50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God (47 page)

Skeptics, of course, point to the complete absence of any evidence
for this stuff and the completely unproven connection between natural
disasters and the return of a god. But I am also amazed that so many
of these believers don't seem disturbed or curious about a god who
would do this. This scenario of a violent end to all we know seems so
unnecessary and evil. Why would a god have to scorch the earth and
kill billions of people just because they worshipped on the wrong side
of the tracks or were too skeptical to believe? I don't know about you,
but if I was running the universe I am sure I could come up with a
much nicer final act for humankind. At the very least I would leave out
famine and war. I would probably have to go ahead and spare the children pestilence as well. But, for some reason, many believers do not
recognize the obviously immoral act of causing or allowing the
destruction of billions of children, women, and men.

Although the idea of a supernatural doomsday has inspired many
movies and many more laughs, some believers are very serious about
their end-of-the-world predictions. Many of them sincerely believe
that this is the last generation, that their god is about to turn the world
upside down, save the people he likes, and punish the nonbelievers.
Well-meaning infidels like me will die a horrible death and then be
tossed into some cruel pit to suffer forever. At least that's what some
believers tell me will happen when their god's love reigns on Earth.
Obviously, I hope they are wrong about all this. Then again, if there is a judgment day, maybe an omniscient god or gods would know my
mind and see that I have only been honest to the reality before my
eyes. I'm unwilling to pretend to believe in gods that seem to be
nothing more than the creations of human imagination. Maybe upon
reflection the gods would blame themselves for being so elusive and
see fit to forgive me. Who knows? They might even praise all atheists
for their intellectual honesty and brave skepticism. Wouldn't it be
funny if a god punished everyone who had eagerly embraced the idea
of billions of people dying when the world ended, and then rewarded
all those who had the moral sense to criticize it?

Many believers have tried to scare me into believing in their god
with detailed descriptions of their end-of-the-world senarios. When
they do this, I usually ask them why it is that they are not afraid of the
doomsday prophecies that come from other religions. Why, for
example, aren't Christians terrified about the Islamic prophecy of the
end of the world? Why aren't they afraid that they will suffer a horrible death and end up in the Islamic hell? After all, some Muslims say
there are clear signs all around us that the end is near. However,
despite using nearly identical arguments, Christians and Muslims
casually reject each other's predictions and don't fear the other's
doomsday. If they were to use that same skepticism and analysis on
their own religion's claims, they would discover that there is no apocalypse to fear at all.

Believers who are confident about the end of the world being close
often use this danger to justify their belief. They cite it as a motivation
to believe and worship as passionately as possible. But perhaps if it
can be shown that there is nothing to these claims, then maybe, just
maybe, some believers will be more likely to question the existence of
their gods. Once Armageddon's gun is no longer aimed at their heads,
they might be likely to think a little more clearly about their gods.

What is weird about these prophets of doom is that they could be
right. No, there is no reason to suspect that they are correct about the
destruction of civilization by gods and magic, because no believer in
the last several thousand years has ever produced any convincing evi dence to support such a claim. What is true, however, is that there are
very real dangers to global civilization. One does not need a divine
revelation to know this. We are now or may one day soon be under
serious threats from nuclear war, unstoppable germs, artificial intelligence gone berserk, environmental collapse, nanobots run amok, an
asteroid on the way, supervolcanoes, huge methane burps from the
seafloor, and so forth. Just become a regular reader of New Scientist,
Scientific American, and National Geographic magazines and you will
learn that there are no long-term guarantees for life on this planet.
There are a wide variety of frightening scenarios that can bring about
our end-no gods required. Strangely, I have found most believers to
be much less interested in global destruction from human or natural
sources as they are with their gods' doomsday.

There are two simple reasons why no one should worry about gods
destroying the world or killing most of the people on Earth today,
tomorrow, next year, or ever. First, there is no evidence that any supernatural disaster is coming, soon or ever. No evidence. Second, the line
of people who have made these claims is very long, stretching back
many centuries, and they have been wrong every time. Every time.

When people make the claim that believing in a god is urgent
because the clock is ticking and doomsday is almost here, they need to
provide a good reason why anyone should accept this as a credible
danger. Saying it's so doesn't make it so. Many people around the
world today fear the "evil eye." But I am not afraid of it because there
is no evidence that a brief stare from someone can curse me or cause
me to have a bad day. I don't believe it because, in thousands of years,
no one has ever been able to show that the evil eye is anything more
than a made-up belief. I view religious doomsday claims the same way.
I refuse to lose sleep over the unproven possibility of a god ending the
world. Until someone comes up with evidence, or at least one good
argument for believing it, I won't worry and neither should you.

If someone wants to believe in a god, fine. I just hope they don't
do so because they fear doomsday. It is the world's most enduring
empty threat and after all these years no one should fall for it anymore.

Gorenberg, Gershom. The End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle
for the Temple Mount. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. An
enlightening -and frightening-study of people who believe the apocalypse is near.

Halsell, Grace. Forcing God's Hand: Why Millions Pray for a Quick Rapture-and Destruction of Planet Earth. Beltsville, MD: Amana Publications, 1999.

