Where Do Atheists Turn For Strength In a Crisis?

I sometimes wish I had a higher power to turn to in times of crisis,
alas I only have the comforts of chaos and thermodynamics to comfort me, and the cold reality (no pun intended) that this is it....BLINK there goes another moment....BLINK there goes another year....better enjoy it while you are here.

Thank you

A great article and very well put. I've never understood why the christians use doctors, hospitals, prescription drugs, etc., and thank their god for their wellness, but not curse him for their sickness or a loved ones death. I believe it was Penn who said "if you wear a seatbelt or stop at a red light, you're an atheist."

"Instead of begging an imaginary being for strength in a crisis, I reach out to others or rely upon myself. During times of crisis I do not plead, “God please help me!” or “God give me the strength!” I simply tell myself that I can do it or that I can make it through..."

I couldn't agree more. One of the greatest benefits of shedding superstitious belief is realizing just how important it is to surround yourself with competent and trustworthy people, and the necessity of making a conscious effort to become such a person yourself.

Excellent post. Keep up the good work.

Terrific article Blair. So many of my friends thank their god and call upon him in time of despair, and they just don't see the irony of while they are praying to god, they are driving as fast as they can, to get to Birmingham to see the "best" doctors. Now to add a little comedy to my post.

As a mother, I love sharing funny stories about my children. When Blair's daughter was injured, this is how it played out. Rose had fallen on a picture frame, and it basically sliced her arm, away from her elbow. Now she is not crying, Mom is holding the rag onto the wound, walks her to the living room and shows the wound to me, and I turn around, walk out to the pool, and tell Blair that we are taking Rose to the E.R. He gets out of the pool, in his relaxed, EMT stride, and says, well let's see what she has done.... his wife, lays back the towel, Blair turns a freaky color, and he begins to run to the back of the house screaming "call 911, call911". It then became a hysterically funny moment for all of us.

Blair, it seems as if you have seen more in your life than I can imagine. What a well written article! And, thanks for pointing out the obvious that many religious folks miss. If you're going to thank any god(s) for getting you out of a situation alive, you must also blame said god(s) for putting you there in the first place.

If god truly loved us,He would have never allowed us to be sick or injured in the first place.

It is just plain disrespectful to ignore the valiance and strength of the people around you, when your life is saved by a paramedic at 3AM on a tuesday, when the rest of us are asleep in bed with our wives and husbands, they are out saving lives. And people have the audacity to thank "god" instead of thanking the person that was brave enough and compassionate enough to come to your rescue?

This is one of the most deplorable behaviors i see among theists, and it is truly a shame that the amazing >people< out there in our armed forces, medical establishments, research laboratories, and emergency response teams do not receive the appreciation and gratitude they deserve for what they do everyday, all in favor of some imaginary friend that intellectually underdeveloped people find comfort in.

Truly saddening, and a testament to the rampant ignorance even as we roll into the 21st country, in arguably the most "developed" nation on earth. Thank you for posting this and bringing the topic up, as it unfortunately needs to be.

I actually find it quite liberating to rely on myself instead of God. By relying only on myself I am accountable for my actions and I strive to be the best me possible.You don't have to pray for a good score on exam, just study hard for the it, your the one taking the test not God.give credit to those who help you, they need and deserve the praise,not some bronze age sky God.

It is a bitter pill to swallow indeed for humans to know they are responsible for there lives and world but very liberated to know you don't have to depend on an imaginery sky god ,who lets you down all the time.

I'm an atheist, but when my close friend was dying of an overdose at a rave I found myself praying. While my friend was convulsing, in her last moments of life, I remember thing, "Please god, don't let this happen." I guess it was out of desperation. I haven't thought of god before or since. Is there something in our reptilian cortex (not literally but you know what I mean)that believes in a higher power?

I'm ashamed of myself for praying. It makes me feel like a coward.

rgraham1 & ken, I agree with both of your posts and would add that it is also liberating to know that my life has meaning, exactly the meaning I choose to give it.

