An Atheist interpretation of The Book of Job

If the atheist has a master, it's the truth. There is a power that comes from obtaining truth. Truth does not become a powerful tool until it is recognized by the user. The user must have no doubt that it is true. It then becomes part of a solid foundation upon which to base decisions, judgments, rational thought. Upon withstanding future testing, it becomes a conviction. Convictions give you courage because you know that if you factor them in, you'll make better decisions and experience better outcomes.

Even convictions are subject to change. A true seeker of truth does not hold on to refuted convictions for the sake of nostalgia or to preserve self-esteem. But it's important to know how to evaluate data pertinent to a conviction and to correctly connect cause and effect. This is where intelligence and rational thought come in. With a few modifications, The Book of Job can become a story of the power of reason and the wisdom to hold on to one's convictions unless/until they are truly refuted. 

In the Job story we replace God with Convictions. Rather than worshipping God, Job is expressing his conviction. He professes and promotes what he knows to be true. Satan is replaced with Random Chance. 

Job believes that his adhering to his Convictions will lead to a better quality of life. But how much of his success is due to Random Chance and how much to adhering to his Convictions? Random Chance delivers some devastating blows to Jobs standard of living, destroys his family and even his personal health. Job continues to adhere to his convictions. 

Why would Job adhere to his Convictions in the face of such misery? Because none of Job's misfortunes were attributable to any action or decision made by Job. His analysis correctly determined that this was not a disproof of his method of operating, but simple bad luck. In fact, should he abandon his Convictions it could be argued that his quality of life would suffer even further in that he would have lost even his integrity; the only thing of real value to him; his Self. 

Determining right from wrong and choosing to do right will not earn you a winning lottery ticket. It will just let you know that you are a good person. But that, in and of itself, is a powerful asset. It streamlines the thought process and makes your decision making more efficient and more effective. Maybe it will bring you material gain, maybe it wont, but you will always know exactly who you are, and you'll be happy to know you.