Four Things We Can Do To Make More Atheists

Some atheists have little interest in de-converting religious believers or anything we might call secular activism. They do not care whether others are religious, as they are not convinced that widespread religious belief is detrimental to humanity. They just want religious believers to leave them alone, and they do not see how efforts to help people escape religious belief or promote the separation of church and state translate into others being more likely to leave them alone. This post is not aimed at these atheists.

I am writing this post for the atheists who are interested in there being fewer religious believers, less religious influence exerted in society, and more atheists. How do we get there? How do we make more atheists? In this post, I am going to discuss four suggestions:

1. Criticize religious belief
2. Promote atheism
3. Support atheists
4. Confront our own hypocrisy and repudiate bad behavior among our ranks

I believe that we would be far more successful in our efforts if we organized and collaborated; however, I recognize that there is a great deal of resistance here. This was part of why I selected these four suggestions; these are areas where each of us can make worthwhile contributions individually.

Opting Out of the Implicit Prayer Agreement

Silence (Photo credit: Mara ~earth light~)

Nearly all of the atheists I have known do something similar when faced with public prayer: they politely feign respect for it. I'm not being accusatory here; I do exactly the same thing. When I am in a meeting of some sort at work, a social situation with people I don't know terribly well (e.g., eating a meal at a restaurant), or even a setting where public prayer is quite inappropriate (e.g., jury duty or some other official government proceeding) and someone launches into inappropriate sectarian prayer, I typically hold my tongue and wait for it to be over. I don't close my eyes or bow my head, but I clam up and wait the thing out. Why? To be polite and not to call attention to myself I suppose.

When it comes to public prayer in the United States, atheists and Christians appear to have reached an implicit arrangement: when they pray, we sit there in silence. The benefits of this arrangement to Christians are clear. They get to pray whenever and wherever they want. They do not need to stop to consider the effect of their public prayer on others. What do we atheists get out of the arrangement? I'm still trying to figure that out.

Empathy for Atheists Has Been Unnecessary for Many Christians

I have written previously about the potential value of empathy among atheists in the sense that having empathy for Christians can be helpful if we truly seek to understand them. For those of us who are surrounded by Christians in our daily lives, I think that a bit of understanding can be useful.

Of course, it would be ideal of empathy was recognized as a two-way street. It would be nice if more Christians would try a bit of empathy in their dealings with atheists (i.e., understanding instead of demonizing).

Why don't we see more empathy from our Christian neighbors? Perhaps the answer, at least in part, is that empathy for atheists has not been necessary for many Christians.

Regarding a recent poll from LifeWay Research that found that 85% of Americans surveyed prefer to keep "under god" in the pledge of allegiance, Hemant Mehta (Friendly Atheist) noted:

Most Americans are religious and they don’t have the ability to empathize with non-Christians on issues like this. They can’t put themselves in our shoes and imagine what it’d feel like to either say a pledge you don’t agree with or purposely excuse yourself out of the classroom (or remain seated) so you don’t have to participate. They still conflate religion with patriotism, even after those remnants from the Soviet era should’ve burnt out.

Frustrated, Angry, and Impatient? Choose Activism

Demonstrators in front of the Delaware, OH office of Citibank at a demonstration against the Citibank's unfair investment policies in poor countries. Taken on November 16, 2001. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Maybe it is the recent Supreme Court ruling in Greece v. Galloway that started me thinking along these lines. Or maybe it is the inspiration I am finding in the stories of young people finding atheism collected in Dan Riley's excellent book, Generation Atheist. Or maybe it is just that I have a lot of work to do and am procrastinating because I find it rather unpleasant. In any case, I want to expand on something I wrote in a recent post.

When you first heard that the U.S. Supreme Court had cleared the way for sectarian prayer at city council meetings, how did you feel? That's right, I'm asking about how you felt and not what you thought. Based on what I have read online, I think it is a safe bet that many of you felt frustrated, even angry. Me too. I am impatient to see progress, and this decision seemed to be a step backward. Angry is an apt description of how I felt and how I still feel when I think about it.

The day after the Court handed down their decision in Greece v. Galloway, I wrote:

I hope that this decision serves to mobilize secular activists to expand efforts to push for change. National organizations like the Center for Inquiry, Freedom From Religion Foundation, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Secular Coalition for America are speaking out against this ruling, and I hope those of us who value the separation of church and state will join them. If we can channel the frustration we are feeling into activism, some good can come of this.

Freedom of Speech, Not Freedom From Consequences

Freedom of Speech (Photo credit: cliff1066™)

Most of us realize that freedom of speech does not mean that one is free to say whatever one wishes without experiencing any negative consequences whatsoever. If you use your freedom to insult someone, he or she may turn around and use his or her freedom to insult you right back. And as we have seen again and again, if you use your freedom to broadcast something incredibly stupid on the Internet, it is quite likely that someone will use his or her freedom to express disagreement or even mock you.

It works this way because we all share this particular freedom. Freedom of speech applies to everyone, and not just to people who agree with us or who are on our side in various political issues. Defending free speech includes defending it when it is used to express ideas we do not like.

But here's the thing: it seems like there is a point at which the negative consequences one experiences could become so severe that we might begin to consider them to be somewhat coercive. And as they become increasingly coercive, what we want to call freedom seems to erode. This is one of the things I find concerning about political correctness.

SCOTUS Makes Another Poor Decision

West Facade of the United States Supreme Court Building (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

While conservative Christians here in Mississippi are jubilant over the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision in Greece v. Galloway that it is perfectly acceptable for town boards to begin meetings with sectarian prayers, many atheists are considerably less pleased. How's that for an understatement? Here is a quick sampling of perspectives from around the atheist blogosphere:

• Supreme Court Rules Town Meetings Can Have Prayer: A Mere Symbolic Victory for Conservatives (Debunking Christianity)
• Supreme Court Disaster: In a 5-4 Ruling, Justices Approve of Christian Prayers in Greece, New York (Friendly Atheist)
• Disastrous Supreme Court Ruling Paves the Way for Christian Theocracy (Progressive Secular Humanist)
• SCOTUS Rules in Favor of Town Council Prayers, But Couldn't Been Worse (What Would JT Do?)
• Town of Greece v. Galloway: Prayer at Town Council Meetings (Secular Right)
• SCOTUS Rules for Legislative Prayer, CFI Says Court Appears 'Hostile' to Religious Minorities (Free Thinking, Center for Inquiry)