You sleep, and know not you are dead in vain,
Nor even in dreams behold how dark and bright
Ascends in smoke and fire by day and night
The hate you died to quench and could but fan,
Sleep well and see no morning, son of man.
But if, the grave rent and the stone rolled by,
At the right hand of majesty on high
You sit, and sitting so remember yet
Your tears, your agony and bloody sweat,
Your cross and passion and the life you gave,
Bow hither out of heaven and see and save.”
- A. E. Housman
The stark choice articulated here reminds me of a statement made by C.S. Lewis in his excellent book Mere Christianity. Lewis himself was no stranger to unbelief; he was an atheist for many years before returning to the Christian faith, due in no small part to his friendship with devout Catholic J.R.R. Tolkien, as well as the writings of George MacDonald and G.K. Chesterton. In Mere Christianity, Lewis states that it's all or nothing with belief in Jesus as the Christ, dismissing those who say they accept Him, but as only a great teacher or philosopher: