An atheist's letter to god.

Before I pen my thoughts to the "Diety" I should clarify a few things. 

Believers might ask, if I don't believe in a god, then why bother pretending to talk to "him"? Well, this letter is the same letter I would write if I did believe. This letter is to all existing and nonexistent gods who might be listening in. It needs to be said.

And don't tell me my thoughts on the matter count less as a nonbeliever. A lot of believers, that is to say most, seem very possessive of their Diety. I'm only allowed to communicate with "him" if I meet certain criteria. Bullshit.

Also, I'm not hedging my bets here as Pascal suggested. Whatever is on my mind God would already know anyway if "he" existed. But I'm sure it's more legally binding if I actually write it down.

However, I wouldn't want an actual god to mistake my letter as a sign of belief. It's just a letter. I'm sure "he" must get thousands a day. If an actual god existed and wanted me to believe/worship "him", I'm sure I would have received some kind of sign or notice by now. Like, "hey Mick, how ya' doin'?" God.

Let's  get to it.

Dear god,

I'm writing this letter in the sincere belief that whether you think you exist or not, a lot of folks on planet Earth seem to think you do, or at least hope that you do, or would like you to. And while I'm not one of them, I still want to clarify my understanding of your existence/nonexistence vis a vis the dearth of evidence you've provided to this point.

You've obviously kept yourself well hidden for all these many millennia. God knows everyone needs a little  privacy. But if a god exists in a universe and nobody hears it, then did it actually say anything? You see where I'm going with this. 

All of our scientific inquiries and research suggest that the physical world we live in developed completely through the natural, immutable laws of the universe. If you had a hand in this, then you should take some credit and provide some information; throw in some humorous anecdotes about creating some funny looking animals or causing some natural disasters just for kicks. Earthlings like a good story and the truth of the matter doesn't mean much to them.

Now there are a plethora of people down here who claim to speak for you or that you speak through them. Personally, that would piss me off, but there doesn't seem to be any evidence that this bothers you. Additionally, you have evidently written numerous books which various religions believe to be your exact words, explaining what you expect from us and how the world should be run. Bully for attempting such a monumental project, assuming you did actually pen these tomes. Of course the law of unintended consequences dictates that all these people believing all these different things in all these books would lead to some pretty serious squabbles to say the least. Oops! Or were those consequences intended? I have to ask, because I wouldn't expect that from a god that actually exists. From a nonexistent god for sure.

Another thing that puzzles me is the unrelenting faith people have that they can prevail upon you to help them out in certain situations. They call it prayer as I'm sure you're aware, unless you have no awareness since you don't exist. Anyway, I'm wondering when our species will mature to the point where we take responsibility for ourselves and stop thinking supernatural agents can intercede on our behalf. It's a prefrontal cortex kind of thing that is getting better but slowly. If you want to send out a text or a WhatsApp stating you have no intention or unintention to bail us out, that would be most helpful. Although, most believers would just think it was misinformation generated by an AI app of  some sort because they would prefer to keep thinking they'll win the "god likes me best" lottery.

In closing, while I can't be angry or disappointed with a nonexistent entity like yourself, there's still the issue of the overarching negative influence of your nonexistent existence.  Obviously it's not your fault that Terrans have created you in their image, as well as the image of some pretty strange alternative creatures. Nevertheless, we need you to find a way to come out from behind the curtain and take a bow, or fade into the vague memories of our primitive, superstitious past and leave us to the business of trying to evolve into a strong, caring, responsible species that no longer cowers at the thought of death, but values life as too precious to waste or deny to any sentient being.  

If you want to talk more, you're going to have to get real.

Your pal...Mick