Death and suffering are a reality for every one of us. So… may I ask: How well does your “world-view” handle it?
If you are (very reasonably) wondering what I mean by “world-view;” it is what you believe about your origins, meaning, morality and destiny. How well does your world-view address the reality of death and suffering which you must face?
The reason I ask this is that I’m not sure atheism handles it very well.
When faced with death or suffering, the atheist can do one of two things:
- He or she can rail in moral outrage against God—which was what the Russian revolutionary Lennin did, right up to the moment he died (according to the biography of his daughter). The problem with this, of course, is that if there is no God, it is senseless thing to do. To do is logically absurd.
- The alternative course of action is to simply shrug the shoulders at the obscenity of death and suffering and say that both are nasty symptoms of the meaninglessness of existence. (Note: This will require the atheist to be blind to the ridiculously high level of order, codes and finely balanced forces that have enabled life to develop in the universe.)
For the atheist, death and suffering should evoke no emotion at all. Both are simply symptoms of the meaningless “fluke” they have found themselves alive in.
In the face of this meaninglessness, there can be only three responses:
- Live a life that gives as much pleasure as possible, i.e. a life of self-centred hedonism. But a note of warning: If this option is chosen, it has been the experience of history that it will not satisfy. You will be left with a withered soul that aches for more. The soul seeks inexorably for meaning as a compass needle seeks North Pole.
- Another option is to be appalled at the brutal reality of meaninglessness and bale out of the whole dreadful “bad joke” by being a mournful depressive. Some people are beginning to ask whether there is a connection between the growing incidence of suicide in the West, and the growing sense of meaninglessness in society.[1]
- The final option is to borrow some of Christianity’s principles and live a life that is relationally rich and full of acts of service. In other words, an atheist can elect to live a “good” life and thereby force a meaning on a meaningless life—even if it is only self-delusion. Of course, the atheist can’t really call what they do “good” because there is no God to guarantee what “good” is. Good is simply what leaves them feeling… well, “good.” And isn’t that interesting? When the atheist lives the Christian way, they feel fulfilled and happy despite knowing that everything they do has no ultimate meaning.
And so we leave the bewildered atheists in their conundrum. Their soul wants to point north, whilst their head wants to point south.
The reality is, atheism is not kind to the soul—unless it borrows some principles for living from Christianity. Neither is it kind to the mind because it requires its adherents to live with contradictions. An atheist also has to be very careful not to dwell too much on the logical outcome of their concept of truth. Truth is a beautiful thing when it shines a light on hope, but it is a terrible thing when it shines a light on hopelessness.
So, what can we say to conclude?
Atheism may give you the mandate to live life as you want, but you will have to pay a heavy price for it.
May I therefore recommend the alternative? Consider carefully the evidence for a god… who has hung his business card in the cosmos, taught us his purpose in Scripture, and come for us in person to rescue us back to himself.[2]
[1] See: “A crisis of meaninglessness is to blame for the rise in suicides” (Dallas News, 25th June, 2018).
[2] Quoting an earlier blog.
