A Defense of Atheism

A Defense of Atheism
by Alyosha Karamazov
Original title	"א פאַרטיידיקונג פון אַטהעיסם"
Country	Morova
Language	Morovan
Publisher	Morovan government
Publication date	2 September 2019

A Defense of Atheism (Morovan: א פאַרטיידיקונג פון אַטהעיסם; transliteration: a farteydikung fun atheism) is a Morovan poem, written by Alyosha Karamazov, which supports atheism.

Text

No more than a few months ago, a devestating attack was perpetrated by an unknown force against the city of Morovia. Thousands of people were annihilated in an instant. Those who were not so lucky watched as their skin burned in front of their eyes. Looking amidst such horror, one can only wonder why Providence did nothing. I have heard many tales of survivors of the attack. I will share with you only one. A young boy, named Ivan, came to surprise his father at the factory. It was his father's birthday. When the missiles came, Ivan heard the whistling and found it pleasant. He smiled. A moment later, his whole life was shattered. When the missile collided with the roof of the factory, it collapsed, killing nearly 130 people. Ivan was not so lucky. His legs were crushed by a falling cabinet, holding him prone. He saw the destruction around him. Blood was on the walls, and pieces of human flesh were scattered around the room. When Ivan saw this, he wept. He felt his skin burn with pain. He watched in fear as fire moved in around him, scorching his arms. In that moment, in that crescendo of suffering, he cried out. He prayed. He screamed for an angel to save him. He had been taught his whole life that there was a loving Jesus, one who would save him at any cost. No loving Jesus was there to save him when his skin caught fire. Ivan is now horrifically disfigured and has lost both of his legs. Some would call it a miracle that he survived. If you asked Ivan, he would call it cruel. Every day, across the globe, children are raped, burned, attacked, murdered for triviality. If you ask the church, they will tell you it is the price of knowledge and freedom. I say this: no amount of knowledge would make the cries of that child worth it. I will shout from the rooftops on the day of judgement: It. Is. Not. No, you see, I do not reject the existence of God. No, I find it improbable the world would exist without a creator's presence. It is his creation, his world, his plan for happiness that I reject. I reject a world where men must watch their children burn in order for some hope of evantual salvation. I reject a world where men watch their children burn and can only console themselves with the thought of some paradise above. No amount of happiness, no paradise will ever make up for the pain of that child in the moment his skin burned. He cried for "dear, Kind god" and no one heard him. He wailed for aid and none came. That Child did not choose to live in this world. He did not choose for this thing to happen. No, he only wanted to see his father. And when he felt himself burn, he screamed out for God. No God came. On that day of judgement, when the "faithful" Christians, who stand by as the people of the world suffer, are saved, I will not be with them. No, when I am given the chance to be saved, I will look into the eyes of the savior, and I will tell him the truth. I will say, "I want no part in happiness that came at such a high price." I will not be complicit in such a scheme. No, when I am given my ticket to heaven, I will graciously return it. This is rebellion. It is the only way things will get better. When men are ruled by a dictator, be it of God or of earth, who watches as children burn, they must rebel. Not for some high ideal, but if only to end the pain we feel. If only to alleviate the suffering we did not ask for. To all those who say that there is hope for life, that God is good, I ask you this.

If you created a universe with the grand design to achieve the happiness of all mankind, and it only came at the cost of the life of a small child, would you do it? If all you had to do to ensure the safety of a trillion souls was torture one babe to death, would you do it? Would you take that power and watch that babe die at your hands?

Would you act as the God of Abraham and Isaac did?

I would not.

And I know that many of you wouldn't either.

See also

• Vladimir Kruschev