RE: Bullshit "I'm an atheist but atheism is evil" article in the Grauniad boils my blood
March 28, 2021 at 1:50 pm
So the first thing this guy says:
Yeah. The problem there is not secular society. The problem is thinking we "lack" narratives to guide us. Seeking guidance from societal narratives is a BAD thing.
Seek guidance from people you know, people who know your situation, and care about you. Seek guidance from the great intellectual minds (ancient and modern) who have done some thinking about life and have shared valuable wisdom. But never seek guidance from societal narratives. That's my policy anyway.
The cool thing about secularized societies is that we don't have some narrative jammed down our throats. Flimsy narratives are much preferred to substantial ones.
I think the author does some okay critiquing of "individualistic" society. And I think he's yearning for a greater sense of community-- which is fine. But I think he conflates things a bit. What does this really have to do with secularism?
People have found community in churches? Sure. They always have. But atheists can go to Quaker meetings or Unitarian Churches, sing songs with people, experience fellowship etc. with people who are by-and-large nonbelievers. Just gotta get up Sunday morning and go.
I don't really see how secular society is to blame for exacerbating feelings of isolation brought about by Covid. Covid obstructed our everyday social intercourse, and has left some of us feeling super lonely. If the author yearns for meaning, he should be grateful he has the freedom to seek it himself. Difficult as it might be to find one's own meaning... the fruits of such a labor are far better than one obtains from having meaning handed to you by religious society or social forces in general.
Quote:Many of us yearn for meaning. But in our individualistic, secular society we lack even the flimsiest of narratives to guide us
Yeah. The problem there is not secular society. The problem is thinking we "lack" narratives to guide us. Seeking guidance from societal narratives is a BAD thing.
Seek guidance from people you know, people who know your situation, and care about you. Seek guidance from the great intellectual minds (ancient and modern) who have done some thinking about life and have shared valuable wisdom. But never seek guidance from societal narratives. That's my policy anyway.
The cool thing about secularized societies is that we don't have some narrative jammed down our throats. Flimsy narratives are much preferred to substantial ones.
I think the author does some okay critiquing of "individualistic" society. And I think he's yearning for a greater sense of community-- which is fine. But I think he conflates things a bit. What does this really have to do with secularism?
Quote:Three years ago, Anthony Costello – a former director of maternal and child health at the World Health Organization – published a book titled The Social Edge, focused on the so-called “sympathy groups” that sit between the state and the individual. “Religious or therapy groups have always offered solace and peace and relaxation and friendship,” he wrote. “They help us in our spiritual quest for meaning and wellbeing.” Church groups, choirs, sport and dance clubs, he went on, “bring harmony and relaxation to tired minds” and give people “a greater sense of being alive”.
People have found community in churches? Sure. They always have. But atheists can go to Quaker meetings or Unitarian Churches, sing songs with people, experience fellowship etc. with people who are by-and-large nonbelievers. Just gotta get up Sunday morning and go.
I don't really see how secular society is to blame for exacerbating feelings of isolation brought about by Covid. Covid obstructed our everyday social intercourse, and has left some of us feeling super lonely. If the author yearns for meaning, he should be grateful he has the freedom to seek it himself. Difficult as it might be to find one's own meaning... the fruits of such a labor are far better than one obtains from having meaning handed to you by religious society or social forces in general.
