Why There Is No God was written by Armin Navabi. A former Muslim, Armin is the founder of Atheist Republic, a growing community with more than one million followers worldwide where atheists can share their views and engage in debates and discussion with other atheists and also believers. As a Muslim and later as an atheist, Armin found contemplating the idea of God and the effects of this concept to be an integral part of his life. His struggle to find God and a path into his grace almost cost him his life. The following segment is Armin’s story as described by his friend and fellow member of the Atheist Republic team, Mohammad Savage.
Armin was born and raised in the Islamic Republic of Iran. He was indoctrinated quite thoroughly since early childhood in the Muslim tradition. He would pray regularly five times a day, as all Muslims are mandated to. Growing up, he was afraid of all the things which good Muslims are supposed to be afraid of: hell, sin, the devil, etc. The only thing which terrified him more than the thought of his own everlasting torment was the possibility of his parents being sent to hell. To his young mind, this was a very real possibility since they didn’t pray regularly five times a day, as he did.
During his formative years, Armin attended Muslim classes. In such classes, he learned that according to his Islamic teachers, if a boy were to perish prior to the age of 15, access to heaven would be guaranteed, regardless of any other extenuating circumstances. The same rule also applied to girls; however, for them, the cutoff age is 9. This thought stuck with Armin, and driven by the fear instilled in him by his religion, it began to consume him.
In his young mind, there it was: a surefire, absolute method to gain access to that which many Muslims strive for their entire lives. It confounded him to no end that none of his peers or elders had discovered or taken advantage of such a wonderful and easy shortcut. He would not be one such sheep; he wouldn’t allow the joys of a full life to pull the wool over his young eyes. His future course of action became crystal clear. At age 14, after making up his mind and stealing his resolve, Armin launched himself from one of the higher windows in his school.
This was his attempt to end his life and guarantee his future ascendance. Needless to say, it didn’t work out quite as he had hoped. Armin survived his suicide attempt but was ravaged by injury. Among the injuries he suffered were a broken wrist, two broken legs and an injured back. After the accident, Armin was confined to a wheelchair for the next seven months. Even after regaining permission to ambulate further, he still required months before he was able to travel with some semblance of independence.
Wracked by more than the physical injuries of his failed suicide attempt, Armin was torn apart by the effect his actions had on his parents. Seeing the impact it had on them, Armin was no longer deluded by the temptation of an easy way to heaven, and so, he dedicated himself even more so to his religion and finding a better path to God. He prayed more frequently, studied Islam in detail, attempted to learn all he could to be a better Muslim and regularly begged his parents to follow suit. Not a day passed that he wouldn’t request his mother to join him in his daily prayers.
While his newfound dedication and studies did lead him to become more familiar with the intricacies of his religion, it also led to some rather unexpected and quite unwelcome thoughts. For every question his studies answered about his religious beliefs and the nature of God, ten more popped up in their stead, leading to a seemingly endless and inconclusive search. The more he studied, the more questions he had and the more confused he became. He started to question God as well as God’s motives, and judgments. For example, why would a benevolent God send people to hell simply because they picked the wrong religion?
Such novel questions did not come without a price. Every time Armin found himself questioning God, he felt the cold, creeping fingers of guilt grip his heart. Led by his thirst for knowledge and knowing that seeking Islamic knowledge is encouraged in his religion, he convinced himself that studying the nature of his God could never be a reprehensible act. Emboldened by his newfound sense of purpose, he set out to study and learn all he could about more religions, including some dead religions. He was fueled with curiosity for why, according to Islam, these religions were so evil that all of their followers were damned to eternal hellfire and brimstone. What did they get wrong? What were their major errors? The more he studied, the more he learned and the more and more he began to see the fallacies of all of these other religions, including his own. Through countless hours spent studying, researching and pondering, he began to see the greater possibility that religion could indeed have been a manmade concept.