My christian wife just died after a 5 1/2 year battle w cancer 54 yrs old. I see a therapist go to a gym cried golfed spent new years w my stepdaughter n grand kids. I see how religion is an out for many but I feel stronger as a human working it this way .

interesting article, but i don't see all the need to 'convince' people there is no god. if atheists are so convinced there is no god, why bother convincing others? i always thought that atheists feel the compulsion to 'knock' god because deep down they don't believe god doesn't exist.

Great post & well said...Turning to prayer is as silly as taking out a lucky horseshoe...Between prayer and a horseshoe, I'd take the horseshoe out because when prayer "fails", devotees blame themselves in a way that they would not if they were just swinging around a rusty horseshoe over the entire congregation and happened to smack someone with it. Besides, prayers are easier said than done with the exception of a curious litany that I used as a Catholic school girl because the "Our Father" bored me: "Lord, please systematically assist Sisyphus's cyst-susceptible sister", which is easier done than said.

Hi guys, I just want to tell you something. I'm not here to spread the word, just to clarify something. I get you Atheists hate us. And I understand we Christians are dumb hypocrites. But honestly, think about it. Not every Christian is like that. Lots of them care, and many of even try to help the poor. Thing is, it's an imperfect society, and we can't do anything about that. And plus, have any of you tried praying faithfully? No? I'll tell you why. Because you never try. It's like me saying I don't believe the stars are suns, but rather shining images made by a great being because I have never bothered to look into the study of astronomy. You just don't give praying chance. Even if you do, you wouldn't do it faithfully. Honestly, if you look deeper, there is side in Christianity that cares about the world. And call the believing in imaginary friends dumb. But in the end, when all is down upon us, we do need some help when nobody is around.

Is it any worse to preach "atheism" than it is to preach "theism"? Shouldn't both respect the other? Isn't the preaching the problem, trying to force your view point on others? I fully accept that people have different needs and are at different stages of their lifes journey and some people need God. I have no desire to deny people the right to believe in a God, if it helps them become a better person, helps them find what they seek. BUT all too often religion helps people become worse people not better people, it reinforces fears and insecurities,encourages them to abdicate responsibility for their actions and for taking action, reinforces prejudices and bigotry. ALL too often religion seems to lead MANY people astray, away from what they claim to be seeking rather than towards it.

Akang and others that think people should try prayer. I think your problem is that you pray. Many have realized, including some Christians and other theists, that the help they need is inside of them and has been there since birth, all they need to do is tap into it. I would like to suggest you try Buddhist meditation as an alternative or try keeping a journal as I do. I am too antsy of a person to sit quietly for any length of time to meditate, probably borderline hyperactive! Instead I keep a journal. If I read a book I write in my journal what I like about it and why or if there is something that bothers me I write what it is that bothers me and why. If something happens during my day with an encounter with other folks I will write about it, analyze it and write what I might have said or done better. When I have a dream, I have taught myself to write it down in as much detail as possible. Non-sensical dreams make sense eventually when you review what you have written over a period of time. There are many alternatives to praying and some far more satisfying and beneficial for me, but that is just my opinion.

"As a human I am not perfect but god often picks up my slack when he sees fit."

Please read this last sentence of your post one more time christiansoldier and explain to us all why your words should be considered anything but ridiculous, absurd, and finally outright dangerous.

God only helps you make people well if he sees fit? God's love according to you then is arbitrary. So if you are having a bad day at work, and god decides to arbitrarily take the day off, your patients die? Your years of medical training, talent and experience matter not?

Please tell me where you practice medicine so I make sure I never send a loved one your way for medical attention.

By the way, I went ahead and corrected the spelling of your name in my post. I assume most cristians would want to get that right.

You are welcome.

