5 Things An Atheist Taught Me

It was many years ago that I met Bob. He and I shared an interest in writing and we both belonged to the same writer’s group. We have been friends, for about ten years.

Over those years, our friendship his beliefs has taught me a great deal about my faith.

1) Atheists have just as much potential to be ethical honest people I feel a little bit like captain obvious making such a statement, but I am a bit taken aback when I hear fellow Christians make broad generalizations that because someone has different beliefs or ideas, they can’t be ethical. I have watched Bob struggle and bristle over the some of the same issues that I struggle with: unjust treatment of people, the environment, greed, etc. Bob struggles like I do over things that are wrong in our society. While we have differences, we have much in common.

2) Most Atheists know their Bible BETTER than Christians Ouch! Believe it or not, Atheists tend to be better versed in the Bible. Every Christian is called to struggle with scripture and study it. If you really want to understand the Bible and your faith, I challenge you to read and study your Bible in a small group and then find out what it is Atheists believe about the Bible. Respond to that in your heart or with others. Are you disturbed? How would you answer questions about the Bible? Also why are we so afraid to study the Bible? Are we afraid that we might have to change our mind or heart or worse yet our beliefs? I once had a conversation about violence in the Bible with Bob. I walked away deeply disturbed and angry. He made me think about violence in scripture and what I think about violence overall. How do we talk about violence? Are we uncomfortable with the level of violence in scripture? How about in our country? Better yet, how do have a conversation about violence in the church and our community. It is worth having the conversation and thinking about scripture carefully. Too often, I think people hide in churches without ever engaging in Scripture or prayer for that matter. Struggling with scripture thinking critically about its meaning and questioning is an essential part of being Christian.

3) Our elevator speech sucks The strength of the Episcopal tradition is also our failing. As a contemplative people who delight in mystery, tradition and values practice of common prayer, common meal more than literalism or black and white thinking, it can be challenging to be succinct in our testimony. We often make apologies for being followers of Jesus because of our shame of how other Christians behave rather than asserting the beauty of what we love. Some years ago, a study was done on mainline traditions. Episcopalians were named the least likely to share their faith with others—even their own children. Faith is apparently a private matter. Add all this together and what do you get? People who struggle to tell their story and articulate our love mystery, yes and thinking, science, silence, love of common prayer, love of Jesus the Christ and the Gospel into a five minute or less elevator speech. Ick! Many of us would not relish the idea of a faith in five minutes or less. Yet, in a world of sound bites and shortening spans of attention, maybe such approaches are necessary. Yup Bob, is right our elevator speech is not so good but it doesn’t have to be that way.

4) Sunday Assembly Holding up a single sheet of paper, comedian and musician, Steve Martin declared, “This is the entirety of the Atheist Hymnal. One Song! Christians have hymns and art, but Atheist have nothing!” Oh how that has changed. Over the last two years, Sunday Assembly (that is Atheist church) in England and North America has grown even while our own assembly dwindles. There is something about the power and wonder of gathering, about becoming more than the sum of our parts. We’ve lost that sense of power, awe and mystery because we are way to anxiously busy being weighed down with our massive institution and structure; of doing church the way we always have rather than loving Jesus and standing in awe of transformation and mystery that is our common prayer and life blood. We are wearied from holding together church as it was instead of church as she longs and yearns to be. Where’s the fire and where’s our passion for our gathering?

5) Authenticity I admire the honesty and integrity that Bob stands in. He is honest about what he believes and why he stopped attending church. I may not agree with him, but I respect him for his authenticity. The church could learn a great deal from such honesty. All too often we in the church aren’t very honest about where we are or how we feel. We sacrifice authenticity for nice. We must be nice above everything at church and be sure to smile. A LOT. Nothing breaks my heart more than having members of my church community say, “I can’t come to church because I might cry or I’m so angry or I can’t be happy right now.” Recently I say a post from a young lady that read, “I am a Christian and the loneliest place I go is to church.” If we can’t be authentic in our communal body, if we can’t bring our whole selves to church from questions to anger to problems in the community to political outrage, then we aren’t following Jesus anymore. 

 I suppose that some Christians would take me to task for consorting with a non-believer, one outside the tribe. Of course, I heard tell that there was this crazy amazing teacher who talked to all kinds of unlikely sorts—even sworn enemies of the state. Maybe we can learn from those different from us.

George