The writer, comedian and actor Ricky Gervais is vocal in his atheism. In debates with Christians he often points out that of the 3,000 supposed gods in the world, while Christians don’t believe in 2,999 of them, he just goes one further and doesn’t believe in any of them. It’s a simple enough argument, but here’s an illustration that explains why it may not be as smart as he thinks:
In a closing scene from the film Indian Jones and the Last Crusade, Indy’s father lies dying from a gunshot wound, and he believes that the only cure is a drink from the Holy Grail, the cup Jesus used at the Last Supper. But the Grail is one cup hidden among many, and Indy must choose wisely as a drink from the wrong cup will lead not to life, but to death. If his belief is mistaken then it doesn’t matter whether he finds the cup at all, nor which one he might choose. But if he’s right then choosing the one correct cup will save his father’s life.
Gervais’s argument rests on the assumption that there is nothing wrong with the human condition that we can’t fix ourselves, and if you’re happy to draw the same conclusion then, yes, belief in any god is unnecessary.
