Dogpatch philosophy - Atheism  

Examining atheism - Overview

This essay represents my first small attempt to address some of the rational arguments for true atheism (as opposed to pseudo-atheism and pseudo-intellectualism). That is to say, to the reasoning of individuals who, having no personal animus or ax to grind, and not engaging in illogical or disingenuous polemics, honestly believe in the non-existence of God, and can point to apparently rational argumentation as their reason for so believing. I do not claim to have exhaustively studied all the possible arguments that have been put forward in support of atheism, but I have perused a goodly number of them, and I think I can identify some common points.

Only matter and energy

None of the atheistic syllogisms that I've come across have posited anything like a spiritual (non-material) reality outside of our experience of a physical universe of matter and energy. Materialism would appear to be an obvious and important factor in any atheistic system of thought: If God does not exist, neither can the devil exist, nor angels, nor heaven nor hell, nor any non-material, i.e., spiritual, reality. All reality must consist of matter and energy.  Read more 

No spiritual values

Assuming, then, that the honest and logical atheist will maintain that matter and energy are all that exist, his syllogisms will likewise be limited to physical considerations. But, in disposing of non-material reality, we are disposing of more than just 'religious' stuff like angels and hell. We are also disposing of the non-material experiences of our daily existence: love, hope, sacrifice, beauty, truth, and the like.  Read more 

The rational problem with this chain of thought is twofold:

First, a system of thought that debunks or dismisses such a significant part of our human existence may certainly be questioned as to its completeness or its soundness. One reasonable test of a system of thought would be whether it conforms to reality as we commonly experience it. So, such a system that we have here is not only dull and flat emotively, but could also be described as intellectually vapid for its failure to adequately describe spiritual realities as we generally experience them.

Second, there is what I would call the Darwinian problem.  Read more 

Comparing systems

Unless I've missed something, then, the atheistic system of thought has some serious gaps. It cannot adequately explain the universal human experience of goodness, evil, love, etc. Religious faith, on the other hand, offers reasonable explanations for all of these things. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding.  Read more 

Choosing

The key point in all this is, I believe, free will . If there is no God, and hence no non-material reality, we must all be just so many complex organisms, absolutely driven by genetic and environmental factors. Determinism is the rule. If, on the other hand, both God and spiritual qualities exist, that opens up the possibility that we are free to make our own decisions. Volition, free will, is the rule.

Ironically, if this is so, then all my rational argumentation is worth very little. Very few souls come to faith through reason alone (There are some exceptions, C.S. Lewis being one example of a man who came to faith almost solely through reason.) At this point, then, I willingly lay aside the rational argumentation, or, rather, recognize a more important principle. Sound reason leads to faith; faith and reason are friends. But the bottom line is that, whether for rational reasons or otherwise, each individual has the ability to choose whether or not to believe. Intuitively, this is just as it should be. Faith ought to be available to all, to the simple as well as to the intellectual.

And so, though reason may lead one to the valley of decision, in the end it takes a raw act of the will to make the leap. This leap, regardless of how reasonable, is often rather frightening. Sort of like jumping out of the moving airplane. You're pretty sure the parachute will open, and yet your heart is in your throat as you take the plunge.

Love

And that brings us to the most basic point of all. As discussed elsewhere , the real bottom line is whether or not the individual will accept and respond to God's offer of love. There is a loving Father waiting for you to make the leap, who will catch you in his Everlasting Arms.

"O taste and see that the Lord is good!" (Ps. 34:8 RSV)