Nothing to Offer – The Emptiness of Atheism

Nothing to Offer – The Emptiness of Atheism

This video is called “Nothing to Offer”, and is part of the “Emptiness of Atheism” series of videos.

The “Emptiness of Atheism” video series is a group of videos I am doing about consequences of being an atheist. There are consequences to being an atheist which aren’t covered much by atheists, partly because I don’t think they think about them very much.

The one I will cover in this video I am calling – “Nothing to Offer”.

What I mean by saying “Nothing to Offer” is this:

As atheists, when we lack a belief in a god or gods, and we interact with someone who is a believer… we have nothing to offer in the place of their belief.

If I were to successfully eliminate someone’s belief in their personal god … if I could totally change their mind and have them see things the way I do as an atheist… I will have nothing to offer them to replace that belief.

I have nothing that can give them the emotional support they thought they had.

Atheism cannot replace the comfort of their delusion and certainty.

By the strict definition, atheism is simply lacking belief… it is a lack, nothing more.

Some consider atheism to be an active denial rather than a lack of belief, but that doesn’t change my point here.

There is nothing in atheism that replaces the hole left by a belief that has been destroyed or eliminated.

We can tear down the belief system… we can change someone’s mind away from their belief, but as atheists we have nothing to offer in return.

Now, I imagine some will say… “Well, we are offering the truth”.

Or, “We are freeing them of their delusions”….

But “the truth” or “freedom from delusion” don’t fill in what is gone… in the sense that where there was something before – a belief which gave a sense of purpose and comfort – now there is nothing.

There may be freedom from delusion, fear and oppression, but that freedom can come with a price… a necessity to find your own meaning.

In my opinion atheism IS the “truth”… but it is not comforting or reassuring in an emotional sense.

There is no “warm fuzzy feeling” to atheism like there is in believing in a personal god who looks after you and cares about you… a god who gives your life eternal meaning.

If you are an atheist, you believe in no god, no deity, no higher power. You are on your own.

In conclusion, one of the dilemmas and challenges that atheists face in interacting with or challenging believers is that we offer only emptiness.

We offer freedom and truth… but remove comfort and warmth.
We can tear down, but not build up. Our freedom and truth is empty.

This may sound negative to some, but whether it is negative or not is irrelevant to most atheists. It is where we stand. We have nothing to offer.

Thanks for listening, and feel free to leave your comments or opinions on this topic.

Please share this video and pass it on, and come back and watch my other videos sometime.

Till next time, this is Alex Aldrin, the Thinker.