I have noticed that there is a fear of atheism, and perhaps there are many reasons for believers to fear atheism. The biggest religion in our society, Christianity, is a prime example (and will be the religion I refer to here on out).
In the bible, there are many verses that demonize atheists. The writers recognized that atheists are one of the biggest threats (to their religion) because of the skeptical nature they possess (writers may have been atheists themselves). Most atheists need something more than the words of an authority figure. This is why atheists are a threat, because Christians recognize that atheists see holes in their religion, and are afraid that they will become aware of those holes (like a horrible traffic accident, they don't want to see it). Christians (or most) believe that they shouldn't be skeptical of their faith, and that "crises of faith" should be dealt with immediately through prayer, etc. The atheist's mere existence (or the awareness of) in itself creates a crises of faith because of the nagging "what if they are right?" thought enters their mind (it does, even though most would refuse to admit it); the same could be said about those that belong to a different religion (but to a lesser extent because there is a mutual weakness that cancels out skepticism among all believers).
There really is a competition among ideas in the world, and Christians, I believe, view atheism as the biggest threat to their ideas. Other religions don't pose so much of a threat because they all possess the same weaknesses that Christianity has. Due to Christianity's struggle against science (especially biology and physics), and atheists natural embrace of science (nonreligious method of understanding the universe, and useful for arguing against theism), this has caused Christians to fear atheists because they can see that the evidence is on the side of the atheist. And talk about a crisis of faith - considering how much of our reality has been made possible by science (things like computers, electricity, cars, and consumerism in general). I believe Christians consciously or subconsciously recognize the threat atheism posses, and this causes them to reflexively demonize and/or dehumanize atheists. Atheists like Sam Harris recognize that the label 'atheist' can be a tool used by believers to demonize and dehumanize. The word 'atheist' has actually harmed atheists. If atheists described themselves as being "rationalists" or "skeptics"... and viewed the term 'atheist' as being insulting - believers would have had a much more difficult time dehumanizing such people. Labels can unite people, but they can also be used to dehumanize people (i.e. outcast them from society, as George Bush Sr. attempted when he claimed atheists should not be considered citizens).
The point here is that there is a fear of atheism, and that fear is rooted in the believers perceived need to protect their world-views (which includes themselves and all they value). Being that it is too late to stop using the term 'atheist', we are forced to redefine it. Atheists have been redefining the term, but obviously that has had limited success. Atheists pushing for social changes, and redefinition of the term 'atheist' has caused many Christians to cling to their world-views even harder (as all people do when they feel threatened). Should Christians fear atheism? Depends on how much a believer desires to push their beliefs onto others. A Christian that practices their religion, and keeps it out of the public sphere, not pushing it on others, etc. should have no problem with atheists. The problem is that Christians are pushing their beliefs onto atheists, and atheists are simply pushing back. I believe that most people believe that their world-view is the best for everyone. I however think that atheism is not right for some people, and that theism is not right for some people...but also, such people can live side-by-side if they stop trying to compete against one another. This perhaps makes me appear to be a hypocrite (having an atheist blog), but the purpose of this blog, more than anything, is to promote my atheist perspective (hence the name).
In the bible, there are many verses that demonize atheists. The writers recognized that atheists are one of the biggest threats (to their religion) because of the skeptical nature they possess (writers may have been atheists themselves). Most atheists need something more than the words of an authority figure. This is why atheists are a threat, because Christians recognize that atheists see holes in their religion, and are afraid that they will become aware of those holes (like a horrible traffic accident, they don't want to see it). Christians (or most) believe that they shouldn't be skeptical of their faith, and that "crises of faith" should be dealt with immediately through prayer, etc. The atheist's mere existence (or the awareness of) in itself creates a crises of faith because of the nagging "what if they are right?" thought enters their mind (it does, even though most would refuse to admit it); the same could be said about those that belong to a different religion (but to a lesser extent because there is a mutual weakness that cancels out skepticism among all believers).
There really is a competition among ideas in the world, and Christians, I believe, view atheism as the biggest threat to their ideas. Other religions don't pose so much of a threat because they all possess the same weaknesses that Christianity has. Due to Christianity's struggle against science (especially biology and physics), and atheists natural embrace of science (nonreligious method of understanding the universe, and useful for arguing against theism), this has caused Christians to fear atheists because they can see that the evidence is on the side of the atheist. And talk about a crisis of faith - considering how much of our reality has been made possible by science (things like computers, electricity, cars, and consumerism in general). I believe Christians consciously or subconsciously recognize the threat atheism posses, and this causes them to reflexively demonize and/or dehumanize atheists. Atheists like Sam Harris recognize that the label 'atheist' can be a tool used by believers to demonize and dehumanize. The word 'atheist' has actually harmed atheists. If atheists described themselves as being "rationalists" or "skeptics"... and viewed the term 'atheist' as being insulting - believers would have had a much more difficult time dehumanizing such people. Labels can unite people, but they can also be used to dehumanize people (i.e. outcast them from society, as George Bush Sr. attempted when he claimed atheists should not be considered citizens).
The point here is that there is a fear of atheism, and that fear is rooted in the believers perceived need to protect their world-views (which includes themselves and all they value). Being that it is too late to stop using the term 'atheist', we are forced to redefine it. Atheists have been redefining the term, but obviously that has had limited success. Atheists pushing for social changes, and redefinition of the term 'atheist' has caused many Christians to cling to their world-views even harder (as all people do when they feel threatened). Should Christians fear atheism? Depends on how much a believer desires to push their beliefs onto others. A Christian that practices their religion, and keeps it out of the public sphere, not pushing it on others, etc. should have no problem with atheists. The problem is that Christians are pushing their beliefs onto atheists, and atheists are simply pushing back. I believe that most people believe that their world-view is the best for everyone. I however think that atheism is not right for some people, and that theism is not right for some people...but also, such people can live side-by-side if they stop trying to compete against one another. This perhaps makes me appear to be a hypocrite (having an atheist blog), but the purpose of this blog, more than anything, is to promote my atheist perspective (hence the name).
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