I don’t care if you belong to a religion or if you are an atheist, you have more in common than you have separating you.
First off, what is an atheist but an anti-believer. Atheists are bound by the same strictures as followers of religions are. They see the world and the afterlife in an opposite way but that is still how they view things — within the confines of religion.
Atheists eschew religion and its trappings. They determine with their own facts that there is no god and there is no afterlife. However, there is no proof of NO GOD as there is no proof that there is a god. There is no proof of NO HEAVEN as there is no proof of a heaven.
The faithful, by their embrace of a particular religion, necessarily exclude anyone who follows a different path. So do atheists. Over many millennia humans have built religious barriers to keep others out. And atheists, by declaring themselves non-believers, have done the same.
Exceptions to this are the reformers and the proselytizers, who believe it is their duty to save others by bringing them into the fold. Volumes have been written through the ages to accomplish this. They could be holy books, or the preaching of evangelist Billy Graham, or the writings of atheist Richard Dawkins.
There is a simple way to break down the barriers of belief. From the very beginning of humankind we had one innate tenet which allowed us to live peacefully in communities. In the beginning, villages contained maybe 20 or 30 people. Today, our village has become global and consists of almost 8 billion humans.
We have evidence of this tenet in Egypt c2040 BCE. And in ancient Greece c600 BCE. Most major philosophers and religious leaders taught it to their followers, including Confucius and Buddha c500 BCE. It appears in the Talmud and the Torah, the Old and New Testaments and the Quran.
Sometimes called the Golden Rule, the wording is different in each case but the sentiment is always the same. DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU. What a simple message. Do we really need the 100 commandments of the Quran, or the10 commandments of the Old Testament? Doesn’t that simple phrase encapsulate everything we need to know?
If we all fully followed the Golden Rule there would be no barriers. We could see others in a different light, no matter their religion, their customs, their origins, their politics, their color of skin. It is such a simple idea, it’s hard to believe we aren’t all doing it.
It is said that all roads lead to Rome. In other words, no matter what your beliefs, we will all end up in the same place. Whether that’s heaven or not, who knows. I’m sure that if there is a god, he isn’t going to leave anybody behind.
One of my favorite poems is ‘Abou Ben Adhem’, written in 1838 by the English poet Leigh Hunt. Though penned almost 200 years ago, it still rings true today.
Abou Ben Adhem
BY LEIGH HUNT
Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold: —
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the presence in the room he said,
“What writest thou?” — The vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered, “The names of those who love the Lord.”
“And is mine one?” said Abou. “Nay, not so,”
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerly still; and said, “I pray thee, then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow men.”
The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blest,
And lo! Ben Adhem’s name led all the rest.
Al Turley (A R T)