The Atheist is the most misfortunate person ( St. Nektarios )

Of all people, the atheist is the most misfortunate person because he has been deprived of the only good thing upon the earth: faith—the one true guide toward the truth and happiness. The atheist is a most misfortunate person because he is deprived of hope: the essential staff needed to journey through
life's lengthy path. The atheist is a most misfortunate person because he is deprived of
human love, which caresses the aching heart. The atheist is a most misfortunate person because he has been deprived of the divine beauty of the Creator's image, which the Divine Artist has etched withinman and which faith unveils.



The eye of the atheist sees in creation nothing other than the operation of natural processes. The brilliance and magnificent beauty of the Divine Creator's image remain hidden and undetectable to him. As he glances aimlessly at creation, nowhere does he discover the beauty of God's wisdom, nowhere does he see God's omnipotence, nowhere does he observe God's goodness and providence,
nowhere does he discern the Creator's righteousness and love for creation. His mind is neither capable
of ascending higher than the visible world nor
reaching beyond the boundaries of physical matter. His heart remains anesthetized and indifferent before God's ever-present divine wisdom and power.


Within it, not even the slightest desire to worship
the Lord exists. His lips remain closed, his mouth silent, and his tongue frozen. His soul voices no
hymn, doxology, or praise as an expression of gratefulness to God.


The peace of the soul and the serenity of the heart have been removed by disbelief; instead, mourning has inundated the depth of his being. The delight, which the faithful person experiences from executing God’s divine commandments, and
the great pleasure that he enjoys from
an ethical way of life are unknown feelings for the atheist.The elation which faith bestows to the believer has never been felt by the atheist’s heart.
The assurance that arises from faith in God’s providence, which relieves man from the anxiety of life’s worries, is a power unknown to him. 

St. Nektarios of Pentapolis