Atheist (Internal Reference)¶
Within the Lifechanyuan framework, the atheist is not merely someone who lacks religious belief — atheism represents a closed state of spiritual perception (lingjue) that makes LIFE's elevation impossible. Guide Xuefeng's Eight Counsels to Atheists (eight essays, 2006) forms the core doctrinal source. This entry presents the complete framework across ten sections.
I. Definition — Who Is an Atheist?¶
Anyone who holds even ONE of the following eight beliefs qualifies as an atheist:
- Believes in the Big Bang theory and biological evolution;
- Is convinced that cause and effect have no necessary connection, that everything is accidental;
- Believes that when a person dies, that is the end — no past lives, no future lives;
- Believes there is no heaven and no hell;
- Believes humans can conquer nature (though they don't understand what "nature" is);
- Considers humans the highest beings, with no divine beings beyond them;
- Believes that with power and money, one can do anything one pleases;
- Understands nothing about the ordered principles of the universe and the mysteries of LIFE, yet boldly declares there is no God.
(Xuefeng Corpus · Essays · Eight Counsels to Atheists, Part Eight)
II. Contrast — Who Is a Theist?¶
Anyone who holds even ONE of the following eight beliefs qualifies as a theist:
- Believes everything originates from consciousness, consciousness from structure, structure from Hundun (primordial chaos);
- The entire universe is an orderly running program with laws and principles — this program is the Tao;
- LIFE is indestructible;
- Humans have future lives, and have had life after life;
- LIFE exists in different forms and spaces;
- Goodness brings good returns, evil brings evil returns — the net of heaven misses nothing;
- All things carry yin and embrace yang — there is both a material world and an antimatter world;
- Believes in one's own ignorance — at the very least, one doesn't know how many non-repeating decimal digits π has — and therefore stands in awe of nature.
(Xuefeng Corpus · Essays · Eight Counsels to Atheists, Part Eight)
III. Distinction — The Chaos-Deity Worshipper Is Even More Harmful¶
There is only one God in the universe: the Greatest Creator, possessing eight defining characteristics — unique, formless, neutral, unknowing, just, benevolent, omnipotent, and wise. Any being lacking these eight characteristics is not God. Those who worship any other being as God are not theists but chaos-deity worshippers (luanshenlunzhe). Their harm to humanity exceeds even that of atheists.
(Xuefeng Corpus · Essays · Eight Counsels to Atheists, Part Eight)
IV. Atheism's Three Pillars and Their Refutation¶
Atheism rests on three pillars: (1) the Big Bang, (2) biological evolution, (3) death extinguishes all.
The actual truth: the universe originates from "Wuji gives birth to Taiji, Taiji to Two Modes, Two Modes to Four Images, Four Images to Eight Trigrams, Eight Trigrams to sixty-four hexagrams, sixty-four hexagrams to all things." LIFE is the product of creation, not chance. Death is merely a transformation of the LIFE carrier — the essence of LIFE is indestructible.
(Xuefeng Corpus · Essays · Eight Counsels to Atheists, Part One)
On "death extinguishes all":
Dr. Chris Langton of Los Alamos National Laboratory states: "The essence of life lies in form, not in specific matter." … When the body dies, it only means the material carrier has completed its mission. It does not prove that LIFE ceases. The body is a boat; LIFE is the passenger. When the boat reaches the shore, the passenger disembarks and begins a new journey.
(Xuefeng Corpus · Essays · Eight Counsels to Atheists, Part One)
V. Logic and the Existence of God¶
Laozi said: "One yin and one yang constitute the Tao." The Yellow Emperor's Classic states: "Yin and yang are the Tao of heaven and earth, the framework of all things, the parents of change, the origin of birth and death, the abode of the spirit." … If one does not acknowledge the divine, one is simply being illogical.
(Xuefeng Corpus · Essays · Eight Counsels to Atheists, Part Two)
The human eye can only see light between 400–700 nanometers. The ear can only hear sounds between 20–20,000 hertz. Beyond these ranges, we neither see nor hear — does that mean these things don't exist? … God is an antimatter existence, just as your consciousness is an antimatter existence. Can you say you have no consciousness because you can't see it? Then why say there is no God?
