Some people experience this strange “symptom”: it seems as if their worldview is the only possible one, and those who do not support these beliefs are usually treated as blind.
This happens on both sides of any barricade: in politics, in science, in art... In religion too. There are Christians who are perplexed: “Why don’t people believe in God, since it’s so obvious that He exists?
These are probably some very bad inveterate opponents of religion?” No not always. Let's allow ourselves to think a little on the topic of atheism.
A person who does not believe in God is called an atheist
Atheists get their name from the Greek language. “A” is a prefix of negation or opposition and “theos” - that is, “God”. It turns out: “God-denier” or, more precisely, “atheist.”
Don’t make the mistake of equating the meaning of “a” with the meaning of “anti.” An atheist is not a fighter against God. To fight something, you need to believe in its existence. If you don’t believe, then there’s nothing to fight against. Atheism has gained serious proportions in our time. We shouldn't be afraid of this.
Pious believers remain so, and people who are not devoted to religion are eliminated.
Atheism is a kind of filter. But it is not so important what an unbeliever is called. What's more important is why he doesn't believe.
The first version of atheism is those who could not be convinced that God exists
Previously, there were no difficulties: the rain came, which means it was by God’s will. Thunderstorm - God is angry. A volcanic eruption is another manifestation of Divine power.
Some peoples approached such phenomena thoughtfully - they say, this is all the material world, but behind its scenes there is a spiritual reason - a certain Deity.
More primitive peoples looked at it more simply: it was raining, therefore, somewhere in the sky an old man was running around with some kind of watering can and watering the earth.
Atheists are not at enmity with God, they simply do not recognize His existence.
The first glance is unprovable. You can only believe in him. But few people look at divine phenomena so deeply. In the mind of the average person, God is an old man in the sky, and the entrance to heaven is the golden gate on a cloud.
Such people claim: “Gagarin flew into space and did not see any God.”
This is, of course, a profanation of religion. But what can you do about it? Some people are simply unable to look deeper.
The book "The Funny Bible" by Leo Taxil is one of the most complete and thorough lists of questions to the Holy Scriptures. Photo: kob-media.ru
Atheism is based on logic. All these questions are valid, and no theologian has been able to find answers to each. And there are those who are capable, but require “iron” evidence. Let's say:
- If the Universe could have arisen on its own, as science claims, then explain why God is needed?
- If God is love, then why does He allow evil in our world?
- If God needs me to believe in Him, why doesn't He prove His existence?
- If God is disgusted by atheism, why doesn't He destroy all atheists, as He did with the unrighteous nations in the Old Testament?
Leo Taxil "Funny Bible" read online
And we must admit that theology does not have ready answers to these questions. For centuries, outstanding minds of preachers and philosophers have been searching for answers to these questions. And they find it. But everyone's answers are different.
And if there is no agreement in the religious world, how can we expect to convince an atheist? Of course not.
MY INTRODUCTION TO THE BIBLE
After watching another political show where the topic of introducing “divine” amendments to the Constitution was discussed, I found a Bible that was given to me when I left the housing and communal services sector by grandmothers who came to pay for utilities. I loved communicating with them, always gave them tea and sweets, and listened to them.
As a token of gratitude and as a keepsake, Daria Andriyanovna Antokhina presented me with a Bible with a request to read and think about Him. And I read it, but, honestly, I did not accept anything from what was written except the Ten Commandments of the Lord.
The Ten Commandments are powerful; if they were followed by everyone, heaven would come to Earth. Believers believe that this book is the rules of faith. It was written under the influence of the Holy Spirit and consists of two parts: the Old and New Testaments.
My grandmothers advised me to start reading the Bible from the New Testament, and be sure to ask serious believers for an explanation of the incomprehensible. After reading the Gospel of Luke, where the role of Jesus Christ is described in clear language, you can move on to the Old Testament.
I went the wrong way, started from the beginning of the book, which is probably why my whole being protested. So many questions and disagreements arose with the Holy Scripture that on the tenth page I put it aside again. Now I don’t know if I’ll return to him. It’s clear now why people don’t believe in God - it’s a difficult task to study holy texts.
