"They would have to acknowledge that, in terms of consolation, there is no comparison between 'The dead do not suffer' and 'Your child lives on, and you will be reunited with her.'"
Fine. I readily acknowledge that atheism doesn't offer much in the way of consolation but that doesn't make your religion true. Is the purpose of religion to ease suffering?
For me, the lack of an afterlife makes this life MORE precious, not less. The fact that a human life only takes up a "tiny speck of time" is not an atheist-only view. Don't you also believe that our life is short compared to the eternal afterlife?
I choose to do what I can to make THIS life better for those around me. Is that so bad?
Last week the New York Times published an opinion piece that offered atheism's response to the evil/tragedy in which 20 children and six adults were murdered at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut.
What prompted Susan Jacoby to write her piece was a colleague telling her that atheism "has nothing to offer when people are suffering."
She wrote the piece, "The Blessings of Atheism" ("It is Here and It is Now!" screams the subhead) to prove her colleague wrong by offering a consoling atheist alternative to religion's consoling belief in an afterlife. Atheists cannot believe that there is any...
When deciding how to live your life, most people (regardless of their religious beliefs) come to realize that the "Golden Rule" is a pretty good guide. The most logical and reasonable way to make the world a better place is to "treat others how you want to be treated."
There are many motivations that lead to this same conclusion:
- Make the world better for me
- Make the world better for my kids
- Make the world better for everyone
- Go to Heaven after I die
Isn't that last one just as selfish as the first?
If someone could prove to you that there is no God or afterlife, would that make it ok to murder your neighbor and eat the food from his pantry? Of course not. Actions still have consequinces even if there is no final judgement and most people would rather live in a world where we help each other than one where it's every man for himself.
I agree that atheism suggests no concept of love-- if they believe that love even exists (God is love).