The Orthodox Heretic: The Agnostic Who Became An Atheist

This tale is about a philosopher who took up the task to once and for all prove that God did not exist. He began to read the many arguments that have been given over the years in order to fully understand the scope of his project. He even began to publish a series of volumes that dealt with the subject as well. Needless to say the philosopher was very respected by his many peers. Upon completion of his final volume he was not fully satisfied with his life's work and so he set out and studied and researched for another 16 years. Then one night in his study he felt a deep stillness descend on the room. He then heard the voice of God speak to him. God said that he was very impressed with the diligence of the man but that he could not complete the task without the help of God. So God said that he would let the man in on a secret which was that God did not exist. A smile crept across the philosophers face and he never returned to his study. In its place he dedicated his life to serving the poor.

In the commentary section Rollins expounds on his reason for this tale. Jroddy's paraphrase of it goes something like this. One cannot truly be an atheist because they have to reject some particular view of God. But the problem that lies in our arguments is that they are both bound by temporal and spatial factors. We cannot conceive of a God outside of these presuppositions that we bring to the argument. But the hope is that once we can get to that place we will stop arguing about God and in turn become the manifestation of God. That is what happens to the philosopher in this tale.