Shakespeare and Other Thoughts by Alan Spedding
What Does The Atheist See?
When Macbeth hears that his wife, Lady Macbeth, is dead, he expresses the utter futility of life. This could well be the refrain of an atheist who has no hope. That all is ultimately pointless, barren and forlorn.
Following are the words of Macbeth from William Shakespeare. Shakespeare is almost a foreign language we need to learn in order to understand his message. The language is not only 400 years old, but he speaks in metaphors and poetically.
I will follow the soliloquy with my translation.
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death.
Out! Out! Brief candle Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more.
It is a tale, told by an idiot
Full of sound and fury Signifying nothing.
Macbeth Act 5 Scene 5
I believe that many who claim to be atheist do in fact believe in God. Their behaviour belies their words.
Why then, do they persist in denying God?
Because, to accept Him would mean a change of lifestyle, from one of “doing your own thing”, to one of “doing God's will.”
As the years pass, in order to blot out the possible reality of meeting God one day, they try to convince themselves and everyone else, that there is no God.
The above words from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, are the words of the hopeless atheist.
Here is my translation...
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (day after monotonous day)
Creeps in this petty pace (the slow grind of everyday life creeps along)
To the last syllable of recorded time (to the very last breath of our lives, our own personal recorded time)
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools, the way to dusty death (all the past days of our lives have just lighted our way, as fools, toward oblivion, and dusty death)
Out, out brief candle (as Elton John sang, we live our lives like a candle in the wind. Our lives can be snuffed out so easily.)
In the words of another song by Perry Como, "And I Love You So" we hear the words, "The book of life is brief, and once a page is read, all that life is dead, that is my belief."
Life is definitely brief. I speak as a seventy six year old. It is brief alright - But it's not that brief!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more (life is like an apparition, a miserable, empty shadow, we are poor players, and we spend our brief hour upon the stage of life, and then... that's it folks!
We are heard no more.
It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury (we live our lives like idiots, with noise and aggression, and what does it all mean?) Signifying nothing! (If this life is all there is then it has no significance whatsoever. It means...nothing!)
In the words of the atheist Richard Dawkins, we are simply dancing to the tune of our own DNA. DNA neither knows nor cares. DNA just is. And we dance to its music - Richard Dawkins
You see, the atheist cannot hear the music of God. They only hear the sound and fury.
Contrast that with the Christian believer - The true Christian. The one who is genuinely trying, despite their failings and inadequacies, to follow Christ.
The one who faces ridicule from those who can't hear the music.
To the one who lives by a plan; the plan of God, life has meaning and purpose.
Unlike the atheist, we look ahead with optimism, not futility. Our belief signifies -Everything! Eternal Wonder!
The Believer Hears The Music
Luke 7:23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
24 And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
25 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously appareled, and live delicately, are in kings’ courts.
26 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.
27 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
28 For I say unto you, among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
29 And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.
30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.
31 And the Lord said, whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? And to what are they like?
32 They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, we have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.
33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil.
34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!
35 But wisdom is justified of all her children.
We could paraphrase "what went ye out for to see" with "why do I go to Church?" To watch the wind blowing the grass (everything going over my head). Or, to dress up in my Sunday best? Or, to listen to the teachings of the Prophets?
In section 8 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord taught Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery
“Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart” (verse 2).
We learn the dance steps with our minds, but we hear the music with our hearts.
The dance steps of the gospel are the things we do; the music of the gospel is the joyful spiritual feeling that comes from the Holy Ghost. It brings a change of heart and is the source of all righteous desires.
The dance steps require discipline, but the joy of the dance will be experienced only when we come to hear the music.
There are those who ridicule members of the Church for the things we do. That is understandable. Those who dance often appear strange or awkward or, to use a scriptural term, “peculiar” (1 Peter 2:9) to those who cannot hear the music.
Excerpt from: The Music of the Gospel – Wilford W Andersen - May 2015 Ensign
Have you ever pulled up next to a car with its window closed and you can't hear the music, but the driver is singing aloud to the music and shaking his head furiously to the beat? It looks pretty stupid, does it not?
Well that is how we look to those who can't hear the music - It is foolishness to them, because it is spiritually discerned.
1 Cor 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
If there is no God and the atheist is right, then it doesn’t matter anyway (but of course, they are not).
We would be dead and never know. We then have nothing to lose either way (unless we consider nihilism a loss). Forfeiting a life of nihilism I consider a blessing, and to live that way, a curse.
If, however, there is a God, then everything matters.
In other words, to believe means we have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
The atheist has everything to lose and nothing to gain.
The atheistic life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury-signifying nothing.
The true believer’s life is a tale told by an optimist, looking forward to the life to come.
The Spirit of God replaces sound and fury with peace and harmony.
The atheist is tone deaf, spiritually.
The believer hears the music - and rejoices!
