Does God Exist? Atheism, Faith, and the Search for Truth
Whenever I try to study religion, I feel the first and most important step is not to study rituals, rules, or scriptures, but to study the creator Himself. Before asking what a religion teaches, it makes more sense to ask who the religion is talking about. And the moment I start thinking about the idea of God, a being who is all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving, and the sustainer of everything, one unavoidable question comes to my mind: if such a God exists, then why is there so much pain, suffering, and injustice in the world?
Blog Summary:
- Argument of Christopher Hitchens
This question is not meant to attack faith, nor is it meant to defend atheism. It is simply an honest human doubt. If God is truly present, why does the world often feel so broken? And if He is not present, then where do ideas like meaning, morality, and purpose really come from?
In this blog, I am not trying to preach or convert anyone. My goal is to explore this question as neutrally and honestly as possible.
Argument of Christopher Hitchens:
One of the strongest arguments against the idea that religion makes people morally superior comes from a simple challenge: name one genuinely good action that only religious people do and that atheists cannot do. Likewise, name one truly immoral act that atheists commit but religious people never commit. In reality, no such examples exist. Religious and non-religious people alike are capable of compassion, generosity, and self-sacrifice. And both groups are also capable of violence, hatred, and cruelty. History shows mass shootings, suicide bombings, rape, and war committed in the name of religion and also without religion. If belief in God does not reliably make people more moral, then religion cannot claim moral superiority over atheism.
My answer:
People often criticize religion by pointing to how religious people behave, but I think this is a mistake. You are judging religion by the actions of believers instead of asking whether God exists or not. That’s like saying doctors sometimes kill people, therefore medicine is fake. Obviously, that would be a very stupid conclusion. Bad behavior by followers does not automatically mean the system itself is false.
Secondly, religion is not supposed to create perfect people. Most religions actually teach that humans are sinful and flawed. That’s why God is described as all-forgiving. God is there to guide people, not to turn them into robots who never do anything wrong. So when religious people fail morally, it doesn’t disprove religion. In a way, it confirms what religion already says about human nature.The existence of immoral believers therefore does not undermine religion; it is exactly what religion predicts about human nature.
Religion, on the other hand, says that if you do good, you will be rewarded in the hereafter. Even if it’s not perfect to be motivated by reward, you should love unconditionally, at least this belief gives people a reason to try to be better. It gives them a sense of accountability and meaning. Atheism doesn’t really offer that kind of ultimate motivation. It may offer personal reasons, but nothing beyond this life.
And finally, this whole argument is actually missing the main point. The real question is not whether religion makes people good or bad. The real question is whether God exists. I agree with Christopher Hitchens that he raised a very good argument: if religion does not make people any better, then what is the meaning of following religion? However, the real question in our debate is not whether religion improves human behavior, but whether God actually exists or not. That is the core issue.