Unless you have no Christian friends whatsoever and a pathological fear of poster boards, you might have noticed that the Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union have been running a series of evangelist talks and blog articles called Everything in Colour this term. I would like to offer a response to Everything In Colour as an atheist, and since I can’t afford to print posters or rent lecture halls, I thought I’d write this.
My subtitle is a clear rip-off of the title of the Everything in Colour blog post written by OICCU External Vice-President and fellow Hughsie Johnny Patterson, a man for whom I have a great deal of respect. I intend to do the same thing here that he did there: assume my worldview is correct, and explore the consequences of that. I hope to conclude that atheism isn’t as depressing as OICCU has suggested in this term so far.
So, let’s start. After denying the existence of gods, where does that leave us? Well, it leaves us on our own. And this is where writing about atheism in a proactive, positive way gets quite hard. Because God is a really, really seductive idea. Johnny asks “If Christianity were true, would you want it to be?” My answer? Yes. If the very best form of Christianity existed, the form where God – the God – loved you and required in return only that you love him back and love your neighbour, then yes.
Atheism, on the other hand, is nowhere near as compelling at first glance. It’s seen as a denial of an idea, promising nothing, providing no support. Friedrich “God Is Dead” Nietzsche told the story of an atheist driven mad by this removal of structure to his life: “Whither are we moving? Away from all suns? Are we not plunging continually? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? Is there still any up or down? Are we not straying, as through an infinite nothing?”
The thing is, it really isn’t as gloomy as all that. Everything in Colour is fond of reiterating that we, as humans, are like OICCU Jesus college rep Clem Faux, when he said in his blog post he was “totally broken and unable to fix myself”. I think this is going a bit far (not to mention a harmful message to spread in a university with already high levels of mental health problems): but I do accept that we are finite, with limited understanding.
Therefore, why on earth should we need an unlimited being to fill our lives with wonder, and purpose, and meaning? I think anyone who says that it would be impossible for their lives to be filled with wonder without God is making extraordinarily ambitious claims about their own capacity for wonder. For example, I organised a charity event this week making sandwiches for the Oxford Gatehouse to which around fifteen people came, and it absolutely made my week. Goodness me, Christians must be so jaded in comparison.
This point seems to clash with something that OICCU University college rep Paloma Vince says about her former atheism in her blog post, though: “The more I thought about it, the more I realised that my worldview was just empty; void of anything compelling.” Now, I’ve never met Paloma Vince and I’m sure she’s a decent human, but what a ridiculous, small-minded thing to say. Of course life without God is compelling.
Look up. You want mystery? Consider that every part of the observable Universe is flying away from every other at a rate which keeps increasing, and nobody knows why. You want perspective? Consider that if you spent 100 years – more than your whole life – travelling at near-light speed towards the centre of the Milky Way (just our own galaxy, mind), you would get 0.4% of the way there. (Consider that I don’t understand relativity properly, and the correct figure is probably even more shocking.)
Look down. Look at your chest. You want beauty? Consider that over millions of years, your chest has adapted through trial and hardship into a life-giver for the rest of your body more extraordinary and efficient than anything we can currently understand. Consider the overwhelming likelihood that someone, somewhere, finds you beautiful.
Look around. You want comfort? Consider that in the last twenty-five years, thanks to the UN Millennium Development Goals, global extreme poverty has halved, global extreme hunger has almost halved and so has the percentage of young people in the world who cannot read. People’s kindness is rapidly making the world a better place.
Look ahead. You want community? Consider the new goals set by the UN to achieve by 2030, and consider how you can be a part of that. More locally, consider all of the good work being done here in Oxford to help people who are homeless, ill, struggling, disenfranchised: people who are less lucky than we are. You can be a part of that too.
I am not an evangelist, and I don’t want to be one. I don’t think it’s my job to tell you what to believe about God (neither do I think it is the job of Johnny Patterson or indeed Richard Dawkins). Make your own mind up. But just please understand that, contrary to OICCU’s constant and false suggestion over these recent weeks, it is possible to believe that no gods exist and still live a life that is wonder-filled, and compassionate, and fulfilling, and all of it in glorious, stunning colour.
This piece was written in response to the following blogs:
Johnny Patterson’s Blog: http://www.everythingincolour2016.com/life-in-colour-blog/if-christianity-were-true-would-you-want-it-to-be
Clem Faux’s Blog: http://www.everythingincolour2016.com/life-in-colour-blog/ginger-boy-with-glasses-gets-heart-transplant
Paloma Vince’s Blog: http://www.everythingincolour2016.com/life-in-colour-blog/why-i-lost-my-anti-christian-convictions
