Washington Post: Atheists increasing voice, numbers
The Washington Post runs two stories today regarding the state of atheism. Mary Jordan's front-page article considers the rising number of atheists in the United States and Europe:
Jordan notes rising numbers of vocal atheists in Europe and the U.S., though she does not cite any figures; Dawkins' The God Delusion is considered a "surprise" bestseller. But one need not be a Washington Post reporter to notice the rising voice of atheism from college campus groups to atheistic blogs. People are also more willing to acknowledge their atheism publicly. While atheism is still a clear minority, their numbers are increasing in richer nations, Jordan reports.
Perhaps Jordan has it wrong. Maybe some folks began questioning in the wake of 9/11, but if there is any catalyst in that tragedy for the rising voice, we cannot overlook the fact that it was a huge event, and atheists may well feel they cannot be silent any longer. Whether an issue of personal dignity--refusing to be silent--or a sentiment of personal duty, it may be more appropriate to say that 9/11 compelled atheists to speak out.
Terry Sanderson of the National Secular Society, a British organization, also points to a backlash against European accommodation of its growing Muslim population, as well as fundamentalist Christian efforts against scientific research and civil rights. Sanderson noted that "There is a feeling that religion is being forced on an unwilling public, and now people are beginning to speak out against what they see as rising Islamic and Christian militancy."
American Phil Zuckerman points out that secular groups are also finding traction in religious societies such as India, Israel, and Turkey.
Jordan also makes note of a European organization, the Council of Ex-Muslims, a small but growing group originating in Germany. The article goes on to discuss British issues, including a watchdog group in Parliament, and also the growth of the British Humanist Association.
Meanwhile, Jacqueline Salmon considers the rising number of atheists in the United States and Europe:
According to Salmon, the religious polling firm Barna Group has determined that there are about five million American adults who consider themselves atheists; the number rises to twenty million if we include agnostics and those without religion. The larger number reflects a trend of people with more education and greater affluence; they are also more likely to be unmarried males. Six percent of people over sixty live without faith, but a full quarter of people between 18 and 22 claim to have no religion.
The rising atheistic voice includes charter schools and overnight camps; the Council for Secular Humanism has seen a 40% budget increase in the last couple years.
Recently, U.S. Representative Pete Stark (D-CA) acknowledged his atheism, and 2005 saw the advent of Godless Americans PAC, the first atheistic political action group.
The faithful, however, look dubiously upon their godless neighbors; a 2006 nationwide poll by the University of Minnesota found that "Americans rated atheists below Muslims, recent immigrants and other minority groups in 'sharing their vision of American society'."
Religious voices often consider such developments as hateful. I find it hard to sympathize. Given that for most Christians, the free-will decision to have faith in God and Jesus comes only after childhood indoctrination, and amid a lifetime of familial and social pressures bordering on emotional blackmail and psychological abuse. That people have faith is one thing, but it is entirely a different circumstance when that faith demands that others must submit. For many in the West, suicide bombers and al Qaeda are almost an afterthought; it was enough to hear their religious neighbors demand that equality is only achieved through supremacy, and that refusing discrimination is hateful. And in a time when "Islamism" is considered by many in the West to be a spiritual, as well as military, enemy, it should not be surprising if the godless wonder what the hell American Christians are doing giving aid and comfort to Islamist factions in Turkey in order to spread the Gospel Against Science. As the world's most influential religious tradition--e.g., Abramism°--seems more and more determined to thrust humanity into a new dark age, perhaps the godless will be the only ones among those nations who will fight for the future and prosperity of the human species.
The rise of atheism is not, in fact hateful. It is an attempt to escape a world painted with hatred. As Emma Goldman wrote in 1910:
Notes:
° world's most influential religious tradition: It is not that I would ignore my Hindu and Buddhist neighbors, but rather that slightly different considerations apply. While violence between Hindus and Sikhs is not enough for me to indict either faith, we cannot escape the fact that what will bring India greater prosperity are those things that originate and function outside the religious paradigm. As to the Buddhists, there are myriad considerations, and while I do not consider them harmful as I do the Abramists, I am hard-pressed to see their influence in terms comparable to the effects of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
See Also:
Jordan, Mary. "In Europe and U.S., Nonbelievers Are Increasingly Vocal". Washington Post, September 15, 2007; page A01. See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/14/AR2007091402501.html
Salmon, Jacqueline L. "In America, Nonbelievers Find Strength in Numbers". Washington Post, September 15, 2007; page A14. See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/14/AR2007091402199.html
Salmon, Jacqueline L. "In America, Nonbelievers Find Strength in Numbers". Washington Post, September 15, 2007; page A14. See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/14/AR2007091402199.html
The Washington Post runs two stories today regarding the state of atheism. Mary Jordan's front-page article considers the rising number of atheists in the United States and Europe:
Jordan notes rising numbers of vocal atheists in Europe and the U.S., though she does not cite any figures; Dawkins' The God Delusion is considered a "surprise" bestseller. But one need not be a Washington Post reporter to notice the rising voice of atheism from college campus groups to atheistic blogs. People are also more willing to acknowledge their atheism publicly. While atheism is still a clear minority, their numbers are increasing in richer nations, Jordan reports.
