Sean Massa - How Atheism Strengthened My Christianity

Having gone to a private Christian school for the past 8 years of my life, I can honestly say that my views were fairly sheltered. Christianity seemed to be the norm and every other belief was alien. It was with this same background mindset that I was confronted with the week on atheism in my interfaith course, a week that would be ironically pleasant.

In my high school I knew that a good majority of the public was considered atheist, but my school-bred knowledge of atheism did not go much deeper than that. There was the addition that it was something that was frowned upon in our school, and with these simple premises I had concluded my own views.

The challenge came when our required reading for the week was “God is Not Great” by Christopher Hitchens, a title that initially sent shivers down my spine.
I had remembered seeing the book title once before on a shelf in a Barnes and Noble back home in San Jose, California and having disdain for it then. In the moments preparing to do the reading, I was filled with much fear and anxiety of not knowing what to expect. Was this book, whose title blatantly condemned all that I stood and lived for, some kind of evil, anti-Christian doctrine? I soon came to find that this was not the case at all. In fact, what I did discover was quite surprising.

I jumped into the introduction, armed for battle and preparing for the worst...

Now it may have just been the enjoyable music I was listening to, but I learned that the reading was really not bad at all and quite engaging. Indeed, much of the content pulled my interest so strongly that I wanted to finish the entire book in what limited time I had to read.

The majority of Hitchen’s reading seemed to focus on the premise that religion, throughout the record of time, has done much damage to human life and is therefore something undesirable for modern society. As my glued eyes continued along each page, I came to an irrevocable conclusion: I could not deny the fact that religion has done this world much pain.

Who could forget the many genocides and malicious acts committed during the crusades or even currently, as is the case in high religious-tension countries like Nigeria?

Upon finding these truths I had to face the facts and wonder about my own faith. In the process I was reminded of one thing, that I have a faith based on my relationship in God that does not stem from the actions of a collection of corrupt men. Through the reading, I was reminded of my own faith foundations and also given new-found evidence to know why I believe what I believe. I found that though religion has good intentions, human beings sometimes do not. These thoughts raced in my head and somehow directed me to thinking about innate human character and core human desires. It would seem that the most challenging week during my interfaith adventure has fueled my theological pursuits to continue gaining understanding.

Through my experience with interfaith work , more specifically confronting challenges to my own beliefs, I have found an unexpected satisfaction in having my own faith be strengthened as a supplement to my intellectual interest. Sometime during the semester I was able to help facilitate an interfaith dialogue branch of the Veritas Forum in one of the on-campus dorms. During one of our weekly discussions, I found myself using the Hitchens readings and other example from the course to help stimulate others’ thoughts and also to challenge people’s held beliefs. I see myself continuing to help out with this dialogue even after my interfaith course ends, as I have seen one of the beautiful benefits stemming forth in the form of the new friendships.

In addition, I fear my newly acquired ponderings on faith may just continue to grow to insatiable proportions, leading me to a possible future studying at a divinity school or theological seminary. In such a fate, I hope my mind will find new answers and also new questions in which
my curiosity can indulge.