When resolving emotional issues I often try to validate my perspective using logic. Recently I was pondering a few things like relativism and atheism and I came to the conclusion that I really don’t understand the point of atheism. Logically, God exists, or He does not. An atheist’s mission is to remove any sign of a spiritual being around them and in their own lives. This in essence is to isolate themselves from all things that indicate a higher power beyond their own physical being. Included in this rationale is the belief that after death, there is nothing. Meaning, a dead body is the extent and termination of a being. What I find ironic, is that if this is true, if at the time of death we turn only into earth fodder then that means there is no conscience. No conscience means no intelligence, nor thought, nor awareness. That being the case, then an atheist will never know if he/she was right. Until death is complete, all semblance of physical existence including consciousness leaves us and we become aware in the spiritual world there cannot be an “Aha” moment for any of us. But just for the sake of argument even if there was an “Aha” moment for an atheist, who would care? It would be quickly followed by an eternity of nothing. Following another logical thread our sense of right and wrong come from our spiritual nature. This sense is possessed by no other of God’s creatures. If there is no God and there is only nothing after death, then there is no accountability for our lives. If there is no accountability for our lives, then right and wrong are not relevant. If right and wrong are not relevant then the actions of every individual is equally correct. An act of murder would be as correct as an act of kindness. An act of violence would be as correct as an act of love. All these acts would be equally non-rewardable and non-punishable. Why then would anyone want to fight for that? It boils down to a fight for quite literally nothingness, and in turn of hopelessness. I know of no one regardless of belief who really wants to invite that possibility into their lives and the lives of those they care for. Fact is humans do recognize “good” and “bad”. There is universal right and wrong. We do understand there is accountability. We see over and over that that accountability doesn’t happen in this physical world. Bad things happen to good people, good things happen to bad people. There is no evidence of an all encompassing final accounting for a person’s life while they exist on earth. Logically then, this accounting would have to happen after we leave this earth. Logically, it would be administered against a consistent template of right and wrong. I know of no human who is capable of judging another with equal and pure justice. This final judgment can only be applied by one with a truthful knowledge not only of right and wrong, but of human nature as well…in other words, a higher power. We know this higher power, as God.
My prayer today is for all humans to truly feel and see just one thing good in themselves. God does not just define love for our benefit, God is that love. May we each feel God in us today, and may we extend evidence of that love towards our fellow human beings.