TEDxSalford

Thoughts Of A Living Atheist

For thousands of years no one has been able to keep apart the hate when it comes to religion and atheism. Religion stands its ground while atheists attack on the theory that it’s all nonsense. Yet despite this clear divide and with no end in sight, I am going to try and do something no one person has been able to do in over 2000 years … I’m going to unite religion and atheism -

Here goes…

I must admit I do have some help in this seemingly impossible task, Alain de Botton’s talk [TED Global, July 2011, Edinburgh] attempts to do just this. He explains the idea we seem to have developed where you can only just be on one side of the argument, and this is ridiculous – both sides have much to learn from each other and in all honesty, if we were ever to develop something where the best of both worlds could mix, the result would truly be something divine.

It’s as though either you accept [religious] doctrine and then you can have all the nice stuff, or you reject the doctrine and you’re living in some kind of spiritual wasteland

De Botton advises us of a new religion for the 21st century; Atheism 2.0 – And it’s going to change the way we see ourselves as well as the people and world around us. The main problem facing us today is that religion and atheism have been cast as black and white, you can only stand one side of the border, neither side can mix and all thoughts and values are kept apart. It’s this structure that’s making this debate as unstable as ever; if we’re all getting into fights purely on the basis that we have different views, then how can we expect to ever meet in the middle?

‘Harmonious disagreement’

We as a species seem to struggle at achieving these two simple words – Harmonious disagreement – and you can hardly blame religion and atheism for being any different. We live on a planet of shock and awe, polarised positions and plain outright stubbornness, we have fights and gang wars over sport, which streets you’re allowed to walk, and of course, which religion to follow.

So with this in mind will we ever be able to achieve a time where we can all get together and find a common ground to live a peaceful and fulfilling life? Or are we doomed to live a life full of conflict and never ending violence over the fact that two people have different opinions over a subject to which we will never know the answer?

“When you look at the Moon, you think, ‘I’m really small. What are my problems?’ It sets things into perspective.

We should all look at the Moon a bit more often.”

At the basis of religion there are some genuinely good core ideas of morality, guidance and values, and with such well meaning values you wonder as to how so much hatred has been borne from it, so perhaps it’s not so much religion or religious values itself but perhaps the way it is taught/learned and understood that really defines the shadier side of faith.

From the atheist side it does sometimes look like people are using religion to push their own agendas, and in some cases it’s clearly true. It’s no wonder people outside the religious circle are filled with scepticism; conversely, non-religious types should not be so quick to scorn. I mean, can you really be angry at someone who bases their life on being fair, keeping high moral standards and wanting to help others? I realise these ideals are extremely simplistic to what religion really teaches (but I’ve only got this blog to unite the world remember so I’m simplifying where I can!)

“The universe is large and we are tiny, without the need for further religious superstructure.

One can have so-called spiritual moments without belief in the spirit.”

When I was younger, I did believe in God. However the death of someone close to me changed all that, and I went for a long time seeing religion as quite a fraudulent process – why are we being told to believe in someone who brings such pain to the world, a world he was supposed to have created? –  it made no sense, and with that religion has always had a stigma attached to it.

Over time, though, I have come to realise a few things. I came to realise that I can easily practice a lot of the good the Church teaches without having to spend my Sundays kneeling down. I can help people, I can seek purpose and morality and I can do whatever I can to help people around me achieve the same.

I don’t believe in God, he doesn’t inspire me, but certain musicians or people do and why should this change the way that other people perceive me?

This is happening all over ‘God’s green earth’ – everyone is seeking enlightenment of some kind, just on different levels to each other, and the fact your own personal journey for this involves, say, going to a gig instead of mass shouldn’t be the kind of thing that starts wars….

We may not agree with what religions are trying to teach us, but we can admire the institutional way in which they’re doing it.”

If we can find a middle ground where religion doesn’t see atheism as the ‘devils work’, and atheists don’t see religion as pure fiction, then maybe we all might get somewhere. Religion is based in good morals and core values, and some ideas that everyone should be able to take away with them.

Religion should also see the benefit that even if its just one idea, or if its an entire lifestyle, if someone can take and embrace the good in religion, then surely we’ll all be closer to an idea of our own divinity, and at peace with ourselves and creation to a point where we realise the differences don’t matter.

We are all very lucky to be on this planet regardless of how we got here, and when you realise the insignificance of the world and universe we’re living in, things like religion and atheism should certainly be a part of us, but it shouldn’t define us. Life is what defines us, and by understanding the best parts of religion and faith, and mixing it with the critical need to ask questions of atheism, our definition of life should be a much more peaceful one than it is now… Amen to that.

“Religions are so subtle, so complicated, so intelligent in many ways that they’re not fit to be abandoned to the religious alone; they’re for all of us.”