I often communicate with unbelievers, whether for work or just with old acquaintances. I study their lives and their psychology, and I talk to them about various subjects. As sad as it may sound, in the absolute majority of cases I see that they are, unfortunately, mostly very unhappy people. But at least in my whole life, I have never met a really happy unbeliever, not even one! I try to explain all kinds of things to them, but as soon as they hear the word "God," their faces change, they are disgusted. I can see that it is not because they do not believe in God. A person who does not believe in something does not resent it and does not feel disgusted by it, because he does not care about it. He just doesn't believe in it, that's all, and it doesn't affect him in any way. But in this case, they have some kind of hatred and disgust. It's like a riot. But such a behavior is not impartial, it is the opposite. Besides, I don't know where they get such beliefs from: whether they are indoctrinated on TV, or whether atheist friends have made them so inclined, I don't know. But most non-believers consider people of faith to be second-rate and ignorant. They have convinced themselves that religion was created for a poor and stupid society. And in the ranks of the intelligentsia, to which they for some reason count themselves, faith seems to them something unacceptable or a relic of the past. I say, "Okay if you are so intelligent, highly cultured, civilized, why are you so unhappy?" After all, the goal of any normal person is happiness. Read any intelligent person. I don't know anyone who consciously wants to be unhappy. So if you have understood everything, if you are so intelligent, knowledgeable, and successful, explain to us "fools" why you are so unhappy. Is this your thing, or am I misunderstanding again? They are silent, they have no answer.
You know what else I've noticed – extremes. When a person is in ignorance and disobedience to his Creator, or when he is not limited by any norms – he does not know the circle of his duties to the Original. "Live as you wish" is what they call it. In such cases, people begin to go to extremes and go crazy. I've watched their attempts to cheer up their existence. They always end up with them professing some kind of animalistic lifestyle. Lots of attempts to justify their godless existence and living without limits, that's all. Drinking, partying, lying, careerism. At home there are always scandals, all family members do absolutely whatever they want. The husband does not report to the wife, the wife does not report to the husband, and children with the latest iPhones slam the door in their faces – there are no common rules, no common laws at all. Everyone has their own personal value system and their truth. It is chaos, total lawlessness. They think that believers are ignorant. Isn't that ridiculous, do you really think that this lifestyle is a worthy alternative to the life of a believer? Well, let's compare, everything is a comparison. The unbeliever eats and the believer eats, both get married, work, travel, and have fun. It seems like all the same things, doesn't it? But in the case of believers, they try to do all these things according to the reasonable, helpful, wise laws of the Scriptures that protect them from anything that contains harm. And unbelievers accept absolutely everything indiscriminately and without analysis. Who is more reasonable? Believers abstain from things that it would be logical to abstain from for the good of the family and others. For example, adultery between spouses, gossip, slander, lying, alcoholism, drug addiction, disrespect for elders, breaking kinship ties, indifference to the poor and needy, exposure of body parts, lewdness, shamelessness, immorality, and the like. And for the unbelievers there is no refusal at all: neither good nor bad nor harmful nor destructive nor disgusting – everything is allowed to them. Everyone may do what he wants, how he wants, and, as they say, it is his right. What are these beliefs based on?
A man was asked, "How did you come to believe in the Lord God?" He replied that he did not see any prohibition of the Lord God that he thought, "It had better be allowed." And also that he saw no commandment in the Scriptures of which he thought to himself, "It had better not be commanded." Maybe you will find unreasonable laws in the Holy Books, then you will offer a reasonable alternative, and then I will agree with you on something. Don't you think it's better to be a believer and live under the protection of a perfect Creator? What is the catch with non-believers? They probably don't have the patience to wait. They ask for and want everything at once. But everything will only happen if it is for good. And people's pride rebels: "I believe and want this, so why is it taking me so long to get it?" And they rebel, they rebel because of their pride and impatience. They lack spiritual fear. The fear and the realization of the greatness of God. Any sane person would realize that there is no better system for man. And even if there were no next life, it would still be more logical and reasonable, more profitable and correct to live according to the laws of the Lord God, and not according to the laws of man. But, thank God, there is a next life for all that. Therefore, to be a believer is actually doubly profitable, it means to be in favor not only in this life but also in the next life.
In this life, you will live with ease and peace in your heart, as a great human being, not as an animal. And by keeping the laws described in the Scriptures, you and your family will be protected from all that is harmful and destructive. That's in this life. And in the next life, on top of all that, you will also receive the eternal pleasures of Paradise. What could be better than that? You will get eternal youth, palaces, and bliss in the gardens of Eden, in Paradise, where there will be everything your soul desires. And you will not be cast out there. There will be no suffering, no pain, no imperfections of body and soul, but only eternal vacations, fun, health, and joy. What more do you need?
What do unbelievers gain? I honestly don't understand you. Don't you think there is a contradiction in your argument? On the one hand, you talk about the reasonableness of godlessness and the unreasonableness of faith. Okay. But on the other hand, your way of life, your misfortunes, and your depressions themselves testify to the unreasonableness of the godless, animal existence and the reasonableness of the happy life of the righteous. And the most interesting thing is that many people look at them and even envy them. Beautiful photos on social networks, gifts, resorts – it is like a kind of idyll, "a model of family happiness and well-being". But nobody sees what's behind the scenes. It's different in real life. In the photo they are smiling, but behind the photo they are fighting. So why are family psychologists so prevalent in their midst? Among non-believers, there is a huge percentage of suicide, divorce, adultery, drug addiction, depression, and unhappiness. Most people do not understand what they are living for and how to live it. If there is no God, if there is no next life, if there is no hell, if there is no Heaven, what are you living for, unbelievers? What is the point of enduring pain, suffering, and humiliation in this life? Okay, if you were all billionaires and bathed in pleasure from dawn to dusk, then at least it would be somehow possible to justify your choice for a life without faith. But even if you are a billionaire without faith, it makes no sense, everything will soon be over forever and more, your end will be even more painful, and you will have to answer for everything. You have been given all this for the glory of your Creator, not the other way around.
But most people are ordinary office workers or employees of some middle-class companies. What do you live for if you do not believe in God? To eat, to drink, to sleep, to satisfy your needs?
You should seriously think about the fact that despite your education, despite the many mentors you have had in your life, despite the many life skills you have learned, despite the many books you have read, despite the many motivators you have had – all of this has not helped you to be happy in your life, to make up your mind, to gain inner peace, to be yourself, to be clear about what you are living for. Maybe it's time to try something else. Why don't you recognize your own experience? Look at your bookshelves. A bunch of foreign authors, beautiful covers, fancy titles, and names, alluring slogans. But there's not much truth in them. Maybe it's time to think about it, or are you going back to sleep? Even if you become very rich and buy everything you want and solve all your everyday problems, it will not make you happy. A few pleasant feelings and that's it. Happiness is not achieved by covering a momentary desire. Happiness is a permanent human state. We will reflect on this a little later, in a separate chapter.
The upshot of all this is one – the unbeliever has logic without logic, and the way of faith he has chosen is not true.