Open letter to Atheists Hey Atheists. Thank you so much for clicking on
this video. Really. I’m a religious guy who’s devoted my life to a god you don’t believe in, so
you’re taking a risk here that I might insult you, make you feel bad about your life, or at the very
least waste your time. I really do appreciate it, and hope not to do any of those things. Rather,
I’d like to pose a question to you. It’s a very simple question, in fact, that is more of an
exhortation from me to you than anything else. This question is not meant to trick you or
convert you; I don’t have some super ingenious question that will somehow inspire faith in a
deity… I’d rather just like to challenge you. You say that you are an atheist, that you
don’t believe in God, and I just want to know: are you a good one? Are you a good atheist? It’s
a question that I ask with two things in mind. The first is related to morality. While religion
in general and Christianity in particular doesn’t necessarily make someone a moral
person, these ways of life do necessarily demand morality of the adherents. There is a
particular code of life that one must live. In the case of Catholic Christianity, that code is
one of peace and justice, mercy and forgiveness; it is a code that seeks to care for the
poor and seek reparations from those who take advantage of the vulnerable. Lord knows
we don’t always live up to our founder and have actually done some pretty atrocious
things, but it is our faith that at least guides us and reminds us that moral living isn’t
an option. We must strive to be good people. As someone who doesn’t have that foundation, who
doesn’t believe in a god or adhere to a religion, there is no superstructure making this demand of
you, no one telling you how to live in certain situations; without a belief of an afterlife,
there might be a feeling that all in this world is futile, so what difference does it make? This,
of course, does not need to be the case. Some of the world’s greatest humanitarians, some of the
most influential figures today promoting peace and justice efforts are not adherents to a religion,
but live morally out of a commitment to humanity, a recognition of our interconnectedness, an
acknowledgement that there is something good in itself about loving one another. And so I ask
you, are you a good atheist? Even though their might be no eternal reward or punishment, even
though you are free to do whatever you want—do you choose the virtuous path that benefits
not only yourself, but others? I hope so. The world needs good atheists. Of course, the
word “good” points to more than just a sense of morality… it also represents an evaluation of
aptitude. When I ask if you are a good atheist, I want to know if you are good AT being an
atheist. Can you articulate why you don’t believe in God in a coherent way—or do you just
say religion is dumb and use logical fallacies? Have you explored the depths of your mind and
heart, asking the real questions of life and death, faith and reason, seeking to understand
what this human life is about—or do you just not want to go to Church so this’ll do? Have you
read the critical atheist thinkers of history, people like Nietzsche, Sarte, Feuerbach,
Heidegger—people who asked challenging questions, who posed thoughtful insights of the world—or do
you just stick to people like Richard Dawkins, people who provide great soundbites for the cause
but do little to add anything to the world other than straw man arguments and divisiveness?
Have you read for yourself the works of REAL theologians, people articulating our beliefs in
the absolute best way we know how—Karl Rahner, John Henry Newman, Joseph Ratzinger, Augustine
of Hippo, Henri de Lubac—or do you stick with the simplicity of evangelical pastors from
someone rural, anti-intellectual church? I ask all of this not to be accusatory, at least,
not to be OVERLY accusatory, but to challenge you to go deeper in your thought. Simply declaring
yourself an atheist and going on with your life isn’t enough, just as saying you’re a Christian
and never reading the Bible wouldn’t be enough. Ask more questions. Read more perspectives.
Be able to articulate your understanding of the world with logic and reasoning that
will actually add something to world. Because here’s the thing: People of faith need
you to be good atheists. We do. As a Christian, I don’t want you to be a bad atheist with an
unexplored mind just regurgitating fallacies. I want you to ask questions that we’ve never
thought to answer. I want you to be so smart that it challenges us to be smarter. As crazy as it
sounds, I would much rather you be a good atheist than just an atheist. And so, that is my humble
message to you, from believer non-believer. We may not agree on much, but that
does’t mean we don’t need each other or can’t learn something from one another. We do,
and we can. Peace and all good to you. Fr. Casey.
