Atheism For Dummies (For Dummies (Religion & Spirituality)) (10 page)

Freethinker:
A person who holds opinions based on independent reasoning without the undue influence of authority, doctrine, or tradition.

Skeptic:
Someone who withholds judgment until sufficient evidence is available.

Humanist:
A person who believes that concerns in this world and this life are of primary importance. Sometimes used as a synonym for
secular humanist,
though not always. Someone can believe in God and heaven, for example, but still feel this life should be our main focus.

Secular humanist:
A humanist who also asserts disbelief in the existence of a supernatural god.

I for one am all of these things, as this imaginary conversation demonstrates:

Q:
Do you think God exists?

Me:
No, I’m an atheist.

Q:
But are you absolutely certain?

Me:
Of course not. I’m an agnostic.

Q:
And do you believe as you do because some authority told you to?

Me:
No, I’m a freethinker.

Q:
And if there’s no God, don’t you think it’s important for us to take care of each other?

Me:
Of course. I’m a humanist.

You get the idea.

One of the most important takeaways here is that most of these aren’t mutually exclusive. You can be an atheist and a secular humanist, for example, and most people who are one are also the other.

Viewing how some secondary labels are used

Some secondary labels also allow atheists to describe other aspects of their belief system, like the way they choose to interact with religion. Are you an atheist who believes religion poisons everything and should therefore not just be declined but actively opposed? You’re an
antitheist.
An atheist who seeks common ground with religious believers despite differences? That’s an
accommodationist
— or, if you want to be snarky, a
faitheist.

There’s also the big picture: how to describe all of these labels in a single, big-bucket, global term. Some like the word
naturalist,
meaning a person with no supernatural views. This really appeals to me in one way, but
naturalist
instantly brings to mind David Attenborough in a safari hat, whispering and pointing at a rare blue-footed booby. Other people prefer
secularist,
though this technically has the narrower meaning of an advocate for the separation of religion from public and political life.

The word
bright
was coined in 2003 as a positive collective term for all people with a naturalistic worldview. Just as “gay” was intended as a positive substitute for “homosexual,” so “bright” was offered as a less baggage-laden substitute for “atheist.” But the word was quickly laden with baggage of its own as many commentators howled at the suggestion that if nonbelievers are “bright,” believers are therefore “not so bright.” Even the uncompromising atheist Christopher Hitchens said the word made him cringe.

Don’t think for a minute that this is a complete list . . . and hey, you’re welcome for that. But as long and often silly as the list can seem, the name game is an admirable attempt by those who have set religion aside to clearly state what they consider to be important and true. As with any label, the most important thing to remember is that every individual has the right to choose his or her own label — or none at all.

Answering the capital question: Is it Atheist or atheist?

Capitalizing a word really changes the effect. Note the difference between god and God, for example. And why on Earth am
I
capitalized and
you
aren’t?

Language style guides usually indicate that the words “atheist” and “atheism” aren’t capitalized. Some atheists feel that the capital letter (Atheist, Humanist) commands respect and puts these worldviews on par with religion. Others find capitalizing these terms off-putting for exactly that reason, as if the capital letter suggests a set of dogmas and doctrines, a creed that must be adhered to. For many people who are recent immigrants from the more dogmatic religions, dogmas and doctrines just aren’t appealing.

The word “freethinker” is especially interesting in this way — the only word I know that, when capitalized, can easily become its opposite, developing rigid dogmas of its own. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a fellow atheist insist in a huff that someone isn’t a real Freethinker because he or she has come to a different conclusion. That’s the upper case F talking.

One of the nice features of genuine freethought (lower case) is that you can decide what you think is best, I can do the same, and then you and I can talk about it. As you’ve probably guessed, I’m a big fan of the lower case. A lot of the worst nonsense in human history has resulted from Capitalized Things and the mindset that accompanies them. I prefer to underline our humble origins and our tiny place in the scheme of things by keeping the capitals to a minimum. You are free, of course, to read with a fine tip marker and change Every Last One (unless this is a library book).

Believing and Disbelieving by Degrees

Thinking of religious belief as a kind of on-off switch is common. Either you have it or you don’t. But the reality is much more interesting — more of a dimmer switch, if you will. (Which end of the belief spectrum is dim and which is bright is the subject of perpetual debate.)

The following section helps bring this analogy to life, showing the many degrees and shades of color in the rainbow of disbelief.

Roberts’s rule: “We are both atheists”

It’s important not to slap a worldview label on someone against his or her will. If you want to really annoy an atheist, for example, tell her you know she really does believe in God,
deep down.

Likewise, if you thought this section’s heading implied that all religious believers are really atheists
deep down —
well, you can relax. It’s much less annoying and more useful than that.

Like most thought-provoking ideas, this one was surely around for centuries before it was crystallized in a concise and memorable way. In this case, the crystallizer wasn’t a famous philosopher or bestselling author but regular guy Stephen F. Roberts, a database designer in Virginia. In 1995, Stephen began signing his online posts with the following tagline: