Abundant Bliss

Author Emily Dietle

My focus is on state-church separation & social issues. I'm an avid reader, and feel that one of our most valuable tools is the free movement of information and ideas. | @emilyhasbooks

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The persistent stereotype pushed by Christians about atheists is that we are all unhappy, unpleasant, miserable people.  This claim is used to derail conversations and defame and disarm atheists and atheism as a whole.  What’s most disheartening is that the often genuinely kind and loving individuals that are unwittingly abrasive making these claims… are persistent in their ignorance even when presented with evidence contrary to their false assumptions.

The saddest thing of all of this is that Jessica [Ahlquist] is missing out on Knowing Jesus Christ as her personal Savior and Friend. She is just another lost and unhappy person whom we followers will be praying for.

Look, we non-believers are not angry at your god, we don’t even believe in his/her/it’s existence.  I know that’s difficult for you to understand, but take it for what it is.  You’re not angry at a myriad of other gods that man has created, and I’m not mad at yours. What does upset me is the hatred I see directed at non-believers everywhere.  From Jessica Ahlquist to Alex Aan and countless others, our so-called “blasphemy” earns us threats of violence, rape, death.  At the least, we’re excluded in our communities, jobs, families, and aren’t allowed to run in public office.  We’re not, as a whole, an unhappy lot. If we seem unhappy, those could be reasons why, but let me tell you- atheists are no more unhappy than you are.

Happy Atheists

Defining my personal happiness is complicated as it is very complex.  I can tell you this about it though- it’s at powerful feeling, and while it can be layered on top with other not-so-pleasant experiences, when I shake them off, the feeling of happiness is always there.  My happiness is gained from doing things I value, while knowing that I have very little time to exist and this is the only life I’ll live.  By discrediting mine and others true feelings of happiness, believers only weaken their own presentation of arguments; it’s fallacious to attack individuals in debate.

The assumption that atheists are “lost” is also absurd to me, and I cannot comprehend how one can go about their life with a belief that a huge portion of the population that does or has ever existed will spend an eternity in some tortuous state.  If you’re a Catholic/Protestant, that’s 67.1% of the current world population going to Hell. Muslim? That’s 80.2% of people going to Jahannam.  There are roughly seven BILLION people currently on Earth, and millions have passed before us.  Those of us who don’t follow your particular pattern of religious belief, or worship your deity, aren’t any more lost or miserable than you are.  Unless you use your power as a majority to harass, exclude, or torture us for believing differently, we atheists, are as happy as anyone else.