The Hindustan times reports that Keira Knightley regrets being atheist. The article reads …

Actor Keira Knightley, a self-confessed atheist, says she is desperate to be Catholic because she would “just get to ask for forgiveness”. “It sounds much better than having to live with guilt. It’s absolutely extraordinary. If only I wasn’t an atheist, I could get away with anything,”

And yes … some smart hack has simply taken her valid criticism of some catholic beliefs and turned it around to get a good headline. It is not a unique example, I also found this variation in another Indian paper …

Keira Knightley wants to become Catholic

These are both hilarious examples of some very opportunistic journalism.

The point Keira is making is also a very interesting one, for it is also turing the coin over to see the other side. How many times have you listened to believers telling you that they hold the high moral ground and that without belief atheists have no morals and can do whatever they wish. To use the old cliché, if only I had a penny for every instance of hearing something like that, I could … well you get the idea.

Her observation is that it is the believers who have a “do-whatever-you-like” option. If you do something wrong, no problem, just ask for forgiveness and your conscience is clear. In stark contrast, non-belief means that you need to come to terms with the consequences of your own actions, there is no magic forgive-and-forget option to tap into.

12 Comments

  • Morgan says:

    Keira Knightley’s newest role in the soon to be smash hit movie “Trolling: You’re Doing it Right”

  • Trey says:

    Clearly she has a misconstrued take on atheism.

    • James says:

      “Clearly she has a misconstrued take on atheism.”

      Atheism is about not believing in the concept of religion. Something she doesn’t believe in. I don’t think she’s the problem. You’re just an invalid.

    • James says:

      Atheism is NOT believing in god or any religion. She doesn’t. Seems like she gets it pretty well.

  • As a Christian, I can tell you we do not have a “do whatever you want” philosophy and get away with it by confessing our sins to God. When we sin against God, we do confess our sins to Him, but we still have to deal with the consequences of our sin. For example: we say something mean to someone and hurt them. We know it’s wrong but did it in a moment of anger. It’s still a sin. We may confess it to God buy may feel guilty and bad about doing it for a long time to come. One’s conscience is never “clear” because we admit and confess the sin to our Lord.

    • Trey says:

      “As a Christian…”, is that statement suppose to make you some authority on this man made mythology? Aren’t you aware that what a christian is to you, may not be the same to another person? No two persons can agree on the definition of what means to be a “christian”. Your argument is folly.

      • I didn’t say I was an authority on Christianity. As usual, another atheist who hates my God, even though he/she doesn’t believe a God exists, is taking my words out of context. And yes, Christians can agree on what it is to be a Christian. Confessing sin and forgiveness is pretty cut and dry. Your belief that everything came from nothing, or a big explosion is harder to believe than a supreme being making everything. Talk about folly!

        • Lurker says:

          Mary, atheists don’t believe in your god or anyone else’s. You choose to interpret that as “hatred” but please consider: When you learned that Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny weren’t real, did you start “hating” them or simply stop believing in them? That’s how it works. I’m glad to have the opportunity to clear this up for you.

    • will says:

      Let me clarify for you Trey. You and Miss Knightly are ignorant of the purpose of confession an revel in your ignorance. Like most non-Catholics you have twisted the meaning of confession and absolution to satisfy your own prejudices. As a CATHOLIC I am NOT allowed to “do whatever” I want because of confession and forgiveness. The Purpose of Confession:

      Reconciling of man to God is the purpose of Confession. When we sin, we deprive ourselves of God’s grace. And by doing so, we make it even easier to sin some more. The only way out of this downward cycle is to acknowledge our sins, TO REPENT OF THEM, and to ask God’s forgiveness. In the Sacrament of Confession, grace can be restored to our souls, and we can once again resist sin.

  • CMartel2 says:

    “No two persons can agree on the definition of what means to be a “christian”. ”

    Sure they can. It’s quite clearly defined by Christ himself. It’s an ongoing process, but there’s very little ambiguity in it.

  • Trey says:

    Why would I hate something that’s a figment of you imagination? I’m sure you familiar with your old saying, “hate the sin, not the sinner.” ;)

Leave a Reply