Slavoj Zizek: Why Only An Atheist Can Believe | Full Lecture

“Someone asked Herr Keuner if there is a God. Herr Keuner said: I advise you to think about how your behaviour would change with regard to the answer to this question. If it would not change, then we can drop the question. If it would change, then I can help you at least insofar as I can tell you: You already decided: You need a God.” (Brecht)

Brecht is right here: we are never in a position directly to choose between theism and atheism, since the choice as such is already located within the field of belief. ‘Atheism’ (in the sense of deciding not to believe in God) is a miserable, pathetic stance of those who long for God but cannot find him (or who ‘rebel against God’). A true atheist does not choose atheism: for him, the question itself is irrelevant – THIS is the stance of a truly atheistic SUBJECT.

― Slavoj Zizek, Interrogating the Real

• The Fragile Absolute: Or, Why is the Christian Legacy Worth Fighting For?

• The Puppet and the Dwarf: The Perverse Core of Christianity 

Effectively, only an atheist regime can guarantee religious tolerance:

ZIZEK BOOKS