IS DROOPY AN ATHEIST ?

"I'm happy !"   He certainly doesn't look it.  Americans have enshrined in their Declaration of Independence a universal human right which, whether "endowed by their Creator" or not, is called the "pursuit of happiness".   In spite of his melancholy signature affirmation, Citizen Sad Sack Droopy apparently has the right to, but not the rewards of, the quest.

Everyone wants to be happy.  It's one of the reasons religions were invented.  Even if this vale of tears is not exactly a paradise or even a tolerable abode for the down and out, the distressed, the disabled, the destitute and the down-trodden, there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, light at the end of the tunnel; there is eternal rest for the weary, heavenly comfort for those who have suffered, justice for those who have been wronged, reward for those who have walked the line and kept the faith, never losing the hope, the certitude, of achieving the happiness after death that eludes so many during their lives.

It is extraordinary that some non-atheists presume that I am a desperately unhappy man.  How could I possibly be happy, believing there is no God, no Divine Friend, Father and Philanthropist to turn to (even though He often seems to be out to lunch or too busy to bother) ?  How could I find any joy in life if I believe that it definitively ends in death ?  They are incapable of imagining that in fact part of my joie de vivre is precisely to have been liberated from the fantasies and false hopes of faith, to pursue whatever happiness I can achieve for myself and for my loved ones.  The truth not only makes you free but happy to be alive, able to strive to make the most of the opportunities life offers and even to bear the burdens it brings, as best we can.  

Droopy makes people smile and even laugh at themselves for sometimes being a Sad Sack like him, instead of reminding themselves of slogans popular with people whose philosophy of life can be read on American bumper-stickers like "Don't worry, be happy !", "Tomorrow is another day", or whatever other shibboleth they consider sufficient to keep them battling on. At least they leave God out of it. 

Happy days, my friends.

                                                                DELENDA   RELIGIO

P.S.   Recently I discovered a text which is still in manuscript form, written by a brilliant Australian scientist and renowned geologist, Ron Vernon.  Ron has an inoperable, terminal cancer.  He has remained professionally active, but has found time to write an extraordinary testimony of his itinerary to atheism, which offers readers the fruit of his wide reading and research as well as his personal insights into the claims of religious belief.  His as-yet unpublished work is entitled The Happy Atheist.  It deserves a wide readership.

Comments

[Thom]

I have the good fortune to number Professor Emeritus Ron Vernon among my friends. Ron, a gentle self-effacing man, has indeed written a book worth reading. His distillation of his own wide reading from many disciplines including history, philosophy, anthropology and science should provide his readers with a reference work to be kept and consulted frequently. One can only be happy that he has written it and Indeed it confirms one's atheist happiness.