Received 10.3.2001

How can you believe that God doesn't exist? Have you ever looked outside? Do you not see the miracles of nature? People just didn't happen. 

But, back to homosexuals, do you realize that it is not just Christians (Baptist, Methodists, etc.) that show a dislike or hatred for homosexuality. Non-Christians (atheists & agnostics) also have the same feelings of hatred.  So why not a web site against them? 

Why are you a closet atheist? 

Are you 100% sure that there is no God?? What if there is a God, your web site could be dangerous to the lives of other people. 

I went to your web site because my 19 year son frequents it. I feel that he is being led in the wrong direction. 

I will say that your site is not a "bad" web site like some of the other ones I have been to.

I am a Christian and attend a United Methodist Church. If you have seen our recently run commercials, you will see that we have Open Hearts, Open Minds and Open Doors. 

My Reply:

As a parent myself, I understand why you are concerned about the material your son views on the Internet.  While you are not an atheist, I hope you can appreciate that the overall message of this site is positive, namely that freedom of religion is important and that morality should be based on reason.

I am a biologist, and the miracles of nature you refer to, had an opposite effect on me.  Studying and understanding them never amounted to a proof of God's existence.

I know that people who hate homosexuals span the religious and unreligious alike.  Christians who fall into this category, however, draw their motivation from the bible, primarily a few passages in Leviticus.  Their hate is organized and has leadership; it's not just a random smattering of closed-minded individuals.  They raise money to sponsor legislation limiting homosexual rights.  California, for example, no longer recognizes homosexual marriages performed in other states as a result of religious-right funded proposition 22.  They produce and mass distribute video tapes of anti-homosexual propaganda, and in a recent mind-boggling leap of logic, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson publicly blamed homosexuals for the World Trade Center terrorist attack.

Am I sure that there is no God?  I am sure enough that I am willing to wager eternal life on it.  Whether or not someone believes in God is not so much a choice, as it is a position they arrive at gradually.  Throughout our lives we accumulate experiences that build a personal argument for or against God's existence.  You could probably no more decide that God does not exist than I could convince myself he does. A lot of people who were raised to believe in God from childhood start to question their beliefs around your son's age.  Perhaps they had never really given serious consideration to what they believe.  They just accepted it because the people they respect told them it was true.  Eventually your son will arrive a position and I don't think the information on atheism he finds on the Internet will change the outcome.

If he decides for himself to believe, his faith will only grow; he will understand and embrace his beliefs more strongly than those who never questioned.  If he decides that he can no longer believe in God, he will still have the same values that you work so hard to bestow in him.  He will be the exact same person, except that he has changed his mind about the existence of God.  Can you really imagine a loving god that punishes people simply because they don't believe in him, even when their actions are good? 

You asked why I am a Closet Atheist.  I chose that name for this site because I think it describes a dilemma many atheists face.  They fear they will stifle their careers, alienate friends, and disappoint family-- especially their parents-- if they reveal they have lost their faith.  Letting your son know that you accept him regardless of what he believes may help to keep your relationship open and honest.

Thanks for writing.