OPINION: Christmas brings out the radical atheists

I have never understood this. What if they are right? What if there is no God, and at death, we all simply cease to exist? Why does it matter if the majority of us believe that God exists and that we continue to live in some form or another after physical death? If we are wrong, and they are right, then death will put an end to all our beliefs. So if we are comforted by a belief in God, how will that affect the reality of death?

Might it be that they are not quite so confident in their disbelief. Could it be that they are made uneasy by the idea that they might be wrong and that they will have to deal with their unbelief after death?

I suspect that they are among the group of left wing egotists who feel that they have a right to impose their ideas on the rest of us. If we recognize a power above all things human, then they will never be able to overcome our resistance and force their socialist concepts on us.

These are usually the same people who are so adamant in attacking the tendency of rural Americans, especially those of us in the South, that we are fully capable of making our own decisions and do not need a massive federal government to run our lives for us. They see the independence of Southern culture, and the reliance on our religious faith as threats to their belief that only a massive government can provide for our physical and social needs. It is for that reason that they so actively attack all things religious and all things Southern.

It is impossible for us, bound in the physical world, to know factually if God exists or not. If he exists, then the universe is filled with his spirit. There is no differentiation that would allow us to perceive him with our physical senses. At the same time, if there is no God, then the universe is completely empty of spiritual energy. Again, there is no differentiation to allow us to see that. It takes just as much faith to believe that God does not exist, as it does to believe that He does.

Atheism is just as much a religion as theism. Most of us “believe” that there is a God. A few of us “believe” that there is no God, just as the sign they posted in Washington State capital said. But either case is a matter of belief.

Christmas and Easter are the two most holy times for those of us who accept the teachings of Christianity. Our purpose is to express our belief, not to force it on others. The radical atheists have the same right to express their non-belief. But they have no right to attempt to interfere with our religious practices.

The Constitution states that Congress shall not impose religion on us, nor are they allowed to interfere with our right to practice the faith of our choosing. But that is exactly what the radical atheists are trying to do.

Frank Gillispie is founder of The Madison County Journal. His e-mail address is frankgillispie671@msn.com. His website can be accessed at http://frankgillispie.tripod.com/