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Friday Sep 20 2024
Shakespeare and Other Thoughts by Alan Spedding
What Does The Atheist See?
When Macbeth hears that his wife, Lady Macbeth, is dead, he expresses the utter futility of life. This could well be the refrain of an atheist who has no hope. That all is ultimately pointless, barren and forlorn.
Following are the words of Macbeth from William Shakespeare. Shakespeare is almost a foreign language we need to learn in order to understand his message. The language is not only 400 years old, but he speaks in metaphors and poetically.
I will follow the soliloquy with my translation.
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death.
Out! Out! Brief candle Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more.
It is a tale, told by an idiot
Full of sound and fury Signifying nothing.
Macbeth Act 5 Scene 5
I believe that many who claim to be atheist do in fact believe in God. Their behaviour belies their words.
Why then, do they persist in denying God?
Because, to accept Him would mean a change of lifestyle, from one of “doing your own thing”, to one of “doing God's will.”
As the years pass, in order to blot out the possible reality of meeting God one day, they try to convince themselves and everyone else, that there is no God.
The above words from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, are the words of the hopeless atheist.
Here is my translation...
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (day after monotonous day)
Creeps in this petty pace (the slow grind of everyday life creeps along)
To the last syllable of recorded time (to the very last breath of our lives, our own personal recorded time)
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools, the way to dusty death (all the past days of our lives have just lighted our way, as fools, toward oblivion, and dusty death)
Out, out brief candle (as Elton John sang, we live our lives like a candle in the wind. Our lives can be snuffed out so easily.)
In the words of another song by Perry Como, "And I Love You So" we hear the words, "The book of life is brief, and once a page is read, all that life is dead, that is my belief."
Life is definitely brief. I speak as a seventy six year old. It is brief alright - But it's not that brief!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more (life is like an apparition, a miserable, empty shadow, we are poor players, and we spend our brief hour upon the stage of life, and then... that's it folks!
We are heard no more.
It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury (we live our lives like idiots, with noise and aggression, and what does it all mean?) Signifying nothing! (If this life is all there is then it has no significance whatsoever. It means...nothing!)
In the words of the atheist Richard Dawkins, we are simply dancing to the tune of our own DNA. DNA neither knows nor cares. DNA just is. And we dance to its music - Richard Dawkins
You see, the atheist cannot hear the music of God. They only hear the sound and fury.
Contrast that with the Christian believer - The true Christian. The one who is genuinely trying, despite their failings and inadequacies, to follow Christ.
The one who faces ridicule from those who can't hear the music.
To the one who lives by a plan; the plan of God, life has meaning and purpose.
Unlike the atheist, we look ahead with optimism, not futility. Our belief signifies -Everything! Eternal Wonder!
The Believer Hears The Music
Luke 7:23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
24 And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
25 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously appareled, and live delicately, are in kings’ courts.
26 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.
27 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
28 For I say unto you, among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
29 And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.
30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.
31 And the Lord said, whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? And to what are they like?
32 They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, we have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.
33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil.
34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!
35 But wisdom is justified of all her children.
We could paraphrase "what went ye out for to see" with "why do I go to Church?" To watch the wind blowing the grass (everything going over my head). Or, to dress up in my Sunday best? Or, to listen to the teachings of the Prophets?
In section 8 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord taught Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery
“Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart” (verse 2).
We learn the dance steps with our minds, but we hear the music with our hearts.
The dance steps of the gospel are the things we do; the music of the gospel is the joyful spiritual feeling that comes from the Holy Ghost. It brings a change of heart and is the source of all righteous desires.
The dance steps require discipline, but the joy of the dance will be experienced only when we come to hear the music.
There are those who ridicule members of the Church for the things we do. That is understandable. Those who dance often appear strange or awkward or, to use a scriptural term, “peculiar” (1 Peter 2:9) to those who cannot hear the music.
Excerpt from: The Music of the Gospel – Wilford W Andersen - May 2015 Ensign
Have you ever pulled up next to a car with its window closed and you can't hear the music, but the driver is singing aloud to the music and shaking his head furiously to the beat? It looks pretty stupid, does it not?
Well that is how we look to those who can't hear the music - It is foolishness to them, because it is spiritually discerned.
1 Cor 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
If there is no God and the atheist is right, then it doesn’t matter anyway (but of course, they are not).
We would be dead and never know. We then have nothing to lose either way (unless we consider nihilism a loss). Forfeiting a life of nihilism I consider a blessing, and to live that way, a curse.
If, however, there is a God, then everything matters.
In other words, to believe means we have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
The atheist has everything to lose and nothing to gain.
The atheistic life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury-signifying nothing.
The true believer’s life is a tale told by an optimist, looking forward to the life to come.
The Spirit of God replaces sound and fury with peace and harmony.
The atheist is tone deaf, spiritually.
The believer hears the music - and rejoices!