When the Homily is about Immunology

Conversations with a beloved Atheist...

A beloved relative of mine has engaged me in a dialogue on Atheism and Christianity...a conversation I would usually not engage in if it were not for the fact that our relationship acts as a trusting foundation upon which we can hopefully build a productive and loving debate. As a former atheist myself, I have spent a good deal of time asking myself why I came to believe in God and I have had to come to grips with the fact that the overall reason has to do with my developing a worldview which simply did not mesh with the one neccesarily ascribed to by atheism. I recall a line from the wonderful movie The Mission in which Jeremy Irons' character says (my paraphrase): "I've no wish to go on living in a world in which might makes right." I couldn't agree more...but I would go even further: I do not believe in a world in which "might makes right." My beloved atheist (who shall remain nameless) would say that I have simply succumbed to my emotions and that my emotional "wants" and "needs" are not indicative of what is real. Here is an excerpt from our conversation....

BA:
> I often wish that I could believe in a god, but alas, one
> cannot make oneself believe something when your logical mind cannot
> perceive any evidence to support it.

ME:
Recall our conversation in which I asked why we seem to ascribe greater
validity for determining truth to our "logic" as opposed to our feelings,
when in fact they both originate quite naturally from the exact same anatomy (ie
brain). Why do we discount human feelings as so often fallible, but not so with
human logic? What makes one a better deducer of truth over the other and by
what means can you determine this to be the case? I mean really, how COULD
we OBJECTIVELY know the answer to my question? And not knowing the answer
you chose one from.........blind faith.

BA:
>The god story has no
> justification and panders to the strong feelings that humans have
> for purpose, life after death, and someone to watch over them (i.e.
> it is most convenient and emotionally attractive).

ME:
What if those feelings are right and more reliable than "logic"? What if it
is logic that is deceiving you and in fact these feelings, these yearnings
we all seem to have for purpose are evidence for something greater and
beyond ourselves?

Ah yes my religion is little more than a comforting Linus-esque blanket
making my life tolerable. I used to think the same thing as an Atheist. Now
that I am a Christian (and specifically an Eastern Orthodox one) I am
beginning to see how the grass is greener on the other side of the fence and
where the REAL security blanket is. You see, if what I believe is true,
then I suppose in reality that I am better off here with my "security blanket."
But this blanket continuously calls me to work and work and work on leading a
less and less selfish life, to love my neighbor as myself, to not hoard material
wealth, to be concerned about creation (oops sorry, I mean the environment),
to be concerned about how my government's policies affect the third world, to
go out of my way to help a stranger, to be concerned about the poor and the
hungry, to not steal from my work when I could really use the money, to not cheat
on my wife when the oppurtunity presents itself, to not have aborted one of my beautiful
children in the womb when it seemed economically and emotionally unwise to keep them,
or to not abandon my family when the "seven year itch" arrives,
but rather stick it out and work on my marriage even when it hurts and is
difficult. (And let me say, I am by no means tooting my "morality horn"...I
fail all the time to live up to my own values....all I am saying is that I am
committed to working on becoming more and more like the person of Christ.) A
pretty demanding "security blanket."

Now what in atheism would inspire me to such as these things? What in atheism
would lead me to have kept my children while they grew inside Sue? Had I
been an Atheist would there exist today a Nicholas or Joseph? Probably not...without
my "security blanket" which is so damned demanding of me as a person, I
would have chosen the EASY road of just flushing these little lives down the
drain. Or when Sue really pisses me off and my kids are driving me crazy,
what dogma of Atheism will inspire me to humble myself and work on changing
myself to keep my family intact - as opposed to the EASY road of packing up
and leaving all of my troubles and self-sacrificing responsibilities behind.
And what is there in the Atheistic worldview to call me into fidelity toward
my wife?

My religion ("security blanket") calls me to travel the hard road...the one
laden with difficulty and trials and critical self-examination; the one that
believes in love as the greeks called it: agape - selfless and
unconditional. But Atheism is the easy road...it is the ever present escape
capsule waiting to give us an excuse to abandon others for ourselves (as
long as we do so discreetly when neccesary). Atheism is the real security
blanket because in the end it says: nothing really matters...nothing. And in
so saying, it follows logically (uh-oh) that: there is no judgement and
everything is permisible. Love is little more than chemistry and whenever
we are inconvenienced... we can simply step away and start a new chemical reaction
elsewhere. Serve yourself at the expense of all others...but do so VERY
wisely so as to at least appear to be a "good guy" for in this way you can
further your cause. Any appearance of kindness is ultimately a ruse to
further the cause of self.

I know we've been down this philosophical road with you before - even
recently - but let me reiterate: if I wanted something that would pander to
my feelings: well in many ways I have chosen incorrectly. There are many
times when being an Atheist sure would make me feel good and make my
life easier. And thus I ask YOU....to what extent has atheism pandered to
your "strong feelings" or brought security (or justification) to you regarding
difficult decisions you may have made in life? With this in mind...in all honesty
can you continue to say without a doubt that your belief in Athiesm is founded
on "pure logic" and involves no "strong feelings"?

more later....comments, emails, and prayers are all coveted