Atheism

“Life is without purpose for one who remains ignorant of his most well-wishing benefactor and thus fails to worship Him. Such a person’s breathing is no better than the breathing of a blacksmith’s bellows. The gift of human life is a fortunate opportunity for the conditioned soul, but by turning away from his Lord, the living being commits spiritual suicide.

In the words of Sri Isopanisad (3): “The killer of the soul, whoever he may be, must enter into the planets known as the worlds of the faithless, full of darkness and ignorance.” Asuryah means “to be obtained by demons,” and demons are persons who have no devotion for the Supreme Lord, Vishnu. This definition is stated in the Agni Purana: “There are two kinds of created beings in this world, godly and demoniac. Those dedicated to the devotional service of Lord Vishnu are godly, and those opposed to such service are demoniac.”” (SB 10.87.17)

The final section of Canto Ten depicts a spectrum of personalities. On one hand we find inimical demons looking for the ideal moment to destroy Krishna and establish their supremacy. On the other extreme we find selfless devotees who lose thought of their own existence while meditating on how to please Krishna. The Chaitanya-Charitamrita compares Krishna to the sun and maya to darkness. Where there is Krishna, and genuine consciousness of Him, there cannot be maya, just as the presence of sun immediately dissipates darkness. Thus, where the sun of Krishna is blocked out, atheism will surely prevail, and the darkness of quarrel, hypocrisy and materialism will cover the world.

Atheism manifests in a variety of shapes and sizes:

Default Atheists – those who disbelieve even though they have never really thought about it. The big questions don’t resonate with them, and blindly accepting atheistic theories of life justifies their lethargy in exploration. For such people, ignorance is bliss.

Philosophical Atheists - those who profess that belief in God is intellectually immature and philosophically naive. Although they themselves lack empirical back-up, they present their explanations, elaborately worded and stylishly packaged, as the rational alternative.

Emotional Atheists – those whose disbelief is driven by disenchantment. Disgusted with hypocrisy, malpractice and materialism in the name of religion, they turn away. There are also people who experience suffering, trauma and personal challenges, unable to understand why a loving God would be so absent-minded and aloof. Feeling letdown, they emotionally disconnect.

Covered Atheists – those who assert that, though temporarily deluded, we are all ultimately God, part of the spiritual oneness and universal consciousness. Though they present themselves in theological garb, this existential position removes the distinction and relationship between human and Supreme, and thus veers towards godlessness.

Statistical polls suggest that just over 30% of UK residents are self-proclaimed atheists. In terms of the above categories, it’s not quite clear what the breakdown would be. It’s quite likely, however, that the largest number of atheists may well come from an entirely different category. Maybe a good portion of the 70% of ‘believers’ could also be atheists:

Psychological Atheists – those who profess to believe in God, but repeatedly demonstrate their unwillingness to consciously live in His presence. They may dress spiritual, talk spiritual, and act spiritual, yet simultaneously maintain an egocentric mind-set. For such persons, God is in the picture, but they are the stars of the show. It sounds crazy, but we can end up using God in our attempt to usurp His position!