God, as creator of all and the one to whom we owe everything, is obviously a serious subject. Those who do not encourage strong faith in Him are, in effect, denying Him. To be not for Him is to be against Him, for He is so important.
Most of us do not encourage such strong faith. Many encourage nothing. Pagans, who comprise most of the religious world, prefer their own spirits and gods and thus reject God. Ninety-nine out of one hundred who try to nurture somebody’s faith are, in fact, treating it as a comfort mechanism and a placebo. They want faith to comfort others, but not to empower them to obey God and create a society under His command. If you want to avoid religious intrusion in your country’s laws and customs, you promote the idea that faith should be a personal, private space. The paradox is that if these private believers become numerous enough, it will still have an effect on how the nation is ruled.
NEGATIVE ATHEISM?
Some say that if you simply don’t believe in God, as opposed to believing there is no God, then that is enough to make you an atheist. It is true that normally the absence of belief is not a belief. But here, you are showing that you have a framework based on actions being louder than words. By ignoring God, you show that you are sure He does not exist. We are not talking about a ghost down the garden. With God, it is different. A ghost is not claimed to be something you should be wholly devoted to if it is real.
So, it is not a direct “There is no God,” but it is a “There is no God.” “Marry me” is direct, but there are other ways to suggest marriage. It is the difference between a point and a context that does not too obviously make the point. Same principle.
IMPLICIT ATHEISM?
Atheism can be implicit. A person can be an atheist and not realize it. She or he is implicitly atheist. Negative atheism is implicit atheism.
WHERE DO YOU START?
If you want to think about atheism, you have to start with negative atheism.
Why?
Because the biggest question in relation to God is, “Is there any evidence that He exists, meaning is there a reason to believe?”
The next biggest question is, “If there is no reason to believe, then is there evidence against God?”
You always need evidence for something’s existence before you can think about evidence against it. Why bother looking for evidence against something when there is no reason to think it exists? There is no point. Looking for evidence for something comes first, because if you show there is no evidence for it, then the way is open to examine the evidence against it. If you care about evidence, you cannot do the con without the pro. Doing the pro first avoids bias against it. It is more important that there be no evidence for something than that there be evidence against it.
ALLEGED REFUTATIONS OF NEGATIVE ATHEISM
One might think the problem with negative atheism is that its reasoning would justify foolish things. It might seem to justify acting as if one’s long-gone wife is dead because there is no evidence she is alive. Or that your employee is a thief because there is no evidence he is not. But the difference is that if there is a God, He will tell us He exists; the wife cannot, for she does not know what one thinks or if one wants to know. She’s not all-powerful and all-knowing like God, and it is the same with the employee. Being negatively atheist about something that supposedly directs, makes, and sustains all things is not the same as saying your wife must be treated as dead and buried because there is no reason to think otherwise. Your wife is not the creator who makes you, is around you, and gives you all you have.
Also, the problem does not exist. Negative atheism does not justify thinking the wife is dead because of the absence of evidence that she is alive. It is not about whether she is alive or not, but about the fact that you have no reason to think that she is. You are not believing anything. Saying there is no wife if there is no evidence of her existence is sensible. But saying she must be dead because there is no evidence she is still alive is not the same thing. Not hearing from her may not mean she is dead.
The principle behind negative atheism is useful when you are discussing whether an entity exists or not. If we are sure she did exist (in the past), evidence of her absence could be evidence of her non-existence (currently). But it is not evidence for absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. However, if she does not exist and never did, evidence of her absence is evidence of her non-existence.
FUNCTIONAL ATHEISM
To be an atheist in your belief and thinking is to be a theoretical atheist. To live as if there is no God to be accountable to is functional atheism. You can be a theoretical atheist and not realize it. Your actions—your living as an atheist, your functional atheism—say it all.
Agnosticism is not theoretical atheism. It is just open to it. But it is practical atheism. Even if the agnostic is an Anglican bishop doing services, he is still acting as an unbeliever. Prayer for him is not about committing to a God who should be your main or chief personal relationship. It is about what he wants to do and is not about God. Giving your mother a gift that suits you, not her, is not really giving her a gift. It only looks that way. Same idea.
A functional or practical atheist is just one who thinks that he or she should live as if God has no proper say. You can be a believer and be one.
FINALLY
Just not having faith or belief in God makes you an atheist simply because you are showing that your lack has implications which amount to denying there is a God. You have no duty to make a case for atheism, for you are not directly claiming anything. It is up to the believers who say there is a God, and it is up to the atheists who directly deny God, to prove their case. In practical terms, believers should only accept those whom they can educate and give a reasonably informed choice to into the fold. Capturing families, schools, and politicians is not acceptable at all. It is an injustice.
When you cut away the lies and confusion, you see that atheism has to be more common than anybody realizes. Many atheists think they believe in God. Thinking you believe is not the same as believing.