Originally published on Facebook, but reprinted here for archival purposes
I have been an atheist all my life and don’t expect that to change, but I’ve recently had two personal revelations that I’d like to share:
- If a friend of mine is going through difficult times, such as the loss of a loved one, and faith sustains them, then as far as our relationship is concerned their conception of things is 100% true. They may believe someone has gone to Heaven, moved on to a better or different place, merged with the cosmic consciousness, that the departed’s soul/spirit still watches over them, or that the departed has been reincarnated. (added: And if asked, I’ll even pray for you.) I’m right there with you and support whatever you believe provided it’s not destructive to others, which leads to my next point.
- I still oppose government endorsement of faith, however innocuous. I believe that for something as cosmically mind bending as faith, which attempts to address almost impossible questions, the last thing it needs is the imprimatur of a bunch of politicians who’s perspective and knowledge about the nature of reality is necessarily a very limited one. I include myself in that group of politicians. Our ability to conceive of the nature of the universe is, despite all the supercolliders, telescopes and brain imaging technologies, still severely limited.*
So if for some silly reason you and I get into a debate about #2, please remember #1. We are all ultimately flawed people trying to make our ways in the world. Life’s too short to let human conception of faith (or lack thereof) become a point of friction.
* We cannot even prove the universe is not a simulation. Perhaps another Einstein will come along to solve this conundrum. More importantly: perhaps it is unsolvable by the human mind. There are levels of cognition. Just as my observably intelligent dog can never understand particle physics, perhaps humans can never understand the nature of reality.