Fear, weakness and where does stand an atheist?

Weakness is the root cause of fear:

A weak mind is prone to fear. Fear is another name for ghosts. A stout mind has energy. Energy is another name for God.

Fear springs from weakness. The man, who happens to be weak, has a heart which can not but tremble with fear. If a man is free from weakness, why should he be afraid?

Ghosts mean ignorance, and God means Knowledge. It's needless to labor the point. You should know that weak nerves are the cause of fear. It is furthered by the ignorance of mummy, granny and neighbors.

People bring up a child very much in the way they themselves were brought up. Nobody can curb an impulse which is overwhelmingly strong in a man. A man adjusts the outside influences to the frame of mind he is born with. He will rise up casting off all that's evil.

One submits to Power because of weakness:

['We've to recognize energy in view of the weakness of our mind.'—This observation of the Mother is startling. How much it makes us think?]

Prosad : What a strange thing to say, Mother! Over the ages, people with remarkable strength of mind have accepted the existence of energy.

Mother : Who has a strong mind? Buddha, Jesus, Mohammad—all these great men. This is what you have to say, isn't it? I too recognize energy. But take note of one thing. When we fail to find a reason, we've to recognize energy.

Once you recognize God, the next step is energy. That's the last step, too. First, articles of worship, then Form--Form leads to Formless--in the end come up the question of energy. We carry on with reason as far as we can. 'Proceeding with reason, one may discuss and analyze. In the end, however, one recognizes Energy.'

If there's somebody like that? Nothing, however, remains unknown to that person. His reason has brought everything within its sweep. His 'recognition' simply comes to this humility and modesty.—

So I set in order one by one
All the things to give it shape,
I create a Form.
God art Thou, Energy is Thine,
Thou art merciful.
Thy slave I would be.

Who is an atheist and to what extent?

Prosad : 'If reason fails, we recognize Energy.' The question now is, 'When we've to accept one thing or another, where's the scope for turning a nihilist?

Mother : Those who first refused to accept God, but followed the course of reason, how could they again accept God! They couldn't. Taking to reason, they couldn't run along the path of reason. They stopped short half-way.

Again, say, where a man has got together a lot of reasons, and after that can't proceed farther then he'll say to himself—'I can't go beyond this. But still I can't accept God. I've ended by accepting reason.' Neither God nor nihilism--it's all know¬ledge and reason.—That is, when he reaches that point, he turns a nihilist.

And what about one, who is basically a nihilist? He'll never have faith unless a bit of such a reason or something as God comes up before him. But he's only faced by energy. He's got that as his birthright. He's fashioned out of the clay of nihilism. Now if somebody brings up a light and continuously shines, and shines that, he may halt for a while. But he won't have faith.

Prosad : Now, Mother, the question is—Can one remain a true nihilist all life long ?

Mother: So it's there that Knowledge, Devotion and Reason make a firm stand.

Prosad : Then a particular weakness compels people to submit to God. That is helplessness.

Mother : It compels one to submit, isn't it ? But where there's reason, God—eh, can these ever compel that nihilist to submit?

When the nihilist comes to the end of his resources, he'll line up behind the believer. A believer will never resort to nihilism. Do you know how he'll surrender? It's due to his incapability.

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