The Atheist

I came across this quote today from avowed atheist Dan Baker which states, "Asking 'if there is no God, what is the purpose of life?' is like asking 'if there is no master, whose slave will I be?' If your purpose of life is to submit as a slave, then your meaning of life comes from flattering the ego of a person whom you should detest."

And all I could think was if that if you're going to be an atheist then you should at least be a good atheist. When I wrote an article in defense of traditional marriage in light of the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage I had a guy question some of my premises. (In fact here's the shameless plug of the piece with comments included if you're curious)

I don't mind being challenged on my beliefs. Because before I believe in something I have to accept it as truth, and I believe that truth is eternal and will stand regardless of whether anyone agrees with it or not (myself included). So defending the truth doesn't stress me out because unlike most modern "debates" I'm not constructing some relative narrative I've heard from my friends that changes with every capricious whim. Instead, I'm simply stating the pieces of truth that have been revealed to me through various ways as I've gone about living life.

But this guy's argument is not a good defense of atheism or a good argument against Christianity. "If there is no God, what is the purpose of life?" is not comparable to "if there is no master, whose slave will I be?" This is a faulty premise. He draws his conclusion from it and it's a faulty premise. This never seems to bother people, but it bothers me.

I don't like the assumption he makes about God and the people who choose to worship Him. It's full of pride, which is the true religion and driving force behind the new atheism. He's looking at Christian morality from a distance and claiming that a defiance of God is freedom. Freedom from the rules. A freedom he believes Christians would pursue if they were as "enlightened" as he is.

And yet I have to wonder, in his vast intellect do you think he ever stopped to consider for a moment that he is acting precisely as most children act towards their parents? When I was little I would have preferred an all candy diet and staying up past eight-thirty. But my parents would have none of it. Does it make me the slave to their master? If you want to view it that way you certainly could, but could you truly present that picture as the truest interpretation of the events in question?

Because if you view it through the eyes of humility then you might realize that my parents were wiser than I was. That they had read all the child development books (I was the oldest so they really did their homework) and knew I needed sleep, playtime, and good nutrition in order to experience childhood in full. Candy would have made me sick. Sleep deprivation would have made me cranky. They had my best interests at heart because they love me. They said no to me not because they are evil dictators who deserve to be defied, but because they knew I was just a kid who couldn't see beyond my immediate needs and desires. I was living so thoroughly in the moment that I wanted what I wanted right when I wanted it and thought my will should be law. Mom and Dad saw the bigger picture, they wanted me to become a healthy, happy and well-adjusted adult. And I like to think I did, for the most part!

And parent-child is not a bad lens to view the relationship between God and man, that's why He calls Himself our Father. We're short-sighted and can't see past our immediate gratifications and the pulls of the world. We want our will to reign supreme and sometimes we think we know so much better than our parents. But the truth is God loves us, has our best interest at heart, and cares for us daily whether we thank Him or not. And to me the purpose of my life is not to mindlessly serve some vague, dictator of a deity. I serve the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. Yahweh, the great I Am, the God who is love Himself. And the notion that my God has any sort of ego is offensive and contrary to everything the Bible reveals about His nature. (His love is so selfless and complete He doesn't have room for one)

No my purpose in life, and where I find my meaning, is learning to love my Father, myself, and others in the same selfless way that He loves me every moment of every day.

So I'm thinking that asking, "if there is no God, what is the purpose of life?" is instead rather like asking "if learning to love is not the purpose of life, then what is?"

And you can quote me on that.