As you may have read, celebrated novelist John Updike has died at the age of 76. Honestly, I’ve never read any of his works, but while reading his obituary I was struck by his comments about science and faith:
“I remember the times when I was wrestling with these issues that I would feel crushed. I was crushed by the purely materialistic, atheistic account of the universe… I am very prone to accept all that the scientists tell us, the truth of it, the authority of the efforts of all the men and woman spent trying to understand more about atoms and molecules. But I can’t quite make the leap of unfaith, as it were, and say, `This is it. Carpe diem (seize the day), and tough luck.’”
In short, Mr. Updike clung to his faith because (to him) the alternative was too bleak. This may explain why a great many very smart people continue to believe in God.
I am close to both my parents and a cousin who are all very smart and also active in their churches. For them, whether or not God exists is irrelevant. They certainly don’t believe in heaven or hell. However, the church community is a valuable part of their lives. That’s where all their friends are. Also, these churches are extremely liberal, supporting Planned Parenthood and so forth.
For me, I was always uncomfortable in church. Even though the church I grew up in was filled with kind, decent, liberal people . . . the falseness of the whole Christian narrative was something I could not just ignore.
So, I think for many bright people, they know the whole thing is a myth. But they think it’s a good myth, and participating makes their lives better.
I understand people finding comfort in religion and the desire for a caring force in the universe looking after us. When I went through a terrible time in my life to would have been wonderful to think that there was someone up there looking out for me. Problem was that I knew there wasn’t, and I found that to be an even greater comfort. The idea of “everything happens for a reason” always seemed inadequate when talking about the true horrors in the world, and knowing that no one was in charge makes the awful things easier to deal with. “Carpe diem and tough luck” suits me just fine.
He’s taking care of us, eh? Was he taking care of my best friend who died of cancer this morning, a mere 20 minutes before her husband got to her bedside? I find no comfort in this. Why did this god guy feel the need to expire her so short of her grieving husband’s visit? I fail utterly to understand why anyone needs to believe in the supernatural when the natural world as-is is so awe-inspiring and wonderful. And in the face of my dear friend’s death, I am at least comforted in knowing that I feel no more inclined to cling to any kind of faith (well, I have been a life-long atheist) than I would have otherwise. This has not shaken me. I have never read Updike, either, and his statement does not recommend him to me.