Spreading a post-modern,
judicious brand of unbelief.
I wonder if even 10% of the people who proclaim
their belief in God actually do believe in God. Daniel Dennett1
As one of the leaders of the New Atheism,
Mr. Dennett wonders about belief. He questions whether those of us who claim
belief in God really possess it. Perhaps we only believe in believing in God, because
believing in God is a good thing. Believers, whether genuine or not, might
scoff. They’ll likely become defensive or act offended. Personally, I’m glad
Mr. Dennett brought it up. Religious people should ask themselves whether they
believe, or only believe in believing. Christians need to have an answer as to
exactly what they believe. And they ought to know why they believe it.
Otherwise, the fair and reasonable wonderment of Daniel Dennett will cut a hole
in their flimsy belief in believing.
Mr. Dennett
stands with a few other authors and thinkers who have earned the title of
leader among the New Atheists. They include Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens,
and probably the most recognized in the pop-cultural movement, Richard Dawkins.
Harris expresses worry about people “pretending to know things they clearly
can’t know.” In my Christian experience, I’m somewhat concerned about that too.
I don’t want to pretend to know what I should
know definitively. That is, the truth of Scripture and the message of the
Gospel. The late Christopher Hitchens believed “being an atheist is something
you are, not something you do.” I hold to that faithful philosophy as well.
Being a Christian is not something I do. It’s a much deeper reality than that.
Dawkins states that “evolution led him to atheism.” I too was led (by the truth
of the Word of God), and it took faith to follow. The New Atheist speaks with
the same tenet of belief I hear from Christians.
The
unbelievers are evangelical and their language proves it. They write books, and
their books are not sloppy or lazy. These people are educated, practiced, and convinced.
The movement spreads its message not only in bookstores and online, but on
billboards. While religion may be banned in schools, there is no rule against
atheistic ideals. At the college level, the ethics of atheism spread further
and anchor deeper in the worldview of each generation.
The
faithful atheist becomes a proselytizer. Rivaling Christianity in the number of
organizations, the New Atheism offers endless websites, blogs, magazines,
newsletters, social groups and clubs. The only organizational distinctions
between the atheists and Christians are prayer groups and charities. Of course,
some charitable organizations are supported by the New Atheists. At the top of
the list is Planned Parenthood. Go figure. Also listed among charities likely
to include atheist donors are helpful institutions like Doctors without Borders
and The American Red Cross. Christians might support these, even join the
cause, out of concern for humankind. But a line is drawn between the atheist donor
and the Christian giver.
The atheist might say Christians crosses the line
with a hidden agenda to use charity as a means for evangelism. But perhaps the
same line, with an altered purpose, is crossed by the atheists. They’re aggressive
in their quest to spread the message of New Atheism around the world.
What is
the message? There is no hope, no promise, no eternal life. No God. So…if there
is nothing, why the fervent hunt for converts? I think it goes back to what
Dawkins said—that he was led by
evolution. I’m not arguing evolution with him or anybody else—it’s pointless
and useless. But I question if that’s actually what led him. Jumping the chasm
to atheism isn’t a direct leap of the intellect. A brilliant, deity-denying atheist
can follow Satan’s call as swiftly and unwittingly as a fool. The end result is the same as it is for the
one who believes that believing in God equates being redeemed by God. The faith
of the New Atheist binds him to the unseen, completely disregarded, adamantly
denied power of darkness. It’s the opposite of heeding God’s call, but it does
take faith. And it does promise eternity. The kind not even a fool would want.
1] The Folly of Pretense, Daniel Dennett; The Guardian; July 16, 2009
The last paragraph is totally awesome!
ReplyDeleteBelieving there is a God is easy, and almost everyone believes that there is some greater power. Even the atheists are inclined to insert aliens or other universes in order to overcome the crazy notion that this all happened by chance. On the other hand Jesus gave us the parable of the seed. Believing in Jesus should drive us to be different, both by our own strength and the work of the Holy Spirit. How many are really bond slaves?
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