Atheists can be good individuals. It’s amazing how so many people fail to grasp this concept. So often, this valid philosophy is met with incredulity (“How can you NOT believe in God?”) as if we do not deserve to exist in a predominantly theist society where our views and opinions don’t matter. Chris Damdar’s article of November 14th, “The Devil’s Chaplains?” is a prime example of this. It contains a title that is derogatory, insulting, and misleading, while creating an image of atheists with fanged teeth and red horns sacrificing children on an open flame.
Most atheists I know are good, moral people, so implying that a lack of belief in God instantly makes one immoral contradicts what atheists in general and clubs like the Toronto Secular Alliance in particular are trying to accomplish – changing the negative public image of atheism. The media is constantly guilty of using clever metaphors that grab the attention without any regard for accuracy and negative repercussions.
I am a good person. My friends know me as friendly and compassionate. I donate to charities when I can and volunteer to help out wherever I am needed. I have a firm moral code that I follow every day of my life and I have a definite belief in what is right and what is wrong. I do not require a god to tell me to do these things. I do not need the threat of Hellfire or the promise of Heaven to try and make my mark in this world. This is the only life I will ever have so I will try to make it the best of it. Yet, because I don’t worship a deity, people automatically assume that I am immoral, anarchical, or bent on destroying all things religious.
Why did the article focus on a single incident in a hotel room that had nothing to do with the conference? This is another blatant attempt to demean atheists. While deliberately attempting to mislead his readers, the author failed to include relevant facts, like the day before when the president of the club returned the undamaged bible from his room to the front desk as a civil form of protest. By choosing this as a moral outrage story, the author relegated a fantastic weekend full of brilliant speakers into a conspiracy theory full of atheists bent on destroying religion.
Secularism is not an attack on religion. It is a skeptical approach to religion, and a rational view that religion should be excluded from public affairs. It is a dynamic and evolving methodology based on individual logic and reason- not a series of beliefs- that involves doubt, and more importantly, proof. We are dealing with a struggle towards the separation of church and state, not the complete elimination of religion.
Secularism is not a faith or a religion. Yet, we keep hearing just the opposite, especially in response to controversial issues such as the creation of the Faith Centre where, yet again, secularism is categorized as a “faith.” However, even this is inconsistent. For example: Professor Venter who leads the Faith Centre project claims the Centre will accommodate us because we are a faith group. Yet, he later bluntly stated “if you’re an atheist I’m not sure I’d run to you for advice.”
Why are we considered a faith when religions claim to be open and tolerant, but are not considered a faith when religions get together to discuss mutual projects? Perhaps the Multifaith Centre should instead be called a Centre for Inquiry, thereby leaving it open to all methodologies, as opposed to accepting only faith-based systems. Atheists want to be involved in these discussions and events because they are important to our philosophy. However, we are not a faith and should never be considered as such.
Atheists and secularists are simply asking for honesty and an end to religious propaganda. Until then, I will continue to fight for what I believe is right.
