Notice something interesting about the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings? Atheists are nowhere to be found. Every time there is a public gathering there is talk of God and divine mercy and spiritual healing. Even secular people like the poet Nikki Giovanni use language that is heavily drenched with religious symbolism and meaning.
The atheist writer Richard Dawkins has observed that according to the findings of modern science, the universe has all the properties of a system that is utterly devoid of meaning. The main characteristic of the universe is pitiless indifference. Dawkins further argues that we human beings are simply agglomerations of molecules, assembled into functional units over millennia of natural selection, and as for the soul--well, that's an illusion!
To no one's surprise, Dawkins has not been invited to speak to the grieving Virginia Tech community. What this tells me is that if it's difficult to know where God is when bad things happen, it is even more difficult for atheism to deal with the problem of evil. The reason is that in a purely materialist universe, immaterial things like good and evil and souls simply do not exist. For scientific atheists like Dawkins, Cho's shooting of all those people can be understood in this way--molecules acting upon molecules.
If this is the best that modern science has to offer us, I think we need something more than modern science.
Reader Comments ( Page 4 of 26)
46. Mr. D'Souza appears to be a victim of one of the most common religious delusions noted by Dawkins. God does not exist simply because the existence of God would be comforting or otherwise appealing.
Mike at 6:50PM on Apr 18th 2007
47.
Maybe because atheists aren't heartless enough to come a grieving parent and say "your son/daughter was just a statistic in the great game of survival and now he/she will decay into the earth to feed the plants and further the cycle of life." Some might find that consoling, most would rather here that they're going to be reunited with their loved ones some day.
Sometimes it is better to give those who are grieving hope that their loss will not be permanent as part of the healing process, even if by all indication it is a false hope. Just because nature is immoral and unemotional does not mean humans have to be.
Peter at 7:12PM on Apr 18th 2007
48. You are a jackass of monstrous proportions.
Hey, I wonder which Christian is going to stand up in front of the families and say, "Your loved ones are now burning in hell if they didn't accept our boy, Jesus."
You going say that to them, Christian-boy? No?
Then shut your mouth, Dinish.
Scott Koerner at 7:15PM on Apr 18th 2007
49. i can not believe what i just read, did you really just use this tragedy to argue your religion. of course nobody asks the athiest to come speak at Va. Tech 85% of this country thinks that the athiests are crazy. why would they want to hear from some crazy person. have you ever heard of screwed up? some people just are. there is not always an awnser for it. bad things happen. humans are just bad. it has been happening for thousands of years and god has never been there to stop it. you make it sound like athiests dont have any feelings. that something like this has no effect on them. everyone is hurt by this tragedy. god is not going to swoop down and stop the bullets and neither is science. people are inherantly bad, get used to it.
lukeslivka at 7:20PM on Apr 18th 2007
50. As an atheist and member of a prominent group, I feel saddened by this horrific act. But how can an atheist come out (as an atheist in public) and be supportive when people like you hate us?? My group does more charity work and raises more money than you can even scream out. "All propagandha" you say? Do some research and learn what real human beings are all about.
Amelie at 7:21PM on Apr 18th 2007
51. Do you, sir, have no humanity? Are you so caught up in your fantasy of greed and power that you would say such things about fellow humans because they don't believe in your tripe?
You use a tragedy to push your sorry agenda of superstition and hate?
You are not worthy to shine Dawkins' shoes, but I am sure Richard would be too human to allow it were such a possibility come to pass.
afterthought at 7:30PM on Apr 18th 2007
52. "Even secular people like the poet Nikki Giovanni use language that is heavily drenched with religious symbolism and meaning."
Hardly. Here is her entire beautiful godless statement:
We are Virginia Tech.
We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning.
We are Virginia Tech.
We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again.
We are Virginia Tech.
We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did nothing to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, neither do the invisible children walking the night away to avoid being captured by the rogue army, neither does the baby elephant watching his community being devastated for ivory, neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water, neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy.
We are Virginia Tech.
The Hokie Nation embraces our own and reaches out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong, and brave, and innocent, and unafraid. We are better than we think and not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imaginations and the possibilities. We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness.
We are the Hokies.
We will prevail.
We will prevail.
We will prevail.
