The religion of the New Atheism
In English, the line "The Lady, as I seem, praises too much" quoted from Shakespeare's Hamlet, describing someone who tries to convince others of something that is not true. That phrase comes to mind when I hear of atheists protesting that atheism is a religion. Some atheists support their protest with the following syllogistic comparisons:
- If atheism is a religion, then bald is a hair color. Although this may sound almost profound, only one false statement is compared to an inappropriate category. A bald head has nothing to do with a hair color. Certainly, on a bald head no hair color is recognizable, but since atheism is perceptible in several ways, it may very well have a color like other religions, even if it is unique; that's the same with Christianity. In addition, I have never met a bald person who has no hair color. If someone does not have hair on their heads, they can not be portrayed as having no hair color.
- If atheism is a religion, then health is a disease. As I said, at first glance this may sound like a valid syllogism, but it is no more than ambiguous talk, again about comparing a false statement with an inappropriate category, which is logically wrong. I should mention that studies have shown that belief in God is related not only to believers' improved mental health reports but also to improved physical health compared to non-believers. Indeed, in nearly 350 physical health studies and 850 mental health studies examining religious and mental components, it has been found that religious influences and spirituality are associated with better recovery.
- If atheism is a religion, abstinence is a sexual posture. Again, holding two statements against each other proves nothing at all. You can go on and put together new nonsensical statements. The presentation of logical errors tells us nothing about what is actually true.
The highest American court (Supreme Court) has ruled in more than one case that atheism must be treated like a religion according to the law (ie as a protected belief on an equal footing with other religions). Atheists believe that there are no gods. Seen in this way, it is a belief about gods and that qualifies it as a religion, much like Buddhism is also called a religion.
There are three religious views of God: monotheistic (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), polytheistic (Hinduism, Mormonism) and non-theistic (Buddhism, atheism). One could introduce a fourth category for atheism and call it anti-theistic. In an article that appeared in The Christian Post, Mike Dobbins shows how atheism is religious. The following is an excerpt (from Atheism as a Religion: An Introduction to the World's Least Understood Faith):
For atheists, the letter 'A' is a sacred symbol of atheism. There are three significant 'A' symbols in atheism. An 'A' symbol is surrounded by a circle and was created by 2007 of the Atheist Alliance International. The circle should represent the unity of atheists and unite all other atheistic symbols. They are not
only these symbols that mark atheism. There is an atheistic-religious symbolism known only to insiders or connoisseurs of atheism.
Many atheists made it clear at Christmas 2013 how sacred the 'A' symbol is to them. In my hometown of Chicago, it's permitted to display the Hanukkah menorah (the candelabrum for the Jewish Festival of Lights) and the Nativity scene in public spaces during the holidays. So the atheists demanded that they, too, be allowed to display their religious symbol; this way, the city administration could avoid giving the impression of treating religions differently. The Freedom From Religion Foundation chose a scaffold with a giant 'A' symbol, 2,5 meters high, illuminated in red so that it was visible to everyone. Countless atheists paid homage to their 'A' by turning the site into a place of pilgrimage. There, they took photos of themselves with the red 'A'. Many of them, I'm sure, will keep the photos as special mementos. But the big, red A wasn't enough for them. They also succeeded in displaying their atheistic beliefs by erecting a sign with the following inscription: “There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is nothing more than a fairy tale and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.”
The Debunking Atheists Blog [2] contains a helpful list of key atheist views that clearly show their religious content.
Below is a shortened version of the list:
- Atheists have their own worldview. Materialism (the view that there is only one material world) is the lens through which atheists view the world. Far from being open-minded, only provable facts count for them; they understand all facts exclusively from a very limited materialistic worldview.
- Atheists have their own orthodoxy. Orthodoxy is a compilation of normative beliefs that a religious community has adopted. Just as there is a Christian orthodoxy, there is also an atheistic one. In short, everything that exists can be explained as the result of unintentional, uncontrolled and meaningless evolution. Any claim to truth is rejected as long as it does not withstand scientific scrutiny and empirical confirmation.
- Atheists have their own way of branding apostates (apostates). Apostasy refers to the renunciation of previous beliefs. Antony Flew (1923-2010, English philosopher) was one of the world's most famous atheists for years. Then he did the unthinkable: he changed his mind. You can imagine the reaction of the "open-minded, tolerant" neo-atheist movement. Flew was slandered. Richard Dawkins accused Flew of "change of mind" - a rather fancy term for apostasy. Thus, by their own admission, Flew turned away from their "beliefs" [and became a kind of deist].
- Atheists have their own prophets: Nietzsche, Russell, Feuerbach, Lenin and Marx.
- Atheists have their own Messiah: Charles Darwin, who, in their view, has driven the crucial stake through the heart of theism by providing a comprehensive explanation of why life never needs God as its originator or explanation. Daniel Dennett has even written a book about it with the intention of defining the religious faith as merely an evolutionary development.
- Atheists have their own preachers and evangelists: Dawkins, Dennett, Harris and Hitchens (they are the four most prominent representatives of the neo-atheist movement).
- Atheists are believers. Although they mock faith in their writings (Harris' book is titled The End of Faith), atheism is a faith-based initiative. Since the existence of God can neither be proved nor disproved, denying God requires a belief in one's scientific abilities of observation and rational thought. In the development of atheism there is no explanation for the question "Why is the universe ordered, computable and measurable?" Atheism has no rational explanation for why there is such a thing as rational thinking at all. He has no explanation for questions he hopes to be asked, such as "Why do we have self-confidence? What makes us able to think? Where does the universal sense of right and wrong come from? How can we know for sure that there is no life after death? How can we be sure that nothing exists outside of the material world? How do we know that only those things exist that are conveniently verifiable by our known scientific-empirical methods? Atheists attribute inexplicable things to belief—they assume things without any solid rationale or empirical basis for doing so.
In contrast to the protests of the atheists, the reality of their confessional system is based on a faith-based initiative with practices and beliefs as well as other religions. It is ironic that atheists, insisting that atheism is not a religion and ranting about other religions, even make big signs in competition with those of other religions.
I hasten to add that some Christians make essentially the same mistake when they criticize other religions (and even other forms of Christianity). As Christians, we should not forget that our faith is not merely a religion to be asserted and defended. Instead, Christianity, at its core, is a living relationship with the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our calling as Christians is not to impose yet another belief system on the world, but to participate in God's ongoing work of reconciliation as his ambassadors. (2. Kor 5,18-21). to bring about – by proclaiming the good news (the gospel) that people have been forgiven, that they are redeemed and loved by God, who longs for a relationship of trust (faith), hope and love with all people.
I am glad that authentic Christianity is not a religion but a relationship.
Joseph Tkach
President
GRACE COMMUNION INTERNATIONAL
