Atheist Pastor: the Future of Religion is Much Too Bright [View all]

[rug]

September 14, 2015
by Linda LaScola

Editor’s Note: UCC pastor “Andy,” while doing his part to encourage humanist ideals in in his congregation, is not optimistic that his approach will be broadly successful.

By “Andy”
“Andy,” a former Southern Baptist Minister, is currently a Pastor in the United Church of Christ. He plans to retire in the church, despite his rejection of metaphysical speculation (God, salvation, heaven, etc.). His life has been an evolution from traditional theism, to non-theism (via Tillich and Spong), to agnosticism (via linguistic philosophy), to ‘incipient atheism’ (via secular humanism). He holds a PhD in Biblical Studies from a major American university.

Unfortunately, I think religion has a bright future.

In his book, The Future of An Illusion, Sigmund Freud predicted that we (the human race) would attain adulthood and have no need for religion. We would accept its death and learn to cope with our finitude in more mature ways. However, even he was fearful that “the great majority of mortals will never be able to rise above this (religious) view of life” (Civilization and Its Discontents).

There will always be insecurity, trauma and catastrophe, and there will always be people who respond by recourse to illusory metaphysical forces, like God or Satan.

I am reminded of what happened in the aftermath of 9/11. Attendance increased a full 50% at the congregation I served, and remained that way for over a year. I see this same phenomenon at work in the sundry individual ‘catastrophes’ that happen to people who have long left the confines of the church, but who return for a while after the death of a loved one, the loss of job or career, the diagnosis of cancer or other disease, et al. It’s as if they fall back on religion as a good-luck charm. Even parents whom I esteem as fully ‘secular’ will come to me to have their infants baptized, as if to say, ‘I’m not really into religion, but just in case . . . it’s nice to have an eternal life insurance policy.’

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/rationaldoubt/2015/09/2530/

Which of course raises the question: Why is he still making a living doing this? It never ceases to amaze how many self-described rational people in this country hide their rational opinions so fluidly.