How do you Handle Atheists

The Los Angeles Times recently ran a story about an atheist campaign in Britain in which a group has placed banners on public buses reading, “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” The campaign, apparently, has proven popular in mostly secular Britain. In your line of spiritual work, do you often deal with atheists and nonbelievers, and how do you go about reconciling their beliefs with your own?

Answer:
We may never know if the old adage “There are no atheists in foxholes” is true, but I do know that when my first son was born and I watched that miracle with watery eyes, without a doubt, “There are no atheists in birthing rooms.” That moment allows us to ponder some of the deepest thoughts of life, purpose and things eternal.

Everyone believes in something. When an atheist tells me he/she doesn’t believe in God, they’re only stating a disbelief in a particular concept. And, usually, after a brief encounter, we find out that I reject the same.

For the most part, their disbelief is in a Superman-type of god: one who swoops down from the heavens, fixes things, rewards the do-gooders and punishes the bad guys. It is a disbelief in a power that designates rules that profit some and bring pain and suffering to another segment of the populations. It is disbelief in a conscience that allows genocide, famine and abuse of children. Like I said, I don’t even believe in that concept of God.

An Armenian orthodox understanding of God begins with the simple equation that God is love. As such, when we see manifestations of love in our lives, we find the presence of God. It is timeless, dating back to the earliest moments of history and never dying — that is, it lasts forever. It’s hard to deny love because it is present in the smile of a child, in the visitor to the cancer ward, in the rescuer at the hurricane site, and in the hand that reaches out to hug you in your times of loneliness.

Accordingly, my “argument” to the atheist is not with words, but by living the life that exemplifies that love. That is, by reaching out to others, helping the needy, visiting the sick and loving all without prejudice, I make a small, but important, case for God.

FR. VAZKEN MOVSESIAN

In His Shoes Mission

Armenian Church Youth Ministries