My grandfather had a favorite joke he used to tell. In the joke, an Irish census taker knocks on a man’s door to ask his religion. “Are you a Catholic or a Protestant?” he asks. “Neither, I’m an atheist!” the man responds. The census taker scoffs and says, “I don’t give a [darn] about that, are you a Catholic atheist or a Protestant atheist?”**

One theologian once asked his atheist friend, “Which God do you not believe in?” The implication is that the very premise of atheism is a rejection of a specific conception of God. After all, how can you reject the idea of God if you don’t know what is meant by the word “God”?

One person ceases to believe in God because their marriage fell apart, and they were always taught that God wouldn’t give them more than they could handle. Another person rejects their faith because they studied science and realized the literal interpretation of scripture they grew up with didn’t fit anymore. A family leaves the church because they wonder if God really has a place for them now that one of them is transitioning.

There are lots of Gods I don’t believe in. I don’t believe in a God who calls us to easy, comfortable lives. I don’t believe in a God who asks us to leave our imaginations and intelligence at the door. I don’t believe in a God who condemns people for the gender or sexual orientation. And believe me, the list goes on. In the Christian tradition, it has often been more important to define the God(s) we don’t believe in than the God we do.

The truth is, God evades explanation. That’s why faith loves mystery.

**I always thought the joke’s premise was silly, but some further sleuthing revealed that other variations of the joke referenced inter-religious violence in Northern Ireland. I hadn’t learned much about The Troubles when I was growing up, and I still have a lot to learn. In Northern Ireland, the labels “Catholic” and “Protestant” went beyond creed or confession. They named social location and political privileges, as well as communal identity. I have always been interested in the relationship between religion and culture, and my grandfather’s joke offers an interesting case study.