”
1 John 4: 7
-8

31. 31
Sources
• “Christ’s Object
Lessons” by E G
White
• “The Nature of Sin” by
Pastor Paul Leacock
• “Death of a Monster
God” by Pastor Brian
Zahnd; Word of Life
Church.
• International Standard
Bible Encyclopaedia
• Nelson’s New
Illustrated Bible
Commentary
• Holman Bible