Does a Liberal Humanism Follow from Atheism?

Last updated on: September 29, 2015 at 1:26 pm by Guest Contributor

17 Comments

Does a Liberal Humanism Follow from Atheism? 2015-09-29T13:26:18-05:00 Guest Contributor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

by Kile Jones

The debates between what are called “dictionary atheists” and “social justice warriors” reveal an intriguing tension: Does the lack of belief in a deity imply anything about one’s ethics or politics? Or better put, is a progressive politics and socially liberal ethic a more reasonable terminus for non-believers, than say, Men’s Rights Activists or fiscally conservative libertarianism? The backlash against Atheism Plus is a perfect example of this contention.

Besides the descriptive fact that non-believers generally vote Democratic or Independent (only around 1 in 10 vote Republican), are socially liberal and inclined towards feminism, secularism, social justice, and LGBTQ advocacy, there is a prescriptive argument that insists humanism is the reasonable “next step” from atheism. Humanists, generally speaking, believe their positive moral philosophy follows naturally from their godlessness. Why would atheists continue in a secularized form of the religious conservativism they despise?

Of course one does not have to be a socially liberal humanist to affirm an atheist identity. And the etymologically-oriented dictionary atheists have a point: humans can, and do, compartmentalize many of their beliefs and identities. These atheists rightly fear a totalitarian form of humanism that demands you believe x, y, and z, in order to be a genuine atheist. In fact, it’s usually the firebrand atheists like David Silverman who are telling humanists what they “actually” are.

To my dictionary friends, here are a few examples of beliefs that are implied and/or follow from being an atheist:

not believing anything based on faith or without sufficient evidence;
being critical of authoritarianism and rigid dogmatism;
believing in the merits of the scientific enterprise; and
believing there are no ideas beyond critique and reproach.

It would be hard to imagine an atheist who didn’t agree with most of these points. To put it simply: your atheism has implications about other facets of life.

Being someone repulsed by the fear and hatred instilled in people of fundamentalist religious influence, how can I accept the mistreatment of minorities and marginalized persons? It would be inconsistent of me to only decry forms of abuse that have a religious origin. It would also be erroneous to not believe in white privilege while believing in Christian/religious privilege. So while I agree that we can compartmentalize our beliefs and identities, they cannot, and do not, exist in a vacuum.

So while atheism simply means “no God,” it also implies a host of other positions. From a certain epistemology to trends in voting patters, atheism lends itself more to humanism and progressive social views than to the outdated world of Norman Rockwell. From being in favor of taking down the Confederate flag in Charleston to denouncing police murdering black persons, a humanistic concern for the oppressed is a natural extension of, and not a stranger to, my atheism.

I cannot see how denying the plight of women, people of color, and LGBTQ persons more consistently follows from a lack of a belief in God than from these other, more humanistic positions.

KILE JONES is the founder of the Claremont Journal of Religion and “Interview an Atheist at Church Day.” He holds two masters degrees from Boston University.

humanism

identity

labels

Previous Post

September 24, 2015

Carl, Francis, and Elizabeth: A Church/State Test

Next Post

September 30, 2015 The Planned Parenthood Debate 101: What You Need to Know

Recent Comments

17 Comments | Leave a Comment

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Ableism Activism Addiction and Recovery Agnosticism Anti-intellectualism Arts Atheism Beauty Catholicism Charles Darwin Children China Christianity Church/State separation churchgoing communication compassionate humanism Creationism critical thinking Culture death disaster response doubt education Egypt Entertainment Environment ethics evolution Existence of God Exploration fear Foundation Beyond Belief Free speech God Health History Human rights humanism identity India Interfaith Islam labels Language LGBT Love Meaning Media Medicine Middle East misconceptions mixed belief marriage Moral argument Morality Myths Near-Death Experience Nonreligious parenting Parody Persecution complex Philosophy Poetry Politics prayer Psychology Rationality Religion religious atheists Religious privilege Republican Party Satire Schools science secular parenting Spirituality The Unpigeonholeables Uncategorized United Kingdom Wonder

Select a Month March 2021 August 2020 March 2020 January 2020 September 2019 July 2019 June 2019 April 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 June 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many commandments were written on stone tablets?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Ten Seven Twelve Thirteen