Why We are Mad At You by an Atheist

[rrneck]

196. It's a lot easier to be an atheist

in this country than it used to be. Easier than say, Saudi Arabia, but still not as easy as being a Baptist. Most of the time, atheism implies a choice. Living with that choice and its consequences requires an emotional investment. It's just harder to row upstream. I don't think it's possible, and there is a growing body of research that agrees, to make a decision without an emotional investment. The emotional investment one makes in atheism is no different from any other emotional investment we make. We're using the same brain to rationalize our feelings about our religion that we use to rationalize about our feelings about anything else.

You know, I've annoyed more atheists on this board than theists? And I'm as big an atheist as anybody. I've done it by pointing out how human they are. Nobody does anything for purely rational reasons. We just aren't purely rational critters. To claim otherwise is to deny one's humanity.

There is one thing I'm certainly passionate about: I want religion out of my government. My position on that score is unequivocal. Religion claims to know something we don't, and they're wrong. It claims an insight into right human behavior, and they use that claim to try to control government.

I agree atheism isn't special. It's just a way of thinking about stuff. Truth to tell it isn't any better or worse than religion. In fact, I see no evidence it's all that different from religion or any other communal activity. The people in the image above are all doing the same thing for very different reasons.

So what if, and I'm speculating here, we decided atheism was a religion? Most religions are offshoots of previous faiths. Why can't the denial of a deity be one of those offshoots? Like I said, it couldn't last long, but maybe it doesn't have to. Atheism could morph into any number of "isms"; rationalism, empiricism, utilitarianism, or maybe even liberal nationalism. All we have to do is say, "C'mon in! The water's fine!".

Remember the movie Used Cars? Roy Fuchs was having family night at his used car lot. Lots of good clean fun for the whole family, and boring as all hell. Then, from the darkened lot across the street Rudy Russo hits the lights and a 1980's disco beat explodes around strippers dancing on the hoods of cars. The entire crowd in the Fuchs lot defects and runs over to join the party. Why can't atheism be the vanguard if a similar defection away from religion in government? I can't think of any group better suited to create that idea.

You'd be surprised how far people will follow you if you give them somewhere to go.