A confused young man wrote to me recently asking: 1. if I believed god exists; 2. if not why not, and 3. how this affects my life. He had been taught that atheists were worse than murderers or terrorists because they sought the total destruction of society. I’m posting my [edited] response in case someone equally misinformed happens upon my blog.
1. Before asking if someone believes in god, we must clarify which god. Shiva? The cheerless god of the Brethren? The jealous anti-sex god of Muslims, Roman Catholics and most Christian sects... Ra? Rangi? Zeus? Woden? Umbugu? Yahweh, the misogynist god of retribution? Humans have worshipped thousands of gods over the millennia, but I do not believe any have existed except in the imagination of their followers.
2. I don’t believe in gods for the same reason you don’t believe in unicorns, goblins, fire-eating dragons, giants and seven-league boots.... there is no credible evidence for them.
3. Not believing in gods frees me from living in fear of angering a capricious god who at any time might punish me for breaking one of his rules, whether I am aware of it or not. I am free to take charge of my life and live how I consider best for both myself and those around me. It means I do not believe in any sort of life after death, so I am not afraid of eternal torture after I die, and because this is the only life I am going to get, it is precious to me beyond words, so I do my best to be worthy of life and not destroy nature, hurt others, or do anything of which I would be ashamed. I rejoice in the fact that there is no one to blame but myself for my mistakes, and, conversely, if I do well I know it was because of my efforts, unassisted by an imaginary god. If I do good deeds it is because I have understood it is decent and sensible, not because someone has told me to, or I am afraid of a god’s punishment. Not believing in supernatural forces leaves me free to ask questions, and to love and be happy in my own way as long as it doesn’t hurt others.
Freedom [of emotions, body and intellect], is the most precious thing any human can enjoy. People who subject themselves to the whims of an invisible, all-powerful god, sacrifice freedom for slavery.