- And why they need to be reconsidered
I wrote an article, some weeks ago, enumerating some less-than-satisfactory reasons for being an atheist. I had stated therein that I was not necessarily claiming that there were no valid arguments in favour of atheism; only the reasons usually pressed into service didn’t quite do the job, and why that was so. I similarly believe that many theists are theists for reasons that leave a lot to be desired. And I feel compelled to say this as a fellow theist. Here are three of them:
- You were born to theist parents.Some things (parents, siblings, language, customs, etc.) are a matter of the accident of one’s birth. One’s beliefs (provided one is a rational being) shouldn’t be, although in many cases they sadly are. One must be able to give an account of one’s religion. There are many instances where the Quran is critical of people who justified some practice or belief on their part on grounds that they had found their forefathers doing or believing the same. If that sort of defense is unacceptable from a non-believer, it should be unacceptable coming from a so-called believer as well. The Quran is replete with arguments for the case it builds. (The Bible essentially says the same thing on the topic of salvation: “Come, let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” [Isaiah 1:18]).
Ask a six-years-old why two plus two is four and he may reply, “Because the teacher says so.” But does it depend on the teacher’s authority? One must confirm the veracity of the mathematical equation, as many of us do in later life. “Because somebody says so,” is an unsatisfactory reason to hold any belief. Especially so when it comes to the crucial matter of belief (or otherwise) in God. In this form it may be referred to as the spiritual guru’s authority. Your spiritual guru, religion-teacher, maulvi sahab, or parents can be a help (or an obstacle, as the case may be) but you need to verify their teachings yourself.
Being born into a certain household gives no head start to anybody, as it shouldn’t. Each one of us must fight this battle individually, regardless of his origins.
It recommends “belief” as a safe bet considering that a “believer” will find himself eternally rewarded if it turns out to be true
- Pascal’s wager.You are not convinced, but you want to play it safe. Attributed to the seventeenth century French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher Blaise Pascal, the Pascal’s wager is a “pragmatic” (read cynical) reason for believing in god. It recommends “belief” as a safe bet considering that a “believer” will find himself eternally rewarded if it turns out to be true, while an atheist will face eternal damnation. On the other hand, the “believer” (like the atheist) won’t lose much if it turned out that there’s no God after all. The first problem with this wager is that one can’tchoose to believe something. A belief is a position that happens to one spontaneously after relevant facts have been considered. Something that is forced is self-hypnosis, not belief.
There are other problems with the Pascal’s wager. Choosing to believe in a god, even if it’s possible, raises the question of which god/gods to believe in. For if you end up believing in the wrong one, you are back to square one. Furthermore, a theological system wherein an attitude such as “the smart money goes here” gets rewarded tells as much about the believer as it does about his god.
- Club membership.You believe that belonging to a club guarantees eternal success. That paying lip service to a cause and observing certain rituals along with the other members of the group will somehow lead to your success. The Quran explicitly states that anybody who believes in God and the Judgment Day and does good deeds need not fear, for he will get his reward irrespective of his label. In other places it’s critical of Jews who believed they alone (on account of belonging to the “right” club) qualified for success in the Hereafter. Many Muslims, unfortunately, read these verses as talking about the Jews. They fail to understand that they may be guilty of precisely the attitude that’s being criticized. Many theists therefore don’t grasp the fact that that they can’t fool God merely by wearing a label.
In fact, the Quran mentions a group of people who were introduced to Islam, and after listening carefully they said that they were Muslims before hearing those things. It’s the attitude towards the truth when one encounters it, one’s belief system based on that attitude, and one’s actions based on those beliefs that decide one’s success or failure in the Hereafter. A pledge given to a Creed, or membership forms signed, or a mere association with a party doesn’t cut it.
