Atheism: An Affirmative View (1980)
Emmett F. Fields
What is Atheism that it survives?
Every religion, from earliest times, has hated and condemned those who
could not believe whatever it was that those old religions happened to
believe. Throughout the ages there have been the 'intellectual outlaws'
who have questioned the "unquestionable," and doubted even the very
existence of the gods. And those individual thinkers have been hated,
hunted, persecuted, and murdered by the religious believers. Yet the
Atheists and doubters are very much with us today, but those old
religions, and the gods they created, have long since ceased to trouble
the thoughts of mankind.
If Atheism is considered to be a religion, then it is easily the oldest
living religion in the world. Properly stated, Atheism is truly "that old
time religion" that the Baptists keep singing about.
Atheism is a difficult subject only because of the slander and
misrepresentations preached and published against it. Even the information
that is available in our most trusted and respected reference books is the
distorted and prejudiced view presented by religion. Just as in Communist
countries, where the articles on Capitalism, democracy, politics, etc.,
are always written by Communists and from the Communist point of view, so
in Christian dominated societies, such as the United States, all articles
on Atheism, Rationalism, Freethought, etc., that are to be found in
encyclopedias and other reference books, are written by theologians, and
from the Christian point of view.
The article on Atheism in the current edition of the Encyclopedia
Britannica was written by a Roman Catholic Jesuit Priest, Rev. Cornello
Fabro, Professor of theoretical Philosophy, University of Perugia, Italy.
In the Encyclopedia Americana the article on Atheism was written by Roger
L. Shinn, a professor at Union Theological Seminary. It seems that
religion, like Communism, can survive only when it can control the
information about conflicting beliefs.
This system of writing the most trusted and basic reference and
information books from the point of view of the dominant ideology in every
society has the dangerous effect of further polarizing and isolating the
peoples of the world within their own narrow beliefs, and of creating
contempt and distrust for all others.
America was not established to have any dominant ideology, The United
States was meant to be 'a free marketplace of ideas,' where every opinion
could be heard and considered. Today we must consider the various ideas
and opinions as they are presented in great newspapers and reference
books.
And so it is of the utmost importance that these ideas and opinions be
presented honestly, by the people who accept them, believe in them, and
are convinced they are the best answers to the problems under
consideration. Then, and only then, will people have any real opportunity
to make an intelligent decision about the beliefs they are investigating.
The American people have a right to know that in Atheism there is a moral,
sensible, and scientific alternative to religion.
There can be no doubt but that the people of this nation must be among the
most deceived and brainwashed in the world, at least, at very least, in
the area of religion. As an Atheist I have a very special reverence for
truth, real truth, truth with fact and proof behind it. And it is
infuriating to me when I go into a public library and read the lies and
misrepresentations that are being fed to the eager, active, and searching
young minds that use our libraries in their quest for truth and
understanding.
The first step, then, in understanding Atheism is to disregard all the
lies and propaganda that religion has spread against it. Atheism is more
than just the knowledge that gods do not exist, and that religion is
either a mistake or a fraud. Atheism is an attitude, a frame of mind that
looks at the world objectively, fearlessly, always trying to understand
all things as a part of nature. It could be said that Atheism has a
doctrine to question and a dogma to doubt. It is the human mind in its
natural environment, nothing is too holy to be investigated, nor too
sacred to be questioned. The Atheist Bible, it could be said, has but one
word: "THINK." Atheism is the complete emancipation of the human mind from
the chains and fears of superstition.
There is absolutely nothing negative about Atheism; truth can never be
negative. The Atheist demands proof, or at least reasonable evidence, and
simply rejects whatever does not meet the basic requirements of common
sense. Throughout history all progress in society has come from doubting
and rejecting old ideas, old customs, and old beliefs. The tree of human
knowledge dies as it grows, with new growth growing out of the dead and
dying parts, and replacing it with better and truer beliefs. The
Theologian is an owl, sitting on an old dead branch in the tree of human
knowledge, and hooting the same old hoots that have been hooted for
hundreds and thousands of years, but he has never given a hoot for
progress.
Morally speaking, Atheism has a great advantage over religion. The great
failure of religious morality comes from their illusion of a morality
above right and wrong. The religious mind has always known it is wrong to
murder and torture, wrong to persecute and hate, wrong to force its
beliefs upon others. Religion has always known these things are wrong, but
the religious mind suffers from the illusion of a "higher morality," and
because of that illusion all history runs deep with innocent blood. In the
name of their "god" and a "higher morality," Christians have waged holy
wars of extermination, have plundered, tortured and murdered those who
could not agree with their religion, or who had never even heard of it. In
the name of this "higher morality" Christians have hated, hunted,
persecuted, and burned alive the "heretic," the "infidel" and the
"atheist."
