There are more atheists in Europe than in America, but there seem to be more assertive "new" atheists in America than in Europe. Why does this difference exist? The answer is pretty simple: because there are so many more aggressive Christians in America who are trying to control the government and make the rest of us submit to their religious dogmas.
Many scholars, including philosopher Charles Taylor in A Secular Age, have documented the emergence of a new vision of western societies in the wake of the Protestant Reformation and the growth of modern nation states. Societies were no longer seen by most of their citizens as kingdoms under God but as societies of mutual benefit in which citizens use their rational minds to cooperate and improve their lives. When religions stood in the way of this by denying individual liberty and pleasure and by asserting that the purpose of life should be transcendent rather than earthly well-being, religions themselves became anti-social and even immoral.
We can partially explain strong atheist sentiment and activity as the result of religious threats to this secular vision of society. Supporting evidence is chronological and geographical. Chronologically, we find Sam Harris writing The End of Faith as a response to 9/11; strong atheists in the US picking up Richard Dawkins's The God Delusion and joining atheist groups after the re-election of George W. Bush; and many Danes joining the Danish Atheist Society after the Muhammad cartoon controversy.
Geographical evidence can be seen in the contrast between the US and Denmark. In the US, where many Christian conservatives make no secret of their desire to govern by "Biblical" principles, we find hundreds of atheist organisations and thousands of people expressing the view that religion is immoral and to be combated through argument. In Denmark and Sweden, with little threat of politicians governing by religious principles, we find fewer atheist organisations and, in organisations that do exist, much less activity.
Source: New Scientist, March 26, 2011
There is a threat to democratic government, civil liberty, and freedom in America -- but it stems entirely from conservative Christians in America, not from Muslims in other countries. The only existential threat to America that has any significance lies with the worst that Christianity has to offer, and there's a lot more of that in America than in most other places.
That's why there is a much stronger reaction from atheists and secularists in America than in Europe. I'm sure that if American-style conservative Christians were more common in Germany and France, we'd be hearing loud criticisms from atheists and secularists there. In fact, I'm pretty sure that they might be even more forceful and aggressive than atheists in America.
We need more of a backlash against all authoritarian systems and authoritarian leaders, religious as well as secular. The fact of the matter is, though, that authoritarianism is far more prevalent within religious contexts in the west than in secular contexts -- it could in theory be otherwise, but right now it's not. So right now, if you agree that authoritarianism must be fought then the fight is primarily against traditional, orthodox, patriarchal religion.
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