But if you want to come to faith, you will have to read and learn in more detail the genealogy of Christ, as well as the reason why God sent his own son to such torment and ultimately to death. So far I have no desire to continue reading, I looked into the historical narratives, looked at the prophecies and put the Bible in the closet.
The second version of atheism is those who stopped believing in God
There are people who are disappointed in God. As a rule, these are those who expected something from Him and did not receive it. Sometimes this arises due to a superficial understanding of religion or due to its adoption at an unreasonable age.
A man was born, he was baptized, he went to church a couple of times. He says about himself that he is Orthodox. And then his mother and father die. Prayers didn't help. “Where was your God?” such a person becomes indignant.
And he doesn’t realize that these are not issues in which the Almighty intervenes, that prayer is not an order for what will happen next, but a means of communication.
“The Kiss of Judas” is a fragment of a four-part icon. Photo: icons.pstgu.ru
If we rely on the traditional Christian version, then Judas Iscariot is quite suitable for the role of a man who was disappointed in God. He was once chosen among prominent believers, but chose to go from Christ rather than to him.
And then another person appears who does not believe in God because he is angry. And religion for him is already fairy tales. But what can you do if you don’t have the right religious education?
And it happens that a person searches for himself in religion and does not find it.
Someone rushes about, takes on other teachings. He doesn’t like, say, the idea that we all live once is unpleasant to them.
But reincarnation is just that. And the person finds that Eastern teachings are especially close to him.
And it happens that people emerge from such crises who do not believe in God. They simply think that such a cruel world cannot have a Creator and deny the idea of his existence.
An example of a story when a person becomes an atheist is told in the video below by Archpriest Alexander (Ignatov). His story illustrates another path to atheism - through guilt.
Actually, Father Alexander’s entire sermon is an attempt to understand atheism from the position of a believer.
A word about faith. From February 7. About atheists
History of the term
To understand who an agnostic is in simple terms, it is worth understanding where this term came from.
At the end of the 18th century, philosophers and scientists Herbert Spencer, Hamilton, George Berkeley and David Hume developed a theory whose ideas were opposed to metaphysical philosophy. They believed that exploring the world through subjective understanding of metaphysical phenomena was wrong. They found confirmation of their views in the works of ancient philosophers, skeptics and sophists.
And in 1876, the English biologist Thomas Huxley, at a meeting of the Metaphysical Society, introduced the term “agnosticism” into science, laying the foundation for a separate philosophical movement. Thus, agnostics even had their own sign, which included a model of the movement of atoms.
The third version of atheism - some schools of Buddhism
And there are religious atheists. These are representatives of different schools of Buddhism. It cannot be said that a Buddhist is someone who does not believe in God unequivocally. Rather, he simply ignores the issue.
That is, formally we get the same atheism: a Buddhist lives on his own, like a person who does not believe in God. But at the same time, he can acknowledge that God may be out there somewhere.
And even if He exists, for a Buddhist it is not important at all. Each of us is the same God inside, so there is no point in introducing aspects of worship into life.
However, let us make a reservation that not all Buddhism is a religion of atheists. There are a lot of schools in it. Each has its own differences. But most Buddhist movements do not touch upon the topic of the Almighty and do not welcome such questions.
Siddhartha Gautama - Buddha. We do not know whether he believed in the existence of God, but he recommended to his students not to ask questions about the Almighty. This is a form of religious atheism
Should you become an agnostic?
Today, the number of agnostics and atheists is constantly growing in the world. This is primarily due to the progressive development of society and science. And also with the fact that more and more states are becoming secular (non-religious). Therefore, the question of “Should you become an agnostic” rests solely on you and your views. You must decide for yourself which views and positions are more true for you.
How to become agnostic
Since agnosticism is not a religion, the procedure for becoming a representative of this movement is quite simple. Awareness of the reality of “I am an agnostic” requires going through a certain process of familiarization with the relevant literature. Let's look at this process:
- Study the literature on agnosticism;
- Decide whether such positions are suitable for you personally;
- If you are a representative of any religion, then you need to renounce it. Since faith presupposes absolute faith in the presence of higher powers. There should be no hesitation here;
- Just start sticking to agnostic principles.
