Atheists are a funny breed. Not ‘funny’ in the comedic sense – in fact, atheists are the least humorous or even happy people. Atheists are ‘funny’ in the sense that they are so very peculiar.
Defensive and angry they are, confessing a profound belief in nothing – which is the equivalent to having no belief at all. Belief and faith require a perceived acceptance for things neither sensed nor known, derived from experience, reason, and sometimes hope. Consummately empirical, atheists view those of faith with condescending contempt while perceiving themselves as freethinkers (the irony should not be lost) who view the world only so far as they can see it, spouting ideological innovations, civil-social inventions, and odd claims to human superiority. How sad to spend a life so aggravated, intemperate, intolerant, and unimportant.
Of course, atheists would blame the faithful for their narrow-minded fanaticism. But unlike the atheist’s alleged “live and let live” mentality, the very job of believers is to share our hopes and joy in salvation. History indeed tells us that many millions have died in the name of some god or in the cause of some belief. I would first ask, what other cause has man ever had to go to war? Is it really that surprising that impelling a belief upon others or a threat to a culture’s faith would cause such angst and confrontation? We are, after all, only human beings with an infinite capacity for immense diversity in thought and action. When politics, passion, and power come to the fore, belief and faith can hardly be singly blamed for our capacity to behave badly.
While atheists would “preach” a gospel of “nothingness,” they would criticize believers for their spreading their trust in eternal beauty and peace. You may not agree that heaven is right around the corner, but is it such a bad thing that someone who does would want to share that joy? And I’m not talking about holocausts or crusades…I’m thinking of such “aggressive” displays as Nativity Scenes and public prayers.
And what have atheists to look forward to anyway? First, they think that humanity is the pinnacle of sentience and intellect, and that somehow we are capable of knowing all there is to know. They “believe” that everything is explainable and due to some natural action/reaction to be defined/definable by the human invention of science. High arrogance is the realm of the atheist.
Secondly, it is difficult to comprehend life while facing the eventuality of non-existence. When we die, many of the faithful believe that a deity makes a choice for our eternal home – heaven or hell, or some varying level in between. Atheists see cessation, the very nothingness they so covet. While post-death non-existence is conceivable, it doesn’t provide for much optimism in life, striving for goodness in the hope of reaching heaven and/or in the fear of landing in hell. Indeed, maybe non-existence is hell.
As much as I am committed to my religion, I cannot honestly confess to unquestioned faith, without speculation, doubt, and confusion. But I do believe there is more. I can’t prove it, and I don’t have to: that’s why it’s called faith. I do believe in God, and I have faith in someone incomprehensibly omnipotent.
It is amazing that atheists would ask the question – as they always do – why a god so vast and so great would allow so much bad in the world, and why that god would care about humanity at all given the size of the universe. I have learned that the answer is always, “I don’t know.” Who am I to speculate the action of God? He’s God. None of us have the capacity for understanding the will and action of the God of the universe even if he did decide to fill us in.
There is a logic behind my faith. Each person will face death, and at that time he or she may or may not face judgement.
The person who has no faith will face two possibilities at life’s end. If he was right about there being no god, then no harm no foul. He will have infinite nothingness with no opportunity to rejoice in his correct lack of belief, and he will have lived a self-interested life, maybe good or bad, but certainly with his own motives in mind. However, if he’s wrong about his faithlessness, he will have some accounting to do before a neglected God. He will wind up in very uncomfortable place.
The person who has faith in God will also face two possibilities. If they were wrong, and there is indeed no God, then what is left? Nothing. No hell, no pain, no suffering, just…nothing. He will have lived a good life nonetheless, aspiring to do well in the judgement of God, irrespective of His existence. However, if he was right about God, he has an eternity of peace and beauty to which he can look forward.
One could be faithless – live a self-centered life, without hope, and wind up either with nothing or in hell. Or, one could be faithful – live a noble and optimistic life, and end up either in heaven or nothing. But at least not hell. With so little to look forward to, how is it that atheist can cope and contribute to the whole of humanity?
As for me, I would rather live a life in faith and be wrong, than live a life in doubt and be right.