Our God — Page 150
150 most perfect expression in him and will never acquire the selfless and natural character found in one who believes in God. His love is like that of a stepmother, who shows love for the children of her husband’s deceased wife to please her husband or to guard against disrepute in the neighbourhood. But the people can tell the difference between a mother’s instinctive love that surges nat- urally in her bosom, and a stepmother’s pretensions—with per- haps rare exceptions. Second, like others, an atheist also realises that it is essential for the progress and welfare of mankind and the stability of social order that people live with mutual love and harmony and cooperate with each other in matters that promote physical, moral, intellectual, and economic welfare of the people. Therefore, an atheist, being a citizen of the world, develops such sentiments and takes an interest in such matters. Obviously, this state of affairs has a legal and business character and cannot pro- duce the natural and sentimental ties produced by belief in God. A person who develops sentiments of sympathy for mankind for such reasons cannot attain the status of a person who has devel- oped love and brotherhood for mankind because, considering that they are creation of one God, this passion has become part of his nature. In other words, whereas belief in God creates these sen- timents in one’s heart in a natural way, the ideas that come from reflection draw one’s attention to it only in legal and business terms. The difference is obvious. To summarise, the motives that arouse sympathy for man- kind in an atheist can never lead him to the high level of nobil- ity, attainable as a result of belief in God. Moreover, it should be remembered that other motives that arouse sympathy and love are general, from which a believer in God can benefit as well as