Reflections of a Filipino Atheist

The author of God is Not Great:
How Religion Poisons Everything

Yesterday, as I was mourning the loss of a great writer and pundit Christopher Hitchens, it occurred to me that his death, more than anything, awakened the consciousness and unity of Atheists around the world. This is an achievement for Hitchens -- to see that his influence transcends after his passing to the world in need of his words and enlightenment.

Death, for Hitchens, is certainty. It is the final moment of existence that replaces the "both the siren-song of Paradise and the dread of Hell". For us Atheists, the existence of death is what makes life more meaningful. Knowing that there is no afterlife compels us to give a deeper meaning to our fleeting existence. 

Existence precedes essence. That is the existentialist way of putting it. Existence is here and now -- we make the most out of our life and give meaning to it because there is no afterlife, no, there is nothing more after death. As Hitchens eloquently puts it,

“Life on this earth, with all its mystery & beauty and pain, is then to be lived far more intensely: we stumble & get up, we are sad, confident, insecure, feel loneliness & joy  & love. There is nothing more; but I want nothing more.” 

― Christopher Hitchens from his 2007 book titled, The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Non-believer 

Being a Filipino Atheist

Living as an Atheist in a largely Catholic country presents both confusion and frustration for me. Confusion because while growing up, nobody taught me how and what to think. My parents never hinted anything about religion. They never labeled my siblings and I as non-Christian or Atheists children, no, not in the same way as religious parents instantly label their children as "Catholic or Muslim child". The important thing was I had the freedom to think for myself and make sense of my existence. 

Devil's Kid? ^_^

While growing up, confusion started to kick in the moment I questioned my mom about heaven. I was six or seven when I started hearing my classmates talk about God and heaven. I remember I  had this fascination to look at the sky and search for images in the clouds. I was with my mom one day and I pointed to the sky and said, "my classmate says God resides up there, in heaven". 

My mom gave the most casual reply, "maybe so, but remember Astronauts have passed by the sky and found nothing". For years, I have lived with that puzzling reply. Little did I know that the phrase introduced me to the importance of reason and evidence before making a grand claim. Or as Hitchens eloquently puts it, 

"That which can be asserted without evidence, 

can be dismissed without evidence". 

As a child, I learned to question the imposition of other people's belief, especially that I studied in public schools where classes were halted every Friday afternoon just so students could hear a Catholic mass. Yes, I became critical of religion -- but then it hit me: I was alone. 

The Philippine Frustration

Embracing Atheism can be lonely in the Philippines. In a place where religion plays an integral role in society, I have to be careful not to be judged or feared by those who have yet to know me well. I think it's why I sometimes become defensive and simply hide the fact that yes, I am a religious non-believer. In job application, for instance, it was almost an instinct to lie about my being an atheist when I fill out application forms or go on an interview, fearing people might judge me for my belief. 

"Isn't it enough to see that the garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?" (Douglas Williams, in The God Delusion)

It is this loneliness and frustration that led me to validate my belief by reading the works of Atheist authors such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. I read both "The God Delusion" and "God is not Great". The ideas in the book validated my beliefs and encouraged me to accept and stand up for atheism. I will forever be grateful for both Dawkins and Hitchens for framing my views and answering my needs of belongingness as a Filipino atheist. 

“Literature, not scripture, sustains the mind and --since there is no other metaphor--also the soul." (Hitchens, God is not Great)

Yesterday, I sadly lost one of my intellectual inspirations, but through Hitchens death, I regained a deeper appreciation and understanding of my non-belief. That is,  being an Atheist in this largely Christian nation allows me to showcase how we: 1.) dare to reason and defend our position; and 2.) live meaningfully without belief.
There is nothing more.