Why believe atheists?

EVERY so often the Cape Times publishes letters from people who attack the religious history and ethics of the Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Ironically, the worship of the omnipotent God vexes atheists greatly, while they rarely attack other beliefs that have many deities.

Atheists not only attack Abrahamic faith issues but rarely comment on the many other social issues that plague society.

This has led many to question the true agenda of such responses and consider if atheists have honest ethics or rules that govern them?

If atheists lack ethics and deliberate from such a basis, where is the room for debate or exchange of ideas, where is the value in the discourse?

Likewise, if atheists reject the idea of answering for their actions to the God of Abraham, why should those who follow Abraham’s example assume atheists are generally ethical? If there is no concern for heaven or hell, on what values do those who reject the God of Abraham base their way of life?

Example, when the Bush administration lied to the world about weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq and then proceeded to invade both Iraq and Afghanistan, did the truth matter even when CIA reports submitted that the WMD was untrue even before the invasion?

For decades communist Russia and China tried to annihilate the Abrahamic faith by murdering millions. The pogroms failed as Christianity and Islam continue to re-emerge. Even China knows that the Abrahamic faiths will not to be easily undermined, even though the Red Army continues to destroy the remains of the ancient Islamic Silk Road that was traversed by Marco Polo centuries ago.

Closer to home, why is it that atheists rarely speak out against the economic abuse of poor people?

When an atheist lectures on religion and ethics it is a lot like having a leper give you a facial or massage – something just does not feel right.

Cllr Yagyah Adams

Cape Muslim Congress