You cannot remain, for example, a Jew if you are an agnostic
How to stop being agnostic
The procedure is as easy as becoming an agnostic. Just stop classifying yourself as an agnostic. There are no special ways out of this “faith.” You, like all people, are constantly developing, and accordingly, your worldview and outlook on life may change with age.
There are people who are religious but do not believe in God
A separate category is those who revere various kinds of spirits, but have not even heard of God the Creator. They do not believe that there is some God above everyone, but this does not prevent them from being believers, pious, and virtuous people.
Belief in spirits is a form of degenerate religious tradition. Sometimes you can trace the rudiments of monotheism in it, and sometimes not a trace remains of them.
Examples of such beliefs can be observed in various tribes and relatively isolated ethnic groups.
This is clearly not an atheistic consciousness, but there is little left of faith in God. What pushes people to take such a step? Usually this is a desire to avoid responsibility.
The presence of God the Creator presupposes a certain set of Laws and posthumous judgment for their violation. Traditions that only honor spirits usually report no serious punishment for sinners.
What is a miracle? An inexplicable natural phenomenon or a person’s call to God?
Having left the control of God the Creator, magical traditions proclaim freedom for man. Sometimes it’s just nominal - just to be there.
And it happens that such licentiousness leads to a terrible fall - to cannibalism, sacrifices, and so on. In general, it’s not necessary once in a while.
Gnostic and agnostic - the difference
Atheism and agnosticism have united in such a direction as atheistic agnosticism, in which belief in any deity is denied, but the presence of divine manifestation as a whole is not denied. In addition to agnostics, there is also the opposite “camp” - gnostics (some philosophers consider them true believers). What is the difference between Gnostics and Agnostics?
- Agnostics question the knowledge of God, Gnostics simply know that he exists.
- Followers of Gnosticism believe in the truth of human knowledge through the knowledge of reality through scientific and mystical experience; agnostics believe that the world is unknowable.
There are conventionally religious people who would be better off being atheists
Some believers like to elevate all religious issues to absolutes. There are Orthodox Christians who believe that atheism is a great sin, and that someone who does not believe in God is a lost person for society.
But it's not fair. A person may not live in thoughts of God, but this remains his personal matter.
You can be a good atheist and an extremely bad Christian. Just assigning oneself to one or another “camp” does not make a person unambiguously bad and unambiguously good.
Candles, prayers, bows, etc. are attributes of religious life. The main thing is what a person has inside. If priorities are set incorrectly, such a person’s faith is hardly more pious than atheism
What atheists can be praised for is their honesty. After all, he admits his denial of the Almighty. And there are many Christians who tell everyone around them about their piety, but themselves behave rudely and ill-mannered.
Remember the embittered old women that are in every temple. A girl in jeans will walk into such a place and catch sidelong glances at herself - and this is in the best case, otherwise they will also make comments and insult you.
And all because they are the ones who are so righteous. In fact, no one in the church has the right to make comments to anyone. There cannot be a more experienced believer; we should not even attempt any kind of church hazing.
The main arguments of atheists
1) An Omniscient, Omnipotent and All-Good God is incompatible with our world, in which there is evil and suffering of innocent people.
2) The idea of an Omniscient God contradicts the idea of human free will. If the Almighty knows the future, then the entire life of His creation is a steady adherence to the Divine plan. If people are truly free, then God does not have such a quality as omniscience.
3) An Omniscient, Omnipotent and All-Good God would find an effective way to attract all people to Himself without exception. He would give them knowledge about Himself and would not require faith, which not everyone can achieve.
4) If an absolute and self-sufficient Personality existed, then there would be no point or need for Her to create anything. Including the Universe and people.
5) The believer improves and does good for the salvation of the soul. The atheist does this, being convinced that he will not receive any reward. Accordingly, atheism is a more moral worldview.
6) It is supposedly clear from the history of mankind that religion is the cause of wars and intolerance (Crusades, terrorist attacks, etc.). Accordingly, it cannot be a good thing and is a mistake.
7) The sacred texts of different religions contradict each other. Contradictions can also be found within one specific sacred text (for example, in the Bible). Based on this logic, sacred texts are not true, and religions are invented by man.
Atheists don't believe in God, and agnostics say they don't know if He exists.
