Should atheists proselytize? Thoughts on ‘The Young Atheist’s Handbook’

[rug]

Chris Stedman | Feb 11, 2014

I tore through The Young Atheist’s Handbook: Lessons for Living a Good Life Without God shortly after it was published. In it, Alom Shaha—an ex-Muslim, science teacher, and active member of the British Humanist Association—offers important contributions to ongoing discussions about atheism. While I don’t agree with every argument Shaha makes, it is a magnificent read.

The Young Atheist’s Handbook also raises difficult questions. One such question is whether atheists should actively work to talk people out of religion, which is a point of contention among many involved in movement atheism.

In the guest column below, Daniel Loxton—an award-winning author and editor for Skeptic magazine—tackles the book’s controversial claim that “the world would be a better place if there were more atheists.”

Guest column: Reflections from Daniel Loxton on The Young Atheist’s Handbook

For all The Young Atheist Handbook‘s gentleness, Alom Shaha is not a pushover. Nor is this an agnostic book…

http://chrisstedman.religionnews.com/2014/02/11/atheists-proselytize-thoughts-young-atheists-handbook/

Read Daniel Loxton’s full review of The Young Atheist’s Handbooklater today at NonProphet Status http://nonprophetstatus.com/ . Loxton writes for Skeptic magazine, where he is the Editor of the kids’ section, Junior Skeptic. His books include Abominable Science! (with Donald Prothero, for Columbia University Press) and the Lane Anderson Award-winning Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be (Kids Can Press).

[cbayer]

1. Good review and he makes some excellent points.

I don't like proselytizers of any stripe. More often than not, they take the position that they are superior and others are just not enlightened enough to see their truths. It's insulting and I agree that it just pushes people away.


And you can't fight bigotry with more bigotry. It just exacerbates the problem.

[TlalocW]

2. Just so long as they don't wake me up from a Saturday afternoon nap

Otherwise, I'm stealing their damn bicycles too.

TlalocW

[longship]

3. I never try to convert people to atheism.

But if somebody makes a comment on religion I am likely to say that I am an atheist in my response. Is that proselytizing? I wouldn't call it that. When a believer tells me I am a devil worshipper, or have no moral basis because I don't worship their God, I am going to take them down fairly hard. Is that proselytizing?

The funny thing is that there are some who would call it that. I don't proselytize for atheism. There's never been a knock on my door by somebody handing out atheist literature.

But that has nothing to do with the fact that the theistic proselytizers may see any mention of unbelief as doing what they do, which is proselytize. I don't have to take such claims seriously.

[cbayer]

4. That is definitely not proselytizing, imo.

That's just identifying yourself and defending yourself if attacked because of it.

It's not your intention to convert, right? If you are not, then those who call it proselytizing are just dead wrong.

There are growing instances of people handing out atheist literature. I don't really see a problem when it's a booth or something, but I don't want any person knocking on my door to push religion or atheism.

Glad to see you longship. Hope you are holding up ok with all these storms.

[longship]

5. Nope. I don't care what other people believe.

At least unless they act on it in certain ways, like try to use political power to impose their beliefs on others. Or, knock on my door on Sunday morning with a religious tract in hand.

Then, I am going to have a problem with their beliefs.

Hope things are going well, my friend. Very cold here and my furnace broke down last week. It was hard to get somebody out to fix it. But at least it was not expensive. Nice and cozy now but it got down right chilly in the house for a couple of days. Ah! The hazards of living in an ancient house with a fifty year old furnace during northern winter.

[cbayer]

6. Agree. I was approached by a woman in North Carolina

on the Blue Ridge Parkway last year. It was so annoying and she was so persistent. Really left a bad taste in my mouth, something they don't seem to get at all.

Glad you got your furnace fixed. I'm now below the tropic of cancer and it's bloody hot. Gives me a fine excuse to be lazier than usual, but it's actually hard to sleep.

But, I'm not complaining, I swear!!

[longship]

7. Well, get out on the ocean then.

And you can complain all you want. As usual, it won't do any good, but I'll listen.

[cbayer]

8. I will be out there soon.

It's shameful for me to complain….. about anything really.