The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. Psalm 14:1. This verse is often used to say that a person who denies the existence of God is a fool. And that is certainly true. There is plenty of evidence for God’s existence.

But is that really what this verse is saying? Is it possible the inspired writer may be referring to a “practical atheist?” That is, someone who may believe God exists but lives as if there is no God. He has excluded God from his life. He, for all practical purposes, is an atheist.