David Hayward, as usual, summarizes in a cartoon something atheists understand all too well:
It brings to mind this old joke (I’m paraphrasing):
After a horrible flood, the waters rose so high that one man was forced to climb onto the roof of his house.
As the waters rose higher and higher, a man in a rowboat appeared, and told him to get in.
“No,” replied the man on the roof. “I have faith in the Lord; the Lord will save me.”
The waters rose higher and higher, and a speedboat appeared. “Climb in!” shouted a man in the boat. “No,” replied the man on the roof. “I have faith in the Lord; the Lord will save me.”
The waters continued to rise. A helicopter appeared and the pilot announced over the loudspeaker that he would lower a rope to the man on the roof.
“No,” replied the man on the roof. “I have faith in the Lord; the Lord will save me.”
Eventually, the waters rose so high that the man on the roof was washed away and soon drowned.
When he arrived in heaven, the man marched straight over to God.
“Heavenly Father,” he said, “I had faith in you, I prayed to you to save me, and yet you did nothing. Why?” God gave him a puzzled look, and replied “I sent you two boats and a helicopter, what more did you expect?”
The moral of the story: If you’re lying around (or kneeling), doing nothing, waiting for god to help you, you’ll get nowhere. Better to open your eyes, look around, and make the best of your situation.
Of course, most religious people are happy to take action when they need to… but they give all the credit to their god when things go well. It makes no sense. It’s one thing to be modest but another to be delusional.
We’re capable of overcoming just about any tough situation — it requires perseverance and loved ones. God is nowhere in the equation.
(via nakedpastor