Faith & Atheism

If you don't believe in anything, do you believe in nothing?

Is that paradoxical?  Does that still require "belief"?

Belief, faith, such interesting words they are.  They're also antiquated and, I think, lost a lot of the weight they used to carry in today's society.  Believing in things, having faith in things are two concepts that are becoming signs of weakness or ineptitude in those that choose to make them public.  Could the common public person actually give a real definition of what "faith" is supposed to mean?  But this topic we shall save for another day.

We're all born into the world and when we finally come of age and begin learning, we find there is a choice to make.  For the majority of us, it's a tough, difficult decision.  Even the most stoic of us can find it heartwrenching.

Why am I here?  Is there really a God or are we here by chance? If there is... well, which one of these lunatics am I supposed to listen to to find God?  That is, if I really care enough to find out?

Such is the foundation of atheism, or at least some of the questions atheists have answered to the above in the "negative."  Before I continue I want to clarify that the term atheist is not meant in any means in a pejorative sense.  If you're from a religious background, atheist is a term that has the most dark undertones.  You may have the perception atheism equates to evil.  You may want to reconsider.  It's a viewpoint, not a truth.  Allow me to explain.

Atheism is the view that there is no God.  Atheism holds this view, among many I'm sure, that Theists (those who believe in God - my definition for the sake of my notes) have constructed God through millenia of rites, ceremonies, society, and a general sense of needing an explanation of the question, "Why?"  If you have a high school level education that had one paragraph on world history and traditions, you would come to know that it is very true that humankind did invent their own gods & traditions on the origin of everything and anything.  On this point, those who believe and those who don't believe agree.  (If you do believe, I am referring to the paganism mentioned ad infinitum in the OT & NT.)

For the purposes of this particular note I only want to emphasize that atheists have faith in their decision to not believe, just as we who do believe put faith in our God.  Why.

21st century Atheists have their evidences: evolution, fossil record, science, lack of physical evidence suggesting existence of supernatural beings, flying spaghetti monsters, etc.

21st century Believers have theirs: well for one, the Bible.  Faith groups all have their respective "book."  As to why the Bible is the be all end all, that is also another blog for another day.  The Bible is an all inclusive history, comprised of chronologies and raw evidential letters and first hand accounts.  It's a theology of teachings and traditions.  It's an explanation (and depending on your faith in the Bible, it's divinely accurate.)  We also have the modern day history of the existence of particular characters in the Bible (e.g. David, Solomon, and yes, Jesus) as well as the cultures & civilization that produced it's content.

So, both sides have their evidences.  And today, If I were of the atheistic persuasion and asked to verify the non-existence of God, well, I could only present my evidences.  I'd have to put faith in the fact that I can't explain why the Big Bang occurred, and why it defied our laws of science.  I could certainly guess or hypothesize, but I couldn't be sure myself.  All I know is that it happened.  I'd have to put faith in the fact that evolution was a chance, albeit a wild and highly unlikely chance, that resulted in my existence and my supposed higher intelligence.

I'd have to put faith in the conclusion that God doesn't exist.  I've heard Christians say faith is believing what you don't see.  Under the Christian context, this is true.  And under the Atheist concept well... I would say they can accept that statement as well, right?  They believe that they don't see anything, so that's that.

Atheists can believe, and have faith, that God is a manifestation of humans, and is therefore not real.  Atheism isn't a lack of faith.  It's just a lack of faith in the things we believe in.  If you want to make a difference to Atheism or it's adherents, don't demonize or lecture because they don't believe in what you do.  Recognize your differences and speak to them.