Even atheists get it right sometimes

Kenneth Hynek • 1st Apr 2008 • Religion, Atheism, Religion, Philosophy, Religion
atheism, God, Heaven, Hell, Malcolm Muggeridge, Religion, sin

It’s easy to disagree with the non-belief in God. It’s damn hard to disagree with the conviction and integrity.

I don’t believe in Heaven or Hell. But if I did, I think breaking a promise to a child should be considered a cardinal sin. A child has their whole life to learn that the world is a dark and horrible place full of people who are going to f**k them over and let them down. Do you really want the person who finally teaches them this to be you?

Never make a promise lightly. But if you do, resolve to keep that promise or die trying.

I look at people like this with a “glass half full” kind of opinion: dead wrong about Religion, unfortunately, but the heart is (more often than not) in the right place…and then in spades. And that’s not a terrible place for a person to be — more than enough such people have done a Muggeridge. It’s not a particularly huge step to make from understanding that there are very fixed tenets of right and wrong at work in the world to realizing that the world was made to work according to those tenets by something beyond human understanding, and then with a very palpable intent.

Update: Welcome, WebElf readers!

Possibly Related Stuff:

• April 11, 2008 -- By and large, I would agree
• July 9, 2009 -- What is “the Catholic faith?”
• March 18, 2009 -- Or: why being a “good person” isn’t enough
• February 18, 2009 -- My belated “No Exit” review
• September 22, 2008 -- Atheists more irrational after all