It probably seems so to most people. I’ve lately found myself asking why we are so damned determined to defeat the other side and prove each other wrong. It seems as though we are locked in a kind of ideological struggle with no way out. Atheists and other non-theists tend to criticize historical proofs of the existence of a god, among other things. On the other hand, the religious look at atheists and atheist organizations, and all they see is an individual or group that appears to be determined to undermine ideas that are central to their lives. I am honestly not surprised that they are resistant to anything we have to say.
Does it have to be like this? There is good reason to criticize doctrines that most people tend to take for granted. Society does need to know that there is a respectable alternative to religion and belief in the supernatural. However, I personally have only had a desire to attack religion when it has resulted in bigotry and social isolation towards me or someone else for not being religious, or when I notice an example of when religious belief is used to manipulate people into being violent.
What I really want is what I think most people do: the ability to live a healthy, productive life, have rewarding relationships with friends and family, and to be able to start a family. Why shouldn’t atheists be able to do these things, and to be openly atheist at the same time?
Atheism is not a disease. We are not mentally ill, and we are not atheist because we are angry at a god or because someone associated with a religion molested us. We are atheist either because we were born that way and stayed that way, or because at some point we chose to become so again. We are still normal people. Most of us probably keep the fact we are atheist a secret because we do not want to be ostracized.
I am tired of fighting with religious people. I am tired of people asking me “so you think we came from monkeys?” when they find out I am atheist. I am tired of people buying me books by Josh McDowell and C.S. Lewis to try to convert me back to Christianity. I am tired of getting the cold shoulder from women that find out I am atheist as if there is something wrong with me. I am tired of the references to Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot as leaders of supposed atheist nations.
I often find myself drawn into debates about these and many other topics, but what I really want is the ability to live a normal life while being openly atheist. This is one of many reasons why I decided to form my own atheist organization. Instead of focusing on this cycle of attack on religion that we often find ourselves in, it goes in another direction. Its three key activities will be community building, service, and outreach. Maybe I am wrong, and another approach will one day bear fruit. But my approach does not seem to have been tried before.
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