I t’s actually good to be an atheist and not a believer.Atheism has shown me things I would have never thought of as a devout person. I often wonder why people pray to God. I don’t mean people like saints or seers,but just normal people like you and me. Is it for material gain, for someone else or for your own self? Or is it just to vent out your frustrations? Actually,none of them, to be exact. People pray:
1. So God won’t crush them like bugs on plywood.
2.To escape and for psychological relief from problems in their daily life. This all might sound surprising, but this is the truth.And my change from a believer to an atheist showed me this with stunning clarity: that people pray to get relief, and to escape from the burgeoning problems of their daily, humdrum lives.They desperately want to believe that their problems will be cured by an invisible entity,almost like magic! They look to seek release from the pain and frustration they face through communion with God.To put it very simply: people are cowardly by nature.They can’t face problems on their own and want to depend on an omnipresent entity to solve problems and give them the happy ending of a fairy tale like Snow White and Prince Charming.To complete the metaphor,they liken problems to the evil stepmother who is the queen;the pain caused by problems is the poisoned apple.
I mean,come on.When you can’t respect the person who is washing your dishes and cleaning your floors, how can you actually expect a ‘higher power’ to respect you?
There’s another kick to atheism.Atheism develops your belief in yourself, which is good for people with low self-esteem.You can feel the power you have; the realisation that you don’t have to depend on someone to fix your problems is a powerful one; you are the one who’s in control. Also, atheism lends unbelievable clarity to the mind — it has actually made me better in math than ever before.You can think clearly, abstractly and reason logically, without blaming it all on ‘divine happenings’.
A bit of logical reasoning can take you eons ahead of others; for this is the thing — people want to believe in something, depend on something, which makes them weak.When you don’t depend on anyone or anything for yourself, you are powerful in a unique way. Yes, atheism is empowering.
WHAT SEEKERS HAD TO SAY
■ Work Is Worship
■ There is logic and analytical reasoning in what you say. It is true that a majority of believers pray only when they are in trouble. There are more agnostics in the world than all the theists and atheists put together. Ultimately, work is worship.That is what most hardworking atheists believe and that is exactly what the Gita too says. Devi Prasad
Always Do Your Duty
■What you term atheism is described as karma yoga in our scriptures. So if you are immersed in your work, you are following the true path.You have the right data, but have come to the wrong conclusion.Your actions, are right though.There are many theists and like you,they have the right data but the wrong conclusion and wrong action. Once you progress more spiritually,you will be happier. Krishna Hare
Follow Your Instincts
■ Do whatever your soul tells you is right. That will ensure you do right and are happy. Sunita Gupta
The Right Conclusion
■ This is a great analysis. Keep exploring the path as you traverse through life. Ravi Kiran
God Is Not Man’s Creator
■You are on the right track. God is not man’s creator.Man has created God to serve his own selfish ends. D P Sharma
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