Perhaps Jordan has it wrong. Maybe some folks began questioning in the wake of 9/11, but if there is any catalyst in that tragedy for the rising voice, we cannot overlook the fact that it was a huge event, and atheists may well feel they cannot be silent any longer. Whether an issue of personal dignity--refusing to be silent--or a sentiment of personal duty, it may be more appropriate to say that 9/11 compelled atheists to speak out.
Terry Sanderson of the National Secular Society, a British organization, also points to a backlash against European accommodation of its growing Muslim population, as well as fundamentalist Christian efforts against scientific research and civil rights. Sanderson noted that "There is a feeling that religion is being forced on an unwilling public, and now people are beginning to speak out against what they see as rising Islamic and Christian militancy."
American Phil Zuckerman points out that secular groups are also finding traction in religious societies such as India, Israel, and Turkey.
Jordan also makes note of a European organization, the Council of Ex-Muslims, a small but growing group originating in Germany. The article goes on to discuss British issues, including a watchdog group in Parliament, and also the growth of the British Humanist Association.
• • •
Meanwhile, Jacqueline Salmon considers the rising number of atheists in the United States and Europe:
According to Salmon, the religious polling firm Barna Group has determined that there are about five million American adults who consider themselves atheists; the number rises to twenty million if we include agnostics and those without religion. The larger number reflects a trend of people with more education and greater affluence; they are also more likely to be unmarried males. Six percent of people over sixty live without faith, but a full quarter of people between 18 and 22 claim to have no religion.
The rising atheistic voice includes charter schools and overnight camps; the Council for Secular Humanism has seen a 40% budget increase in the last couple years.
Recently, U.S. Representative Pete Stark (D-CA) acknowledged his atheism, and 2005 saw the advent of Godless Americans PAC, the first atheistic political action group.
The faithful, however, look dubiously upon their godless neighbors; a 2006 nationwide poll by the University of Minnesota found that "Americans rated atheists below Muslims, recent immigrants and other minority groups in 'sharing their vision of American society'."
• • •
Religious voices often consider such developments as hateful. I find it hard to sympathize. Given that for most Christians, the free-will decision to have faith in God and Jesus comes only after childhood indoctrination, and amid a lifetime of familial and social pressures bordering on emotional blackmail and psychological abuse. That people have faith is one thing, but it is entirely a different circumstance when that faith demands that others must submit. For many in the West, suicide bombers and al Qaeda are almost an afterthought; it was enough to hear their religious neighbors demand that equality is only achieved through supremacy, and that refusing discrimination is hateful. And in a time when "Islamism" is considered by many in the West to be a spiritual, as well as military, enemy, it should not be surprising if the godless wonder what the hell American Christians are doing giving aid and comfort to Islamist factions in Turkey in order to spread the Gospel Against Science. As the world's most influential religious tradition--e.g., Abramism°--seems more and more determined to thrust humanity into a new dark age, perhaps the godless will be the only ones among those nations who will fight for the future and prosperity of the human species.
The rise of atheism is not, in fact hateful. It is an attempt to escape a world painted with hatred. As Emma Goldman wrote in 1910:
____________________
Notes:
° world's most influential religious tradition: It is not that I would ignore my Hindu and Buddhist neighbors, but rather that slightly different considerations apply. While violence between Hindus and Sikhs is not enough for me to indict either faith, we cannot escape the fact that what will bring India greater prosperity are those things that originate and function outside the religious paradigm. As to the Buddhists, there are myriad considerations, and while I do not consider them harmful as I do the Abramists, I am hard-pressed to see their influence in terms comparable to the effects of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
See Also:
Goldman, Emma. "Anarchism: What it Really Stands For". Anarchism and Other Essays. New York: Mother Earth Publishing Association, 1910. See http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/anarchist_archives/goldman/aando/anarchism.html
