Religious Fanaticism vs. Atheistic Fanaticism

Many religious people seek to convert others and believe themselves to be superior and righteous by virtue of their religious faith. They often lack open-mindedness and tolerance.

Some atheists are obsessed with religion: they see it everywhere and condemn it everywhere. It seems that many atheists are as fanatical as religious zealots. Why not take a deep breath and relax?

Atheists reject every reference to “God” or religion. I am an atheist and I don’t. Religion is a part of our history, tradition, social image and yes, language.

Why slight a family member or friend by refusing to attend a baptism or funeral? Why dispute every reference to God or religion in daily interactions? (I’d recommend it only if you want to become a social pariah.) It’s a hell of lot easier and faster to respond to someone’s sneeze with a quick “God bless you” than spend an hour explaining your views!

History can’t be rewritten. Facts are facts, no matter how disturbing.

Tradition is meaningful to most people. (“God Bless America”, “Pledge of Allegiance”, swearing-in a political office, court proceedings…. I’m not sure whether separating tradition and language is possible or even desirable. In the examples I just named, the religious references have a symbolic meaning. I appreciate and agree – not with the wording – but with their meaning.)

Do zealous atheists honestly believe that all self-proclaimed religious people are, in fact, religious? Many ascribe to religion for non-religious reasons. Some of them are old-school political (if you are non-religious, you’re a communist); some stay in a church for the sake of their careers or children; others simply want the sense of belonging and acceptance which can be hard to find in a secular community.

There is also the issue of familiarity. To many people, theistic religion – imperfect as it is – represents continuity and tradition which brought structure and comfort to their parents and grandparents.
Every life has its share of pain, fear, loneliness, failure, disappointment and tragedy. Who am I and yes, who are you to tell someone in pain that their source of comfort is… fake? How heartless and tactless would it be?! I don’t believe in shoving my views down other people’s throats in general and in times of need, even less so.

Finally, there is the issue of convenience. Some people don’t have the need, or ability, to think for themselves. They want to be told what to believe, what to think and what to do: sheep need a shepherd. This is the group that’s easiest to manipulate and once convinced of something, most likely to become fanatical. Here, I’m speaking of theistic religion, but the same is true for other types of fanaticism: political (nationalism, Nazism), racial suprematism and even sports. For this specific group it is either a theistic religion or another false “prophet”, just think of the attack on Capitol Hill! All things considered, sometimes religion is the less harmful choice.

Atheists resent theistic religion and rightfully so. History of the Church speaks for itself: crusades, Inquisition, witch burning, condemnation of science, child abuse, corruption… all in the name of a non-existent “God”. Worse, even today theistic religion seeks to impose itself on us. Yet, many atheists are doing exactly the same by trying to force their views on others. Don’t we know better?!

Fanaticism pro-God or against God isn’t constructive. Share on X

Rationalism should unite, not divide us. If being an atheist meant to sever relationships with everyone who is religious, hating history, denouncing tradition and constantly correcting “God”-related expressions, atheism would be harmful and alienating not only to society at large but to atheists themselves. Taken to a level of radicalism, atheism is as destructive and dangerous as religious zealotry.

 

Photo credits:
First photo by Sterling Lanier on Unsplash
Second photo by Ming Jun Tan on Unsplash