As it turns out, there are atheists in foxholes. As reported in an AP story that ran in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the U.S. Army has 2,500 soldiers who describe themselves as atheist, and 101,000 who report no affiliation, out of approximately 548,000 (11/8/2009 “Faith and furor: Muslims say Ft. Hood gunman does not define Islam”).
When I mentioned to someone that I was reading a book about atheism she said, “Oh, it’s good to know the enemy.” I admit it was my mistake for trying to have a sensible conversation with a Christian fundamentalist, but calling someone with different religious views an “enemy” is simply not very Christian. I will return to the vitriol later, but I want to address what I believe are the essential issues first.
I finished reading the late Christopher Hitchens’ book god is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. I am struggling to finish
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. Both of these books were New York Times best sellers. Since I am a person with a life-long interest in religion, I never felt compelled to study atheism before now and reading both of these books was both challenging and disturbing, as I believe both authors intended.
Hitchens’ book was a brilliantly written page-turner while Dawkins’ book is occasionally amusing but primarily tedious. For people of faith, or those even mildly interested in religion, it doesn’t make sense to be afraid of, or worse – hate, atheists. Faith is the opposite of fear, so how intelligent, well-read atheists think should provoke consideration not anger.
The Hitchens’ book builds a convincing case for the negative impact of religion on social history and individual experience, especially in the treatment of children and when connected with politics. Ordinarily I enjoy sarcasm, but the Dawkins’ book is so relentlessly facetious it was nearly impossible for me to appreciate his perspective. While Hitchens hoped to influence readers, 
Dawkins’ was shameless in attempting to convert the faithful into godless. I found Dawkins’ attempt at proselytizing no more or less offensive coming from an atheist than a born-again Christian. (See my blog column “Missionary Go Home” 8/25/2010.)
I don’t see value in arguing over the existence of God. That is ultimately an individual question. No panel of theologians can prove the existence – nor can a panel of atheists disprove it. I see theologians denying science or atheists disavowing the possibility of anything mystical equally non-productive. The intersections that matter are when theologians try to dictate to science or atheists want sanitize culture of any presence of religion. That time would be better spent by theologians speaking to their own followers and leaving the rest of us alone, and atheists limiting their arguments to the inappropriate influence of religion in this secular society.
Atheists make an important contribution to our culture by being the conscience of religion. Religion does enjoy too much societal protection legally, financially, publicly, and tacitly. For example, in a capitalistic country, tax breaks are an enormous practical advantage as well as a demonstration of governmental approval. There is no real reason why churches should be tax-exempt any more than social clubs. This will be a future column, but my short answer is that if churches or religious organizations are not contributing social services to those outside of their own group, there is no reason for exemption from taxes. Locally, I see very little difference between the YMCA and LA Fitness, except that the Y has a better swimming pool and is tax-exempt.
I would distill these issues to a few basic questions. Primarily, the pivotal question is: Do you believe in the supernatural? If not, then any god arguments are irrelevant, as well as any discussion on humans having a soul or spirit. Dead is dead. That is not a subject that is possible to debate. As impossible as it is to debate, it is pointless to be angry because that is someone’s point of view. Both books had stories of hate mail and death threats. There’s no excuse for any person of any religion to stoop to bullying atheists. You discredit your own religion. If someone else’s view is that threatening, then your faith doesn’t really amount to much, does it?
Often I conclude these columns with what I personally believe, and I am tempted to do so this time, but I resist that temptation because it is irrelevant. I read an amazing book by Hitchens that deeply disturbed me in many appropriate ways. He influenced my thinking but did not change my point of view. I am grateful such a great thinker lived among us and was unafraid to ask difficult questions that make us uncomfortable. I would like to say, rest in peace, but that would be disrespectful. So, Mr. Hitchens, I celebrate your life and contribution to this planet by encouraging tolerance of atheists and promising to read more of what you wrote.
To the religious, I would say that a faith unquestioned is just stupidity.
-J.B.
