Transcript:
There is a user on youtube that goes by the handle of
Mattew4Nineteen. He has posted a video question entitled ‘Why should I become
an Atheist?’ The base of his question is
why he as a Christian should become an atheist. What is in it for him if he
gives up his Christian faith and becomes an atheist? He lists tings he loves
about being a Christian and wants to know what is so great about being atheist,
but also asks for replies to not bash religion.
First off, the question he is asking is ill formed. One
simply doesn’t decide to become an atheist. Atheism is the lack of a belief in
the existence of gods. If you don’t believe in gods, you are an atheist. If you
do, you are a theist. So you really can’t just decide to be an atheist. To
become an atheist, you would first have to stop believing in the gods that you
currently do, not just a simple rejection of their authority. If you were to
decide to stop worshipping the Christian god, but still believed in him, you
would still not be an atheist.
For you to make that step, you would need to not only stop worshipping,
but stop believing that the Christian god (and all other gods) exists. But
since you are not open to hearing arguments against your religion, that is not
a step you will be able to take. Perhaps you simply have a misunderstanding of
atheism, or this question was initially formed as it was to keep you from
getting compelling answers. But unless you are convinced that there are no
gods, there is no simple choice of becoming an atheist. And if addressing the
weaknesses of religions and god claims is off the table, there really is no
convincing you or anyone why they should become an atheist since it’s just not
that kind of choice.
The second part makes me think that your original question
was formed as it was because of a base misunderstanding of what atheism is. You
mention what you love about being Christian and what you’d have to give up if
you were no longer a Christian. Then you basically asked what atheism offered
in replacement of these things. The problem is, atheism isn’t another religion.
There is no atheist church, or membership rewards packet. This isn’t some club
that offers you prizes and rewards just for being a member. It is the holding of one position on the
existence of gods. Nothing more, nothing less.
But you do mention specific things that you love about your
current faith. You love your church, you love the fellowship, you love Jesus,
etc. You also say that you would have to set aside everything you love and hold
dear. That part is simply untrue. Unless you a pastor that lives and breathes
Christianity 24/7, chances are you would have to give up very little. The only
changes that would be needed are the things that are inherently Christian. You
love your church? Okay, there are replacements for that. You could go to meet
ups of people who have similar likes as you. Maybe that’s a bowling team, book
club, or a motorcycle or classic car club. Maybe your thing is watching or
playing football, or collecting vintage vinyl. Whatever your interests are,
there may be local meet ups or clubs that get together every couple weeks or
once a month. This could easily be a replacement for church and fellowship as
well. Like-minded people that share an interest getting together and having an
enjoyable time. Not religious, and sounds like it ticks the social boxes you
desire.
You also mention that you love Jesus. Well, believe it or
not, atheism doesn’t dictate that you discard Jesus. Just as some Jews like Jesus, you can also be
an atheist and like Jesus. How, you ask? Remember, atheism is the lack of a
belief in gods. So you can still believe in a human Jesus. Not divine, not
God/son of God, didn’t die and return from the dead… just human like you and I.
But if it’s his teachings you like, you can still like him and his morals as a
human teacher, rather than as a supernatural being... Just like Thomas
Jefferson did. Personally, I feel like it’s possible that the character of
Jesus was an actual person, or based on someone who existed. But as a regular
person, and not as a supernatural being. And while I don’t care for Jesus’
teachings as a whole, there’s nothing stopping an atheist from being fond of a
human Jesus, or Gandhi, etc.
Your misunderstanding of atheism continues when you mention
the ‘sex, drugs, rock & roll lifestyle’. Atheists are often hit with the
assumption that we’re wild, do anything party animals. But that isn’t actually
the case. Truthfully, there is no ‘atheist lifestyle’ whatsoever. The life of
one atheist may be very different than the life of the next atheist. Just as
two Christians may lead very different lives. For example… I’ve never done drugs, don’t really like to
drink, don’t smoke, party’s aren’t my thing, and I live a quiet unassuming yet
happy and fulfilling life. I actually can’t say that I personally know any
atheists that are loud, foul party animals that are ready to drink up a storm,
and have a one-night-stand. Yet, I know Christians that fit that description
perfectly. Now I don’t say that to claim that this is the standard Christian
lifestyle, but to point out that the lifestyles of members of any group may
vary greatly.
Now that all of that is out of the way, what do I think are
the positives I gain from being an atheist. For one, the truth. The world may
not always be a fair place, but it is a beautifully amazing one. To me, a
created Earth isn’t as special as the natural one on which we reside. Instead
of a world created at the whim of a deity, we see a world that didn’t have to
exist as it is, or even at all. But by the laws of nature and beating the odds,
our beautiful globe was eventually born. Then life took root and evolved over
great expanses of time to get to us. We didn’t have to exist, and if evolution
had gone down a different path, we wouldn’t. Yet here we are! Living the gift
of life! I feel that this realization makes me appreciate everything more than
if it were to usual work of a creator, or if it were created expressly for us.
The same sentiment also applies to the universe as a whole.
When I was a believer, I would look at the stars and would just think they
looked pretty. But now I am overwhelmed with amazement by the cosmos. Those
pretty stars are other suns. Each potentially harboring planets. Some of those
stars are actually not stars but another galaxy. The greatness of the distance is so expansive
that some of what we see in the night sky no longer exists. The light has taken
so long to reach us that we are literally looking at a picture of the past.
Distances so great that we can only dream of wrapping our heads around them.
Yet somehow, here we are beginning to understand and explore the vastness of
space!
So when I look at the universe, Earth, life, and even
myself, I see something amazing and gratifying. I see intriguing complexity,
but I also see something that didn’t have to be. Yet here it is. Instead of a
necessitated creation, I (and everything I see) could have been different or
not been at all. When that thought occurs to me, I can’t help but smile and
feel full of appreciation and amazement. To me, that’s a very special ‘perk’ of
abandoning religious thinking.
-Brain Hulk
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