11.28.2007

A Church Of Atheism?

Church candle. Macedonia
Church candle. Macedonia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Have you heard of the First Church of Atheism? The author of Secular Planet (update: link no longer available) is the latest in a series of atheist bloggers who have decided to get ordained as ministers by this new church. Is having such a church a good idea, or does it simply reinforce common misconceptions about atheism?

A Church of Atheism?

Given that atheism is nothing more than the lack of theistic belief, atheism is not a belief system or worldview and has no doctrine whatsoever. Thus, it is clear that atheism is not a religion.

But is it not possible to imagine a church without religion? Although I could imagine a church as an association of like-minded individuals who congregate for secular purposes, I would have little reason to call such a group a church.

11.16.2007

Dehumanization, Torture, and Christianity

Christian torture

What is dehumanization, and how does it facilitate a host of atrocities? How is it now influencing the debate over waterboarding? What is the relationship of Christianity to dehumanization, and should this ancient religion be a source of concern in our dialogue on torture? These are difficult questions for which I do not pretend to have all the answers, however, this post will attempt to find a starting point in a long-overdue discussion.

Dehumanization

Dehumanization is a psychological process in which a defined enemy is perceived as less human and thus less deserving of the moral consideration one typically applies to one's fellow human. Classic examples include African slaves in the eyes of White Americans and Jews in the eyes of Nazis. Contemporary examples include illegal immigrants in the eyes of socially conservative Republicans and "Islamofascists" in the eyes of fundamentalist Christians.

11.02.2007

Atheism and White Power

Protest Racism in the Kensington community of Calgary Alberta 2007
By Robert Thivierge, via Wikimedia Commons

Believe it or not, some white nationalist groups are showing signs of opening their doors to atheist members. Given that these groups are often regarded as an arm of the right-wing Christian extremist movement, I was surprised to discover discussions of atheism on one prominent white supremacist website. I'm even more shocked to think that nonbelievers might consider joining such groups.

The Stormfront White Nationalist group first came to my attention when I received an e-mail from a former atheist blogger in North Mississippi (she's still an atheist but is no longer blogging). She told me that there had been a Klan rally in her community and that she had visited the website listed on their literature to learn what she could about these extremists. This brought her to the Stormfront White Nationalist Community, where she discovered an atheism/agnosticism sub-forum in the theology forum. Could such hate groups actually have nonbelievers for members?

The Ku Klux Klan was historically tied to Protestant Christianity and is known to have refused to accept Catholic members until relatively recently. They continue to identify themselves as a Christian organization and are clear in their opposition to atheism. Thus, it is no surprise that many of their rituals (e.g., the crosses they burn, the Christian themes in their oaths, their cross-like salutes, etc.) reflect their Christian beliefs.