Reflection #17: Rise of the Angry Atheists

When I think back to my younger years it seems to me that atheists back then were mostly content to feel smugly superior to people who had faith and they simply ignored us religious folks.  That peaceful coexistence changed on 9/11 – suddenly, it seemed, atheists were not content to keep their beliefs to themselves - there was a reason to get vocal.   According to some atheists who began to show up all over the media at that time, the attack on the United States that fateful September day in 2001 provided irrefutable proof that religion was not only unenlightened, it was downright dangerous.  Overnight it seemed like atheists were becoming more bold, more insistent in converting people to their way of thinking, and there was an angry tone in their talking and writing about the problems with religion.  The way they understood things, much of the world’s problems could be traced back to religions, thus the solution was simple – stamp out all religion.

To tell you the truth, I liked the earlier years better.  I have never been comfortable with people being confrontational or angry with me, and these vocal and antagonistic atheists made me uncomfortable.  They pointed out some of the logical inconsistencies within ancient faith systems, and as they did so it sounded like they were mocking people stupid enough to believe in God.  I didn’t like being mocked, I resented being labelled stupid, and I felt it quite unfair to be painted with the same brush as some religious people who truly deserve to be labelled as harmful. In their attacks on religion, no person of faith escaped unscathed, and thus I felt included in their targeted remarks.

It didn’t help that certain facets of Christianity, especially in the United States, made such easy targets for these angry atheists – and while I could agree with many of the points raised by the atheists, I kept wanting to say “But that’s not me, or the version of Christianity I am part of.”  I do not subscribe to an overly literal understanding of the Bible, I do not think that every word has the same weight and value as the rest.  I do not insist on blind obedience and restricted thinking, but rather I encourage openness and honesty, including facing our doubts.  I don’t think I’m an unreasonable person, and yet I felt like I was getting lumped in with religious people who are dangerous and ignorant.

As I write this entry I find myself thinking of a Bruce Cockburn song - “Justice”. 

What's been done in the name of Jesus?

What's been done in the name of Buddha?

What's been done in the name of Islam?

What's been done in the name of man?

What's been done in the name of liberation?

And in the name of civilization?

And in the name of race?

And in the name of peace?

Everybody loves to see

Justice done on somebody else

Bruce Cockburn points out that evil has been done in the name of many types of ideology, not just religious.  It seems to me that the angry atheists could possibly go down the same road of intolerance and violence as the religious they denigrate.  Christopher Hitchens, perhaps the most famous of the new atheists, was criticized for his support of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, which he saw, at least in part, as a necessary clash of civilizations between the secular West and the Islamic jihadists.  Some saw this as a hypocritical stance, accusing religions of using force and oppression to assert their teachings, then applauding the use of force and oppression to assert the secularist worldview that he subscribed to.

Perhaps the best comment I heard for engaging these new, more vocal atheists came from Franciscan priest and author Richard Rohr, who responds to someone who asserts “I don’t believe in God!” with this invitation: “Tell me about this God you don’t believe in.  Maybe I don’t believe in that God either.” Such an invitation is one possible way to open up a considerate conversation with atheists - for it is certain that I don’t believe in the God that Westboro Baptist worships, and I don’t believe in the God that Pat Robertson portrays, and I don’t believe in the God that Benny Hinn claims to serve.  While it could be argued that these religious people are talking about the same God as me, I find the way they describe God is so contrary to the understanding of the divine that I hold that it could just as well be a different God.  Their God is not recognizable as the God of love, mercy, grace and humility that I see in the person of Jesus the Christ.  With such twisted presentations of God being broadcast through the internet and over the airwaves, it is no wonder the atheists want nothing to do with Christianity.  In some ways I understand their anger, but I also feel it is an indiscriminate anger when they take broad swipes at religion, casting it all in the same hue.

In recent years I have reached the conclusion that hating the angry atheists, or being afraid of them, is the wrong response.  We have much in common, even if they, for whatever reason, they have decided there is no God.  In many cases the objections they raise need to be heard - we can not simply ignore the many legitimate arguments they raise.  Instead we must engage in honest introspection, and a willingness to admit that many points they raise are warranted.  At the same time we must acknowledge that faith continues to be held by many intelligent, educated people – including significant scientists, important humanitarians, and thoughtful philosophers.  While the angry atheists have noteworthy points to make, they are not the only legitimate points to consider.

In the end what will make a difference in our relationships with others is not intellectual argument, but living lives of love, working for truth and justice, serving others as Christ taught us.  Christians living their lives like Jesus called us to live will do far more to quiet the rage of the angry atheists than any argument shouted back belligerently.  Respectful conversation will go much further in developing mutual understanding than heated debate.  So it is time to get over my avoidance of people who might get indignant with me, and time to get serious about entering into open and honest conversation with others, even angry atheists.