An image has been floating around the internet that describes Atheism as “the belief that there was nothing and nothing happened to nothing and then nothing magically exploded for no reason, creating everything.”

So Atheism is an insane belief? No.

When any religion is generalized it will seem equally – if not more insane – than this ignorant description of Atheism. In fact, it is possible that many would prefer this ideology to that of a group who eats the body and blood of a man they believe was raised from the dead.

No religion, ours or others, is simple enough to be characterized in a single sentence or paragraph. All religion is network of many stories and beliefs intertwined. And with many religions, these stories and beliefs can often seem abnormal.

But it is exactly complexity and insanity that makes religion great. To be other-worldly, religion must stray from our society’s definition of sane. Whether Christianity or any other belief, it is the stories that stray from sanity and seem impossible that separate religion from things of this world.

One of the most important principles of Christianity, faith, is nothing without insanity. There is no beauty in “complete trust or confidence” in something that is utterly believable. “Normal” religion defies the actual definition of religion: a belief in a superhuman power.

The only reason religion seems customary and conventional in our minds is familiarity. Growing up in Christianity or any belief, we become accustom to stories of floods, resurrections and virgin births that to a new audience would sound preposterous.

Just like a habit becomes engrained in our mind to the point where it no longer stands out to us, as we repetitively partake in the stories of Christianity, the peculiar aspects quickly become indistinguishable.

When presented to anyone for the first time, Christianity will seem equally as insane as the generalized description of Atheism. Although we disagree with these views about our own religion, it is important to understand that in the same way we are unfamiliar and possibly confused with other religions, those of differing beliefs are in the same boat when examining Christianity.