Nowadays the word “agnostic” is gaining popularity. Those who want to seem original call themselves that. "Do you believe in God?". "I am agnostic". Beautiful. And it sounds serious, as if it should command respect.
In reality, agnosticism is simply the claim that we know nothing about whether God exists or not. How can we draw such conclusions? A person lives by what he has seen and knows. He takes some facts on faith, some he doesn’t.
Let's say we have never been to the USA, but this country is on the globe, it produces films, a lot of people fly there on vacation or for work. It sounds authentic, so it exists.
Agnosticism has nothing to do with Gnosticism, just words with the same root.
But if someone tells you that yesterday they saw a Bigfoot on the street, it’s fair to doubt it. It's too strange a statement.
If it is reported at all, it is by Himalayan tourists and local old-timers, but not by residents of the average city.
It’s more complicated with God: saints, apostles, believers, priests talk about him. Moses allegedly even saw him face to face, and His disciples considered Jesus to be the Lord incarnate. Whatever one may say, all persons are interested.
What is there to rely on to believe it or not? This is a fact that you either unquestioningly accept or reject.
An agnostic is honest with himself: he does not dare to judge what he does not know about. This is not indifference to the spiritual, but simply an objective view of the world.
Agnosticism in philosophy
The German philosopher of modern times I. Kant studied the phenomenon of agnosticism and developed a coherent and consistent theory of this direction. According to Kant, agnosticism in philosophy is the impossible cognition of reality or reality by the subject, because:
- Human abilities of knowledge are limited by his natural essence.
- The world is unknowable in itself; a person can only know a narrow external region of phenomena and objects, while the internal remains “terra incognita”.
- Cognition is a process in which matter studies itself with its inherent reflective ability.
D. Berkeley and D. Hume, other prominent philosophers, also contributed to this area of philosophy. Briefly, who is an agnostic and the general features of agnosticism from the works of philosophers are presented in the following theses:
- Agnosticism is closely related to the philosophical movement - skepticism.
- An agnostic rejects objective knowledge and the ability to fully understand the world.
- Knowledge of God is impossible, obtaining reliable information about God is difficult.
Atheism, Agnosticism, and Faith Require Courage
Atheism presupposes courage: it’s hard to live knowing that after death nothing awaits you. An agnostic also needs courage: he lives blindly, without hopes, without a solid foundation under his feet.
It’s also not easy for a believer: faith requires constant support. It's very hard to believe in what you can't see.
It's great to trust that someone in the spiritual world is taking care of you.
But there are so many disappointments in this world, many blows of fate show us that it’s as if no one needs us there, in heaven. And it takes incredible resilience to overcome all these doubts.
Faith can be the result of both spiritual search and simple gullibility.
True faith is the result of spiritual quest. You need to try it on yourself, like clothes, experience it, understand that this is your path, without which you cannot live.
Faith is not something that you take, try, forget, and then come back. It's a full-time job. Even the most steadfast priests sometimes suffer from periods of doubt.
Immanuel Kant is a famous agnostic. He philosophically argued that it is impossible not to prove or disprove the existence of God. Photo: upload.wikimedia.org
But there are a number of other “believers” - nominal ones. These are those people who were born somewhere in a religious family, grew up all their lives according to religious rules, but never appreciated or truly comprehended what they had. This is faith out of habit, a given. It's empty.
And some even take everything on faith: they listened to the first preachers they came across and were baptized into any religion that came their way.
Many dubious religious movements are assembled from such stupid things: they have never heard of God in their lives, they saw a brochure about the Bible - and that’s it, they are already Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Catholicism, Orthodoxy, you tell them? Why, now they won’t even listen, although they don’t know what they’re talking about.
There are 2 types of “believers”: those who have suffered through faith and those who believe out of habit.
Every believer is obliged to ask himself at least once in his life the question: what if there is nothing, if I am wrong, why do I think that everything is this way and not otherwise?
Only after an honest answer can we call ourselves a true believer.
And we shouldn't condemn atheists. Of course, among them there are many who also “don’t believe” out of habit, because their parents were not from a religious family.
But a true atheist is one who remains honest with himself. His choice is not ours, but we need to treat each other with respect.
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