Herbert Weisinger, theologian

"It takes faith to believe, and it takes courage not to, and who is to say which is the deeper and more truthful?" – Herbert Weisinger, theologian

This seems like an odd assertion, though perhaps the original context would make it less so. Whether it makes sense or not, it seems to me, depends on what is the object of the believing.  For example, I believe that my wife is faithful. Does it take faith to believe in this? Does it make any sense to say that it would take courage for me not to believe?

Given Weisinger's profession, however, one would suspect that the object of the belief in this case is God.  I think everyone would agree that it takes faith to believe in God. Certainly Christians believe that it does, and, further, that God has to supply the faith as a gift. But does it take courage not to believe in God? I would say that in general it doesn't. I think that most people who don't believe found it easier to go that way than to go the way of faith. For an action to require courage means that there is some kind of opposition to overcome, either internal or external. In our modern society there is very little opposition to the atheist or agnostic viewpoint. But on the other hand, if one is wrestling internally with the question of belief in God, refusing the path of belief is a sad choice. And I think a rare one.