Need a response to an atheistic concern

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JoyccTheTrucker

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My sister has gotten very cynical, and has morphed in her belief from Wicca (as if that weren’t bad enough) to a rather fatalistic atheism. She thinks that we are nothing but energy, and that God doesn’t exist, that the Christian definition of God equates to the universe being a living thing, and that all religion is about controlling large numbers of people. She thinks that the universe hates her and that she doesn’t matter, and nothing any of us do matters. I am thinking about getting her Chris Stefanic’s new book “I Am”, but I don’t know if it will help her. I’d like to be able to let her know that she does matter, very much, but I don’t know if she will listen to my insights. In my own conversion journey, I had to tackle a similar notion, but not on an atheistic level, as I’ve always believed in some form of creation narrative. How do I respond to the atheism aspect, when she says that even the most reasonable points amount to trying to justify the existence of God, when He doesn’t exist?
 
Welcome joycc,
God bless you for your loving concern for your sister,
which potentially is based on your fear for her happiness?

I can’t help but detect enough evidence in your sharing of your sister’s feelings and conclusions, that she is potentially suffering from depression and lack of self esteem that may be driving her perception of herself and the universe. I don’t think that addressing her beliefs directly will do much good if they are in fact based on depression of some kind. Or at least this is a possibility.

Do you see a way forward that she might admit how low she feels, and might seek help?

Anyway, I’m no expert, just my two cents worth.

My prayers for you both
 
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Wow! You nailed it! She’s also developed a rather self-pitying attitude that leaves her thinking that we (the rest of the family) don’t want to help her, and kind of an entitlement attitude.
 
She’s blessed to have you praying for her. She’s blessed for your loving concern.
Perhaps you might like to put a prayer request for your sister in the Prayer Intentions subforum?

It sometimes can take time for our prayers to be answered, but your prayers, any prayers for her, won’'t be lost.
 
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@JoyccTheTrucker, when I’m really struggling for the people for whom I feel desperate or concerned, I tend to send online prayer requests to Catholic contemplative monasteries. Many contemplative orders provide that facility on their websites.
Your sister has damaged herself, poor girl, so
Merciful God please grant her healing of soul, mind, and if she has affected her physical well-being with the negativity and underlying anger, healing of body also
 
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Like what have been discussed above, it seems that her problem is more emotional than logical, so it would probably be best to continue praying for her and seek professional help such as psychologist or psychiatrist if it got worse.

As for your question in regard to how to respond to a nihilistic atheistic worldview, for myself I always found that worldview to be self refuting. If nothing matters, than ultimately we are just a tiny speck of molecules that came to being by random chance. If we only came to being by chance, a product of natural selection then all our apparatus that we use to think is not designed to found out the truth but rather just because it is useful. If our entire thinking process is not designed to find the truth and only because it is useful, then how can we trust that any conclusion we came to is true rather than only happened to seem true because our brains by chance are wired that way? If we can’t trust any conclusion we reach then how can we trust the conclusion that there is no God?
 
JoyccTheTrucker said:
that all religion is about controlling large numbers of people.
Click to expand...
LOL considering that most religious moral codes involve actual self-control, there are better ways to win people over to your side.
Bread and circuses, for instance
 
All the points she has are reasonable in themselves and there shouldn’t be any problem in discussing them. Except that she thinks the universe hates her.

Tell her that is wrong. The universe is entirely indifferent to her existence.
 
JoyccTheTrucker said:
My sister has gotten very cynical, and has morphed in her belief from Wicca (as if that weren’t bad enough) to a rather fatalistic atheism. She thinks that we are nothing but energy, and that God doesn’t exist, that the Christian definition of God equates to the universe being a living thing, and that all religion is about controlling large numbers of people. She thinks that the universe hates her and that she doesn’t matter, and nothing any of us do matters. I am thinking about getting her Chris Stefanic’s new book “I Am”, but I don’t know if it will help her. I’d like to be able to let her know that she does matter, very much, but I don’t know if she will listen to my insights. In my own conversion journey, I had to tackle a similar notion, but not on an atheistic level, as I’ve always believed in some form of creation narrative. How do I respond to the atheism aspect, when she says that even the most reasonable points amount to trying to justify the existence of God, when He doesn’t exist?
Click to expand...
It could be that she is suffering from clinical depression. It’s not normal for people to feel as if their lives don’t matter, even if they are atheists, and once somebody does feel that way it is usually because something is wrong rather than the idea that she has become an enlightened nihilist.

She may think that life is a meaningless tragedy, but there are reasons for thinking that there is some meaning in what we are experiencing; after all life can’t be a tragedy without it being meaningful to begin with, and it is odd that an indifferent universe would produce beings that have an emotional or personal response to it. I think there is a meaning and a purpose for whats happening to us. But she might have to find that out for herself. In the meantime let her know that she is loved regardless of whether she is an atheist or not.

…and welcome to the forum 🙃
 
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Bradskii said:
Except that she thinks the universe hates her.

Tell her that is wrong. The universe is entirely indifferent to her existence.
Click to expand...
Umm… “the universe is entirely indifferent to your existence” is the way to counsel a person suffering from depression??? 😲🤔
 
It does sound like she could use a counselor.

The first thing you can do is love your sister. Include her in things you do. Volunteer together, doing good works together.

You might read some of the articles here to help inform yourself (right now, I don’t think is the time to hand her a book. She needs to meet the person of Christ, the person who loves her and died for her.)

 
Gorgias said:
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Bradskii:
Except that she thinks the universe hates her.

Tell her that is wrong. The universe is entirely indifferent to her existence.
Click to expand...
Umm… “the universe is entirely indifferent to your existence” is the way to counsel a person suffering from depression??? 😲🤔
Click to expand...
That the universe doesn’t care does not mean her friends and family don’t.
 
For Christians, God, the creator of the Universe, cares so much that he knows when a single sparrow dies. This young lady is worth more than a sparrow.
 
Bradskii said:
That the universe doesn’t care does not mean her friends and family don’t.
Click to expand...
Except that “the universe hates me” tends to mean “everything in the universe hates me.” It’s the depression talking. She’s expressing the idea that there’s no one or no thing in the universe on her side.
 
Gorgias said:
Umm… “the universe is entirely indifferent to your existence” is the way to counsel a person suffering from depression??? 😲🤔
Click to expand...
Well, sometimes it’s best for people struggling with mental health problems to stay away from philosophy. But it is true that the universe is indifferent, and so it’s not true that the universe hates her.

Once she realises we are all in the same boat, perhaps she will find a different way of addressing her value and her misfortunes. Then again all she is really saying is that her life isn’t going as well as others around her and she defines it as the universe having hatred towards her.

I think society as a whole has a warped sense of what it means to have value and worth based on superficial ideas. Our lives tend to be drowned in it from the moment of birth. Coming to understand that can be the starting point of developing a real sense of self-esteem.
 
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TheLittleLady said:
For Christians, God, the creator of the Universe, cares so much that he knows when a single sparrow dies. This young lady is worth more than a sparrow.
Click to expand...
Yes! What better place is there to store your sense of value other than in the hands of God? Everything else fleeting.

If it was not for God i doubt i would find the strength to live.

When you are at the bottom of the human totem pole it becomes increasingly obvious that God is the only thing that makes sense of being alive.
 
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