McGuire, Bill. A Guide to the End of the World: Everything You Never
Wanted to Know. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. If you insist
on worrying about the end of the world, then at least do it sensibly. This
book, written by a scientist, explains realistic threats that face our planet.

"Scary Scary Stuff." Rapture Ready Web site, May 2007. http://raptureready
.com/ rap21.html.

Some believers accuse skeptics of having nothing left but a
dull, cold scientific world. I am left with only art, music,
literature, theater, the magnificence of nature, mathematics, the human spirit, sex, the cosmos, friendship, history, science, imagination, dreams, oceans, mountains,
love and the wonder of birth. That'll do me.

-Lynne Kelly

o believers have ever admitted to me that they are afraid of
letting go of their belief in a god. But many times I have
walked away from conversations convinced that they were. It is understandable why many people might be reluctant, even afraid, to allow
their minds the freedom to challenge belief in a god. It can't be easy
for everyone to question the existence of a god who is seen as the ultimate force of good as well as a powerful protector in a dangerous
world. For some believers it may feel like a terrible betrayal of family
and friends to question the existence of a god. Another reason
believers may shy away from skepticism and analysis is fear of punishment from an angry god. Religious leaders may have told them that
a horrible fate awaits if they ever turn away from their god. Some of
these leaders claim that those who stop believing in their god won't
even have to wait until the afterlife to suffer but will be punished in this life with ill health, family troubles, employment problems, or
worse. Christian television preacher Pat Robertson, for example, is
well known for repeatedly warning people who are not religious
enough for his taste. Several times he has said that his god will teach
them a lesson the hard way, with a hurricane, earthquake, or some
other divine slap-down. While atheists may laugh off such threats,
many believers do not.

Another intimidating obstacle for believers who might otherwise
consider rethinking the reality of their god or gods is the negative
impact becoming an atheist can have on their personal lives. Friends
and family relationships may change as a result. Sadly, sometimes relationships end when two people no longer have a god in common. It's
not a difficult transition for all, however. Many atheists have the good
fortune to have family members who love them unconditionally and
friends who may be believers but are also sophisticated enough to
respect one's right to think for themselves. Some of these atheists may
not fully appreciate how difficult and scary it can be for a believer in
more difficult circumstances to openly admit that they no longer think
gods are real. It can be a rough ride for some people and no atheist
should ever take a believer's fears lightly. Some religions discourage or
even forbid associating with atheists. For example, some followers of
Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are guilty of this and make no apologies for it. It's beyond me how they get away with it in the twenty-first
century in supposedly developed societies where other such forms of
prejudice are strongly condemned. Clearly, there can be a very real
threat of banishment from one's social network or family when belief
in gods stops making sense. For this reason, I would never suggest that
a believer underestimate potential problems. Family and friends matter.
Jobs matter. Safety matters. However, thinking for yourself and
respecting yourself matter too.

Believers also may tend to avoid questioning the existence of gods
because they fear the possibility of having to admit they were wrong.
But this is not a big deal because everybody is wrong about many
things over the course of their lives. There is no shame in being flat out wrong, especially when it comes to religious belief, considering
how it is pushed on most people in childhood when they may have
been too vulnerable and trusting to challenge it. No one should ever
feel guilty about having believed in a god, no matter how silly it may
seem in retrospect. For most of us, it's part of being human and
growing up in human culture. I don't feel ashamed because I prayed
to a god when I was ten years old. That's what I was told to do by
people I trusted, people who were smarter than me, so I did it. Today
I view it as a rite of passage or part of a progression that I can be proud
of. I trusted, I believed, I thought, and now I don't believe.

The only shame a believer feels should come from refusing to
think critically. There is no excuse for refusing to analyze claims and
ask hard questions. This can go on within your private thoughts where
there is no danger of repercussions from the outside world. We may or
may not be naturally inclined to believe in gods but we are definitely
curious by nature. Deny this human trait and you deny who you are.
In my view, questioning a god's existence is not necessarily a betrayal
of that god anyway. If you believe your god made you-as well as that
big brain in your skull-then why would this god be upset if you used
it to challenge the most important claim of all? This god you believe
in made you a member of a thinking species. So think! Why would a
god have bothered creating these powerful, analytical human brains in
the first place if we were never meant to use them to their full potential? If your god is real, then chances are you will be commended, not
condemned, for putting that finely crafted brain to work. If your god
is not real, however, then there is nothing to worry about. And if you
fear that your god is the type to get angry over sincere human curiosity
and honest inquiry, then maybe it's time for you to shop around for a
more mature god. There are, after all, thousands to choose from.

Believers should not be troubled by the false assumption that one
can either be a happy believer or a bitter, militant atheist who is committed to fighting religion. I'm an atheist and I am certainly far from
bitter and militant. I think I'm a positive and optimistic person. And
despite the terribly obnoxious behavior of some believers, I would never support the banning of religion or discrimination against
believers solely for what they think. I believe freedom of thought
should be a basic human right. Yes, I think it would be good for the
world if reason, free thought, and science became so popular and
widely respected that belief in gods faded away. But I would never support imposing atheism by bullying or by law.