That's all fine and usually safe, but who helps you though the things you're too ashamed to admit to? Who helps you when you when you're all alone and it seems like no one cares? Do you know that many once suicidal teens find their lives worth living after inviting Christ into their lives? Christianity is more than just a belief in the creator, it is a belief in forgiveness and life eternAl

Did any of you hear about the story of a California fireman who arrived at the scene of a six story apartment fire, who then spent roughly three minutes in his truck, only to have occupants of the building jump to their deaths? What is so disturbing about this was it was more important for the firefighter to download a cd for his boss than to save the lives of those he was sworn to protect.
Every day we come across stories where people are afraid to go out of their way to help others. Maybe we are concerned that we are going to intrude in other’s lives, so we remain still and silent. We most certainly don’t want to offend anyone – right?
Now what if you saw your neighbor’s house on fire, and you heard screaming, would you go out of your way to rescue those inside, or at least call 911? What if you live in the country and the nearest fire department is more than twenty minutes away? What if you witnessed a car accident, and noticed smoke coming from the car, with a screaming baby inside? Would you stop and help or keep driving? Most of us wouldn’t think twice, we would try to save a life.
So now back to the fireman. What do you think this guy deserves: probation from his job, time behind bars, or maybe even capital punishment? I mean let’s face it, because of him people died. His failure to act cost lives. Could you forgive someone like this?
As a Christian I have a responsibility. I am given a job to love others, love them enough that when I recognize that they are in a dire scenario that will ultimately cost them eternal life, I need to intervene. I am reminded that God sent His Son so that all of us can be spared from eternal fire. God LOVES us. He wants to pull His loved ones out of the burning house. In John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only begotten Son that anyone who BELIEVES in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. He is pulling you from the fire. Accept his help. Accept His Love. Accept His Son. Don’t wait until you are surrounded by flames to put out the fire.

Hopefully all of us here have someone that we really truly love. Maybe it’s our spouse, or perhaps it is our children, or maybe you are like me and you really love your pet. But what if the one you loved suddenly died? Maybe you have experienced this in your life, then you know firsthand the sadness that comes to us during times like these. For many, these events cause an overwhelming sense of sorrow that can become totally debilitating. Suppose, after you lost the love of your life, people snickered and jeered over your loss, how would that make you feel? Worse yet, how would you feel if they didn’t want to hear about your grief at all?

Most of us here have gone through tragedies. Over the past eight years I have suffered the loss of eight very close family members, including two brothers, my mother in law, three cousins, and two aunts. Not to mention my family pet of seven years. My family also endured the devastating effects of a violent assault that left one of my daughters with kidney failure, my husband being afflicted with IBD, that lead to a diagnosis of diabetes a the eventually led to the end of his employment and the health benefits and income that our family depended on.

Yet, with each of these tragedies I have seen something positive, and at times something miraculous amidst the sorrows. The sudden and tragic loss of my brothers made the rest of my family become proactive with their health care. The loss of my husband’s job allowed us time to improve his health, and enabled us to spend quality time with our children to prepare them for college. It has also allowed us to become advocates on behalf of more than one million Americans who live with the chronic disease and illness that have affected our family. Throughout all of this grief and turmoil, I know one thing is for certain, God has been with me and my family through all of it.
Now back to the point. God also knows about the sense of loss we feel, for he gave up His son, Jesus Christ, for our salvation. When He did, God understood what that decision would cost – the torture and death of His one and only Son. I cannot imagine giving my son to someone who wouldn’t love him back. In fact, I wouldn’t! Denying the love of God by putting His Son on a cross came at a high cost – the rejection of the blessings of God for all eternity, blessings that could only come from God. It would be like being handed a hundred million dollar winning lottery ticket, and instead of experiencing the joy, gratitude and pleasures, you tore the ticket up and then killed the person who offered it to you.

What God did for us is an example of true priceless love. It is giving the thing you love most, to those who don’t wish or care to love you back. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 I can’t think of anything more real or loving than this.