And today, as always, when the religious person does a thing that even he
recognizes as being wrong and immoral, his illusion of a "higher power"
and a "greater morality" allows him to perform some ritual, confession, or
prayer, and presto, miraculously, "all his sins are taken away", and he is
free again from all pains of conscience and regret.
Such foolish illusions do not comfort the Atheist mind. The Atheist knows
there is no morality above right and wrong, and no escape from the pains
of conscience and remorse. Murder is murder, and robbery, hate and
persecution are all crimes against humanity. Morally speaking, it is
better to be murdered than to be the murderer; better to be robbed than to
be the robber, and better to be hated and persecuted than to be among
those who hate and persecute. Morally speaking, then, history tells us it
is better to be an Atheist than to be a Christian.
Religion claims that immorality always springs from a lack of religion,
but the facts prove just the opposite. Christianity has never been
stronger than it is today, Christians have churches in every community,
they monopolize radio and television time with religious propaganda, they
have forced their religion into our government, our laws, and into our
schools. They have done these things against the Constitution of the
United States, and against the most basic and sacred rights of all other
Americans. Like a sinking ship, with water rushing in and filling every
compartment where it was not supposed to be, so religion has attacked our
nation, rushed in where it was not supposed to be, where it has no
business to be, silencing all opposition, all opposing views, poisoning
the wells of our knowledge, and endangering the very roots of our nation.
Christianity is that strong today, and yet we have not achieved any
respectable amount of morality in this country. Nowhere is the failure of
Christian morality more evident than in America. During the same time that
Christianity has been growing ever stronger and ever richer, over the past
thirty years or so, the use of harmful drugs has became a national
scandal, the crime rate has been climbing ever higher and ever faster, the
divorce rate has skyrocketed, and during that time our nation has been
embroiled in more wars and international conflicts than in any other
similar time period in its history. During that time, our nation was also
getting its 5000 or so weird religious cults, a byproduct of Christian
indoctrination. Right to-day we have the highest narcotics abuse rate, the
highest crime rate, the highest divorce rate, and the highest 'religion
rate' that we have ever had in the history of this nation. What does
Christianity say about these facts and how to cure them? They tell us we
need more religion and they are determined to force it upon us.
Christianity feels so strong today that it is moving into politics to try
to force its failing morality upon every American through a Christian
Dictatorship and a new Dark Age.
Once Atheism is achieved, and the mind has escaped entirely from the
religious fears and beliefs that are put upon us from earliest childhood;
and once we can look at religion objectively and impartially, it becomes
entirely obvious that religion has all the characteristics of a form of
insanity. To one degree or another the religious mind must accept, and
believe in, another world; a supernatural or unnatural world, a world
filled with all sorts of imaginary beings called gods, devils, angels,
saints, demons, etc. These imaginary creatures are talked to, asked for
favors, guidance, "signs," or miracles, and then blamed or thanked for
natural events that follow. Except for the cloak of religion, such beliefs
and actions would otherwise cause an individual to be judged insane, and
committed to an institution for treatment.
The study of history will further justify the theory that religion is a
form of insanity. No sane and healthy minds could have waged the bloody
religious wars and crusades where the conquered were slaughtered, men,
women, and children, even infants, all were put to the sword simply
because they were "infidels" or "heretics." The dungeons and torture
chambers of the Holy Inquisition could not have been run by sane and
healthy minds. And it had to be the insane mind, the religious mind, that
would tie a woman to a stake, pile wood and fagots around her and burn her
alive for the impossible crime of being a witch. No sane person could read
of the horrors, rape and slaughter in a savage book and call that book
"the word of God." And the Jesus myth, about a god who must become a man
and be murdered before he can forgive mankind, is the most insane of all.
Today, Christianity chooses to ignore, or to hide and deny, its own bloody
history and to claim that it is the very foundation of our morals, and
even of our civilization. Religion also claims to be our only hope and
guide for the future. In view of Christian history these claims are, in
themselves, sheer insanity.
But Christianity is not the only form of organized insanity in the world
today. The Atheist, being an individual who stands outside all belief
systems, is well aware that there are other religions and beliefs that are
equally insane and dangerous. Christianity is simply most dangerous to the
United States; to our government, our freedom and our future, because it
is here, it is powerful, it is wealthy, and it is entirely unscrupulous.
In addition to its illusion of a morality above right and wrong, I must
add, and emphasize, that it also has an illusion of a "higher allegiance"
to something above truth, above justice, and above America and national
patriotism. It does not require that a person be an Atheist to be aware
that Christian Fundamentalism is today the greatest threat to our nation
and its freedom.
