There is a movement in this country called New Atheism. This movement is more aggressive and anti-Christianity than atheists have ever been before. Even atheists argue about the beliefs and methods of the New Atheists.
In order to understand what New Atheists believe, I paraphrase below Andrew Brown's 6 tenets of the philosophy, which are found in his popular internet article The New Atheism, a definition and a quiz. He distills these tenets from the writings of New Atheists Robert L. Park, Richard Dawkins, and Sam Harris. New Atheists believe. . .
1) Faith is something the ignorant depend on, and it is a form of denial. Faith is held by those who don't want to see the evidence of something to the contrary. Faith is superstition.
2) Science can prove whether or not God exists. It is the only way to know.
3) Science is the opposite of Faith, and, because Science is rational, it will bring enlightenment.
4) Rationalism and Science are so superior to Faith, Faith will lose in any contest. Society would be better if we jettison Faith for Reason. We would get along, too, if we throw out religion. (My note: This last point is reflected in the song Imagine, by John Lennon).
5) Religion's true nature is rage, no matter what form it takes. Fundamentalists and Islam may be obviously outrageous, but more mainstream forms of religion are also dangerous.
6) Faith, as defined as religious and superstitious, is the enemy. It is dangerous, and those with Reason must struggle against it. The outcome of this war against Faith will determine the future of mankind.
They also have changed the definition of atheist. The old atheists simply denied the existence of God. "There is no God." The New Atheists say they do not believe in God. The distinction is small, but to them, it is everything. God cannot be proved by science, they say, and superstitious Faith is the enemy.
You may have noticed, atheists are getting proactive with their beliefs. Bus ads and billboard advertising are just two examples of the effects of this philosophy.
The New Atheists are so proactive and passionate, some say they have tremendous faith in not having faith.
You would expect that Christians would resist this movement, but humanists and other atheists are hesitant when it comes to New Atheism too. Secular Humanist Examiner Paul Fidalgo writes in his article Distortions of the New Atheists prevent substantive debate about their impact about how the debate over whether to accept the tenets and "instigator position" is causing a rift among secularists.
It's an interesting turn, and, in a future post, I will examine the Christian response to atheists and this new movement.
Source Articles: The New Atheism, a definition and a quiz, Andrew Brown; Distortions of the New Atheists prevent substantive debate about their impact, Paul Fidalgo.
Comments
Wow. I never heard of this. Thanks for enlightening us.
I've recently met someone who fits this description to the point where he is hateful toward people of faith. The frightening thing is that he plans on being a teacher. Hearing his opinion of people who believe in God, I doubt he can be impartial when it comes to grading someone whose beliefs are different than his. He's the most angry, biased, vengeful person I've run across.
Amazing. I'm speechless.
I can't say I'm surprised. Their stance is not only anti-God, but also anti-American.
Who are their heroes? Lenin, Stalin, and other atheistic dictators? If they want to talk about violence, these guys win hands down.
This is interesting. I would like to know more about how this differs from traditional atheism. These are things I thought atheists all believed. I'll admit, I'm not well educated on the topic, though.
While I don't agree with the athiests, either type, I have to say I don't have a hard time understanding their negativity towards Christianity. More violence has been done in the name of religion than anything else-you have to admit that. The idea that there is only ONE right way & it's MINE has driven a wedge in humanity-one that makes enemies of people who believe in the SAME GOD.
A belief in something beyond us, a faith that our bodies are temporary but our spirits & souls are eternal bring hope & give us a reason to strive to better ourselves...but the way it's been done just doesn't work.
As I once read somewhere "Jesus, I don't have an issue with YOU, it's your FANS I'm not so fond of".
When you try to force others to live as you do because you are so adiment that YOUR faith is the ONLY TRUE & RIGHT one...you are as evil as anyone who says there is no God.
We must, as humans, learn to accept & celebrate differences & strengthen our common bonds-in religion & life in general
"Well",
It's old hat and also a red herring fallacy to accuse Christians of mass murder over the years. Have Christians murdered in the name of the Faith? Yes. But have atheists also done the same in the name of their own ideology? Yes. The question is raised then as to what the root of each ideology expresses as regard to violence. That is, since you claim "Jesus, I don't have an issue with YOU, it's your FANS I'm not so fond of". On the atheist worldview, violence is inherent in its Darwinian presupposition toward natural selection. Note: More people have been killed in the name of atheism in the twentieth century than any other century combined. Look at the events of the first world war and Communist Russia alone to back up this claim.
However the Christian worldview, at the heart of Jesus' teachings, is to "love others". We turn our other cheek, we go the extra mile, we love our enemies. Why? Because we follow Christ's teachings because Jesus is Lord.
The only "anti-religious" people are the religious themselves.
When religions and other extremist ideologies obtain power, they try to ban other religions and ideologies to prevent competition.
Atheists don't seek to ban religion. We ask questions that the religious are uncomfortable with because they have no answers.
There's no need to ban religion. Education and teaching people how to think will do that on its own; religion survives by mass ignorance.
---->Daniel: It's old hat and also a red herring fallacy to accuse Christians of mass murder over the years. Have Christians murdered in the name of the Faith?
Wouldn't you be following the same fallacy within your claim as well? You claim that more were killed in the name of atheism than in the name of god in the 20th century, but you use World War II? Stalin was a sociopathic madman, as was Hitler. But only one of those two men were "atheists". Hitler was a professed Roman Catholic, and proclaimed his policies of genocide were in the name of God (Mein Kampf). Being a slavering madman who happened to be an atheist is the same as being a slavering madman who happened to be christian: It's the 'slavering madman' part that would take precedent. You are also whitewashing anything bad that is done in the name of God, from Eugenics to blacklisting to the very war we are in right now. It was God ("Allah" to them) that drove people to bomb the World Trade Center in 1993 and to attack the embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. What about the genocide of Armenians in World War I, or the murders of abortion doctors? That was done in the name of God. That is what atheists have a problem with.
But we also understand that psychopathy is what caused most of this. To call Hitler a Christian or Pol pot an atheist is to ignore the important point about them: They were power hungry despots.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!