For many people, Friday’s massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut will be a test of their faith and belief in God. In addition to the horror and agony brought on by the tragic event, they will ask themselves how God could let this happen. They will ask how can there be a God in a world where young children - the most innocent among us - are brutally and ruthlessly gunned down at an elementary school. I have an answer for them; there is no God. That answer frightens many people, but I have to ask, what is more frightening, a world without a God, or a world with a God that could have prevented Friday’s massacre but chose not to?
I used to believe in God. I was married to a born-again Christian who encouraged me to examine the evidence that God exists and that Jesus was the messiah prophesied in the Old Testament. I read the bible and some additional material and for a few years I was of the belief that she/they were right. But I kept reading and kept examining the evidence. My inquiry and study did not stop and as I read more and more, I found myself questioning my original conclusion. Eventually I realized it wasn’t true - none of it. The evidence of no God was substantial; the evidence of God was false, fabricated, and utterly deficient.
And I have to say, acknowledging that there is no God has made my life happier, more peaceful, and less conflicted. Contrary to how atheists are portrayed, I did not become miserable, aimless, immoral or angry. I am not jealous of people who have someone to pray to. I do not envy their certainty in their belief because I have my own certainty. Seeing the world as it actually is with all its beauty, and seeing all the scientific discoveries and all scientific mysteries waiting to be discovered is truly amazing. The idea of no God, the reality of no God, actually makes this world and this universe even more wondrous.
This is not to suggest that people who believe in God should stop believing because of this singular tragic event. But when an event like this tests a person’s faith, tests the core of a person’s belief, doesn’t it make sense to re-examine that faith? Doesn’t it make sense to take a fresh look at the evidence for and against - including evidence that may not have been considered before? Starting such a re-examination can be daunting and frightening, but the results can be liberating.