August 25, 2023 Conversation with a “friend” who is an atheist
There’s a persistent tendency in human nature to attribute unknown phenomenon to a supreme being. There’s also a persistent tendency, in dealing with the existential angst that we all experience knowing that we are going to die, to want to believe we will exist after we leave our physical bodies. The latter is referred to as terror management. I am well aware of this phenomenon and have become even more aware of it since I started my in-depth review of all the bad theology I was raised with.
In the deconstruction podcasts I’ve been listening to, atheists make an incredibly compelling argument for the theory that everything happens as a result of human evolution and environmental circumstances, that there is no intelligent design. I recognize the validity of those arguments.
I make no claims that I have the answers. Far from it. The more I learn about theology and spiritual matters, the more doubtful I am that any of us can have any certainty there is a creator or life after death. The problematic aspect of all this is you don’t have any proof of your position either. It would be arrogant for me to say that I have the answers. It’s just as arrogant for you to say you do. And you have never been willing to acknowledge that premise.
None of us knows what happens after death. Not a single one of us. It is all speculation. No matter what idea you choose to adopt, none of us knows. And when you go on to say that you know for sure, it’s just annoying as fuck. Because you don’t. You can’t.
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