PART I - The Box
How big is it? What color? Does it emit any information about itself?
It's a white box the size of a baseball, so we're told. But this little white box reveals nothing about itself. It's obscure, nobody can get near it, it doesn't emit any noticeable smell, it doesn't cater to any of our senses, it doesn't use Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat to communicate, etc. Nonetheless, many conjecture as to its contents, mostly from the whims of illiterate people from bygone eras.
Christians are certain this little white box contains a red baseball with Jesus Christ's autograph. Muslims are just as sure, perhaps even more, that this same box contains a blue one with Muhammad's autograph. Both are built on the Old Testament tradition, but distinct nonetheless. One is red, the other blue, each emblazoned with a different signature. Clearly they can't coexist because that would violate the Law of Non-Contradiction, right? But at least they're both balls? Why or how could the 2 most dominant religions on Earth, comprising more than 50% of us, believe something so similar, yet so distinct?
Just as we can create a long list of items that could not possibly be contained in this little white box, we can also create an endless list of items that COULD.
Hopefully we can all agree this little white box can't possibly fit the Milky Way Galaxy.....there's just not enough room? Nonsensical objects are eliminated too, say, something ridiculous like a deck of cards made of anger?
On the other hand, it's not inconceivable that this little white box COULD harbor either of the 2 baseballs previously mentioned. But how do Christians and Muslims know? They don't. Belief and faith can only ever attempt to fill this gap of knowledge.....it's a placeholder. Perhaps forever?
Think about man before he knew a thing about meteorology. Surely there had to be a God (or Gods) controlling the weather, so he made one(s) up to explain floods and droughts. Why? Because he had to "know" God. Why did he have to "know" God? Because he sought a place of comfort and control, without which he would not possess. Behold, faith and belief!
Analogize what believers of different faiths claim this little white box to contain. Any number of small, novel objects could conceivably fit. A scoop of vanilla ice cream? A ball of twine? A piece of dog shit? 17 rose petals? 4 ounces of Klingon vomit? Nobody KNOWS what's in the box! As I've alluded to previously, one can only ever be sure at to what's NOT in the box. Any guess as to what's actually in it is akin to the Wild West.....
But Kurt, what do you believe to be in it? Why does it matter what I believe to be in this little white box? Whatever's in the box is in the box. Perhaps it's not little? Or white? Or even a box at all?
I HAVE NO EARTHLY IDEA! I simply concede uncertainty. I'm fine with that. What about you?
PART II - Agnosticism?
Will a self-professed atheist ever be elected POTUS? I don't know, but it doesn't seem likely these days?
A tantalizing question for sure, meant to reinforce the fact that atheism in the U.S. today gets a really bad rap. This should not be the case.
To me, there are 2 fundamental types of atheism: the strong and the weak.
The strong atheist absolutely knows God doesn't exist, much like the religious zealot who just knows he is right and anybody else that might believe in a competing God is "buying into a lie", something or other. The strong atheist is arrogant and obnoxious just like the religious maven. Both seem to permeate today's hyper-polarized society?
The weak atheist like myself simply lacks belief to a question in which nobody can even in principle answer yet or perhaps ever.....is there a God?
The only tenable response to this question should be, "I DON'T KNOW"? For those that call themselves agnostic, as if this were some middle ground between strong atheism and religious zeal, they are essentially weak atheists like me. Their beliefs just don't afford them the luxury of claiming a specific God entity exists. It would out of necessity, at times at least, threaten their intellectual credibility. Who among us wants to come across as an imbecile?
People have the privilege to believe and have faith in whatever they so choose......Santa Claus, flying reindeer, magic elves, the Tooth Fairy, the invisible midget that turns on the refrigerator light when one opens it, Alex Jones' crazy conspiracy theories, any number of Gods, etc.
Agnosticism simply means lack of knowledge.....belief and faith step in as proxies for this lack of knowledge. Ergo, EVERYBODY is agnostic concerning the existence of God.
PART III - Morality?
Morality is a complicated topic, as both lovers and haters of Friedrich Nitezsche will likely agree.
One of the most profound adages ever uttered by a clear thinking being, homo-sapien or not, is that, though atheism doesn't systematically lead to moral behavior, neither does it lead to immoral behavior.
In this sense, though atheism does not guide us on how to behave well, neither does it guide us to be assholes?
Morality is up to us!
As a weak atheist, I believe being nice to others generally lends itself to others being nice to me. Challenge me if you disagree?
Evolution seems to have instilled in us, if you will, a social contract to play nice "in the sandbox" with others. Imagine if I was an asshole and you were too? Let's say we both stole from each other? How would this moral system work?
With the exception of gypsies and other numerous con-artists, collectively as a social society, it seems incumbent on us to live by the creed, "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours!" Or as the golden rule more or less implies, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you".
Hence why this proverbial social contract works......without belief in OR EVEN THE EXISTENCE OF GOD?
I hope I've whittled away the stigma of atheism to at least a few. I've tried my best.
