Antitheism
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| − | When coming from an an atheist perspective, "antitheist" some people maintain that it can almost be used interchangeably with "strong atheists", holding not just an [[agnostic]] doubt that a god or gods exist, but a fundamental conviction that none do. | + | When coming from an an atheist perspective, "antitheist" some people maintain that it can almost be used interchangeably with "strong atheists", holding not just an [[agnosticism|agnostic]] doubt that a god or gods exist, but a fundamental conviction that none do. |
A number of antitheists allegedly assert that a belief in a god or gods belies intellectual inferiority on the part of the believer. It is further maintained that some believe that religion is an attempt by the "priesthood class" to control society, or originated historically in such a system. Apparently it has been claimed that this kind of antitheism has some similarities with [[Marxist]] views on society, class and motivation. | A number of antitheists allegedly assert that a belief in a god or gods belies intellectual inferiority on the part of the believer. It is further maintained that some believe that religion is an attempt by the "priesthood class" to control society, or originated historically in such a system. Apparently it has been claimed that this kind of antitheism has some similarities with [[Marxist]] views on society, class and motivation. | ||
Revision as of 21:27, 11 February 2009
Antitheism is a subset of atheism which holds that religion is harmful to society. Antitheism suggests that religion is never beneficial under any circumstances, whereas some more moderate atheists discern religion to be beneficial or least unharmful in some of its aspects. To wax metaphorical, antitheism is the belief that the entire tree needs to be uprooted, instead of just needing all the ugly parts pruned off. While not all atheists actually hold antitheistic views, antitheism is often one of the accusations levelled at atheists by their critics. It is, in fact, doubtful that many people would self-identify as "antitheists" giving rise to the suggestion that it may be some form of snarl word.
While not necessarily part of a strict definition of antitheism, there are several beliefs and ideals that are closely associated with the philosophy.
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In an atheistic context
When coming from an an atheist perspective, "antitheist" some people maintain that it can almost be used interchangeably with "strong atheists", holding not just an agnostic doubt that a god or gods exist, but a fundamental conviction that none do.
A number of antitheists allegedly assert that a belief in a god or gods belies intellectual inferiority on the part of the believer. It is further maintained that some believe that religion is an attempt by the "priesthood class" to control society, or originated historically in such a system. Apparently it has been claimed that this kind of antitheism has some similarities with Marxist views on society, class and motivation.
Some believe that, a number of antitheists maintain that religion must be eliminated in order for humanity to achieve its full potential, although attitudes differ on how this is to be achieved, with some taking a militant approach, campaigning against religion, and others a more passive view that religion is already in decline.
It has been stated that, a number of antitheists reject that there are tangible positive benefits resulting from religious belief, such as improved morality or charity. They apparently think that many believers find comfort, joy, and inspiration in their religion, but claim that they could equally find these pleasures and motivations in other aspects of life without having to rely on religion.
In a theistic context
Antitheism can also be used in the context, or thought experiment, of someone who believes that even if a God exists, as described, this does not automatically justify obedience to certain or all demands of a certain religion. Such an antitheist would argue that the existence of God-like beings does not automatically make them the source of morality, and in fact, that such a being, depending on its demands, could even be in violation of it. Essentially, an antitheist is an individual who dares not only "question religion" but also "question God".
For a theistic antitheist, the idea that God is "excused" from murderous or torturous behavior against sentient life, by mere virtue that he is powerful, is nothing more than the idea that "might makes right". A theistic antitheist could argue that God's exceptionality is impressive, but not necessarily respectable. God can be seen as a very privileged being that "got born" into a position of power, but this does not automatically make treating human lives as unimportant or playthings moral.
Consider, for example, the human sacrifices to the Aztec God Huitzilopochtli, or the Judeo-Christian mythology the story of Abraham.
These are notable, because they are not just a "private matter", but in fact are in direct violation of the life of a third person. In every case, the theist considers the God automatically justified in asking such a thing, and has no qualms in taking an action that will bring torturous pain and death to a fellow human.
In contrast, an antitheist would be an individual who, even if he had a real angel appear in front of him and tell him "do that", he would judge the moral merit of the action, and even refuse it, if found in opposition to morality. Such an individual would presumably be motivated by the idea that murder is wrong, and if a God wants them to commit it, then He can do his own dirty work because the individual will have no part to it (in other words, God's actions can be found inferior to a more universal moral system).
Problems with antitheism
"The Inquisition was Catholic"
"The Inquisition was Catholic", while true, is not a belief of antitheism per se, but rather refers to a particular line of argument commonly used by antitheists. The opposite of the "Stalin was an atheist" argument used by religious fundamentalists, "the Inquisition was Catholic" argument attempts to hold the opponent responsible for the fact that many many years ago, someone they never met killed a lot people.
It never occurs to either side that both arguments are the equivalent of arguing that Germans born after World War II are still somehow responsible for the Holocaust.
It could, however, be argued that "those who benefit, are responsible for what they benefit from".
Similarities with conspiracy theories
Critics of antitheism claim that those who subscribe to some of the associated beliefs listed above share unfortunate similarities with conspiracy theorists. For example, to suggest that religions constitute an attempt by a "priesthood class" to control society implies the existence of a deliberate, or at least complicit, conspiracy to mislead people. Such a conspiracy would imply that the priesthood are more interested in "controlling society" than in their allegedly sacred roles or the purported truth of their theology.
In fact, few antitheists believe in such an elaborate conspiracy. They tend to view religion as an unintentionally negative force within society, rather than as a set of institutions with explicitly negative intentions. Whether or not they see religion as a "conspiracy", many antitheists view religious followers as gullible, and believe that they themselves are part of an enlightened minority who are able to see through the illusion. This in itself bears some resemblance to a conspiracy theorist worldview. Some may go so far as to see themselves as valiant heroes fighting a crusade against religion.
Militant atheism
Despite the clear fact that there are no suicide bombers, torturous inquisitons or wars driven by atheism -although many bad things have been done by atheists (but usually in the name of totalitarianism) and Albania's state atheism- the term "militant" atheism is often attributed, as a perjorative, to antitheists and strong or evangelical atheists alike. Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and other modern writers with a strong atheistic or anti-religious stance are accused of "militant" behaviour because of their outright and direct criticism of religion.