Communism is by far the worst thing that has happened to the world in the
last two hundred years, but it is also the best thing that has happened to
Christianity since the plagues. During the plagues the churches received
great wealth from people who gave their possessions and land to the church
in the hope that God would spare their lives, and the lives of their loved
ones. And so today religion is again growing rich and powerful from our
modern-day plague; Communism.
Christians are constantly using Communism as a club to beat down all
opposition to their religion, their power and their schemes. Anyone who
disagrees with them, Atheist or not, is denounced as being a "Communist."
Religion implies that there is an inseparable connection between the
political-economic dictatorship called Communism, and the freedom from
religion called Atheism. Religion chooses to ignore the fact that Atheism
is older than Communism and Christianity put together.
Even the fear and hate that religion is preaching against Communism is not
aimed at the political-economic ideology that is the cause of our trouble,
but at the "atheistic" aspect that is not the problem.
Let us consider very carefully what the connection is between Atheism and
Communism in Russia. There can be no doubt but that Atheism is the reason
for the success of Communism. Atheism is the force that brought the
Russian nation up from being one of the most backward, primitive and
religious nations in Europe in 1917, to the point of being one of the most
advanced, scientific and technological, nations in the world today,
Whether we like it or not, we must admit that Communist Russia is a
powerful modern force, and a very dangerous potential enemy. Communism is
an external threat to our nation, and to our very world, that is of great
concern to all Americans, Atheists and Christians alike.
It must be admitted that Atheism is the engine and the thrust behind
Communism that has allowed it to move forward into the modern world in
such a short time. Atheism is the engine and the thrust, but it is not the
steering wheel. The dominant, controlling ideology in Russia is the
economic-political dictatorship known as Communism. Even the Christians,
if they could be taught to hate a little less, and think a little more,
would have to admit that.
Atheism is, has been, and will continue to be, the force for progress
throughout the Communist world, it is the powerful engine that powers an
evil ideology. Today we are in a desperate race for our very survival.
America and the free world cannot win that race if we continue to allow a
primitive, medieval superstition to hinder our progress. Because of that
superstition we have lost our lead, and because of that superstition we
may lose the race.
What is the difference between our own Christian dominated society, and
the Atheist-oriented society in Russia? What is it that will make such a
great difference in the future progress of these two societies? According
to a special report in 'Science 80' Magazine concerning the Communist
threat, reads: "This challenge is expressed not only in growing military
strength but in a bid to outpace the United States and other Western
nations through an educational "mobilization" program designed to prepare
all Soviet youth to participate fully in an advanced technological
society." The article goes on to say "The Soviets have put massive
resources behind their assumption that a decisive advantage is to be
gained by raising the level of scientific literacy and numeracy of their
population."
And what are we doing in the United States to keep up with the Communist
efforts to advance even further their scientific and math education
systems, systems that are so very important to any modern technological,
military society? At present we have a great push by Christianity to have
their primitive "creation" myth hidden under the guise of
"Scientific-Creationism," taught in our public schools on an equal basis
with the well established and accepted modern theory of organic evolution.
This is the same battle that was fought in the courtroom during the Scopes
"monkey trial" in 1925, a trial which made this country the laughing stock
of the modern world. It is the same war that has been raging between
Christianity and the modern world since 1859 when Charles Darwin's 'The
Origin of Species' was first published. For over one hundred and twenty
years Christianity has tried to prevent us from making any progress in
this basic science. The truth is, of course, that Christianity has always
fought every fact of science and modern knowledge that did not conform to
its primitive Bible, written and copied, as it were, by ignorant,
half-civilized nomads some four thousand years ago.
How can we hope to survive as a nation, keep our freedom and remain a
force in the modern world unless we cast aside the superstitions of
primitive times, and adopt the scientific, technological, "Atheistic" if
you will, society that reason and common sense demands? It is time, and
long past the time, for Atheists in America to come out of their libraries
and defend our modern world and our nation against religion and Communism.
Today we live in a world divided and tuned for war; tuned for a war so
unlike any previous war that wisdom can only shudder at the thought of it.
This is a world always fearful that the other side may strike first, and
thus gain some decisive advantage. It is fearful also to strike first
itself, lest it fail to devastate the enemy completely, and leave him able
to retaliate with devastation. Thoughtful people all over the world
realize that the situation is more dangerous than the enemy. That each
side has a tiger by the tail, and both sides are afraid to let go, or even
to lessen its grip, lest that side be utterly destroyed. Intelligent
people all over the world are working for an easing of tensions, a
lessening of armaments, and are searching for a common ground upon which
both sides might find some point from which to begin establishing a
working relationship. A relationship that would lead to a progressive
lessening of the threat of a nuclear holocaust, and the eventual
establishment of a peaceful and lasting coexistence.
