RE: 300 years, yet atheism has not grown into a viable movement | Bart Campolo
October 16, 2016 at 3:45 pm
(October 14, 2016 at 7:56 pm)mralstoner Wrote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3JIdCruIpo
He is absolutely right in that the sense of community is what drives religious movements, cults and many other forms of human organization
The problem with replicating that to atheism (or "humanism") is that wen you are irreligious, there is no compelling reason to congregate and give up a part of your autonomy. Atheism is not a religion. It has no doctrine, no requirement to meet other atheists, no requirement to spread the "faith" (for the lack of a better term) and atheism has no clearly defined borders (a lot of self-reporting atheists believe in bullshit spiritualism experiences).
There are also other reasons to stay religious. A lot of families reject atheists outright. As a result, some would question the value of denouncing one's faith and putting their own relationships on the line. Religious communities also start preaching to their kids from a very young age. It is difficult for people with lower levels of intelligence to see through the bullshit.
A lot of countries have penalties for those who denounce the state religion (eg: Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran etc..), some countries dont have these penalties but society as a whole is very hostile to atheists and this could make life a living hell (eg: India, Bible belt America, Turkey). Even in Western tolerant countries, atheists are among the most untrusted people. Who would want to be identified as such?
Atheism also has a bad reputation for (wrongly) being associated with autocratic communist dictatorships such as the USSR, Cuba, Vietnam and China.
It is also easier to find a significant other when one is religious... there is also the aspect of marriage which some people might like.
It is quite interesting how atheism has not grown in 300 years post-enlightenment. You would think more people would come to their senses. I suspect a lot of people question religion and after years of Western education come to the conclusion that it is all bullshit... Yet the cost of stating such a thing openly outweighs any benefit such an identity will bring.
I for one am an atheist and cannot think of anything conventional religion can say or do that will change my mind in any profound way. Yet, I still go through the rituals of religion when at home or with friends just so I dont raise any eyebrows or burn any bridges.
I still talk about atheism with those who have a sympathetic ear and those who may believe in a similar sort of thing as I do.
