“The fool says in his heart: there is no God.” Thus, sang the psalmist hundreds of years before Christ. History is replete with such ‘fools’, some of whom have done their best to convince first themselves then others that God is simply a figment of the imagination or, at best, a pious illusion.

One of the most memorable sights of the 20th century is the blowing up of Christ the Saviour cathedral in Moscow. In their furious battle against the faith, the communists thought such destruction will somehow move people to believe that God is not there after all. It is ironic that, at the height of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin felt the need to ask for the help of the Orthodox Church because he rightly realised that in times of adversity atheism is just useless.

The atheist, especially the militant one, in his lonely world without God, has no answers to provide when faced with the tribulations of life. Above all, he has no hope to offer either to himself or to those most in need of this.

In his cold, dark world, he wanders about clutching feverishly at anything that might help him in his conviction of the non-existence of God. He does not know where he came from, why he is here and, most importantly, where he is going. He can offer no answers to the most important questions that have always assailed mankind.

He will reflect that communism is no more and that, in Russia, the Orthodox Church is flourishing. He will remember that the most fierce enemies of religion – Voltaire, Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche –are long gone and historical figures just like the others.

Above all, he is amazed by the fact that, despite the negation of God by the dominant culture and the stifling propaganda to endorse this, He is still loved and adored by countless millions.