It seems that in our times atheism is spreading and becomes in some circles almost the fashionable way of speaking and living. One hears more and more : I am an agnostic and an atheist. One wonders however whether those who speak as atheists really considered the meaning of the word and also the consequences of honest and serious atheistic attitude.
Of
course the fundamental question here remains whether atheism is in any way
true . Only if one seriously considers
the fundamental questions of human existence
and one does it with courage and
persistence is some insight into truth
available to man.
If one observes the
human ability to know and the
philosophical persistence
and reaching the
transcendent being and later the revelation of a religious tradition one is entitled to consider one ‘self a true
seeker for meaning. Of course any mentioning
of meaning is justified only
within the context of some religious belief.
Atheism
is based on the denial of an serious metaphysical
reflections it refuses to use
the full power and abilities
of the unconquerable human mind. Atheism must therefore
accept materialistic interpretation of all reality including human
beings. Nothing exists for an atheist but only matter in movement. The universe
is an immensity of unified forces, of impersonal, blind and ultimately chaotic,
material phenomena. The immensity of the universe transcends any understanding or imagination. Atheism does not acknowledge any
kind of personal creator, of course it
is atheism and not theism.
Man
is an accidental speck of living matter
and he/she appears accidentally , exists not knowing why and disappears also often accidentally although
necessarily in death . Death is as
nonsensical as birth because both have no
durable meaning at all. A human being is only one of the millions of other living forms living
on this globe and the most murderous. With a
little higher degree of sagacity he/she lives on the rest of animals life: Hundreds and thousands of
animals are killed every day to feed the
human animals . For an atheist this is a
difficult problem to solve why the human life is more important life than
the life of any other living thing: a fly, a mosquito. or a bacteria, not to
talk about such living giants like dinosaurs.
If human being is nothing but matter then atheism abolishes completely the personality of man .
Why?
Because man is
nothing else but as David Hume
mentioned a bundle of perceptions.
There is no
self, conscious , human self , there is no knowledge of
freedom of choice or any purpose of preferring one action over another . Atheism
abolishes the importance of conscious and
moral values . If there is no God
as Dostoyevsky mentioned, then
everything is allowed. This means , that there is no higher authority above man
facing which one would feel responsible
or accountable for one’s mode of living actions or any other idol
which would govern my life. Nothing is
anymore sacred , holy allowed or forbidden . Each one is
his/her own lawgiver and creator of moral values. Therefore no one
should be really de-facto condemned or praised for any action or mode of
behavior.
There is only one
drive in the human animal: survival on all costs, because nothing else matters. Atheists should not
condemn or praise anyone in human history, whether it be
an Adolf Hitler , Joseph Stalin or
Jesus Christ on the cross asking God:
" Father forgive them for they do not know what they do."
Atheistic attitude
abolishes any ground
for talk about human dignity because there is none left, for man is an animal
and there is no reason why he/she should
be somehow honored as higher or
better.
When man
gets older , sick and weaker closer to his death, he/she becomes a nonsense a useless burden for others and his/her meaningless suffering is best
solved by disposing of him/her. So euthanasia , special
exterminating hospitals and such methods as were employed by the Hitler’s
hordes in XXth century already practiced on a very large scale.
After all such ways of extermination
of undesirable persons
are very efficient methods
to make room for some
higher chosen race. The German term was Herenvolk ( the nation of lords)
.
Is
what I am saying here an exaggeration?
No , I don’t think so because it was
practiced in many forms during
the history of humans on this globe and
there is no reason to doubt that in some form or other it will
appear again and perhaps in far more terrible way then it appeared so far.
It
is interesting how an
atheist faces those consequences
mentioned of his/her atheism , a
specially when he/she gets sick, old and close to death. Death for atheist
is a final annihilation
of
man’s life forever. All His/her hopes,
dreams , projects and aspiration are simply
extinguished forever like blowing out the flame of a burning candle.
No
meaning, no future, no eternal life of any kind , no values worth mentioning and a brief accidental existence and fast disappearance into nothingness . Atheists of course create their own idols and values :
many people put their meaning of life in procreation, having children. They believe that in their children they
themselves somehow will endure after their physical demise. This is a nice thought
but unfortunately self- deceptive because
no matter how many children I have I myself will die and thy after
living their lives will also die . This cycle will repeat it self, but if
I am dead I will not even remember
or in any way be conscious of my past life because there
will be no more me.
“ What does it profit a man if the gains the whole world but loses his soul.”
Jesus Christ.
Of
course atheism is everybody’s choice .
Everyone has the duty to Himself/herself
if not to any other to seek for
the right answers , for the
ultimate questions.
There
are very sound and valid arguments pointing
to the existence of the Transcendent , Infinite Being giving
a rational foundation for belief in God
on the philosophical level. There also exists
solid , valid historical fact of God’s revelation of Himself and His
plans for mankind in human history.
We can paraphrase
the
saying of Hamlet: to be in
eternity or not to be for eternity.
Leszek Figurski
Suggesting
readings :
Hartshorne,Charles and Reese, L.William, Philosophers
Speak of God, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago & London:
