Brian’s Reflection: Thursday, May 13, 2010

Isn't an agnostic just an atheist without balls?

Stephen Colbert, comedian, born on this date, 1964


I have been graced (deservedly, of course!) with a brilliant theological insight – undoubtedly vouchsafed to me by the Archangel Gabriel, since it came to me on a Golden Plate that was left on my doorstep the other day. She/He has been rather bored since Mary and then Joseph Smith – why else would Gabriel choose an overweight retired Episcopal priest to cozy up to???

The vouchsafed insight? Atheism (“nonbelief”) and Faith (“belief”) are the same thing!

It takes balls to have Faith. It isn’t so much that you have to believe unbelievable things. It’s that you really have to work hard! You have to buckle down and look at Life and mediate and think and ponder the Mystery of Life and make courageous decisions. And it takes balls, as Colbert intimates, to reject religious Faith – and you have to do the same thing: work hard! You have to buckle down and look at Life and mediate and think and ponder the Mystery of Life and make courageous decisions.

Atheists and Faith-ers share the same spirituality! They trust the Universe. They value human beings intrinsically. They see that everything is connected. They know that they thrill with the same energy of the Stars. They rest and rejoice in Mystery. They live trustingly in Contradiction. They know that a Heart of Blessing resides at the core of Being.

People of “Faith” and Atheists know that they are embraced by Being. That Life is a stunning Gift. That it is meant to be wildly enjoyed. Today, Dennis and I went to Black’s Beach, in La Jolla. A wide, quiet place; nudists being nudists, thank God; Whimbrels and Godwits having lunch; hang-gliders floating elegantly over the cliffs; sun warming us. We certainly felt One with All.

OK. This sounds so New Age, from old Hippies.

You know what? I am so glad to have had the experience I’ve had from 1946 until now! With the World the way it is now, I’m glad to have a foundation that will get me through the potential horror.

From the unapologetic Hippie:

Brian+