Late Night Conversation

I've taken a relatively long absence from blogging. Partially due to changing jobs and other personal issues, but it's also given me a chance for further self-examination and evaluation. Several times during the past month, I've seen comments and posts by those who willingly or unwillingly misrepresent atheists. In all of those cases, other atheists had called them on it, and most had done a very good job of it. However, I just couldn't justify the effort it would take for me to rebutt the fractal wrongness of their positions.

There are some who think that an "atheistic influence" is causing all of the problems in American society, even though those who classify themselves as "atheist" make up a very small percentage of the population. If me and those like me could have such a profound effect on the population, even though we are so few in number, it would be an amazing thing, but it seems that this particular blogger is just trying to rationalize how everything is changing in ways that don't fit with his theological views.

Then there's the "artist" on deviantART who drew this:

I am expressing my feeling towards the very Idea of Atheism. I almost pity those who have such beliefs. I'm not saying they are wrong or right. I'm just saying that what they believe in is more depressing than any other possibility.

So I made this simple picture to express my feelings for somebody who believes in nothing.

here we see a person sitting in a blank room without any doors or windows. What is most troubling is the fact that this person wants to be here, and is unwilling to move from his chair. Alone, neglected, and lost to the ravages of time. without anything to grab onto and hold as a symbol of his own identity. Those who seek nothing as a reward shall ultimately receive it.

I don't think Atheists can even believe in love, which is the saddest part.

If this picture offends you, remember that it is not directed at you. Even if you are an atheist.

There's so much wrong with his "view" of atheists that it would take me a week to deal with it all. If you read the comments on his deviantART page, he seems happy about his notoriety and doesn't even bother addressing those who point out what is wrong with what he says.

In cases like those above, there seems to be a correlation. When so much of what someone says is false, they will not change their opinion when they are shown why their views are erroneous. By shifting goalposts, misrepresenting responses, or just simply putting their fingers in their ears and screaming "LA LA LA LA" they will do whatever it takes to rationalize their views and ignore anything that could (and should) make them rethink their positions. As I've heard before (paraphrased), "Someone who does not use reason and evidence to arrive at their opinion cannot be reasoned out of it."

Contrary to what the authors of these posts may think, I don't feel angry or threatened by what they write or believe. Even when I do respond to their false assertions I'm not doing so in the hopes that they might change their point of view. That is part of it, but not the whole reason. If I do respond to someone's opinion, I can usually tell if they can be persuaded that their opinions are wrong with the first comment they do in response to mine. If they do the usual sort of mental gymnastics required to defend and keep their opinion, I figure I'm wasting my breath (or typing) in responding to them. The main reason I do it is for others who view such interactions with a more open mind.

What I do feel for these types of people is pity and sadness. That someone's views of reality can be so fragile that they need to feel that those who believe different from them must lead lives so destitute is depressing, to say the least. Especially when those others point out the falsehoods in their beliefs, and they put on the philosophical blindfold that is necessary to keep their views.

At the moment, I picture a deck of cards that is enclosed inside of a box to keep any wind from knocking it down or even preventing a breeze from disturbing it. The problem with that is what may happen if/when something comes along that "hits" that box. By that analogy I mean something that they haven't thought of protecting their beliefs from.

Thinking that your deck of cards is so well protected (that you are absolutely right in your opinion) can lead to devastating effects if a disruption occurs by other means. For instance, they are both so intent on their beliefs that they ignore anything said or any contrary evidence presented by atheists. What will happen if something happens to make them question (or doubt) their beliefs, and it doesn't involve an atheist? Could that cause a psychotic break? This is purely speculation, but it seems to me that the stronger a person believes in something the harder it will be for them to handle having that belief demolished.

Now, what does all of this have to do with a "late night conversation"? Well, Princess and I ended up talking for quite a while, last night, about theology/philosophy. By quite a while, we're talking somewhere around an hour and a half to two hours. This is the first time that we've had a lengthy discussion on belief/non-belief since I told her that I'm an atheist. We've had short discussions before, but we've never delved deeper into it. The interesting thing is how much we understood about the other when we finally went to sleep.

The only aspect that we had opposing viewpoints on is the existence of a deity. I can even say it that way because her point of view is that the deity may not even be God with a capital 'G', i.e. the way God is described in the Bible/Koran/Tanakh etc. She does believe in a higher power, but she's still questioning what the aspects of that higher power are. She even said that me telling her I no longer believe brought her "out of a rut". When we finally called it a morning (it was after midnight), we both understood the other better and I feel we're closer for it.

There will always be those who don't, and won't attempt to, understand my point of view as an atheist. It's sad that there are people that fragile, but it's true. However, it's heartening to know that one of the people I love most is willing to ask me the questions and actually think about my answers. Princess uses our differences as a reason to talk and further understand each other. Where some others want to use it as a barrier to keep them from understanding.

Could it be possible that those people are using projection? It must be a sad and lonely life if you can't open yourself up enough to someone else to question who you are.