The Problem with Atheism
So, I found this comic strip in my social feed.
While I agree with the basic sentiment, I’m not so keen the extreme spoon feeding aspect of it. It’s not very nuanced, subtle or sophisticated. An atheist might like it because he agrees with it, but it’s not going to convince anyone to abandon religion, any more than clever posters convince anyone to stay off cigarettes or drugs.
Religious belief is a drug too, and like a drug, it can only be stopped with a strong emotional trigger. You quit smoking because you coughed blood that one time and it scared you witless. You quit the heroin because your wife intervened. You leave the church because it taught your family to disown you when you came out as gay. You stop believing in God because your whole family died in a series of senseless accidents, your prayers and kindness having fallen on deaf ears.
Religion is like your favorite car, sports team or consumer brand, times a hundred. It’s an emotional commitment. It becomes a part of your identity. Giving it up is painful and humiliating. Anyone attacking it is pushing your buttons. Nobody ever got anywhere by pushing all the wrong buttons.
Give religious people a honorable, pleasant way of leaving their religion behind, something better than the church, and they will come in droves. I’m a long-time non-believer and even I can see that churches are great gathering places, and that religions offer some very powerful creeds for young men to swear allegiances to; some greater cause to believe in.
Atheism is a very lonely place in comparison, because it is defined very specifically as the lack of belief. Very few people will rally around not believing in anything. Humanism and their organizations are somewhat better, but pale in comparison to the euphoria, happiness and unity offered by the more free-spirited churches. You just can’t beat emotions, they are at the core of the human experience.
It's a scary world out there, with out a "big daddy" to watch out for us most people feel lost and scared to death, I think that fear is more powerfull than reason. Now imagine this, the most powerfull being ever, a GOD! and this god created me and cares so much for me! isn't this awsome? No more fear or uncertainty...
When we were kids, our parents told us that santa claus was real and that if we didn't misbehave he would bring us presents/gifts every Christmas! So, for as long as religious people continue to recieve their "presents" they think that the "facts" fit the theory! and if one year they don't recieve any presents.... well, they obviously misbehaved that year and they didn't deserve any presents!
the most terrifying prospect: We are alone, on a small planet, in a vast universe, and no one is coming to save us.
I have another mental tool in place for that. It's a trick of logic stolen from Buddhism: "This universe may be pointless, but being part of the universe, I am the universe, and look at how absurd I am, and how many silly manifestations I have. I'm throwing things at myself in order to scare and amuse myself; in order to trick myself into thinking that any of this really matters. I'm going to silence this silly meat lump that I call my brain, and just take it all in. The past and the future don't exist. There is only the now. Who cares? Have a blast!"
If you're not in the habit of thinking like that, it probably sounds like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, but I find that it helps me feel all right.
Good stuff
You're hitting the nail on its head there.
I don't believe it can only be stopped emotionally. I think it is possible (but difficult) to use reason to overcome faith and religious beliefs. In fact, I would argue that those who overcome faith due to only emotion (e.g. senseless tragedy example you gave) are more likely to relapse into religion because they don't have the strong foundation of reason supporting their new beliefs (or lack thereof).
However, I think it is pretty much impossible to get a theist to change their mind if you are ridiculing their beliefs (which we seem to agree on). If someone is making fun of your core beliefs or self-identity, you will immediately be put on the defensive and simply refuse to listen to any rational arguments. It might feel good to some atheists to make fun of religious beliefs and those who hold them (possibly as a mechanism to defend their own self-esteem by thinking their lack of religious beliefs makes them superior, or maybe just because they think it makes good comedy), but it is very likely counterproductive if their goal is to actually try to convince theists to give up faith.
And I also agree with you that it is like a drug in the sense that is a hard habit to break. I don't think anyone is going to be able to convince a theist who hasn't actually seriously considered atheism before to give up faith after a short rational conversation. However, that conversation can sow seeds of doubt that later germinate into the individual fully questioning religion and god as they further have similar conversations or just experience life events that really make them question what they were taught.
Finally, as you mentioned, it is really important to have secular alternatives to the community aspects of a religion. I bet there are many people who don't actually believe in God but go to church every Sunday anyway because they are so used to the positive social aspects of having such a community and they can't find an alternative to avoid loneliness. I don't think there is a need for an "Atheist Church" though. People could just join clubs and social groups that pertain to their interests, whatever that may be, and get all the positive social aspects they are used to from a religion.
I mostly agree with you, albeit I should add that there are people who seek company but never get it. People who perhaps don't even go to church, but still maintain a belief in God as a sort of inner supporter and companion in times of hardship. I think this is where many stories of criminals and alcoholics reforming once they found God come from. They found someone who will love them unconditionally. It's a bit like having a pet, except much more lofty and intellectual, because this inner Tamagochi actually understands your adult worries and sympathizes with them. (No one seems to assume that God is against them. God wouldn't be a very good companion if he was always disapproving of you.)
Totally agree...very lonely when you live by knowing and not beLIEving! Root word of believe is Lie and yet people cant see truth in that:)
Maybe that cartoon was just entertainment.
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