What If . . .
Question with boldness even the existence of God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear.
Thomas Jefferson, president[1]
What if you’re in church or Sunday school, and the teachings that you’re hearing don’t make sense?
What if you’ve never been religious, but other teenagers in your school and neighborhood belong to one faith or another, and you feel like you’re alone?
What if you resent people trying to make you believe what they believe, or you’re not sure if any religion has the answers that you need, or you’re just tired of hearing about God and the Bible?
You’re not alone. Millions of Americans, and at least half a billion people worldwide, have strong doubts about religion or have no religion at all. A lot of them are teenagers. (One Yahoo! Group for teenage atheists has about a thousand members -- more than the biggest groups for Lindsay Lohan, Nickelback, or Paris Hilton.)
This book won’t try to convert you to any particular opinion about God. You’ve probably had plenty of people preach at you already. Besides, I don’t have all the answers. I’ve got my own personal beliefs; but for all I know, some obscure sect out in who knows where has the Ultimate Truth about Life, Death, God, and the Universe, and the rest of us are doomed to spend eternity in a vat of boiling whale snot.
If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name at a Swiss bank.
Woody Allen, filmmaker[2]
But if you don’t have much faith -- and even people with very deep beliefs go through times of doubt -- there are a few things you might want to know.
If you’re wondering if there’s something wrong with you: there probably isn’t. Atheists and doubters are everywhere, living perfectly normal and moral lives. They’re just not as visible as the faithful. After all, un-religious folks are in the minority, and they generally don’t have their own churches or TV shows.
If you’re wondering if something’s wrong with religion: it depends. The world has a lot of religions, and their teachings range from loving everyone to killing all non-believers. Some people can go crazy from obsessing too much about their faith. Others hold strong religious convictions that lead them to be generous and understanding, even to atheists.
Like religions, non-belief has good and bad sides. There’s the joy of freedom from ancient rules and the pain of disapproval from people who want you to obey the rules. There’s confusion in deciding exactly what to believe (after all, there’s no atheist Bible to give you the answers) and warm pleasure in finding others who think the way you do.
This book will help you find the happy parts of non-belief and handle the hard times that can come with it.
[1] Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr (August 10, 1787), Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello website, http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/jeffersons-religious-beliefs#_note-1
[2] Woody Allen, “Selections from the Allen Notebooks,” Without Feathers (Random House, 1975), http://www.amazon.com/Without-Feathers-Woody-Allen/dp/0345336976
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