Atheists vs Christians
Recent Backlash Against Religion Puts Christians on the Defensive
Apr 13, 2009
The reserved, polite nature of religious dialogue in Britain came to a heady end in 2006 with the publication of Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion, a blistering attack on religion that sold 1.5 million copies and transformed the ethologist into the foremost atheist in the UK.
Calling religion "an accidental by-product " and describing God as "the most unpleasant character in all fiction," Dawkins drew the ire of Christians worldwide who responded with books refuting his claims including The Dawkins Delusion by theologian Alister McGrath, who stated that the "shrill, aggressive rhetoric of Dawkins' God Delusion masks a deep insecurity about the public credibility of atheism."
But despite the book's success, Dawkins snatches defeat from the face of victory as its angry, one-sided critique is akin to the fundamentalist rant he abhors.
The Anti-God Movie
Round Two of the public standoff between religion and secularism centered around the release of The Golden Compass in 2007 starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig.
Based on the first of Philip Pullman's fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials, it follows young Lyra's quest to rescue children from the terrible experiments of the Magistarium, which many regard as a thinly veiled portrayal of the Catholic Church.
Influenced by John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost about a war in heaven between God and the devil, Pullman sought to write a book in which the devil won.
"I've been surprised by how little criticism I've got. Harry Potter's been taking all the flak...Meanwhile, I've been flying under the radar, saying things that are far more subversive than anything poor old Harry has said. My books are about killing God," he said in an interview with Sydney Morning Herald.
Christians reacted with email campaigns, articles and blogs criticising the film and the Catholic League urged a boycott stating, "It is [Pullman's] objective to bash Christianity and promote atheism. To kids."
The Christians win this round because the film didn't do as well as predicted at the box office, and Pullman once described C.S. Lewis' popular Narnia Chronicles as "one of the most ugly and poisonous things I've ever read." ("The Dark Side of Narnia" The Guardian, October 1, 1998).
The Atheist Bus Campaign
In 2008, journalist Ariane Sherine was angered by a jesussaid.org bus advert condemning non-believers to hell, and wrote "if there are 4,680 atheists reading this and we all contribute £5, it's possible that we can fund a much-needed atheist London bus ad with the slogan: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and get on with your life." ("Atheists - Gimme Five," The Guardian, June 20 2008)
The Atheist Bus Campaign was born. Blessed with the support of Richard Dawkins, donations exceeded expectations and Sherine's slogan was placed on buses across the UK and as far afield as Canada and Australia: the anti-religious message had gone global.
Political activists The Christian Party responded with bus adverts stating, "There Definitely is a God. So Join the Christian Party and Enjoy Your Life," and party leader Rev. George Hargreaves said, "The Bible is clear that only a fool says, 'There is no God' (Psalm 53). Even then such a fool only says so inwardly in their heart. They do not spend £140,000 on an advertising campaign. That, I suppose, takes the type of fool that is easily parted from their money."
This round goes to the atheists for the sheer passion and impact their campaign generated.
Denounce Your Baptism
In early 2009, 56-year old-Nurse John Hunt asked for the records of his infant baptism to be erased as he was too young at five months to make that decision ("Doctor has baptism struck from official records after claiming he could not consent as a baby", Daily Mail, April 9 2009).
The National Secular Society took up the sentiment and offered De-Baptism Certificates (printed on quality parchment paper) absolving holders from the implications of their baptism which have been downloaded 100,000 times.
In response, Premier Christian Media launched the "I am a Christian" campaign encouraging Christians to "publicly affirm [their] faith by signing a declaration." The take-up is unreported.
The NSS president Terry Sanderson said the popularity of the De-Baptism certificates "indicates that people are not just indifferent to religion – which has been the traditional British approach – but are actually becoming quite hostile to it."
The Atheists win this round because the implications of baptism does require informed consent which babies are incapable of giving.
The Tolerant Bus Slogan
When it comes down to this element of the Christian/Atheist battle, It's a draw as neither side can even prove the validity of their stance to the satisfaction of the other.
Christians do have a mandate to share the benefits of their faith to others, but as long as one group doesn't impose their value system on the other, both Christians and Atheists can all climb aboard a Tolerant Bus with the slogan: "We'll Find Out Who's Right About God When We Die, So Enjoy Life And Hope You're Not In For A Shock."
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