It seems to me, that atheism is a form of religion, and ultimately dogmatic. I could lay out the propositions behind my reasoning, but I care not to… Atheism and theism both require a form of faith. Agnosticism is different (while I am not claiming to be in this category).
The agnostic can worship authentically; the agnostic can pray authentically. The agnostic is not certain, but by virtue of this fact, they cannot be certain that there is no God. Thus, there are certain prayers that seem highly appropriate. Above all, there is this (Eastern Orthodox) prayer, “God have mercy on me.”
Mercy is thought of as a Christian concept, but the word and its essence existed long before the Judaea Western Christian ethic. It is as old as the first wrong done to a human being. We have “Christianized” the word, but we must not lose the transcendence of its meaning. If there is the ultimate, then the incipient can utter in a desperate mix of fear and hope, “God have mercy on me.”