Intelligent people all over the world are working for these things, but
Christian fundamentalists are not. Christians are shouting "No coexistence
with Godless Communism" and "Atheistic Communism must be destroyed." This
is indeed the final proof that religion is a form of insanity. We must
judge Christianity by what it has done throughout its history, and it has
never been a force for peace. We must judge what Christianity is doing
today in preaching hate against that part of our world that has outgrown
and rejected Christianity. And we must judge what chance we have for
survival if our part of the world continues to be held back by religion.
Atheism has brought the Russian nation great progress in scientific and
technological advances, and has made Communism a powerful force in the
world. But Atheism could have been doing great things for us also, if we
had allowed our society to lay aside, through education, the foolish old
beliefs that are hindering our progress, our defense, and our very
survival.
Where do we begin our long journey back to reality, back to sanity? I
would start with an 'International Encyclopedia of Information,' written
by those who believe the ideas and from their point of view. Imagine an
American going to a library and learning what Atheism is, instead of what
it is not. Imagine a Russian going to his library and learning what
Capitalism is instead of what it is not. Imagine people all over the world
going to their libraries and reading the same histories, truthful
histories, histories that will not need to be changed when ever there is a
political or religious power change. Let Communism write what it believes,
let Capitalism write what it believes. Let both work together to write a
universal history, and if they can't agree about the facts of history, let
them both write their view of history and let them be published side by
side, and let the reader be the judge. The purpose of a history or an
encyclopedia is education, not propaganda.
After all, it was the Encyclopedia, the French encyclopedia of Diderot and
others, that was so instrumental in bringing Europe out of the Christian
Dark Ages during the Renaissance. There is every reason to believe that a
universal source of basic information would be a great step toward ending
much of the distrust and confusion that is at the very root of our trouble
in the world today.
There is no part of the world where the people are all bad, and another
part where the people are all good. When nations go to war, people go out
and kill people. People who, under different circumstances, might well be
their honored and trusted friends. Christianity has never prevented a war,
but has been responsible for many wars because of its prejudice against
all other religions, and especially against Atheism.
Some time ago I prepared "An Atheist's Message to America." I have read it
at other talks and meetings. It reads:
"The overabundance of religious propaganda in this country would lead us
to believe that the primary purpose of this nation is the preservation and
expansion of the Christian religion. But that is not true.
Our nation is not, and must not become, the battleship of the Christian
religion. Our struggle in the world is in defense of LIBERTY. To preserve
our own, and, if possible, to help others gain and keep theirs.
This nation is not fighting "Godless Atheism" nor "Atheistic Communism,"
nor any other group or nation that has had Christian hate terms applied to
them.
We, as a nation, are opposed to Communism because Communism, like
Christianity, is an ideological force that is destructive to human rights
and freedom. It is, in fact, none of our business whether another nation,
or another individual, believes in a god or not. Our only concern is that
every individual must have the liberty to decide just what he, or she, can
and will believe. And have the freedom to express, publish and pursue
those beliefs in perfect safety.
In short, our only concern in the world is exactly those ideals that this
great nation of ours was originally founded upon."
And so after all this, let us look again at our original question: "What
is Atheism that it survives?"
Atheism is the world of reality, it is reason, it is freedom, Atheism is
human concern, and intellectual honesty to a degree that the religious
mind cannot begin to understand. And yet it is more than this. Atheism is
not an old religion, it is not a new and coming religion, in fact it is
not, and never has been, a religion at all. The definition of Atheism is
magnificent in its simplicity: Atheism is merely the bed-rock of sanity in
a world of madness.
July 20, 1990
The above talk was delivered at the Thomas Jefferson Unitarian Church in
Louisville, Kentucky on Sunday, October 19, 1980, and was published in the
July-August 1981 'American Rationalist' magazine (P.O. Box 994, St Louis,
MO. 63188.) and has been sold as a pamphlet by them ever since.
There has been a great change in the world situation during the past year
and a half. The dangerous situation discussed in the above lecture has, at
last, been broken. But it was not done by Christian love or by any
believer in a god. It was an Atheist, Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev, who had the
intelligence, courage and leadership to move his country, the Soviet
Union, in a direction of peace and understanding. By Mr. Gorbachev's
wisdom and action, and his alone, the tensions have been greatly reduced.
But already Christians are claiming that the achievement was the work of
their god, and, I am sure, in future issues of our Encyclopedias the
credit will, somehow, (as always) be given to Christianity and its god.
Nothing changes history like the Christian Historian.
