As an atheist, what do I want? At first glance, this question is a tough one. After all, most of what I want has very little to do with atheism. When I am asked this question, the person asking it usually wants to know if I am after the complete eradication of religion or whether I might be content with something short of this unlikely scenario. What I want, as an atheist, is actually a bit simpler:I would like to see a gradual erosion of the social acceptability of religious belief until it becomes something about which most educated adults would be embarrassed to profess.As you might guess, this brief description carries plenty of implications. In unpacking it, you might consider the following:
- I do not believe that the complete eradication of religious belief is necessary to bring about a significantly better world. While I'd welcome a religion-free world, I could be content with far less.
- Most sane politicians are not going to profess religious belief when it is a source of embarrassment to a large, wealthy, and powerful segment of the population. To do so would be a liability.
- Getting what I want would mean that most religious people would keep their religious beliefs to themselves.
- In the world I seek, religious belief no longer has any role in government. Separation of church and state is accepted and enforced.
- I recognize that some people - especially those who remain uneducated and poor - will probably always seek religion for the solace it provides.
How about you? What do you want as an atheist?
Subscribe to Atheist Revolution
