When my son Graham was 7 years old, I told him the truth about Father Christmas.
He was just about to start junior school in September, and I didn’t want him to look a fool in front of the older kids who were certain to disillusion him that year, anyway.
Graham said I was mean and cruel, and I’d ruined the magic of Christmas for him forever.
And maybe I had. I wished I hadn’t done it – or at least not that year. He wasn’t ready to learn the truth. He’d enjoyed believing in a wonderful magic person who brought lovely presents secretly in the night – who wouldn’t want that to be true? Couldn’t I have left him in his happy delusion a bit longer?
Sometimes it’s painful to lose our illusions, but once they’re gone, we can’t get them back. The essence of truth is so obvious that we wonder why we’d never realised it before.
My disillusionment came in a Sociology class at college. We were discussing how religion was a force for social control, and how the Church reinforced the view that God had ordained an individual’s poverty or wealth, and I was reminded of Voltaire’s words: ‘If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.’
It burst on me like an epiphany – No, because God did not exist, it was necessary to invent him!
Of course! Once I could see the truth, I knew I’d never be blind again.
I was brought up as a Christian, but since that moment, I’ve been a confirmed atheist. I haven’t lost my faith – I’ve gained the truth, and I believe that being aware of reality is better than any delusion, however comforting and inspiring that delusion may be. I’m not grimly determined to stick to my beliefs, but none of the arguments I’ve heard ‘to prove God exists’ has come even close to proving anything of the kind. Mostly, they boil down to:
- Well, he just does. (Next!)
- Someone who prayed to God got what they prayed for. (Corroborative evidence at best, and how do you know they wouldn’t have got it anyway without praying? Also, lots more people didn’t get what they prayed for – does that prove God doesn’t exist? And some people who prayed to Aphrodite or Osiris got what they prayed for, so are they real, too?)
- I feel his power in me. (That’s nice for you. But hardly conclusive proof for me.)
- It’s not a matter of proof; it’s a matter of faith. If you believe in him, he exists. (No, actually, it’s a matter of fact. The fact is, either God exists or he doesn’t. Saying that he is created by people believing in him is the same as saying he is a figment of your imagination.)
- If you don’t believe that God loves everyone, he’ll torture you in hell for eternity and I’ll enjoy watching you writhe in agony because I’m such a wonderful Christian that I’ll be in heaven. (Yes, really! I’ve seen this one online several times!)
- It’s in the Bible, so it must be true because it’s the Word of the Lord. (No, it was written by humans who claim it was inspired by God.)
- All fossils were created by God to make us believe in evolution, so therefore we shouldn’t believe in evolution and that proves God exists because I’m clearly a moron who hasn’t thought this argument through. (Another one I’ve seen several times!)
No, I’m afraid you could no more convince me now that God exists, than persuade the 25-year-old Graham that Father Christmas is actually real after all. He’d need to see flying reindeer to believe it. I’m open-minded, but frankly, nothing much short of seeing Jesus descending from the sky trailing clouds of glory would prove that I’m wrong (at which point it would probably be too late!)
It’s a pity, really. I miss God.
Religious faith makes sense of the world, which is why so many intelligent people believe in it based on such flimsy evidence. It feels like it ought to be true, like those fairy tales of poor, cruelly-treated people who end up rich and happy because they were good and kind. If you’re treated unfairly, it’s nice to think those responsible will get their come-uppance eventually. When you’re desperate and nothing short of a miracle will save you, it’s good to have a friend who can do miracles that you can call upon for help. If you’re suffering in this world, it’s reassuring to think you’ll get your reward in the next life.
Reassuring, but not true, unfortunately. Like it or lump it, life isn’t fair. Let’s get used to it.
But thanks to Graham, I’ve learned that it’s not up to me to spoil the magic and take away other people’s faith – they need to find out the truth for themselves. And I still celebrate Christmas. Although I’m an atheist, ‘peace and goodwill to all mankind’ is a sentiment I can really go for.
So you go right ahead and pray to anything or anyone that gets you through the day. I’d take the red pill every time, but if you’d rather stay in the Matrix, it’s your decision. You won’t hear me criticise you, unless you think loving God is a reason to hurt people who don’t agree with you.
Thank goodness the Easter Bunny’s real, anyway.