(Xuefeng Corpus · Essays · Eight Counsels to Atheists, Part Two)
Only the ignorant deny God. Anyone with knowledge and reason cannot but acknowledge God.
(Xuefeng Corpus · Essays · Eight Counsels to Atheists, Part Two)
VI. History and Ancestors as Witnesses¶
How did the character "神" (God/spirit) originate? There is a "mountain" character because there are mountains. There is a "water" character because there is water. There is a "god" character because there is God. … In ancient cuneiform script, the two earliest and most frequently used characters were "star" and "god." If there were no God, how could the character for "god" have appeared?
(Xuefeng Corpus · Essays · Eight Counsels to Atheists, Part Three)
VII. The Atheist's Narrow Vision — No Long-Term Ideal¶
A person who cannot see tomorrow is easily overcome by today's despair. Only one who sees spring ahead can joyfully endure the cold of winter. … When facing death, the atheist feels sorrow, helpless grief, and fear; the theist, knowing that more beautiful life awaits after death, remains calm, joyful, and expectant.
(Xuefeng Corpus · Essays · Eight Counsels to Atheists, Part Four)
VIII. The Atheist's Morality — A Tree Without Roots¶
Deny God's existence and your morality — however learned, however eloquent — is a tree without roots, water without a source, rust on metal, duckweed on a pond, clouds in the sky, a skyscraper without a foundation.
(Xuefeng Corpus · Essays · Eight Counsels to Atheists, Part Five)
Correct morality must possess universality, authority, and objectivity. Can atheist morality possess these? … Lifechanyuan's moral value system: "Revere the Greatest Creator, revere LIFE, revere nature, walk the path of the Greatest Creator." This fully embodies the universality, authority, and objectivity of true morality.
(Xuefeng Corpus · Essays · Eight Counsels to Atheists, Part Five)
IX. The Atheist Fears the Human Court, Not the Heavenly Court¶
Atheists are bound only by human law. Remove law, and they will act without restraint. … Because they have no God in their hearts, they fear no karmic retribution, no divine punishment. They fear the net of human law, but not the net of heaven.
(Xuefeng Corpus · Essays · Eight Counsels to Atheists, Part Seven)
Repentance is the touchstone of conscience. A theist who does wrong immediately repents to God — otherwise the conscience finds no peace. Can an atheist repent? Repentance is the soul's address to God. With no God in the heart, to whom does one repent?
(Xuefeng Corpus · Essays · Eight Counsels to Atheists, Part Seven)
X. Atheists Cannot Become Chanyuan Celestials; Atheism Is a Human Crisis¶
… Those with dormant spiritual perception can never become Chanyuan Celestials. Atheists cannot become Chanyuan Celestials either. Arrogant people, selfish people, hate-mongering people, those who blaspheme the Greatest Creator and the Buddhas and Celestials, the deeply envious, those who break their word — such people are very unlikely to become Chanyuan Celestials.
(Xuefeng Corpus · Friendship · How to Become a Chanyuan Celestial)
Among humanity's current crises: the rampant spread of scientific superstition and atheism.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Human Life · Crises Facing Humanity Today)
Disbelieving the Greatest Creator, embracing atheism, causes humanity to become increasingly scattered — each claiming their own truth, each entrenched in their own material logic — becoming selfish, deceptive, violent, exploitative, turning the world into a place of chaos and suffering.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Civilization · Civilization Chapter Continuation)
XI. The Final Counsel — Walk the Path of the Greatest Creator¶
Summary: Eight counsels to atheists: 1. Be honest and realistic; 2. Be logical; 3. Respect history and ancestors; 4. Have long-term ideals; 5. Have morality; 6. Face reality (consciousness, structure, energy); 7. Have conscience; 8. Walk the path of the Greatest Creator.
Humanity needs harmony. The universe needs to exist in harmony. Humans must harmonize with each other, with nature, with society, and with God. Neither atheists nor chaos-deity worshippers can achieve this harmony. There is only one path: walk the path of the Greatest Creator.
(Xuefeng Corpus · Essays · Eight Counsels to Atheists, Part Eight)
Further Reading¶
Greatest Creator · Morality · Karma·Retribution·Reincarnation · Law of Life Indestructibility · Spiritual Sensing · Chanyuan Celestials · Awakening · Civilization