Entertain the idea for a moment that there's a being out there who created time and the world and all that is in it. Would that being:

* have the right to determine the rules of what goes on here?
* have the right to punish those who break the rules?
* have the right to act in ways we don't completely understand?

I think this being exists, and some of his important interactions with mankind has been recorded in the Bible. I think he has given us the analogy that He is like a father to us, who tries to guide us and sometimes punishes us. I think He sometimes acts in ways I don't understand...I am like his child that doesn't always understand all the reasons why He does the things He does. I think He has the right to do all these things....make the rules, punish those who break the rules, act in ways I don't understand.

Through the record of His interactions with mankind, we can learn a lot about His nature. He is loving...willing to sacrifice even His only begotten Son to spare us punishment. He is long-suffering...letting rule-breaking go on for long periods of time before bringing punishment. He is wise....imparting wisdom to those who diligently seek it.

The problem with atheists is that they do not want to be accountable to God and his rules. They do not want to admit that the rules are for their own good. They are so in love with their sin -- their rule-breaking -- that they do not want to see there is a better way to live, so they deny that God even exists. It's like burying their heads in the sand and saying "Nah nah nah, no god is ever going to come punish me." and thinking that will make it true.