Atheists… who needs them?

By on July 11, 2010 in Uncategorized

With a title like this, you may think that I’m out to stir up trouble. And you’re right, but it’s a real question that seems to have various answers in various contexts. I’ve been wondering a lot lately about what feelings a religious person might have towards someone who is either staunchly or passively anti-religious. My background is in the Christian church, and I have a particular interest in the Christian perspective towards the world, especially as it relates to those who repudiate Christianity.

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve come across two news articles, with very different examples of interaction between Christians and atheists.

The first one was written by Tom Krattenmaker of USA Today. The title of the article is How to sell Christianity? Ask an Atheist. The gist of the story is all about the new approach to evangelism being espoused by Jim Henderson. Henderson is a Seattle Christian who has embraced atheism as key to understanding why old argumentative approaches have become increasingly “more likely to repel than persuade”.

Buying a soul on eBay

Henderson famously purchased the soul of atheist Hemant Mehta on eBay, in order to get his perspective on the Christian church. Mehta wrote a book about what that experience did for him, while Henderson hired another atheist to travel with him to Christian churches around the country, and wrote a book about all of it. From what I have gathered from the reviews on Amazon, it sounds like both books are positive and even-handed, not looking to prove one side right, but seeking truth in our religious mire.

For what I understand about Jesus, and from the experiences that I have had with Christians, Henderson’s behavior is in line with what I would expect Jesus to do if he were alive today in those circumstances. The whole “What Would Jesus Do?” discussion would look favorably on this guy, in my opinion.

One Nation, Indivisible

In North Carolina, an atheist group displayed the words “One Nation, Indivisible” on a billboard next to the Billy Graham Parkway in Charlotte. The phrase is a part of the Pledge of Allegiance and intentionally leaves out the words “Under God”. These words were added to the pledge in 1954, and have been debated in different ways by different people ever since.

The new controversy is due to graffiti sprayed on the sign a couple of weeks ago, with the words “Under God” added back into the phrase. The debate at hand is whether or not it is appropriate for God followers to deface property, in the name of their god.

The North Carolina Secular Association (the group responsible for the original sign) wants to display their view that the Pledge of Allegiance should not include any language that respects a particular religion. They would rather have the pledge be neutral about any gods, and therefore be silent about the mention of any deities.

In a general sense, Christians are a majority in America, and a large part of democracy is majority rule. There are many Christians who believe that their majority views should be legislated or mandated upon the entire nation. They do not see loyalty to God and loyalty to the United States to be in conflict. To be a good American is to acknowledge God as the protector of it, according to some.

I would have to say that such behavior is not in accordance with the descriptions and understandings of the biblical Jesus. Jesus would not be a political “tagger”. As one quote from the article suggests, perhaps Christians should develop a new bracelet, saying: “What Would Jesus Spray Paint?”

Believe it, or not

Christians of the Arminianist tradition believe that belief in God is a matter of choice, and that such choices are personal to each individual. If Christians want to perpetuate a culture of being able to believe in God, and believe in him in a manner of their choosing, then they need to support those who believe differently. Without the possibility of dissent, there would be no point to discuss or deliberate the merits of Christianity, as a choice.

Many will remember Voltaire’s famous quote:

“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

Do Christians feel so strongly to defend the rights of atheists?

To offer an answer to the title question, I believe that everybody needs an atheist in their life. No man can see everything around him, and if everyone you know is shining their light in the same place, how will you be able to see the rest of the world around you?

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  • Summer

    I absolutely, and staunchly, defend the rights of atheists to hold their beliefs and to speak their minds openly and freely and without the threat of reprisals. I also defend the rights of agnostics, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Wiccans, Mormons, Christians, Christian Scientists, Spiritualists, those of other spiritual persuasions, those undecided, etc, etc. (Please note the lack of inclusion for Scientologists :-P ) (Also, if I left anyone else out, it was unintentional.)

    Truth is, I’m questioning the very narrow spiritual path on which I was raised, right now. I’ve immersed myself in Christian history and have come up with more questions than answers. But even if I were still a dyed-in-the-wool Southern Baptist, I would feel the same way.

    1. The fact is that none of us, since not a single case exists of any human dying and coming back to tell the rest of us what may or may not come after death, knows for sure. Which is why faith is defined the way it is. My believing something doesn’t necessarily make it fact. A person believing something in discordance with my beliefs doesn’t necessarily make them wrong.

    2. Freedoms of speech and press, etc, are not freedoms at all if they are exclusive to one school of belief.

    3. Christianity has its roots in Judaism. One of the primary tenants of Judaism is that of questioning and open discussion, welcoming different perspectives and thoughts.

    4. If we’re following the example of Jesus, the only condemnation or harsh words he had (in the accepted record) were for hypocrites, thieves hiding behind religion, and those who were uncharitable.

    To be honest, the only atheists I have an issue with are those who are smug, arrogant, narrow and hateful. And it’s their attitude, and not their belief, that is the problem. The word “Christians” or “religious people” can be substituted for “atheists” in the above sentence.

  • http://www.zacparsons.com Zac

    Very well put Summer. It’s difficult to question the “narrow path” that we were raised in because it’s narrowness is so celebrated in our tradition. There’s a lot of subtle nonsense in Christianity. We are taught that Christian beliefs will be seen as foolish to the world, and that knowledge and reason outside of the Christian faith is a type of “worldly wisdom” (which apparently means “negative wisdom”). It feels like being programed to not question things and not consider anything outside of the bible as “truth”.

    I particularly love your last paragraph.

    Awesome.