One of the most common objections raised by religious individuals is:e
“In religion, if someone is wronged and the oppressor escapes punishment in this life, God will punish them in the hereafter. But in atheism, if someone suffers injustice and dies without seeing justice, then how will justice ever be served?”
At first glance, this question seems powerful, but it is built on assumptions that fall apart under rational scrutiny.
Nature Has No Morality, Only Humans Do
To begin with, the natural world is not a conscious force that rewards the good and punishes the evil. It has no mind, no intent, and no moral framework. Nature causes earthquakes, floods, and diseases, not out of malice but out of indifference. Entire species were wiped out long before humans existed, and billions more have perished since then. No “divine justice” was ever served in those events.
Consider the relentless suffering inflicted by nature’s own hand: diseases that ravage millions, pandemics that steal breath, and genetic disorders that condemn innocents to lives of agony. A virus can inflict pain far surpassing the worst deeds of any human tyrant. Who, then, bears the blame?
If we look at nature honestly, we must accept that justice is not a law of the universe. It is not woven into the fabric of existence. Justice is a human invention, born from our need to survive, coexist, and protect each other in societies. We created laws, courts, and ethics, not because the universe demanded it, but because we needed it.
The Innocents: Where Is Divine Fairness?
Picture a child born into suffering, their body wracked with deformities, their life a tapestry of pain without choice or understanding. Religion claims that actions are judged by intention [إنما الأعمال بالنيات Actions are based on INTENTIONS], yet what intention can an infant form? How can a system of eternal reward or punishment claim moral weight when it ensnares those who never had the chance to choose? The notion of divine justice falters here, crumbling under the weight of its own contradictions. A just system demands agency, choice, and accountability, the qualities which are absent in the suffering of the innocent.
Justice: A Human Triumph
Justice is not a gift from the heavens. It is a triumph of human ingenuity. Through the crucible of evolution, we forged moral and legal systems to survive, cooperate, and thrive. These systems, imperfect yet vital, deter crime, foster fairness, and hold societies together. When a murderer escapes earthly justice, it is not a failure of the universe but a flaw in our systems. We, as humans, bear the cost: in fractured communities, in rising crime, in the erosion of trust.
Secular justice does not defer to an unseen realm or an unproven afterlife. It demands accountability here and now. Courts, laws, and communities strive to right wrongs, not because a deity commands it, but because we, as thinking, feeling beings, need it to coexist. Our systems falter. Criminals slip through cracks, and innocents sometimes suffer unavenged. This imperfection is not an argument for divine intervention. It is a call to refine our systems, to demand better, to take responsibility.
The Fallacy of Divine Deterrence
If divine justice were truly effective, religious societies would be free of crime, their streets unmarred by violence, their courts obsolete. History and reality tell a different story. Crime festers in devout communities as much as, if not more than, in secular ones. The fear of eternal punishment fails to deter human failings, proving that divine threats are no substitute for human action. Our jails, our police, our laws: these are the tools we wield to forge order, not because they are perfect, but because they are ours.
The Strength of the Rational Mind to Face Injustices
Beyond legal systems, the human mind itself is a fortress of extraordinary strength. When atheists face death, they do so without expecting eternal paradise. Yet, many embrace their final moments with peace. Why? Because their minds, grounded in reason, prepare them for reality, not fantasy. The rational mind understands that death is natural, part of the universe's endless cycle. Fearing the inevitable serves no purpose. This calm acceptance often brings greater peace than promises of heaven or threats of hell.
Similarly, when confronted with injustice, the rational mind does not turn to the sky for salvation. It recognizes that nature is not just and that justice is a human endeavor. This clarity fosters patience, resistance, and courage. It empowers individuals to speak out, act ethically, and pursue fairness, not because a god demands it, but because we value it. The rational mind transforms despair into action, channeling the pain of injustice into a resolve to build a better world.
A Call to Humanity
In atheism, there is no cosmic judge, no divine ledger balancing every wrong. The universe does not care. We do. Justice is our burden, our creation, our legacy. We seek it not because the stars demand it, but because our hearts and minds do. We build moral frameworks not to serve gods, but to serve each other, to live, to love, to thrive.
When religion claims a child's suffering is part of a divine plan, it sidesteps the deeper moral question: How can a system be just if it strips away choice and agency? True justice requires intention, accountability, and the power to act. Without these, any system, divine or human, loses its moral compass.
We are the architects of justice. In a universe that offers no guarantees, we are the ones who light the way. Let us embrace that responsibility with resolve, not despair, harnessing the strength of our rational minds to create a world where fairness is not a promise of the hereafter, but a reality we forge together, today.
Hassan Radwan