Having been trained to fear all of the thoughts he had swimming in his head, Armin found himself tortured. His sleep was punctured by nightmares of the gates of hell opening for him. His days were drowned in visions of devils and demons out to punish him, making him pay for his insolence. As a practicing Muslim, he was aware that what he was thinking was not only wrong, but downright evil. He was aware that God could see into his thoughts. He could feel the disappointment God felt in him. He was depressed by the knowledge that he had let his best friend, his protector and creator, down. However, no matter how horrid he felt, once the doubts about religion began to appear, they stuck. The lingering doubts regarding his creator blossomed; they inspired further research and contemplation.
The more he began to think of religion as a manmade concept, not a divine statute, the stronger his doubt became. No longer able to abide the growing storm inside of him, Armin resolved to face the matter directly, disregard his doubts and attempt to convince himself simply that God was real and that he could be absolutely certain of this. He simply needed proof, actual, verifiable proof, not the mythos of a centuries-old novel. He believed once he managed to locate this proof, his faith would be stronger than ever.
Failing to find proof, he settled on any logical reasoning for the existence of God, including examining philosophical concepts and theories. However, once all of the logical explanations supporting God had been thoroughly debunked, he grew desperate. He prayed harder, begging God to help him. He wanted a sign, a message – anything at all to assure himself of a divine presence. Of course, his prayers were never answered. All of this transpired during most of Armin’s relatively young life, and by the age of 18, he had lost all of his faith. He felt cheated, betrayed and taken advantage of by society, his country, teachers, and those who impose the belief in God as an absolute truth without any proof, denying all other alternatives. He felt angry, depressed, and broken. He had sacrificed so much, even almost his life, all for the sake of a fairytale.
Of course, as it sometimes happens when leaving a lifelong religion, Armin had moments of doubt. “Perhaps I’m mistaken. Perhaps there’s something really wrong with me. Perhaps my fall broke more than my bones; perhaps it broke my mind. Am I really so arrogant to think that I’ve managed to discover something that no one else around me has realized?” These were all common topics for self-debate during this period of self-discovery. Armin was the only atheist he knew. Being the proactive go-getter he had always been, he wished to let more people know about his lack of belief as well as the amazing journey which had led to this conclusion.
Life in an Islamic state was becoming exceedingly lonely for a newly formed atheist. He yearned to share his experiences and thoughts and took to Orkut (a pre-Facebook social networking site) to create what would become the spiritual predecessor to the Atheist Republic. Beyond his initial fears, he was shocked and pleasantly surprised to see so many people join his community and discuss the topic at hand. He was elated to find others like himself. The crazy notion of a nonexistent God certainly didn’t seem so crazy anymore.
Armin wished to reach more people and touch a larger audience. He simply wanted to find more atheists and discuss God and religion with any interested parties, but above all, he wished for people to be made aware that atheism was a legitimate option. It was one of his life’s greatest examples of unfairness that he wasn’t given a chance to choose.
Unsatisfied with the current reach and exposure, he started the Atheist Republic in 2011. The main purpose of this community was to let everyone know about the many people who didn't believe in God and provide an invitation for them to explore these ideas if they were interested. He also wanted to create a community for atheists. He wanted them to feel less lonely and ashamed. He wanted them to know that not only are there others like us, but that there are people out there willing to listen, support and guide them.
The focus of this book is on the concept of God, not specific religions. In my two upcoming books, I will discuss the specifics of Islam and Christianity and reveal the main problems with the teachings of these two world religions. If you leave an honest review for Why There Is No God on your favorite online retailer or Goodreads, we’ll send you a pre-released copy of either of these books absolutely free as soon as they become available. Simply send us a link to the review by visiting AtheistBookReview.com, and we’ll send you a free copy of either book as soon as it's ready. Your reviews will help us reach out to more people who might benefit from this text and future material.
While this book was meant to be concise, there is much more that can be said about the topics included in each chapter. If you’d like to further discuss any topic with me directly, you can schedule an online video or audio discussion with me at WhyThereIsNoGod.com. While you’re there, I also invite you to sign up for the Atheist Republic newsletter for unique insights and stories from the Atheist Republic community. For feedback, suggestions or any other inquiries, feel free to contact me at ArminNavabi.com.
Armin kissing the Quran on the first day of the school year at age 11 or 12.