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From ancient Greece to modern America, from short essays to long arguments, from individual lives to history and philosophy, in words reasoned quietly or
shouted loudly,
The Atheist God Would Read (or watch or listen) . . . offers a wide range of books for rational people in an often irrational world.
New titles added weekly. Plus DVDs, MP3s and more.
Added February 2010: Fiction: an eclectic selection of
novels and short stories from an atheist perspective. Come browse.
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Many of us believe in God because our friends and family do so.
We are afraid to contradict them and find out the truth for ourselves.
A high school student somewhere in the Bible Belt once wrote to
God would be an atheist
asking why atheists weren’t athletes. The atheists at his school all seemed to be drop-outs and Goths who wouldn’t be seen dead near the track, while all the jocks, like himself, were Christian.
That high school is probably typical of middle America - and there are several reasons why it is so.
Start with the nature of athletics. Footballers, basketball players, track heroes and the like are chosen for their physical, not mental, abilities. Religion flourishes where critical thinking is absent. Because they don't have the intellectual tools to question their faith, athletes are more likely to believe.
But let's be fair: most people, on and off the sports field, are unaccustomed to exercising their minds. It’s easier to accept other people’s opinions than to generate your own. When it comes to religion, jocks are no different from the rest of us. If everyone around me believes in God, then heck, I should believe in God too.
While young Americans are into Christianity, many of their African and Asian counterparts are embracing Islam. From Morocco to Pakistan more and more young women are wearing headscarves while their brothers boost attendance at the local mosque.
How strong is this faith? It may be sincerely held, but it's probably not very deep. Apart from the rhetoric of "Jesus saves" and the idea that theft, murder and sex outside marriage are wrong, many young Americans have only the vaguest idea of Christian dogma, or Christian hypocrisy. And although Muslim terrorists appear to
know their Quran inside out, less radical believers are much less familiar with the holy text.
4.4a Faith as fashion
Young people's faith may come from both inside and outside the family. While some
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The deep roots of belief
Despite reason and evidence indicating that God does not and
cannot exist, billions of people across the world continue to
worship him in one of his many forms.
Belief in God draws its strength from a wide range of sources
and provides a sense of security and wellbeing for many.
Transforming that belief into an understanding and respect for
rationality takes time and much effort.
4.1: The origins of religion
Where did faith come from?
4.2: In the genes?
Are we programmed to believe?
4.3: Community and identity
Defining ourselves through faith
4.4: Peer pressure
Faith as fashion
4.5: Death and despair
There must be a better world
4.6: A sense of justice
Evildoers must be punished
4.7: God and meaning
Religion gives us a purpose
4.8: The power and the glory
They reflect on us too
4.9: Against the tide
Converts and natural-born rebels
4.10: Nature calling
A glimpse of God?
4.11: Pick 'n' mix
What are your reasons?
4.12: Summary
Finished this chapter? Move on to
Chapter 5
Faith in action
People create God in their own image.
What happens when they not only believe in God but put their
faith into action?
The results are predictable: good people do good things in the
name of religion and bad people do bad things. They act in
God's name but God is irrelevant.
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rebel, many brought up in a strongly religious household are unwilling or unable to question their parents' beliefs. It becomes even more difficult when their friends and acquaintances profess the same faith.
We are all influenced by peer pressure - the need to be accepted by friends and our peers - but never more so than in our teens and early twenties. Growing up and seeking an identity separate from that of our parents, we take others of our generation as models. Whether we follow the majority - the high school jocks - or the minority - the Goths - we find ourselves wearing the same clothes, using the same language and picking up the same habits and adopting the same beliefs.
That means that when religion is out of fashion, most young people ignore it. When it is in fashion, they take it seriously. Fifty years ago religion was almost irrelevant; fifty years from now, if we are lucky, it will be again. And of course the fashion may change. If it becomes cool to be Muslim in America, high school football teams will pray to Mecca five times a day and Spring Break in Cancun will see diet soda sprayed over girls in burqas. And if Christianity takes hold in Baghdad, every Easter will see fanatics crucifying themselves on the banks of the Tigris.
The influences we are subject to when we are young may last throughout our lives.
We believe in God because our friends and family do so. Consciously or subconsciously, we are afraid to contradict them and find out the truth for ourselves.
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Filipino fashion:
Easter crucifixion
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Next:
Chapter Four: Section 5 Death and despair
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If God existed, he would...
admire the beauty of a universe that he did not create
recognize that eternity is meaningless
deny both heaven and hell
disown all men and women who speak in his name
denounce the harm caused by religious "morality"
help the human race to thrive without him
If God existed, he would be an atheist.
What is the difference between science and faith?
science is certain of nothing and requires proof of everything
faith is certain of everything and requires proof of nothing
Which do you trust?
"I know there is no God"
or
"I believe there is no God"
???
Check the answer
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