10 Questions for Atheists

I came across a list of 10 questions for atheists on the Patheos Godless in Dixie blog, and I thought it might make an interesting post.

According to the GiD blogger Neil Carter, these are for a Bible college student who was doing a project. That would explain the naiveté of the questions, the very Christian-centeredness that emanate from the them. I have sometimes wondered agog at Christians in the Western world who ask if atheists have "heard the good news of Jesus Christ." Who hasn't? Is there really some person who has no clue what Christianity is about?

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to answer because a couple actually are interesting.

(1) Have you ever been to church?

Yeah, like a lot. I was raised Catholic and went to Catholic school, so mass was a big part of growing up. In high school we did comparative religions, so there was also learning about other religions and attending their services, including southern Baptist and conservative and orthodox Judaism. I have also been to weddings, funerals, baptisms and other special occasion church services. The last time I went to church was several years ago to hear a piece of music my husband wrote.

(2) Do you have any Christian friends or family members? If so, what do you think of their faith?

I do have lots of Christian friends and colleagues. Most of my family is still Roman Catholic. A good friend from growing up is now southern Baptist. I also know Methodists, Lutherans, Mormons, Jews and non-denominational Christians.

I mainly think their religion is irrational. If they talk about their faith, it's never to convert me, and luckily the people I see most often are rather liberal. They think some of their religion is allegorical and believe in separation of church and state, so really their religion doesn't impact our relationship much.

(3) What do you think of Christians?

Well, I don't have some over-arching feeling about all Christians. I think they have an irrational belief or set of beliefs really. There are some good and some bad Christians.

Mainly, I just want Christians to practice in their communities or homes and not try to insert their religion into our laws. If you can only justify something by religion, we cannot come to an agreement on it.

(4) What do you think of Jesus?

First, I find the framing of these questions interesting. What do you think of...? #3 at least we know Christians existed and can have an opinion. We aren't sure if Jesus did.

In any case, I think what we read about Jesus is mainly legend. There might have been a real man that inspired the legends, but it really doesn't matter much to me. I don't believe the supernatural claims about him for sure. I think he said some good things, sure, but he is not the only person to have done so.

(5) What do you think of the Bible?

Another what do you think... question. I find this fascinating, because it frames all of these as individual preference or opinion as opposed to trying to locate some kind of objective truth. I also get the impression that the questioner is looking for expressions of anger or a desire to suppress.

But, okay, to answer the question. I think the Bible has some wonderful things and some really horrifying things. Some parts seem to be stories of a scientifically-illiterate people grappling with the nature of their world. Some parts are just poetry or aphorisms. Some parts are history which may or may not be accurate. There are also tons of laws of all kinds, from what you should eat and wear to sexual practices to moral issues to how to atone for different kinds of sin. Just think of all those poor animals who lost their lives so people could feel better about themselves...

The Bible is important for western society because it inspired our literature and art.

But I don't feel inspired by it overall.

(6) Has anyone ever preached to you personally?

Yeah. Not recently, but I have encountered street preachers and people just wanting to witness. Then there are the people who come door-to-door.

I'm surprised there's not more to this, like what did I think of it.

(7) How would you feel if someone tried to persuade you to believe in Jesus? Would it make a difference if that person were a stranger or if they were close to you?

Now, now what do I think, but how would I feel. It's just interesting to me that it's my reaction to an idea or a person and not some rational examination of the argument someone is presenting.

Probably, though, I would feel annoyed if someone tried to persuade me. If it were someone close (and this could happen, not everyone knows about my atheism, I don't just blurt it out, it comes out organically), I would probably just shrug and tell them I don't believe in Jesus' divinity. I would try to make this as gentle and off-hand as possible and try to change the topic. If they insisted, I might actually get snippy. This would be about anything, not just religion. There are two of us in the conversation, and I think we both could have veto rights if we didn't want to talk about something. I wouldn't insist on trying to zap the faith of a friend if they weren't interested in having that discussion.

If it were a stranger, I wouldn't bother with much. I'd just walk away, maybe a no thanks, not interested.

(9) Hypothetically speaking, if the claims of Christian faith were proven beyond a shadow of  a doubt, would you become Christian?

I like how there apparently is a single Christian faith instead of a multitude of denominations!

I'm also wondering what claims? Is it just the story of Jesus? The stories in the Old Testament too? Does the questioner lump the moral questions in there too? I mean, they can't really be "proven true," but they are wrapped up in the belief system.

Anyway, sure I guess. Hypothetically, I would become Christian, although I would reject some of the morality that comes from the Bible.

(10) Describe your beliefs about God, salvation, the afterlife, etc.

Etc? What does this etc. cover? Angels? The Virgin Mary? Saint Anthony helping you find lost objects?

Anyway, that etc. notwithstanding, this is to me the best question of the lot because it is an open question for the non-believer to talk about rationality instead of merely reacting to a bunch of Christian whatever.

So, I have seen no good evidence for any deity of any kind. Sure, maybe a deistic, get-the-ball-rolling kind of god may be possible, but that's not something to worship. When Christians talk about belief, there is always a personal story with unexplained events. I prayed and some time later found a Bible, I prayed and someone was healed, I look at the universe and just can't believe it's here by accident, I just feel it's true.

For any miracles, there are natural explanations. The god-of-the-gaps keeps getting smaller as we create better methods for probing our world and universe.

Salvation: don't believe in it, don't see any reason for it. I don't believe in the category of sin (that which upsets a deity), so I don't believe there is any original sin.

And just to clarify, I don't think we are perfect beings. We are fallible; we make mistakes; we hurt each other, accidentally and/or on purpose. We are imperfect beings trying to get through imperfect lives. That doesn't make us evil or sinful.

Afterlife: no evidence for it. Even these near death experiences seem to be products of dying brains and not any kind of indication of what really happens.

This is your the one life we know we have. Let's try to enjoy it!