I’m still enjoying David Gleeson’s articles about atheism at American Chronicle. In his latest article, “Spiritual Atheism and the False Comforts of Faith”, Gleeson suggests that skeptics need to better present an atheistic lifestyle as a “spiritual, meaningful existence.” He gives examples of how nature and science can be sources of awe in lieu of faith based-based awe. I agree entirely. However, I’d expand this to say that not just awe, but also meaning and depth can be found in almost all pieces of a full, atheistic life. Atheism is simply the lack of the belief in a god. If you subtract religious dogma from an otherwise full life, what’s left? Almost everything.
As mentioned by Gleeson, atheism certainly does not preclude awe. During a backpacking trip through Washington State, I stood at the very bottom of a tree, my toes to its trunk, and stared up at the impossible stretch of trunk, branches, and years of weathered bark. I have the same gasping feeling of wonder when peering out a train window at the craggy, reddish cliffs of southern France, or after wading into the ocean just far enough to see nothing but the stretch of the Pacific. On a recent whale-watching trip, I found myself involuntarily clapping my hands with glee at a breeching humpback; on a similar boat trip in the Everglades, I was left giddy at the outline of dolphins in the wake of the boat.
Other science-type pursuits leave me equally charmed. Like many skeptics, I love the dependability of logic, the reducibility of mathematics, and the repeatable nature of the scientific method. However, these more typical “tenants of skepticism” are only the foundations of my life, not the whole of it.
Atheism does not preclude leaps of imagination or walks into fantasy. When I write, not all statements roll off my fingers in the form of logical proof. Nor are my bookcases exclusively filled with non-fiction treatise on string theory or the necessity of the separation of church and state; my shelves are an almost equal blend of nonfiction with fiction, Sagan and Shermer mixed with Heinlein, Card, and Wharton. I frequently lose myself in the dizzy impossibilities of a well-crafted novel, yet I always find myself again when I close the book. My brain loves to whimsically leap from one idea to the next without necessarily evaluating whether or not these leaps are logical. However, I don’t take my whims as fact without checking the evidence and would never insist my whimsical jumps themselves are logically valid. I enjoy fiction, but I’m always careful to mentally label my fictions as fiction and facts as fact.
Atheism does not preclude savoring the full spectrum of emotions, sensations, and experiences available in life. Reality is an ample source of exhilaration. I love random chats with strangers in London parks, kisses on the beach at night, and the feeling of the foam from my soy-latte dissolving on my tongue. Without evidence for an afterlife, I’m only encouraged to enjoy this live this life more thoroughly, to sink more deeply into each moment because the sum of these moments and the impact they leave on the world are what I have to measure my life by.
Contrary to popular speculation, atheism does not preclude morality. Dostoevsky’s character Ivan Karamazov speculates that without a belief in god, there would be no basis for morality. These thoughts, of a fictional character, are often (mis)quoted by those who would argue that theism is necessary for morality. I’d counter that it’s been elegantly argued that our innate sense of morality is grounded in the long processes of human and societal evolution. Either way, religion, with its penchant for dividing humans into groups of “us” and “they”, certainly isn’t the magic antidote to hate, crime, and violence.
I personally have yet find myself peering over a precipice of atheistic immorality. I’m not good out of a fear of hell or lightening bolts. I’m good because I want to be a good person, to have the positive impacts of my life outweigh those of the silly mistakes I will inevitably make. I give time and money to the organizations I feel are helping to transform the world into a safer, nicer, more reasonable place. I vote and I rant, both essentials to a healthy democracy. I also try to be a good person on a micro-level, to be a good to my friends, family, and even strangers. I’m certainly not perfect: I can be mean, spiteful, and selfish, though rarely on purpose. I doubt I will ever lose my impulse to cry when I’ve hurt someone needlessly, and I’m glad of this.
It feels like article after article trots out atheism as angry, immoral, or unimaginative. The authors seem to condescendingly insist we are somehow missing an important truth that only theism offers, a truth that we’ve given up for atoms or evolution or logic or whatever, a truth that adds colors, vibrancy, and morality to everyday life. Please, let it rest. The only thing I’ve given up is a belief in a god- what remains is life, in its entire splendor. I wouldn’t ask for more.
