Atheism never seeks to answer any questions
Re: “Junk all religion and you throw away priceless tools of insight”, Have Your Say, May 2.
Messrs Barht and Setter seek absolutes where there are none – or none that I can see. As such it serves no purpose to cite or compare, as absolute evidence of the existence or otherwise of gods, the Tibetan Dzogchen traditions of taking the deity within oneself to map a middle path between nihilism and eternalism, the plausibility of human evolution in Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” or the mapping in 1987 of DNA sequences.
The concept of atheism is widely misunderstood. It is simply a lack of belief in the existence of deities. It does not seek to answer questions on religion, evolution, nature or Buddhism.
Certainly, religions have enriched humankind in many ways – in architecture, art, music, benevolence – and have provided spiritual comfort for millions. But they have also been the root cause of tribalism, misery, the death of millions and untold destruction and carnage over the centuries.
As an ex-academic, I find in atheism the most authentic, credible personal belief system.
I agree with Brad Pitt’s view that religions are a stifling, negative influence on humankind (and if Brad Pitt says so, it must be so!).
Christian Knottone
