Hey, Louis --

What do non religious people do in times of hardship?

Thanks,

--J

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Friends, Family, and personal strength.

Think about it:

When the christian is having a rough go of it, they pray for strength, wisdom, and guidance, and stick to their scruples...from the atheistic point of view, when they recieve any of the three affore-mentioned virtues, they accredit some deity with the gift -- when in reality, it was their own strength, wisdom, or guidance (or that of their friends or family) that brought them through.

Credit where credit is due.

Really, there is no difference for the atheist. We may steel ourselves, stick to our scruples, put our heads down, and take solice in the fact that our accomplishments are our own. Life gets hard, god or no god -- the true essence of decency is in how we deal with hardship. We should muster the strength to face our fears, not look for a way to avoid them. We should search not for some devine magic to violate the laws of reality and make our problems go away, but rather change our own perspective in order to view problems as the very stuff of life. What the hell would you do with yourself if you didn't have challenges to face everyday?

Look -- I am not saying that the atheist is at a psychological and social disadvantage when the chips are down; clearly, we are a minority. Unfortunately, the religious community tends to point out this seeming lack of help from some deity as a huge drawback, and moreover, proof that we are better off with a self-created god to 'give up our pain to' -- bullshit. We face our fear and pain and isolation, and do it with grace and clarity, because we understand that the universe is as it is, and follows the laws of logic and science, and that our problems, while seemingly monumental, can be addressed and dealt with in the same rational manner that the universe is ordered by.

The best way for an atheist to deal with their problems is to use the same tool that we use for everything else -- our reason.

I hope this helps.

Buona Fortuna,
--Louis Repucci