One of my favorite dead wrong but nice people is Hement
Mehta, The Friendly Atheist. Not only is
he unfailing polite as he points out the silliness of belief, but he does it
with charm and humor. His blog, The
Friendly Atheist and his You-Tube videos on Atheist Voice include such topics
as “Atheist at a
Megachurch”, “What Do Atheists Believe Happens to You When You Die?” and
“Fifteen Things You Should Never Say to an Atheist.” (I was impressed that he didn’t call it
“Fifteen Stupid Things You Should Never Say to an Atheist.”)
I was glad to see that believers aren’t the only ones who
should watch their mouths. Mr. Mehta has
a video “9 Things Atheists Should Stop Saying,” such as “I lost my faith,” or
“I can be good without god.” But the
no-no that I found the most interesting was, “Babies are born atheists.” This is not because he thinks babies believe,
but because they have not earned the right to be called atheists. All a baby has to do is exist. To be an atheist, he or she has to be
bombarded with information such as that there is nothing beyond the material world,
that Grandma would have survived the triple by-pass even if no one had prayed
for her, that his or her best friend's pastor, who is like a cool aunt or uncle or favorite grandparent, is either
stupid beyond belief or, worse, a fraud and hypocrite. And don’t forget the biggie – when you die,
bada bing, bada boom, that’s it for you.
Then the baby, who is by now at least in middle school has earned the
title of atheist and can wear atheist t-shirts and necklaces with charms that
say, “God free” as he or she rides around in the family car with the cute
animal on the back that says “Evolve.”
Well, I don’t think babies are born atheists; I think we are
all born with a capacity to believe.
Researchers have proposed the idea of a “God gene” that predisposes
people to spirituality. It even has a
name, VMAT2. But it is more than a God
gene. Throughout history people have
been creating rituals and beliefs for themselves, partly out of fear and a
desire for explanation of the world. But
I think it also came from wonder, the desire for something greater than
oneself, and the marvelous realization looking at the world, that there must
be. And perhaps the God gene is part of
God’s gift to us.
Belief has survived disasters, evil, and various Ages of
Doubt and Reason.
A baby does not have to earn the title of believer or
Christian. Nobody does. Belief is in us already. And Jesus can be, too, if we believe.
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