By Mano Singham
Atheists are sometimes criticized for undermining belief in god because some sophisticated religious people feel that even if there is no god, believing in one may serve some good ends by helping people overcome personal adversity, prevent them from doing evil things, and even inspire them to do great things.
Some political thinkers feel that religion plays an important role in maintaining social order and seek to perpetuate religious beliefs even if they themselves are unbelievers. Seneca (circa 4 BCE-65 CE) argued that belief in god is a fraud perpetrated on the public in order to sustain a ruling class: "Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful."
The recent political movement known as neoconservatism, whose roots can be traced to the University of Chicago philosopher Leo Strauss and whose adherents were a major force urging the US to launch the disastrous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and now seeks to expand to new wars against Iran and other middle eastern countries, also promotes the virtues of the noble lie. (I have written before in 2006 about Strauss and his belief that only an elite can handle the essential truths about society and the rest must be shielded from the truth by manufacturing consoling lies.)
Ernest Hemingway said that "All thinking men are atheists." Such a quote may seem to embody the arrogance that atheists are routinely accused of but he is not alone in thinking so. Martin Luther (1483-1546), the leader of the movement known as the Reformation that created the Protestant churches, was convinced that reason and religion were antithetical because faith required the denial of reason. At various times he said, "Reason is the greatest enemy that faith has; it never comes to the aid of spiritual things, but more frequently than not struggles against the divine Word, treating with contempt all that emanates from God." Also, "Reason should be destroyed in all Christians" and "Whoever wants to be a Christian should tear the eyes out of his reason." (All quotes from Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion, p. 190)
By contrast, atheists like Baron D'Holbach (1723-1789) argue that it is reason that enables people to be good citizens, and that the truth must be propagated even if it means undermining cherished falsehoods like religion. "Many men without morals have attacked religion because it was contrary to their inclinations. Many wise men have despised it because it seemed to them ridiculous. Many persons have regarded it with indifference, because they have never felt its true disadvantages. But it is as a citizen that I attack [religion], because it seems to me harmful to the happiness of the state, hostile to the march of the mind of man, and contrary to sound morality, from which the interests of state policy can never be separated."
The idea that sophisticated thinkers have always known that there is no god is not new. As John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) said, "The world would be astonished if it knew how great a proportion of its brightest ornaments, of those most distinguished even in popular estimation for wisdom and virtue, are complete skeptics in religion." No doubt Mill was influenced by his father who told him, " There is no God, but it’s a family secret." (Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion, p. 4)
What is new is that atheists are challenging the idea that encouraging belief in god constitutes a Noble Lie. Instead they argue that the truth that god does not exist must be made known to everyone, not just an elite, and are publicizing it widely.
(My latest book God vs. Darwin: The War Between Evolution and Creationism in the Classroom has just been released. For more on the book, see here. You can also listen to the podcast of the interview on WCPN 90.3 about the book.)
No More Delusionary Beliefs!
Mano Singham comes through with another masterpiece of logic, history and clarity. There's always Bertrand Russell's seminal work, "Why I Am Not A Christian" to add to the long list of prime intellectuals writing against "false idols!" A book I love to recommend to people open minded enough to be questioning any religious indoctrination they may have received is "Pale Blue Dot" by Dr. Carl Sagan. In addition to a poetic introduction to the physical and biological sciences, he thoroughly debunks all religious concepts with grace and gentleness. The best website I've seen for new and established atheists is: http://www.edge.org Please check out their annual Question asked and responded to by some of the best thinkers on the planet. It archives a massive array or relevant discussions on a huge variety of scientific and atheist topics. Enjoy!
RELIGION FAILS, SCIENCE PREVAILS!
Darwin was a keen observer and theorist and his theory is PROVEN beyond a shadow of a doubt. The only reason it is still called a theory is because it can't be proven in the same way a mathematical theorem can. That is a problem with semantics, NOT the science!
