Something I've learned from an atheist friend

Atheists and non-atheists are very different. That’s obvious. While we may share some views about life and morality, the foundations which underpin these views are very different.

Likewise when it comes to how we find meaning and purpose in our life. We all long to ascribe some form a greater ‘Meaning’ to the 80 years or so with which we are given.

Speaking as a theist (specifically a Christian), I have often struggled to grasp how the atheist manages to find this Meaning. If we are all, in fact, merely time and chance acting on matter, destined to return to the dust and nothing more, then everything (both in the individual and global perspective) can be of no consequence.  If everything is of no consequence, then why would one invest oneself in others? The benefits to either party are brief – whether they are forgotten and irrelevant in 1 year, 10 years, or 100 years, they will be forgotten.

The Bible paints a different picture. It says that everything is relevant, and everything has eternal consequence.

Which party would you expect to be the more charitable, generous, less-self-seeking? The one whose belief system holds that there may not be any greater meaning beyond death, or the one who is convinced that there is?

Recently, I have had the pleasure of making friends with an atheist whose charitable endeavours, compassion and good-will would bring shame to many Christians (myself included). While our views on many things differ significantly, what has stuck me is altruistic nature.

This isn’t because I think atheists cannot be altrustic – I don’t. The question it does raise for me however, is why do many Christians seem to lack the altruism and zeal for ‘making the most of life’ that seem present in many atheists/agnostics? 

I found this question perplexing, but Timothy Keller (in his book The Reason for God, 2009, p.19) makes a rather succinct point which helps explain this.

Christianity not only leads its members to believe people of other faiths have goodness and wisdom to offer, it also leads them to expect that many will live lives morally superior to their own. Most people in our culture believe that, if there is a God, we can relate to him and go to heaven through leading a good life. Let's call this the 'moral improvement' view. Christianity teaches the very opposte. In the Christian understanding, Jesus does not tell us how to live so we can merit salvation. Rather, he comes to forgive and save us through his life and death in our place. God's grace does not come to people who morally outperform others, but to those who admit their failure to perform and who acknowledge their need for Saviour.

Christians, then should expect to find non-believers who are much nicer, kinder, wiser and better than they are. Why? Christians believers are not accepted by God because of their oral performance, wisdom or virtue, but because of Christ's work on their behalf.

That said, does that mean Christians like me don't need to be altruistic, or standing up for the poor and down-trodden? Not at all! Rather, I think that any such acts for Christians, instead of coming from an idea of spiritual or moral atonement, come from a heart responding in thanks to The greatest altruistic act in history - Jesus giving His life for us on the Cross.

So I want to thank my friend for his (unwitting) gift to me. I hope there are other lessons I'll be able to learn from him, but I hope and pray even more that he will one day know that God loves him, and he'll do even more amazing things for others because the amazing things that God has done for him.