Atheism For Filipinos

Atheism is not a belief. It is the absence of belief. An atheist is not primarily a person who believes that a god does not exist; rather he does not believe in the existence of a god. “Theism” and “atheism” are descriptive terms. They specify the presence or absence of a belief in god. If a person is designated as a theist, this tells us that he believes in a god, not why he believes. If a person is designated as an atheist, this tells us that he does not believe in a god, not why he does not believe. In this context, theism and atheism exhaust all possible alternatives with regard to the belief in a god: one is either a theist or an atheist; there is no other choice. One either accepts the proposition “god exist” as true, or one does not. One either believes in a supernatural being, or does not. There is no third or middle ground. Forget agnosticism. The agnostics are spineless cowards who have lost the courage to make a decision about matters of great importance on this earth. In the meantime, to declare that Atheism is a religion is ridiculous. There are no messiahs in Atheism. There are only heroes and heroines who work steadily and often quietly over many years to make those changes in our culture which will enlighten future generations. In the world of atheism, we atheists are all leaders. We are not followers, We Filipino atheists fully understand that the reward of a good life comes to everyone who invests in the future collective well-being of all Filipinos. We Filipino atheists may be as negative as Columbus. We may be as rebellious as Jose Rizal who questioned Catholic authority in the Philippines. We are interested in the here and now, not in the fantasy of a later life to come after death. We see religion – theism – as simply irrelevant to human life. We Filipino atheists understand that we are all part of human life in our country and that we must look after its interests as well as our own, to enjoy together that pursuit of happiness as defined in human civilization. Oh yes, we are few in number. But we care. We are involved as we continue to evolve. We care desperately that our children and grandchildren shall enjoy not the freedom of religion, but precisely enjoy the freedom from religion. It does not matter that we Filipino atheists stand alone; what matters is that we stand. Atheism is a basic posit of life, reason is the only guide, understanding is the only requirement; where education and science are the primary instruments toward a fulfilled life for all Filipinos and where, finally, the Filipino mind becomes totally free. Poch Suzara