The God of Christianity, an almighty being who loves us, has a personal relationship with us. He knows us. He protects us. He saves us. He sacrificed his son, Jesus Christ, to relinquish us from our original sin and to bring us to Heaven, providing that we trust in Him. God does not provide us with any loads we can’t bear. He is merciful and just. He is forgiving and benevolent.
This is comforting; a loving father figure who knows us on a deep level and accepts us with our flaws and all. This isn’t how all Christians see God, and certainly isn’t how all other religious people see their chosen deity, but for the most part Gods do provide comfort and security to their followers. Even if it is the fear of God’s wrath which compels somebody to worship Him, that individual still believes that by fulfilling their duty they will reap the divine rewards after they die. To some, suffering in life is the key to eternal bliss.
Atheists do not have this father figure to turn to when their suffering becomes unbearable. Atheists do not have the promise of eternal bliss after they die to ease their suffering in their lives. Atheists do not have God. So why do atheists continue to maintain their lack of belief if it would make their lives harder to bare? I think many prominent atheists would answer this question pragmatically – “There’s not enough evidence for God so why would I believe He exists?”, and I think this would leave the questioner dissatisfied. What people who ask this really mean is – What’s so good about Atheism?
Alice Roberts in her book The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being takes this question and runs away with it. Through the story of our evolutionary history she demonstrates the beauty in nature. For an atheist, the very way in which the Universe works is an incredible mystery that needs to be unraveled. The answer ‘I don’t know’ which so frequently leaves our lips is not that of passive resignation to ignorance, but is followed by a ‘… but I’d love to find out’. Atheists can appreciate the beauty and complexity of life without appealing to an all-powerful creator to have designed it. By seeing the systems as a result of natural processes it becomes a humbling experience to observe nature because you understand the incredible unlikeliness of it all. The chances of us actually being here is so infinitesimally small that you begin to realise how your life should not be taken for granted; it is something incredibly valuable. Each other person in the world becomes valuable too, because if your life is valuable (because you have such a small chance of existing) then everyone else’s life is equally valuable. You become aware that losing your life is the end; you will never exist again. Your thoughts, memories and experiences will disappear with you. Initially this can cause quite severe death anxiety (as it did for me), but eventually this transforms into an awareness that the time we have is incredibly precious and that we need to use our life to its fullest. However, this sentiment does not mean ‘do whatever you want as much as you want’ – this does not lead to a fulfilling life. We are social animals dominated by psycho-social reward systems, therefore what we find most rewarding is being a productive member of a group… being important. Family and friends are the most important things in our lives, and the human reward from enjoying their company is incomparable to anything else. It’s why people are struggling so much in this lockdown - people want to spend time with their loved ones.
Finally, doing anything that restricts or denies others the opportunity for this human reward automatically becomes abhorrent because you, as an atheist, have an awareness that life is valuable due to its temporary nature – so by making someone else’s life worse you are reducing the quality of their only experience of life. This is a motivator to fight for social justice causes, help others in need, and be kind. It is what is motivating my desire to spread a more hopeful and kind message of atheism – because all of this makes the world such a beautiful, exciting and vibrant place to exist in, and every person is valuable and intriguing. It makes me curious. It helps me prioritise my experiences – do I want to work a lot and earn lots of money, or engage fully in the relationships I have? It makes me value other people, even if I disagree with them. It makes me forgiving and empathetic. It makes me want to make an impact before I die.
Atheism is characterised as simply a disbelief in God. Yet this perspective can be as rich, as beautiful, as fulfilling, and as comforting as any religious outlook – that’s what’s so good about atheism.