Tag Archives: acceptance

Yes, I CAN say I KNOW there is no god. So can you. An open letter to Atheists.

February 18, 2010   caraleisa   No comments

I frequently run into atheists who spout the politically correct dictum that we cannot KNOW there is no god; we see no evidence for one, so we believe that no gods exist — but we remain agnostic to the possiblity because we have integrity and are openminded to true evidence, should it arise.

Well, I think that’s just bullshit coated with a dressing of the fear of being accused of being an absolutist.

But the fact remains, we certainly CAN know, in every commonly used sense of the word ‘know’, that gods do not exist. To presume our own infallibility is another thing entirely. THAT would be irrational and absurd. But there’s no need to extrapolate that to the question of god.

Why?

Do you have any problem saying you know that Superman doesn’t really exist? What about Zeus. Thor. Odin. Isis. Perhaps you’re not too sure about leprechauns, or wood sprites and fairies? Oh, I see, you have no problem stating you know THEY don’t exist. Then why do you not apply the exact same logic to the gods du jour? Why do they get a ‘pass’ on this? They are NO different.

They don’t get a ‘maybe’ from me. I don’t say ‘you can’t prove a negative’ but rather, you have no need, no obligation, to prove a negative. NOR to consider the claim a possiblility simply because it’s untestable.

Now, of course, you might be someone who really isn’t sure. Who can’t quite shed the indoctrination of religion. So you feel maybe there is, maybe not. I am NOT addressing you with this.

And I’m not addressing theists, who in their own peculiar, unfathomable way, ‘know’ gods do exist.

I’m talking to the atheists who say they CANNOT HONESTLY state they KNOW that no gods exist because after all, you can’t prove a negative. Then I say, following that logic, you must also say that those other beings I named above might also exist. If you can, sincerely, claim that perhaps Zeus et all might exist, then I must ask … how do you ever make any decisions? Or better yet, how do you define ‘atheist’?

I will not argue the bible (nor koran or any other ‘holy’ book). To me, that’s like arguing what decor Santa’s home has, or what size outfit he wears. I believe such argument ultimately feeds the believers, because they then feel that it gives a level of credence to the books. Furthermore, I don’t believe absurd books have any relevance to the question of whether gods exist or not. If they do exist – they CAN be irrational. They CAN play games. They can be ‘good’ or ‘bad’. The question is, DO THEY EXIST in the first place?

I am convinced that there is ample evidence that they do not. This evidence lies in the claims. No, thunder isn’t a god. No, existence isn’t only 6000 yrs old. No, god didn’t save you during your accident. Your air bag did. No, god didn’t take away your child with a horrid cancer – the horrid cancer took away your child. God didn’t make your team win the game. Ad nauseum. Just how many god-did-it claims must you refute before you’ve had enough? Before you can say you KNOW they are ALL not true? That the root – the god part – is just pure human fantasy. ANY other claims except those of the deities-du-jour are quite comfortably dismissed after refuting far less claims than those disproven for a god.

So… where’s the beef?

Why, if you claim atheism, do you allow theology to stick a ‘can’t say for sure’ post-it note on your atheism? I’m not suggesting that we turn around and be rude to believers, I am simply suggesting we be honest with ourselves. It’s like when a kid first discovers there’s no Santa Claus. He’ll say so with assurance, but he keeps a little bit of doubt in there ‘just in case’. Eventually, though, he’ll unload that residual doubt and move on.

I think it’s time we atheists move on. Should Odin drop in for lunch one day, I’ll revise my knowledge. But for now, I’m damned sure. Sure enough to say I know it. I know you KNOW so as well. So stand up and say it, and MEAN it. And be content with your knowledge. You do NOT need to be ‘openminded’ on this one.

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Death, be not proud…

December 01, 2008   caraleisa   No comments

I’ve been thinking a lot about death these last few weeks. We have the senseless terrorist killings in Mumbai, a friend’s father just died at 90 after a long and happy life; another friend, one of our dearest and closest, is losing his battle with two cancers, and he’s only 57.  It seems death, too, comes in many flavors.

The death of the 90 yr old seems almost a perfect completion of life, a full cycle in which he worked, loved, had children and grandchildren, and now has ended his work on earth.  That’s not the case for either the Mumbai victims, or my friend. In India, the people had almost no notice, in the midst of a happy time in a lovely hotel, they suddenly were stopped cold – no warnings, no chance to ‘fix’ anything they would have wanted to change if they’d only ‘known in advance’.  We can only hope that they didn’t suffer much, because we know their families and friends will suffer much thinking about the loss of each of these people.

My friend, though… I suppose this is the closest I’ve been to a loss like this. Another good friend lost his stepson to cancer when the boy was only 16 or 17. An unspeakable tragedy, a life cut short before it had the chance to bloom. My friend, “Buddy” I will call him here, did have the chance to do a lot… he has a daughter from a first marriage, and a son from his current marriage. Both are grown, and he’s got a grandson as well. His wife, my best friend, has always loved him deeply. She felt, and I agree, that they are ‘soulmates’… whatever that means. To ME, it means they were so wonderfully suited to each other. They’ve been together 35 years and have shared much – joy, pain, sadness, all the parts of life. Buddy worked hard for many years, so that he and his family could live well, and planned an early retirement just about a year and a half ago. Buddy and his wife bought their dream house, and between the time they ‘ordered’ the house and the time they moved in, he was diagnosed with his first cancer, myeloma, with tumors predominantly in his spine and hips. It all started with pain, and the pain has never stopped… even when the myeloma was contained the pain continued… and they discovered another cancer, lung cancer, stage 4, with tumors all over him. What a blow.  Yet, Buddy kept his spirits up! If positive attitude could cure, he’d have gotten rid of every bit of cancer by now. 

Buddy is the absolute most genuine person I’ve ever met. There’s no guile, no slyness – what you see is what you get. And you get a beautiful person, full of compassion for others. I don’t mean to say he is a saint, he IS human, after all.  He’s caused his share of pain, just as we all have. The love I see, between him and his wife and for his son and family is something everyone should be able to feel. It’s a precious gift. Buddy is a precious gift, and I will hate to see him go so soon, so unfairly.

Buddy and I talked about death on Saturday. I’m honored that he felt he could talk to me about his fears and his hopes. We can’t know when, but we do know it will happen, and no matter when, it’s far too soon.  He was afraid of missing his family … I told him my beliefs about death. As an atheist, for me, there’s only this life. When we die, there is nothing, silence… peace. As Carl Sagan said, we are stardust… everything we are will return to the universe. There will be no pain, no missing, no sadness. These things will be on OUR side of the wall of death, and that’s ok. Mourning a loved one will also heal. Buddy is deeply embedded in my heart, and when he dies, that will NOT change, not a bit. His love and friendship have given me so much, he enriches my life every day, and that wonderful gift will never leave me. I told him that, too, and was very glad I had the chance to do so. We WILL fall apart for a while, because we will WANT him in our lives … but we will eventually come to realize that he’s still with us, every time we see those things he loved we will think of him, every time we think of him our hearts WILL ache, but I believe that our spirits will also rejoice in the person he is and the love we feel, and will always feel, for him.  I love you, Buddy.

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