Late Night Fiction One man’s adventures through life

Atheism as a Religion

I see Atheism as a religion. However, I'm defining religion here as a systematic set of beliefs that more than one person believes in (it doesn't necessarily have to include belief in a higher power). Going by my definition, this includes atheism and all other religions in America (correct me if I'm wrong). However, this is one reason I am against atheism. Belief (or disbelief) in a deity isn't important here because it's irrelevant to this argument.

I'll further narrow down my definition of a religion. Many times there are people in high seats of power that affect how a group of people are viewed. The recently-inaugurated president of the US probably affects how African-Americans are viewed now. When a few evangelists go on CNN and thank god for soldiers dying in Iraq, a negative image is impressed upon them. The same goes for the crusades in christianity's history-- I think you get the idea. Well, the same thing can happen even when the people in a group don't believe in anything.

Back in December, apparently some atheists put up a sign (that was later stolen) saying the following:

At this season of THE WINTER SOLSTICE may reason prevail.

There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.

There are a few things I see wrong with this (in my opinion). For one, this is doing exactly what the kind of religious people I despise do: infringe upon others' beliefs. Yes, it was put up next to a nativity set. But that set doesn't say "This is where Jesus was born, the son of God, creator of everything in the world and if you believe anything else besides what we do, you're a bigot." It's a simple display of faith. But frankly, putting up a sign, articulating what was on it in the way they did was just plain arrogant.

Yes, I can understand that some people are forced to be "closet atheists" because we are a "Christian nation" and that others still are oppressed because of their beliefs (or lack-thereof). But there's no reason to strike back at these people that are oppressing you or whatever the case may be. Yes, apparently atheists are the most distrusted minority in America. But think about it this way: being an atheist alone is going against hundreds and hundreds of years and generations of traditional human beliefs. Of course you're distrusted, this hasn't caught on enough to be widely accepted yet. So if you're going to finally start rising up and making your voice heard about your non-beliefs, be smart about it and do it right. Don't be arrogant little children who just want to spit in the face of others who have pissed them off. Stop going to court over stupid shit like having "In God we trust" on a dollar bill. Look at it as a metaphor instead, if it makes you feel better. You're supposed to be an intelligent free-thinker that questions everything (s)he's fed, not a mindless robot. So if you rise up and make your voices heard, do it intelligently and set a new example. If you're going to tear down the whole system, you might as well design it better before you build it up again. By this I mean don't follow the millennia of arrogance, and "social elitism," and traditional oppression on those who have different views. Make the atheist name into something that doesn't automatically associate a "moral-less ego-maniac who shouldn't marry my daughter" with someone who is an atheist (or what I'm about to say will come true).

Anyways, soon enough atheism will be socially acceptable, just like being openly gay is starting to be now. I think our society is able to handle all these changes at once, because once we agree to one smaller one it's easier to do bigger ones. With the impact of the Internet and ease of communication, blogs, etc., things move much faster these days. Of course, eventually it's going to split into numerous sects that will argue about the little nuances, as religions seem to do. But thus is the way of life. It'll be interesting to see it unfold.