Atheist Tells Me Belief in God Is a Coping Mechanism for Insecurity

Introduction

Is God just a figment of our imagination? Did humanity create a “sky god” in order to cope with the trials and difficulties in life? Is belief in a deity really just an evolutionary defense mechanism to help us fill the gaps of uncertainty we have about the world we exist in?

These captivating questions often make us wonder whether belief in God is really true. I bring these questions up because I recently had an atheist online make a statement about how belief in God is a coping mechanism for our insecurities in life. In other words, because we have gaps in our finite knowledge, we replace them with God so that we feel in more control. Is this true? What do you think?

Below is a summarized statement from the atheist

If you accept the scientific method and reject the idea of magic, it’s hard to see why you’d insert a deity into gaps in understanding. While belief can provide comfort and utility for some, it often varies greatly between individuals.

Personally, I prefer embracing the unknown rather than filling it with belief, valuing the evolving perspective that brings. As an atheist, my mind is more open to new ideas but also less secure, while theistic belief offers stability at the cost of adaptability. Ultimately, the question remains—what benefit does adding God to the story truly provide, beyond coping with insecurities?

How I responded to the atheist

Well-said. I agree with you, except the worldview of psychological comfort is coming from the atheist, not the theist. In atheism, you are the master of your fate and the captain of your soul; as the poet William Henley would say from his famous poem Invictus: It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.

There is no “sky god” to dictate to you where moral values come from. You are the pinnacle of creation. You are the humanist who has the autonomy and intellect to reason whatever way you will. Just build your own Tower of Babel to heaven, for we don’t need a flying spaghetti monster to tell us how to live. In fact, we are better off and should dethrone this anachronistic deity. That was the people’s thoughts in Genesis when they all had one language.

Furthermore, just read the book of Exodus. The Israelites didn’t want to worship an invisible God. They created their own golden calf with the jewelry they had and worshipped their own created piece instead. In the book of Judges, people didn’t want a theocracy. Everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes. In 1 and 2 Samuel, God was going to be king, but the people didn’t want God. They wanted some human to take over. So God allowed them to have King Saul, who ended up failing and being replaced by King David.

The Bible is full of stories of how the human psyche is to evade God as much as possible. When we sin, we hide from God. That’s what Adam and Eve did. So for atheism, it’s a defense mechanism for us to create our own golden calf called methodological naturalism so we can create a story where the universe all there is, was, and ever will be (as Carl Sagan liked to say). Atheism becomes more non-personal, and a non-personal, amoral entity such as the universe is not threatening like a personal deity who floods worlds and comes back with a flaming sword in the book of revelation.

If you want to soak up the pleasures of this world and live in sin, go ahead, for there is no judgment in the end. We simply cease to exist. And surely you don’t have to follow the opiate of the masses, for religion was used by humanity to control the mind of the people, right? Furthermore, there is no comfort in reading Romans 9:19 where it describes the absolute sovereignty of God.

Scripture says, “Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’”

How is this verse comforting? This clearly shows humans are the contingent beings and God is the necessary being. This demonstrates that He has full control over our destiny, whether we want this all-powerful God in our lives or not. If you were the creator of Minecraft, don’t you have the power and authority to create all the characters you want? How absurd would it be for a created character in the story to tell the Creator to make me a different way? In the same way, we don’t have the power to change the mind of the creator even if we create a labyrinth narrative convincing ourselves there is no god.

Conclusion

In fact, Satan’s temptation was to usurp God as an angelic being because He wanted ultimate control of his own destiny. Therefore, to me, I would say atheism is the comforting worldview and theism is intimidating. But I don’t believe in this God because it gives me comfort. I believe in Him because this is the reality in which we live and He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree or disagree? Please feel free to comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!