A Harvard Conversation
6/17/2026
1) A superstitious, religious, naïve “lemming” asks no questions and says, “Gawwd did this! It is not possible to find a clam and pearl on top of a mountain never climbed by a human!” The placebo and anesthesia of symbolism, pushed back in a corner whenever inconvenient for their “real life,” or discarded entirely, are enough for them on a day or two per week. The emotion, clergy, ritual and assuaging their “guilt”—that’ll do. “Belonging” to a clan or crew, and two hours of a speech and choreographed show—that’ll do.
2) And then there is the atheist, or the “playing it safe” so-called agnostic, the clever or proud skeptical person, who likes to show off and fancies himself or herself to be intelligent, and perhaps they are. But their grand opining about “smart people are always atheists” reveals something different: this statement is itself a “religious” statement because it is statistically fallacious and totally dishonest for the self-proclaimed “intelligent person” to say such a thing. Many of the most important science discoveries, and art forms, and inventions in all human history have been accomplished by men and women, radically and out loud committed to God. Not perfect, but not ashamed.
At their core, unspoken, generally atheists or agnostics want to be gods themselves and do not wish to be accountable for their lives. “If there is a God,” then it matters what they do and how they think, how they treat others, and whether they live for “number one” (themselves)—or they live for God, the real number One, in the secret places of their heart and their decisions. And grow and change.
(Note: this is not a discussion of heaven and hell, or whether the three pounds of goo-ware between our ears is even capable of distinguishing, outside of time and matter where God would of necessity exist, and our personal, nearly microscopic experiences in our tiny lifetimes, what we think is “fair” or “good and evil.” “MY God would be more loving and think more like me, so there can’t be a God.” Duh. That’s pretty ridiculous and a bit naïve and narcissistic in itself, don’t you think?)
Many of those who claim to be atheists have been poisoned by bogus or sus religions of the world. Hurt or confused, or just irritated by superstitious, religious folks who don’t ask questions, and clearly don’t believe what they say, because they don’t live it, as far as an observer day-to-day would assess.
(Note: Jesus also had a problem with people who didn’t actually live what they say they believe. That got Jesus assassinated by conjured lies, partial but twisted truths, and a clandestine handshake between the government powers and the religious system, both with motives of peer pressure, pride, power, and pesos, empowered by offended people with an irrational grudge, or wanting to be “important” like “Cipher” in the Matrix.)
Instead, can we breathe and love a little more, without the agenda or prejudice? Humans are funny. Sort of.
A P.S. to the above: It’s all about the heart. Which of the Two Trees in the Garden of Eden will drive our existence? The first choice is pride; the second is out of trust and humility, not good deeds or perfection. Trust. This... (One Offer, Two Responses) is an original song about that topic.
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