Belief and Disbelief
by Arik
Someone on twitter posted a comic strip that really got me thinking about belief and what it means. In the dictionary belief defined as:
an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists
Atheism is defined as follows:
the theory or belief that God does not exist
Atheism is a belief system hinging on the merits of a god that doesn’t exist. Often it’s not just the god of the holy bible, but just plainly any god (i.e, Islam, Buddhism, Wicken, etc, etc). My question is how is it (more) reasonable to believe in something where the foundations of those beliefs are based in nothing? It sounds equally absurd to believe in the god of the bible or the god(s) of islam or the power rangers. Atheism seems like a bigger, riskier step of faith than any other faith-based religion simply because they believe in the non-existence of something. They gamble on the idea that life will come to a dismal end resulting in the beginning of non-existence.
Okay so let’s use something else other than god. Let’s use racism. I’ve been affected by it as a teen. But in my adult years I pay no mind to it, taking an almost atheistic approach to racism, believing it doesn’t exist for me. That doesn’t equate to it’s non-existence for others. Frankly, racism is a very real, a very existent issue in many people’s lives. Just not mine.
This leads me to think that Atheism is relative only to the individual who subscribes to it. The logic and perspective of an atheist is no more valid, right or wrong than that of a christian, a buddhist or a muslim or even a kid who worships the power rangers.
Believing that something does not exist isn’t a license to believe that it doesn’t exist for others. No can really ever truly know that God does or not exist unless they ascend into the heavens themselves. But fortunately a lot of us aren’t that picky and would rather accept the little blessings in daily life as proof that their is a God who loves and cares for them. But love is built to be reciprocated. You can’t expect love unless you’re willing to give it and the same goes for belief.
Later.
Comments
I’m agnostic. I believe that all claims to ultimate knowledge (such as an omniscient god) are inherently uncertain. I believe in blessings, having luck, positive moral conscience, but I don’t attribute them to an ultimate being. Just life and the little choices I can make here and there that make my life, and hopefully the lives of those around me, better. How am I different?
Every plant has a seed, right? Every building has an architect, right? Every action has a someone to perform it, right? So how is life and our existence any different. The way we live, grow and interact is logical evidence that there is something larger than ourselves from which we originated.