TheBanyanTree: Atheists

[Jim Miller]

Dwellers,

**Warning** if you are the least bit sensitive or easily offended by opinion
that may conflict with your own, you should probably close this email and
delete it now.

My oldest son has chosen to identify himself as an Atheist. This is not the
idiot child. He is intellectually superior to both his mother and myself,
with an extremely high IQ. He began collage at 14. He has an engineer's
minds and exceptional reasoning skills. He is well spoken and writes with an
equal skill. There is much more that I would like to say about him, but that
would be self-indulgent and of no practical value. His has always been an
independent, if not somewhat rebellious, nature.

This whole thought process was stimulated by recent national controversy
over an atheist sign placed next to a nativity scene in the Capitol rotunda
here in Washington State. The sign reads: 

'At this season of THE WINTER SOLSTICE may reason prevail. There are no
gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural
world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and
enslaves minds.'

Now, I don't care whether they put the sign there or not. I could care less
that the sign suggests that anyone not aligned with is without reason, and
possibly endures a hardened heart and enslaved mind. I do believe that there
is strong argument to the contrary. Yet what they choose to believe about me
and others or not is of no avail and has even less influence.

Being possessed of a curious nature, I've research atheist websites, forums
and blogs to find out what might motivate them as a group. Initially I was
taken aback by the militancy of their testament. Their attitude tends to
carry with it a fervor of good old religious piety; a righteous indignation,
if you will. I am amazed at how hateful they, as a group, tend to be toward
any and all religious argument. They are simply snooty in their perceived
superiority.

I recognize everyone's right and authority to believe as they choose. I
believe that God granted that right with breath. Personally, I'd like to
think that is should be mandated that all humans question the existence of
God. That might prevent some of the lame indoctrination I've witnessed in my
lifetime. Perhaps we'd see less hypnotic lapping of the Kool Aid. (OK, if
you don't get that, do a search on Jim Jones or Jonestown massacre)
Sometimes what I see is more of a slow ingestion of arsenic, but just as
lethal all the same. What rational mind wouldn't question something they
can't prove physically? Yet as I describe to my son the birth of his
daughters, other scientific wonders, and the cycles of life in all growing
things, I ask; do you believe this is all random chaos, and he answers
"YES". This from a reasoning and rational mind.

Well, I have my theories, but since I am neither a philosopher or
theologian, I will keep those to myself. Human nature is to hope. In all
faith based belief systems, we find a hope for immortality. Often it may be
what motivates a person to rise and carry on for another day.  What really
puzzles me; I find absolutely mind boggling, is why an atheist will choose
to exist at all. What gives them strength and motivation to continue when
this "Natural World" is aggressively beating them to a pulp? Why don't they
simply pull the trigger? What possible reason could they have for enduring
the pain ahead? And finally; why should they care at all about what a God
based person thinks or does? How can it possibly affect their outcome? And
since in their mind. mine will be the same, all of their efforts can't make
any difference.

Things that keep me awake at night.

Jim Miller