Why not?

The existence of God can neither be proved nor disproved. There are strong arguments on both sides, but neither side can ever win on the basis of reason alone. Because the existence of God is an issue entirely of belief, it is as much an act of faith to say that God does not exist as it is to say that He does. Given that fact, I offer one reason why belief in God is more desirable than atheism. Based on this reason, I ask "why not believe in God?"

For the (intellectually honest) atheist, life is meaningless. Atheists may find individual meaning in certain aspects of their lives (friends, family, success, etc.), but life itself has no meaning if it is a result of random chance. Without a creator, there is no purpose in creation. If creation serves no purpose, it has no meaning. There is no transcendent meaning to anything in this universe. Belief in God brings meaning to life. God created the universe, and He has some ultimate purpose for it. The nature of that purpose is widely debating among religionists, and is not pertinent to this discussion. The mere fact that a purpose exists gives meaning to life.

Life is difficult and full of trials. Friends and family die, we suffer financial hardship, pain and anguish face us at almost every turn. Our happiness depends on confronting this fact and overcoming it. A frame of reference that gives no transcendent meaning to life does not help us in this arena. Believing that life is ultimately meaningful gives believers a stronger position from which to overcome the difficulties of life. Thus, religion helps people be happy. (Incidentally, this is one reason why unhappy religionists are one of the most damaging things to religion. More on that another time.)

Given that religion makes life more bearable and helps us to be happy, I ask what benefits there are to atheism. How does not believing in God make you a better person, or make life easier to bear? If you wonder about the existence of God, why not believe?

What I Believe

As a first post, I feel it is only appropriate that I take the opportunity to set the background and reasons for this blog. I'll start with some biographical information about myself, then move on to discuss the nature of this blog and why I feel it is important.

I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes referred to as the "Mormon" church. I will use both names for the Church interchangeably, and will refer to its members as either "latter-day saints (LDS)" or "mormons," and maybe sometimes "saints." I was born into an LDS family and grew up attending church every Sunday (for three hours, mind you). This obviously had a strong impact on my religious/social/political formation. I spent two years in Paraguay serving as a full-time proselytizing missionary, teaching and baptizing. I now attend church at my local congregation and serve there as a youth leader. For those unfamiliar with the LDS church and its teachings, I will devote an occasional post to laying out the basic beliefs, organization, and programs of the Church. However, this is not the main purpose of this blog.

The main purpose of this blog is to lay out rational (i.e. non-"blind faith" based) reasons for belief. Too many people dismiss religion as a "the opium of the masses," and think that those of us who believe in "such nonsense" do so only because we lack the capacity to think. I intend in this blog to dispel this myth. Most believers I know are intelligent, thoughtful people who seriously consider and frequently discuss the tenets of their beliefs. I have participated in many such discussions, with members of my own faith, members of other faiths, and even with non-believers. I will bring forth here many of the arguments hashed out in these discussions, in the hope that it will help bring clarity and enlightenment to sincere seekers of truth.

While I am, as stated, a Mormon, it is not my intent to convince my readers to join the LDS church. If any are touched and wish to learn more, I will be only too delighted by the outcome and will happily point them to sites like http://mormon.org where they can learn more. However, my primary focus will be on rational reasons for belief in fundamental principles, such as faith in God, judeo-christian moral values, etc.

It is my sincere hope that all who read this blog may be uplifted and enlightened. For that reason, I will moderate all comments (and may choose to disable them entirely) to filter out the venom that hate-filled atheists (or even disagreeing believers) are certain to attempt to post.

May God bless and keep you, my esteemed readers.

--Bob