new atheism Flashcards
(30 cards)
what is an atheist
The word ‘atheistic’ appears in ancient greek and means ‘godless’ or ‘disrespecting the local gods’ An atheist is a person who rejects the belief of God
early examples of athiests
Socrates- Ancient Greece- was accused of corrupting Athenian youth by encouraging them not to believe in the city’s Gods. He regarded Homers Gods as being corrupt, vain, and self-serving. He described them as human beings writ large, complete with vices and virtues
What is an apologist
a person who defends certain religious beliefs, in this case, Christianity
Example of a christian apologist
Justyn Martyr, the christian apologist in the 2nd century, pointed out that Christians such as himself ‘were even called “atheists” - which we are in relation to what you consider Gods, but are most certainly not in relation to the most true God’
When was the term ‘atheist’ coined
The great European movements of the renaissance and the Reformation coined the term ‘atheist’. The term was used exclusively as an insult, according to author Karen Armstrong as nobody wanted to be regarded as one as it implied a lack of moral restraint.
How did the Age of Enlightenment effect belief in God
The enlightenment was an intellectual movement throughout Europe in the 18th century which promoted individual and scientific thinking. The scientific method introduced the idea of people using reason and evidence to find the truth rather than blindly relying on God and the explanations provided through religion. The Enlightenment was a huge factor for the reduction in Christianity throughout Europe and led to one of the most well known revolutions in history
How did the French Revolution effect belief in God
The French Revolution of 1789 mobilised individuals who saw the church as an institution that profited off of and propped up the monarchy and upper-class of France in the face of poverty and famine. Many people lost faith as a result of this.
When was the lost person in Britain jailed for being an atheist
1842- George Holyoake was given a 6 month imprisonment for being an atheist
How did globalisation/increased global connections effect belief in God
Increased global connections made people aware of different religions, as a result, many noticed contradictions between the religions. They all appeared to say different and incompatible things about nature, reality, divine activity and the fate of the human race. It was argued that religious belief was solely based on where you were born and brought up and has little to do with the truth.
John Robinson
Anglican bishop in Britain who popularised the view that God is just a very powerful symbol with no real objective or empirical existence. His book ‘Honest to God (1963)’ described God as ‘the ground of our being’ instead of the traditional view that god was an objective personal force. Robinson placed God deep in the human person rather than the classic theistic view of God being outside and above the world. He claimed we need to look inside ourselves to find God
What is agnosticism
A suspension of the decision to accept of reject belief in God
What is negative (weak) atheism
Where the atheist does not make the positive claim that God does not exist- it is the theist who makes the assertion and therefor it is the theist who bears the burden of the proof.
What is positive (strong) atheism
In this case both the atheist and theist have to give reasons to defend their belief.
What is protest atheism
a revolt against god on moral grounds
What is new atheism (antitheism)
the belief that religion is a threat to the survival of the human race
What is strong agnosticism
The assertion that it is impossible to know whether or not God exists
What is weak agnosticism
The belief that the existence of God is currently unknown, but is not necessarily unknowable
How did the rise of New Atheism begin
In the aftermath of 9/11 there began a powerful attack on religion, as religion was seen as the main cause of the catastrophe. It triggered a movement that saw not just religious extremists but religion in general as dangerous and deluded.
who are ‘The Four Horsemen’
Sam Harris
Richard Dawkins
Daniel Dennett
Christopher Hitchens
What are Sam Harris’ views on religion
Sam Harris published his book ‘The end of faith’ in 2004.
He claims that we need to destroy religious tolerance as a concept since it only harms this world. In his view, religious faith makes people believe impossible things, and extreme believers are prone to violent behaviours. Religion is getting even more dangerous and most of the wars nowadays start because of religious differences. Harris believes religion provokes violence and that historical events teach us that religion has bloody routes (christian crusades, witch trials etc). Harris says, if God existed, horrors would not. And yet, we live in a world full o horrors, out of which many started in the name of religion.
What are Richard Dawkins’ views on religion
Dawkins published his book ‘The God Delusion’ in 2006. He attempts to show the irrationality of believing in God by attacking the idea of such a being on all fronts. The God Hypothesis is the argument that theists use God to explain what science cannot- i.e. before the Galileo’s discovery of the sun being the centre of the solar system, Christians believed the earth was at the center because that is how God created it. Dawkins also believes that religion is a by product of the human mind and that it was created as a survival tool of the mind- a way to help us deal with hard questions (what will happen when we die). He also believes it is a survival tool by giving a meaning to the world and our own lives.
Dawkins points out examples pf the danger of religion including terrorists, homophobes and pro-lifers, He also calls out parents on indoctrinating children with their own beliefs and equates some forms of religion to child abuse.
Criticism of religion- Non-Thinking
Dawkins argues religion involves faith, and faith by nature is opposed to evidence (you don’t need evidence to have faith). He considers all faith to be blind trust in the absence of evidence. Faith is intellectually irresponsible. “Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence”
He claims that religious people know, without evidence, that the faith of their birth is the one true faith. Faith is infantile and so Dawkins brings up that Muslim and Christian children are brought up to believe unquestioningly. Belief in God is forced upon children by adults and so should be rejected. He equates belief in God to the belief in Santa clause and the tooth fairy- something we all grow out of. New Atheists believe that even mild and moderate religion create a dangerous environment in which extremism naturally flourishes. It is religion itself, not extremism, that is to blame.
Criticisms of religion- Infantile World-View
New atheists claim that the view of the universe that religious people have is puny, pathetic and measly in comparison to how the universe actually is. In contrast to the impoverished view of the world that religion offers, the scientific view offers a bold and brilliant vision seeing the universe and grand, beautiful and awe-inspiring. Dawkins sees the religious universe as ‘a poky little medieval universe, and extremely limited’. new Atheists claim that deep space, billions of years of evolution, microscopic organisms, provide more beauty and wonder than ‘myths’ and ‘pseudoscience’. New atheism rejects the idea of the supernatural and believes that religious views of the world slim down and narrow from reality- an impoverished view of what the world actually has to offer.
Criticisms of religion- Impedes Scientific Progress
New Atheism affirms a materialistic world-outlook. Since matter is law governed, it can only be subject to scientific investigation. hence scientific theories are only based on evidence, while religion, they claim, runs away from evidence. Atheism is rational and scientific while religion is irrational and superstitious. Just as non-thinking and blind faith lead to violence, blind faith and religious fundamentalism subvert scientific progress.
Religious people view the teachings of their holy books and testaments as axiomatic, therefore if the evidence, rather than the book, seem to contradict it, then the evidence is what needs dismissing. Religion impedes scientific progress because it teaches us to not change our minds or question what we know. Dawkins sees religion as being hell-bent on destroying scientific education of thousands of young minds.
