This morning, some atheist acquaintances of mine were planning on attending a local mega-church as silent observers but they planned to ask the members some challenging questions after services. They were clear that they were not seeking to start a fight, and chances are the church members would not turn too hostile, but their plan got me thinking: how far should we push in an effort to awake people of faith, and how different are we from them, really? That second question is the really interesting one, I think, if for no other reason than that both groups would recoil in horror at the concept.
Many atheists, especially the adherents to the ideas of Christopher Hitchens, hold that people of faith deserve no special respect for their beliefs, that religion should not be treated different from any other idea and in furtherance of their ideas, spend much of their time probing the inconsistencies in the beliefs of the faithful. While I understand their position, and even agree that religion enjoys an undeservedly exalted position, I'm also more sympathetic to the feelings of those who find comfort and solace in their faith. Above all, as a pragmatist, I see little to gain in insulting the deepest held beliefs of a person, especially as a means of convincing them to change their viewpoint. In this regard, the position taken by the Islamic Center in Phoenix in instructive: confronted with a couple of hundred angry and armed provocateurs, they invited any of the crowd who wished to join them inside the mosque and ended up changing the hate-tinged perspectives of at least some of those who accepted the invite. By contrast the well meaning liberals who gathered in support of the Muslims were far closer to causing a violent outcome when they attempted to outshout the first group and basically raised anger and hatred levels all around. I would wager much that not one person on either side of the police line ended up convinced by the other side, but instead came away even more thoroughly confirmed in their own righteousness.
And self-righteousness is perhaps the most intriguing aspect of all these groups. Be they Orthodox Jews, evangelical Christians, fundamentalist Muslims or militant atheists, they are all convinced that they alone have the right ideals and that all others are foolish for clinging to their "obviously" false beliefs. My fellow atheists would deny that they have beliefs, except those that can be scientifically verified and proved, but even if they are so lucky to hew to no irrational ideas - and in reality, we are as irrational as anyone else, witness the refusal of many atheists to accept scientific studies that disprove their ideas on vaccination - they exhibit the same hubris in their special wisdom that sets them above others who do not follow the same path. In seeking to explode the religious beliefs of some Christians this morning, those atheists were not hoping to convince their antagonists, but rather to demonstrate to themselves at least their own superiority, they sought to wrap themselves in a cloak of smugness that had nothing to do with helping anyone find a new path. I've often wondered if anyone can be convinced to change belief by challenging his or her faith, or even demonstrating the error of their beliefs. We humans have learned to deal with cognitive dissonance so very effectively that even the most absolute proof against our cherished beliefs will make not an iota of difference, our faith and belief will remain unshaken. I'm reminded of a statement by Pope Francis that if he found an extraterrestrial. he would joyfully baptize it, no questions asked; he never once addressed the fact that if he actually found a being from beyond our little insignificant planet, it would wholly overturn the primacy of humans in the Christian cosmic view. Yet, why should I point to religious believers only, when atheists often adopt the same attitude? I recently saw a very interesting article that said we should stop saying we believe in evolution, a bright line between us rational enlightened atheists and the worst of the regressive faithful. The author of the article pointed out that the Theory of Evolution has been subjected to scientific process and scrutiny and that our position should be that we understand or do not understand the theory, since it is not a matter of blind faith. Yet many atheists will proclaim belief in the theory, with all the fervor of the most fanatical of zealots. I do not say they are wrong for accepting the theory, for I have a rudimentary understanding of the theory and see no evidence to disprove it, but I do take issue with an attitude that disparages a group for rejecting that theory with no more knowledge of it, than they have for accepting it. The Theory of Evolution has become a defining issue, but it should be no more contentious than the Theory of Gravitation or the Laws of Motion, i.e. it should be studied , not rejected nor believed in blind obedience to a wider worldview. Blind acceptance of scientific theories without an understanding of the science behind them, no matter how correct they are, does no honor to the scientific method or the person professing that belief, but it does emphasize the brotherhood that binds all of us, theists and atheists, in a common brotherhood of blindness where our own beliefs are concerned. Indeed, the only thing that separates the most convinced of all parties is the actual beliefs, while the passion is not so very dissimilar.
One last thought: if tomorrow, definitive proof was offered us regarding one particular religion - for arguments sake, let us suppose that Thor and his lovely wife, Sif. along with his gentle brother Baldur visit earth proving that the ancient Norse had it right before King Olaf brought Christianity to them at swords' edge - would we atheists bow before that deity, assuming of course no lightening bolts were being hurled at us for refusing? Or would we join all other religionists in seeking to find a way to square our idea of a universe devoid of these gods with that new reality? It is an academic question worth pondering, though I fear the answer would be less than flattering to us atheists that we might suppose.
