Orthodox Evangelical Atheists
I find atheists amusing - in a sad “see the homeless man dance a jig for a dollar” sort of way. I watch them make fun of orthodox, evangelical Christians and wonder where they find the hubris. After all, they are really not that different from one another. Both are smug and secure in the belief that they are right. Both are often inflexible and intolerant of any views that conflict with their own. Both can be close-minded and bigoted towards those who do not think like them. Yep, sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between orthodox, evangelical atheists and orthodox, evangelical Christians.
Don’t tell that to orthodox atheists, though. They think that their disbelief in God sets them apart from believers. But it doesn’t. In fact, the opposite is true. It joins them at the hip. Atheism is a belief system based on disbelieving what believers believe. Without the people who believe, atheism would cease to exist.
It’s the sad truth about atheists – God can exist without them, but they cannot exist without God.
Hmmmm. Maybe the ‘joined at the hip’ analogy was a little off. After all, the relationship isn’t exactly symbiotic now is it? Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that atheists have a parasite/host relationship with believers. They feed off the host. The host however, could get along just fine without them.
Look, I am not a hard-core believer and I am not an atheist. I am just a man who continues to look for answers and tries to keep an open mind. However, I can’t help but feel sort of sad for orthodox atheists. Theirs is a paradoxical reality, where their faith is based on having no faith and their beliefs are based on having no belief. They believe that they do not believe. And they do not believe that they believe.
They believe that they do not believe that they believe that they do not believe that they believe that they do not believe…….that they believe……that they do not believe……Arrrrrgh! It’s a wonder their brains don’t just collapse into themselves and implode like a black hole.
Imagine standing up in public looking up at the moon and shouting that you do not believe that the moon is actually a living organism that is telepathically controlling our minds.
People would think you are nuts.
But you can stand up in public and proudly announce that you do not believe that there is a God who created the earth and who parted the red sea for Moses.
And no one would bat an eye.
Do you know why? Do you know why no one would think you are nuts? It’s because you would be denouncing something that over 2 billion people believe in.
Get it? If people don’t believe it, it cannot be denounced. If it isn’t thought to be at least a possibility, it cannot be denied. But once people believe in something, it becomes fair game.
Let’s cut to the crux of the matter – the only reason atheists exist is because Christians, and others who believe in a God, give them something to deny. Once the last believer is dead and gone, so too will be the last atheist.
Seems to me then, that atheists should be a little more appreciative of the believers. After all, without believers, orthodox, evangelical atheists would have to find something else to give their lives meaning. Personally, I recommend that they direct their skepticism towards that big, green-cheese, extra-terrestrial entity glowing in the night sky.
Don’t tell that to orthodox atheists, though. They think that their disbelief in God sets them apart from believers. But it doesn’t. In fact, the opposite is true. It joins them at the hip. Atheism is a belief system based on disbelieving what believers believe. Without the people who believe, atheism would cease to exist.
It’s the sad truth about atheists – God can exist without them, but they cannot exist without God.
Hmmmm. Maybe the ‘joined at the hip’ analogy was a little off. After all, the relationship isn’t exactly symbiotic now is it? Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that atheists have a parasite/host relationship with believers. They feed off the host. The host however, could get along just fine without them.
Look, I am not a hard-core believer and I am not an atheist. I am just a man who continues to look for answers and tries to keep an open mind. However, I can’t help but feel sort of sad for orthodox atheists. Theirs is a paradoxical reality, where their faith is based on having no faith and their beliefs are based on having no belief. They believe that they do not believe. And they do not believe that they believe.
They believe that they do not believe that they believe that they do not believe that they believe that they do not believe…….that they believe……that they do not believe……Arrrrrgh! It’s a wonder their brains don’t just collapse into themselves and implode like a black hole.
Imagine standing up in public looking up at the moon and shouting that you do not believe that the moon is actually a living organism that is telepathically controlling our minds.
People would think you are nuts.
But you can stand up in public and proudly announce that you do not believe that there is a God who created the earth and who parted the red sea for Moses.
And no one would bat an eye.
Do you know why? Do you know why no one would think you are nuts? It’s because you would be denouncing something that over 2 billion people believe in.
Get it? If people don’t believe it, it cannot be denounced. If it isn’t thought to be at least a possibility, it cannot be denied. But once people believe in something, it becomes fair game.
Let’s cut to the crux of the matter – the only reason atheists exist is because Christians, and others who believe in a God, give them something to deny. Once the last believer is dead and gone, so too will be the last atheist.
Seems to me then, that atheists should be a little more appreciative of the believers. After all, without believers, orthodox, evangelical atheists would have to find something else to give their lives meaning. Personally, I recommend that they direct their skepticism towards that big, green-cheese, extra-terrestrial entity glowing in the night sky.
5 Comments:
You always have such an interesting way of looking at things. I'd never thought of it that way --if there were no believers there couldn't be atheists but it makes perfect sense.
I tend to agree -- extremists of any stripe are alike.
I must know what brand of scotch is causing all this brilliant effusiveness... If only *I* could tap into it...
RG
"Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that atheists have a parasite/host relationship with believers."
I disagree. You don't need to have the thing you don't belive in to not belive in it.
Umm...let me try to explain it like this. In order to have a field (with no buildings), you don't have to knock down a building. Get it? You don't have to deny the existance of something to believe it's not there.
*believe
my 'e' gets sticky
Of course there would be atheists if there weren't believers.. everyone would be an atheist, we just wouldn't have a word for it.
Same thing goes with lots of other stuff.. I don't need a bunch of people believing in invisible evil flying monkeys to make my life any more meaningful. My disbelief in them is there regardless of whether the word a-invisible-evil-flying-monkey-ist exists or not.
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