We are Virginia Tech.
im.back at 7:37PM on Apr 18th 2007
53. Notice something interesting about the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings? God is nowhere to be found. Every time there is a public gathering there is talk of God and divine mercy and spiritual healing. Even secular people like the poet Nikki Giovanni use language that is heavily drenched with religious symbolism and meaning. But look under any rock, and no actual God will be found.
The atheist writer Richard Dawkins has observed that according to the findings of modern science, the universe has all the properties of a system that is utterly devoid of meaning. The main characteristic of the universe is pitiless indifference. Dawkins further argues that we human beings are simply agglomerations of molecules, assembled into functional units over millennia of natural selection, and as for the soul--well, that's an illusion!
But just because we are the result of natural processes, that doesn't mean we cannot love and care for one another, grieve for the loss of innocent human lives, and most importantly, endeavour to learn why this happened, and how this was allowed happen, so that there won't be a "next time," so that, in the future, it can be prevented. Because the evidence is in: God isn't going to stop these kinds of tragedies for us.
John at 7:42PM on Apr 18th 2007
54. What does a lack of belief have to do with people's death?
Better yet, where was YOUR god when those people were being killed?
If this is the best God has to offer, I think we need something more than God.
Fili at 7:47PM on Apr 18th 2007
55. If you want to know where the atheists (like myself) are in this tragedy, I'll tell you.
We're standing with everyone else in sympathy for the victims, not using the suffering of everyone involved as a soapbox to mouth off.
Next time there's a tragedy like this, do us all a favour and be sure to shut the f**k up if the idea pops into your tiny brain to use it to make a cheap political statement.
William Cowan
Chicago, IL
William Cowan at 7:52PM on Apr 18th 2007
56.
"Without religion, there can be no good or evil, no right or wrong, only the primal struggle between the weak and the strong."
Me
Thomas J Gassett at 7:54PM on Apr 18th 2007
57. Dawkins is an evolutionary biologist, not some kind of Atheist minister. I'm sure the Humanist Chaplaincy of Harvard would have been perfectly content with speaking at VA Tech had they been invited.
Virgil at 7:55PM on Apr 18th 2007
58. //Atheists are nowhere to be found.//
And you know this how? Are we wearing big scarlet letters now? Perhaps if you stopped using the aftermath of tragic happenings as opportunities to support your agenda, you would have time to do some research. Why must you belittle another, to lift yourself to a moral high ground? Why must you ignore the suffering and aid from others that aren't like you?
An excerpt from a non-believer dealing with the tragedy:
"The line stretched by the Baptist Student Union and Latter Day Saints outreach centers. The BSU had a big sign out reminding us that God is real, hears our prayers, and is able to move to heal us. Apparently, He is simply unwilling to move to save us in the first place. I am an atheist with respect to every god I’ve met in religious literature, and an agnostic on the concept of god in general. This kind of event seems more explicable as a person’s response to something horrible in his finite, physical mind and taking action in a finite, physical world."
"I can mourn this tragedy with Bush, even if my politics lead me to dislike him. Politics seem so far away now. I left notes on the big poster boards set up."
http://gnosos.blogspot.com/2007/04/reflections-on-mourning-for-virginia.html
Yet you can't mourn this tragedy with a non-believer despite disagreeing on religious grounds?
Yulanda at 8:09PM on Apr 18th 2007
59. Atheists were everywhere to be found, in the same small percentage that they are always found in. In a nation close to 80% Christian, is it really a surprise to see and hear about a divine power in a time of grief?
You, and I am speaking to the author, apparently know nothing of Secular Humanism, a movement popular with atheists that promotes a respect of each other and of the world around us. Many atheists, like myself, are interested in a safe society where people can flourish in peace. We love people, and we are hurt as deeply as anyone by tragedies like this.
Using this tragedy as a vehicle against atheism is despicable. And by the way, you are categorizing all of us as though we are all nihilists. We are not. Get your terms straight, grow up, and honor the dead instead of using a tragedy to throw your agenda around.
Telemachus at 8:13PM on Apr 18th 2007
60. I see that Dinesh D'Souza wasn't on the list of invited speakers. That must prove that he doesn't have anything to offer the aggrieved at VTech.
Perhaps mistaking this kind of drivel for intelligent commentary is what comes from being religious. Seriously.
What a moronic commentary.
Steve_HT at 8:13PM on Apr 18th 2007