Many atheists, especially the adherents to the ideas of Christopher Hitchens, hold that people of faith deserve no special respect for their beliefs, that religion should not be treated different from any other idea and in furtherance of their ideas, spend much of their time probing the inconsistencies in the beliefs of the faithful. While I understand their position, and even agree that religion enjoys an undeservedly exalted position, I'm also more sympathetic to the feelings of those who find comfort and solace in their faith. Above all, as a pragmatist, I see little to gain in insulting the deepest held beliefs of a person, especially as a means of convincing them to change their viewpoint. In this regard, the position taken by the Islamic Center in Phoenix in instructive: confronted with a couple of hundred angry and armed provocateurs, they invited any of the crowd who wished to join them inside the mosque and ended up changing the hate-tinged perspectives of at least some of those who accepted the invite. By contrast the well meaning liberals who gathered in support of the Muslims were far closer to causing a violent outcome when they attempted to outshout the first group and basically raised anger and hatred levels all around. I would wager much that not one person on either side of the police line ended up convinced by the other side, but instead came away even more thoroughly confirmed in their own righteousness.
And self-righteousness is perhaps the most intriguing aspect of all these groups. Be they Orthodox Jews, evangelical Christians, fundamentalist Muslims or militant atheists, they are all convinced that they alone have the right ideals and that all others are foolish for clinging to their "obviously" false beliefs. My fellow atheists would deny that they have beliefs, except those that can be scientifically verified and proved, but even if they are so lucky to hew to no irrational ideas - and in reality, we are as irrational as anyone else, witness the refusal of many atheists to accept scientific studies that disprove their ideas on vaccination - they exhibit the same hubris in their special wisdom that sets them above others who do not follow the same path. In seeking to explode the religious beliefs of some Christians this morning, those atheists were not hoping to convince their antagonists, but rather to demonstrate to themselves at least their own superiority, they sought to wrap themselves in a cloak of smugness that had nothing to do with helping anyone find a new path. I've often wondered if anyone can be convinced to change belief by challenging his or her faith, or even demonstrating the error of their beliefs. We humans have learned to deal with cognitive dissonance so very effectively that even the most absolute proof against our cherished beliefs will make not an iota of difference, our faith and belief will remain unshaken. I'm reminded of a statement by Pope Francis that if he found an extraterrestrial. he would joyfully baptize it, no questions asked; he never once addressed the fact that if he actually found a being from beyond our little insignificant planet, it would wholly overturn the primacy of humans in the Christian cosmic view. Yet, why should I point to religious believers only, when atheists often adopt the same attitude? I recently saw a very interesting article that said we should stop saying we believe in evolution, a bright line between us rational enlightened atheists and the worst of the regressive faithful. The author of the article pointed out that the Theory of Evolution has been subjected to scientific process and scrutiny and that our position should be that we understand or do not understand the theory, since it is not a matter of blind faith. Yet many atheists will proclaim belief in the theory, with all the fervor of the most fanatical of zealots. I do not say they are wrong for accepting the theory, for I have a rudimentary understanding of the theory and see no evidence to disprove it, but I do take issue with an attitude that disparages a group for rejecting that theory with no more knowledge of it, than they have for accepting it. The Theory of Evolution has become a defining issue, but it should be no more contentious than the Theory of Gravitation or the Laws of Motion, i.e. it should be studied , not rejected nor believed in blind obedience to a wider worldview. Blind acceptance of scientific theories without an understanding of the science behind them, no matter how correct they are, does no honor to the scientific method or the person professing that belief, but it does emphasize the brotherhood that binds all of us, theists and atheists, in a common brotherhood of blindness where our own beliefs are concerned. Indeed, the only thing that separates the most convinced of all parties is the actual beliefs, while the passion is not so very dissimilar.
One last thought: if tomorrow, definitive proof was offered us regarding one particular religion - for arguments sake, let us suppose that Thor and his lovely wife, Sif. along with his gentle brother Baldur visit earth proving that the ancient Norse had it right before King Olaf brought Christianity to them at swords' edge - would we atheists bow before that deity, assuming of course no lightening bolts were being hurled at us for refusing? Or would we join all other religionists in seeking to find a way to square our idea of a universe devoid of these gods with that new reality? It is an academic question worth pondering, though I fear the answer would be less than flattering to us atheists that we might suppose.
