There are many reasons why I am an Atheist, but at the core, I believe it is far more likely that we live in a world without God rather than one with one. Ask yourself, what would the world look like if A) there is a God controlling it or B) there is not. Then ask yourself whether our world looks more like A or B?

So lets begin with A. If there was a world controlled by a God, its fair to assume that it would be perfect (assuming God can do anything and loves us). The whole world would be a lush and fertile garden and we would never worry about not having enough to eat. If Earth was created for us, then obviously we could live almost anywhere, eat almost anything and have no fear of wild animals (after all if animals are on Earth to feed us, why would a God design them to be a threat?). There would be no disease or natural disasters as these serve no purpose except to cause death and suffering. The world and the universe would be created with us especially in mind, with the Earth literally at the centre, with other planets existing solely to benefit us.

Religion would be a lot simpler in World A. Everyone would have incontestable evidence for the existence of God. Not only that, but it would be very clear which God we should worship and what his rules were. It would be simple to find out which was the one true Church and any confusion could easily be cleared by divine intervention. Being led by God himself, this church would be a model of purity for the rest of the world to emulate.

Life would be far better too. Any of life’s problems could be dealt with by prayer. We wouldn’t have to worry about losing jobs or getting sick as prayer would protect us and cure us. Being religious would be enough, everything else would follow. There would be a lot less to worry about. There would be no war or massacres or genocides. No senseless slaughters or pointless deaths. If we were in danger God would intervene to protect us and keep us from harm. Why would he let his people dwell in poverty or misery?

Now lets look at World B, a world without any God. It would be a more random place without any overall plan. Even its existence would be down to pure chance, a combination of random cosmic forces. It would be an insignificant dot in the general scheme of the universe, an isolated exception. It would not be an especially habitable world, probably full of wide spaces where no human could possible live. It would need a lot of work to overcome natural forces and live. Wild animals would have to be fought off, disease would have to be cured, even the landscape would have to altered just to survive.

Religion would be a confused and messy affair in world B. Without a God, religion would be little more than superstition and ancient myths. The rules would be contradictory and lacking divine wisdom, while their stories would be untrue. Religions would be limited in size and scope, which each tribe having its own Gods. There would be no clear sign as to which was the true religion with belief instead being centred on which religion your parents and neighbours follow.

Life would be very different. In essence, we would be on our own. If you got sick, you would have rely on medicine and doctors, no amount of prayer would work. There would no guardian angel to keep harm away from the door. There would be nothing to stop war and genocide. There would be enormous suffering, meaningless pain, widespread poverty and little we could do about it.

So tell me, which does Earth look more like? Do we live in a paradise guided through our actions by a God? Or are we on our own making the most of a flawed existence?

Some might find option B too negative and wish A was true. But that is merely to delude yourself. It doesn’t matter how much you want something to be true, we must accept the world the way it is. Awareness of the true state of reality is far more valuable than living in a fog of fantasy. Would you prefer to delude yourself into thinking the government is composed of the greatest geniuses the world has ever seen or accept that they are a pack of incompetent chancers? The second option is certainly less positive, but it is closer to reality. Once we accept reality for what it is, we can begin to change it for the better.

So that is why I am an Atheist. When I look at the world, I see no sign of a God, no sign that we are living in a divinely crafted world. Instead of a perfect world created by a loving protector, I see war, famine and poverty. Instead of being the centre of a master plan, I see humans struggling to adapt to our tiny planet, insignificant and unnoticeable compared to the vastness of the rest of the universe. Instead of a God who can do anything, I see only petty religions whose Gods only live in their tiny corner of the world (why do the Greek Gods never venture beyond Greece? Why does Yahweh never perform miracles outside of Israel?). If you were to describe to me what a world without God would look like, it would be identical to planet Earth. That is why I am an Atheist.