Frivology

Part of the original purpose of this blog was for me to discover what sort of an atheist I am.  It’s all starting to fall into place now, thanks to the authors I’ve read, blogs I’ve read and discussions I’ve participated in.  I think I fall fairly firmly into the arena of ‘New Atheist’, and though we are called a number of anmes, including arrogant, I have to say that I can’t see that there’s any other way to be.  It makes me physically ill to think, for example, of the things that are done to women in the name of religion in the Middle East. 

Thease are not things that I can just sit idly by and say ‘well, they can do what they want’… and I’ll probably go into detail as to why in another post, but Hemant has up a post talking about a book talking about the subject and one paragraph rubbed me the wrong way. 

For one, they aren’t giving people an alternative to religion. If you lose your faith in God, you still may want that emotional high you get every week, and the sense of community you get with a church, and a safe place to go when things aren’t going well for you. The New Atheists don’t touch on these subjects in too much depth.

via What Do You Dislike About the New Atheists? | Friendly Atheist by Hemant Mehta.

I agree that this doesn’t happen, I disagree that it matters, but then I also agree that it matters.  I know… that doesn’t make much sense, but here’s the thing… religion hasn’t been a part of my emotional or communal makeup for a very, very long time.  I think the average agnostic, on the edge of atheist, feels the same way.  We have our friends from various places.  We do things with them, we go to work, we go to various places of interest, we go home… none of it matters.  Dropping God from the whole equation is just a matter of intellectual honesty.  We never believed before, so now we’re just sort of cementing the disbelief.  I quit smoking five years ago and replaced it with nothing.  I quit God about three years ago and also replaced it with nothing. 

However, there’s something that I /would/ like to see.  In talking with Articulett prior to bringing her on as a blogger for Frivology, she sent me a few links to people who were adversely affected by becoming an atheist and standing by it.  These are people who would likely qualify as ‘new’ atheists.  They won’t bow their heads quietly and participate in the Lord’s Prayer just to not cause a fuss.  They won’t just quietly not answer or leave the crowd when religion discussions come up.  They are who they are, and that’s that… and in some places that’s not okay.  For those sorts of people we should have a community, we should have a network that is their safety net.  A safety net that hopefully someday no one will need anymore, but one t hat is still needed right now.  Yet, I don’t think that safety net is the same thing as what a church or an organized religion provides - nor should it be.