Theism and atheism are black and white concepts. As their names suggests, they are mutually exclusive of each other and no person can claim to be a believer of both the concepts at the same time. However, that does not mean there cannot be flow of ideas and thoughts from one domain to the other. Though atheists might strongly denounce God to the point of being fanatic, there is a thing or two that they can learn from religion. In fact, it is possible to be a strongly atheistic and yet find religion useful in life, even though not on a day-to-day basis.

For such a thing to happen, an atheist might find common ground between some of his/her principles and that of religion. For instance, many religious faiths around the world profess a certain code of morality that we as humans should abide by. When we lack clarity about our own sense of morality, then it isn’t erroneous to turn to religion to seek help. That doesn’t mean we have to blindly accept what religion has to offer us. Instead, after deeply studying the various tenets of the particular religion, we can draw our own conclusions.

One might even say that religion has no place in an increasing scientific world. However, many religious principles are valid and enduring even in the 21st century. Many religions teach us the importance of compassion, community, family and love. Stripped of their super-natural overtones and archaic rituals, religions are in essence about humans and society. While one doesn’t have to entirely agree with all that religion says about how we as humans should live, one doesn’t have to summarily reject it either.

In short, religions are too useful, resourceful and perspicacious to be left in the hands of theists alone.

Tags: Religion, Spirituality