Topics Religion

Question Why do some atheists so insistent, especially the militant ones, on promoting their own atheism when it's clear that no one can conclusively prove that God does not exist? As a former atheist, I now found that God gives my life meaning, makes me happy to go through life, makes me resilient when bad things happen and allows me to forgive more and be freed from anger and resentment. I know a lot of people who found God in just the same way. Why then should militant atheists bother about our religious beliefs when God is a living person who gives our lives meaning, and when they cannot after all ultimately prove that our beliefs are just illusions? P.S. I'd like to thank Charles Taliafero for his contributions here and to philosophy of religion in general. I can't forget your answer to a question posed by a depressed atheist here (April 14, 2011) in which you said "in all honesty, i would like to welcome you back." I can really feel your words personally resonating with me, now that I once again become a believer. I can’t thank you enough.

Accepted:
September 30, 2014

Comments

Let me be the curmudgeon without, I hope, being too curmudgeonly.

I'm glad you've found happiness and meaning. And I'm not going to say that your changed state isn't due to God. But it's at least possible that the change is due to belief in God, and not God himself. As a sort of evidence for this, people with differing and mutually incompatible religious beliefs have been known to find happiness and meaning in those beliefs, even though as a matter of logic, some of those beliefs are wrong. (If you believe X and are happy on that account, I believe Y and am happy on that account, and X and Y aren't consistent with one another, at least one of us is wrong about his actual belief.)

Indeed: atheists can't prove conclusively that God doesn't exist. But that's perfectly consistent with atheism being all things considered the most plausible view—the one with the best arguments, evidence, etc.

That said, I have a lot of sympathy for what you're saying. I don't "get" militant atheists. Overall, I'm not inclined to theism. Overall, it doesn't seem to me plausible enough to command my belief. But I don't think that makes theists idiots, fools or dupes. And I don't feel any need to talk theists out of their beliefs (except when some of those beliefs lead to needless harm and suffering.)

This goes with a larger commitment I try to put into practice. When it comes to matters that are mostly beyond our ken, I try to hold my beliefs lightly. Even though I have various such beliefs, I try to keep myself from being bothered if others disagree and I try not to worry about how I can talk others into thinking the way I do. Maybe that's a place where theists and non-theists might be able to find some common ground.