Why Ricky Gervais Is An Atheist

I just read this interesting article by Ricky Gervais.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703886904576031640102154156.html

It was on my facebook newsfeed. It had been shared by a Christian friend.  He also found it really interesting. In the article Gervais uses an analogy to explain why he thinks the burden of proof is on the person who believes:

Why don't I believe in God? No, no, no, why do YOU believe in God? Surely the burden of proof is on the believer. You started all this. If I came up to you and said, "Why don't you believe I can fly?" You'd say, "Why would I?" I'd reply, "Because it's a matter of faith." If I then said, "Prove I can't fly. Prove I can't fly see. See, you can't prove it can you?" You'd probably either walk away, call security or throw me out of the window and shout, "F—ing fly then you lunatic."

When you first read this it sounds so incredibly logical. Of course the burden of proof should be on me if I say I believe. But there's a problem with it...

It's missing someone! Actually it's more like two people have been merged into one.

So let's fix that.

To make it less confusing I'm going to give the character's names. "Rick" says he can fly.  "Margaret" believes he can fly. Judy is searching for proof.

So, if it's true that:

1) Rick can fly, Margaret believes he can fly and Judy is searching for proof because she wants to know whether or not Rick can really fly. (then logically) 
2) The burden of proof is on Rick to prove to Judy that he can fly, not Margaret. Judy can ask Margaret why she believes Rick can fly and Margaret can tell her. (at which point)
3) Judy can either blindly believe Margaret or blindly reject what she has to say. (but logically)
4) Until Margaret goes directly to Rick and asks him for herself she's putting the burden of proof on the wrong person. (because)
5) The burden of proof is on Rick not Margaret.

[As a side note, I realize this is not a clear cut answer, because undoubtedly there are some who have gone to "Rick" and asked him to prove he can fly. But it was reassuring to me to notice that the pressure is in fact not on me, because I'm not God. I don't understand why I can say that I see "evidence" for God and others can't. Although, from my own personal experiences I do know that the belief I have in God right now at this point is in a God much more loving and merciful than the one I was scared of when I was little. I believe inspite of the fact the world is filled with misconceptions of who I now believe He is.
I also realize that to tell an atheist (who doesn't believe in God), they need to place the burden of proof on God by asking Him, is like telling them to ask Santa to prove himself. But nonetheless, if the burden of proof can't logically be put on "Margaret" (and God is believed to be a spiritual being who hears us when we think and speak) then again the only way to find out is to ask "Rick".]

I also found this statement to be rather thought provoking:

So what does the question "Why don't you believe in God?" really mean? I think when someone asks that they are really questioning their own belief.

That could very well be true! It’s important to note however, that questioning in and of itself doesn't make it untrue. It's healthy for everyone to consider why they believe what they believe. It’s really hard to do, though. It`s hard to settle your emotions and settle your frustrations and really consider “why”.

One of the reasons this article resonates with me is because right now I'm taking a few days to consider well the response to a friend of mine who's an atheist and has put forth the question: "Why do you believe in God? What's the proof that He exists?" If questioning is because they "know" deep down they're wrong then there are both atheists and believers who “know” they’re wrong.

Gervais also has some incredible insights in his article. One of them is this:

But believing in something doesn't make it true. Hoping that something is true doesn't make it true. The existence of God is not subjective. He either exists or he doesn't. It's not a matter of opinion. You can have your own opinions. But you can't have your own facts.

And:

"Do unto others…" is a good rule of thumb. I live by that. Forgiveness is probably the greatest virtue there is. But that's exactly what it is—a virtue. Not just a Christian virtue. No one owns being good.
I'm good. I just don't believe I'll be rewarded for it in heaven.

My reward is here and now. It's knowing that I try to do the right thing. That I lived a good life. And that's where spirituality really lost its way. When it became a stick to beat people with. "Do this or you'll burn in hell."

You won't burn in hell. But be nice anyway.

Statements like this are one of those reasons I think we as Christians need to be willing to listen and talk to those who have opposing views.  Because we can learn from them! I have learned so much from the friend I mentioned earlier. And interestingly enough, it has strengthened my faith. It has helped me to recognize those things that get in the way of others seeing God and realizing that not only are they unessential, but typically they're destructive and send unbiblical messages out to those people who are wrestling with the question of "why in the world do they believe?"

If we allow ourselves to be offended by his words (because he doesn't believe in sin or hell, for example), then we miss what's at the heart of his "message": That it's not healthy to pursue what's right and be kind to others out of fear of punishment. Instead we should pursue these things because they are by their very nature good. It`s also not healthy to pursue what`s right for a reward. We should be kind and do what`s right because of love. And that the life we have here and now is worth investing in. We shouldn`t be preocuupied with escaping but work on making the world a more beautiful place now. And that there`s a code of ethics (should we choose to live by it) that would be good for everyone. Everywhere.

Ironically, this in fact is at the heart of the message of Jesus Christ.

The bible says that "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment but he who fears has not been made perfect in love."

In regards to the commandments Jesus said, "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends."

It has been (and sometimes still is) a painful process trying to sort through the many accusations made against God, the church, religion and Christianity in general.  As a teenager I would have gotten very angry hearing something like this. Angry and scared. I would have done everything in my power to avoid hearing anyone's objections to my faith. And I was always quick to give the conclusions others had come to after wrestling with them on their own because I didn't want to ask the tough questions. I felt that in order to preserve what I believed I needed to close my ears to anything that opposed my faith.

Of course when we hear and read things from a non-believing perspective there will be ideas that don't line up with a belief in Jesus Christ. But there are many legitimate concerns to be considered. If you listen closely at the heart of it all tends to be "you all say one thing and do another". It makes me want to examine my life more closely.

I have become more and more convinced that God can handle the questions. That we don't usually get the answers we need overnight. In fact, I don't know of anyone who ever has. If God is real (which I believe He is), I don't need to be afraid of being overwhelmed by these questions and ideas as long as I invite Him in.

I hope you’ll ask the same questions I’ve been asking myself: what kind of message does my life send? Does it reflect a fear or even reward motivated belief system? Or does it reflect the belief that “perfect love casts out fear”? Have I contributed to this picture of God and Jesus that's held by so many? And is there anything I can do to help change that?