"The pragmatic survive, and the determined thrive, but Faith manages."

Atheism.

It is a status that is a lot more complicated than, say, being a Muslim. If you happen to be a Muslim, everybody who is educated enough knows how you interpret God. However, in the case of atheism, the question goes unanswered until it is actually asked.

The main problem is that there is not just one God or one understanding of God that you do not believe in, it is many. Usually modern atheists in the so-called Western world consider God a being of exceptional power leading people’s lives. But, alas, it is not the only way to understand a ‘God’. Sure, a God taking interest in billions of people going about their daily lives doing unimaginably stupid things might sound far-fetched, but a God by definition ‘supreme being’ merely means there is somebody (or somebodies) further advanced in their evolutionary development compared to us, puny humans. Which sounds pretty logical – the likeliness that Earth is the cradle of all life is pretty small when one thinks about the Universe and its immense size. If life began somewhere else before on Earth or developed faster, they could be considered ‘supreme beings’ from our perspective. Evolution aims for ‘perfect’ beings, or at the very least ‘better than before’ beings, some hitches can occur along the way but the basic process continues nevertheless.

Another possibility is Spinoza’s God^[1], basically saying that God is in the orderly formation of the Universe and all its laws. For a scientists, these may indeed seem as if created by a divine force as they are effective and logical. Often enough a lot better than what humans could come up with. Not to mention the staggering complexity that works on a micro- and macroscopical scale, which only supports the theory that the whole system is godly.

There is a third option that can’t be ignored – what if God is human? A God is considered someone powerful, someone who is extremely smart and the motivation to use his or her brains, skills and status in his or her favour. In other words, “a being of unchallengeable power, worshipped by all those beneath me. A true god by any definition”. Leader cult is not unheard of in past dictatorships.

And then we come to the somewhat obvious abstract God that people use as an excuse to their misfortune or stupidity. It is not a ‘God’ in the general sense as it does not specify the nature of the deity, even I may have missed it without a little assistance. But it is a God that people believe in and put blame on. It is merely the illusion of something bringing bad luck or punishment to them, even when a more rational person might blame their own actions or random chance. In a way, it is like karma, the way things are supposed to be. But it also is a God that one can choose not to believe.

So, the next time you or someone else chooses to classify oneself as atheist, know that being one is a lot more complicated that it seems. Everyone is an atheist in some respect or other, it is simply difficult to be an atheist in every respect. That is why I prefer asking atheists what they believe God not to be.

Sorry for a repost of music but I find it quite enjoyable after a serious day. On the weekend I will catch up with TEDtalks and probably find something fascinating to repost here.