"Why did god create atheists?"

[Rainforestgoddess]

I don't know if this has been posted or discussed before, but I thought it was interesting.

http://religiousragings.tumblr.com/post/31221033607/why-did-god-create-atheists

There is a famous story told in Chassidic literature that addresses this very question. The Master teaches the student that God created everything in the world to be appreciated, since everything is here to teach us a lesson.

One clever student asks “What lesson can we learn from atheists? Why did God create them?”

The Master responds “God created atheists to teach us the most important lesson of them all — the lesson of true compassion. You see, when an atheist performs and act of charity, visits someone who is sick, helps someone in need, and cares for the world, he is not doing so because of some religious teaching. He does not believe that god commanded him to perform this act. In fact, he does not believe in God at all, so his acts are based on an inner sense of morality. And look at the kindness he can bestow upon others simply because he feels it to be right.”

“This means,” the Master continued “that when someone reaches out to you for help, you should never say ‘I pray that God will help you.’ Instead for the moment, you should become an atheist, imagine that there is no God who can help, and say ‘I will help you.’”

ETA source: Tales of Hasidim Vol. 2 by Mar

[rexcat]

1. My answer to that...

How could something that does not exist create anything?

[Rainforestgoddess]

2. Well yes,

That would be the answer if dad was an atheist.

I would fall off my chair if one of my kids asked that. They would be more likely to ask 'how did evolution select for delusional behaviour?'

[rexcat]

3. Nothing to do with evolution...

but everything to do with indoctrination.

[dmallind]

4. There's an answer to that too

Assuming it's apropos of religious faith.

Unanswerable questions with insufficient data cause one of three rsponses in pattern seeking self-aware creatures capable of abstract thinking like us:

a) Glum fatalistic acceptance of ignorance
b) Competing individual or small subgroup hypotheses with no hope of resolution
c) Shared imaginary "answers"

When humanity relied for survival on small and mid sized group cohesion, c provided a much greater basis for cooperation and in-group reinforcement.

[Rainforestgoddess]

6. thus the ones who chose 'c'

were more likely to survive and pass on their genes.

Too bad it's a trait we can't easily reverse.

[dimbear]

5. Sometimes video games can be set to difficulty levels. If you set them so you always win, they're

no fun.

[mr blur]

7. To keep an eye on the loonies!

[Curmudgeoness]

8. I like that story.

We try to tell this same sort of story all the time to people who criticize us, but for some reason, they just cannot get past the "atheist" designation.

Welcome to DU and the A&A group.