Nina
I agree that perpetuating the various myths of blind faith, believing rewards will solely come in the next life and not this one, obedience to authority etc- is going to hold back the human race, and that people must be given the space to question and examine their lives. Developments and education in science will be crucial to our survival - if humans are to let go of their attachments to faith, they will need proof of the true nature of the universe. This can be fundamentally more exciting than any claims made by a church.
But science will need to grapple human nature in its entirety, and to respect it, and to realise that it will never have a complete answer as it will always be limited by our own understanding, just as religion is our own creation.
Its not good enough to do away with religion without finding the science, or deeper explanation for its teachings.
The Self-Actualization of Civilization.
I agree completely with Nina, but would like to add that if religion and religious beliefs could be eliminated or reduced to an insignificant fringe, that it would free people's minds of anything "supernatural" and leave nothing but reason, rationality and logic to fill the void. The removal of false beliefs in supernatural deities, gods, idols and myths would become the "New Enlightenment", the driving force for an optimal human awakening, the self-actualization of civilization! A Renaissance of science, human cooperation across political boundaries, a new sense of security, free of the threats of indoctrination-induced terrorism and a sense of "oneness" with natural laws and our environment could enable mankind to reach a sustainable equilibrium with our planet and ensure our long-term survival. With our minds liberated and focused on societal advancement, the realms of education, governance, finance and wealth sharing, land allocation, use and distribution, new modes of transportation and agriculture could receive the vigilance and impetus to enable fundamental shifts toward fairness, expansion and equality of these resources and institutions. What better way to free mankind, than to free us from the divisiveness of religion?
RELIGION FAILS, SCIENCE PREVAILS!
Darwin was a keen observer and theorist and his theory is PROVEN beyond a shadow of a doubt. The only reason it is still called a theory is because it can't be proven in the same way a mathematical theorem can. That is a problem with semantics, NOT the science!
The Self-Actualization of Civilization
I agree entirely and would add that it is the growth of institutions from their simplest beginnings that is the core of civilization and thus the inheritance of almost everyone who is born and is nurtured into adulthood. That there is no one system of moral values (reflecting different cultures) is a result of the different starting point - biologically, geographically, historically. Yet there are many, many common features in human values as experienced by living persons and practiced - even though far from fully or perfectly - by an increasing globally-interconnected humanity (I do not refer to the artificial value systems developed by priesthoods, theologists, even many former philosophers). There IS progress, despite all the prophets of moral doom. I was a child during the greatest known conflict (let's hope the greatest ever!) in which civilization certainly seemed to be threatened with a tremendous setback. Humanity today - for all the problems we face - does not have to face the unimaginable scale of the horrors of the 2nd WW. Despite a few totalitarian or fascist-like states today, and the exaberated religious conflicts made possible by global communication, civilization realizes itself through an unstoppable process of integration.
I am involved - and well-informed - in the debate on religion and disbelief - and especially in regard to monistic (advaitic) and pantheistic doctrines, such as the so-called New Age and the growing menace of religious cults promote. I have a blogsite devoted to these matters at http://robertcpriddy.wordpress.com
disbeliever
Waiting for the punchline...
I kept waiting for the punchline to what I thought, at first, was a satirical piece on the absurdity of isolating religion as The Cause Of All Mankind's Problems. But I guess you were serious.
With our minds liberated? Just dropping religious belief--even if by "religious belief" you mean just the divisive dogmas--is not going to free our minds to focus on societal advancement. Did you watch the Healthcare summit the other day? Did you catch what forces are driving our inability to grok that the real question is not "how do we cut costs" but "how does our society care for all of its members?" It's not religion. Just dropping religious belief isn't going to liberate our minds from classicism, racism, nationalism, selfishness, greed, or the thirst for political power.
And if you're talking about eradicating ALL religious principle, you should know that much of what even atheists define as moral is written down in someone's holy book. My own faith, in fact, makes overcoming the above obstacles and focusing on the needs of society Job One. In this case, eliminating faith-based impulses toward unity, equality, justice and mercy would actually be counter-productive, wouldn't it?
Do you really want to liberate my mind from what has guided me (and millions of others) to be a more compassionate, just and caring being? Really? How logical is that?