Agnosticism / Atheism: Comment of the Week: Compassion & Humanism vs. Secular Atheism

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Comment of the Week: Compassion & Humanism vs. Secular Atheism Nov 8th 2011, 08:00 Just how important is it to be an atheist? Not very important, arguably, or at least not as important as other things. Not believing in gods has no inherent value; it can only acquire any value if and when it's part of some larger approach to life that is skeptical, critical, and informed. It should also be part of a larger humanistic ideology which is focused on the needs and concerns of human beings. There's nothing about atheism which makes any of that automatic. Faisal writes: Compassion and humanism are more central to me than announcing your disbelief in deities or your lack of - or even opposition to - religion. Being an atheist - even being a secular one - isn't much relevant when you have views akin to religious bigots and cultural conservatives. A theist modernist is preferrable to an atheist traditionalist. No one is perfect, someone who is intelligent enough to know that there are no deities but still not rational enough which makes them express bigoted views is so much worse than someone who is irrational just enough to believe in any deities but still has enough rationality to be above such pity muddlings like bigotry. Imagine a hypothetical situation where you are the severely injured leader of some group but still have the power to pick a successor -wonderously enough, please excuse the false trilemma! It's a hypothetical anyway - from those interesting companions: Ayn Rand - an 1900s' sociopathic individualist but still an atheist critic of religion or Mick Hume - a 2000s' columnist who wants "New Atheists" to tone down their criticisms - still an atheist or Mark Twain - an 1800s-1900s' witty writer and humorist - a questioning Christian or possibly a deist. Somehow, Mark Twain seems to be the most reasonable and sober person among them, even though he's the most ancient and also not a secular atheist. [original post] I agree with Faisal. I've often written that I'd prefer the company of skeptical, critical theists than the company of gullible atheists. I have also often written that the purpose of this site is not so much to encourage atheism as it is to promote skeptical, critical thinking. Being an atheist is nothing to be proud of if you don't cultivate habits of skepticism and a humanist philosophy.

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