If God is Not

Atheism, as I understand it at this point in time, would have us believe there is no god, that religion is an invention of the human mind - designed to control, anti-rational, inhibiting, and harmful. It rejects the supernatural and demands that all argument must be purely rationale, based on that which is known or can be understood in terms of the natural world. Only as the world is freed from the shackles of religious dogma it argues can we hope to build a better future for our children.

Let’s be honest. Religion has not delivered us an ideal world. Too many wars and atrocities have been perpetrated in the name of the different world deities, including the Christian god. One does not need to think long before finding examples of the Church standing in the way of progress. So at face value atheists may have a point.

Attitudes and values are shaped by beliefs. Science is based on the belief that through observation, testing, and experimentation we can discover laws that shape the word in which we live and that provide a framework in which we can plan and make decisions with certainty. It is this belief that has enabled us to develop our modern society with its engineering, medical and other achievements. What would be the point of building a bridge, administering a drug, or stepping into an aeroplane if there was no guarantee that these things would behave as predicted with a high degree of reliability?

Some time ago I watched with interest a debate between Cardinal George Pell and Professor Richard Dawkins. When Pell raised the issue of ‘meaning’ Dawkins refused to go down that path. Why? Because, when you think about it, an atheist cannot talk about the meaning of life because his or her belief structure cannot provide a sound, rationale foundation on which to debate the issue. Allow me to expand.

Athiests look to the evolutionary model to explain our origins. We exist as the result of blind, random processes that have over time allowed the conditions to exist that have led to life as we know it. The atheist cannot attribute any meaning or purpose to this process for these belong to the mind. To acknowledge meaning and purpose in that which has led to our existence is to admit to the existence of a grand mind. If this mind is admitted to then it is reasonable to consider who or what that mind may be.

According to the evolutionary model it all began with a big bang some 13 or 14 billion years ago. Life on our planet emerged around 3.5 billion years ago.  Apes, from which we are said to evolve, appeared around 2.5 million years ago while modern humans arrived on the scene some 200,000 years ago. Which means we are a rather recent arrival on the universal timeline.

Among the laws that frame our existence are those of thermodynamics. These tell us that there is a finite amount of energy in the universe. It cannot be created, so we only have what already exists. The time will come when all available energy will be exhausted. At this point in time there will be a constant temperature across the universe. These laws include what can be termed the law of decay – order gives way to chaos, any system left to itself will run down.

What this means that our existence is limited. Long before all energy is used up life as we know it will cease to exist. Our sun is burning itself out and even if it were possible to transport ourselves to another suitable solar system our existence there would also be limited.

Within the cosmic timeline our existence is but a blimp, a fleeting, meaningless moment in time. So much for environmental – or any other – sustainability. At the best we can only extend our existence momentarily.

Within this construct we can have no meaning, no purpose, and no real hope. But, you may argue, I can give my life meaning and purpose. That may be to heal, to bring enjoyment to others in music, to serve, to provide employment for others, or to simply have fun. While you may find meaning in these things the meaning you give is an artificial construction with as little meaningful substance as an inflated balloon. Life built on a meaningless foundation can be likened to a house built on the beach. Without solid foundations it can be swept away at any time.

The same is true of morality. We can argue that it is wrong to kill, that we should be compassionate, care for the earth, and distribute wealth evenly. Why? I can argue our species evolved because it was the best adapted to do so. It is the strong – the best adapted – that survived and passed their genes on to future generations. The weak, those unsuited to survival, became extinct. Why would I want to change that process? I now live in an overpopulated world where people compete for finite resources. Would it not be better if we left the starving millions in Africa to die out, to drown asylum seekers, and to accumulate as much of the available resources as we can so that our future and that of our children is assured? Why should we be held back by those that are only a burden on the rest of us, an impediment to our advancement? While you may feel this view is repulsive any contrary view is, after all, one that has no real substance as there is no objective basis for that conclusion. For, without meaning, there is no basis for morality.

As I observe the world around me it seems that we are seeing the breakdown of society. We have an increasing problem with alcohol abuse among the young, there is a growing gap between the haves and the have nots, and many live simply for the moment. Youth suicide is a real concern. Why?

Is it because people in a world that has rejected belief in God now live in a moral and ethical vacuum? Have we attempted to replace God with political correctness, simply another form of control that has at its foundation the views of a vocal minority? Without God and belief in an authoritative source, without a grand overarching shared story that frames a shared world view are we simply adrift in a moral abyss? Accepting without question the godless world view that is pushed at us through the media, our education systems and other sources have we accepted that life is ultimately meaningless and that there is no hope for the future?

What do you think?