I recently wrote that defining Mormon doctrine is difficult. It’s worth noting, though, that the definition of atheism is also debatable.
This video argues (and I think persuasively) that atheism is best described as the “lack of belief in god.”
Ok, folks. It’s reader participation time. Please answer this question: What would it take for you to believe/disbelieve in god(s)?
I’d love to hear your thoughts—they’ll help me better articulate my own.
I sometimes disagree with atheist/LGBT blogger Greta Christina; we’ve had a couple of protracted Facebook debates. But her analysis and advice in this presentation is spot-on.
Yes, both atheists and vegans are self-righteous nuisances who tend to cause problems at family reunions. Other than that striking similarity, this question seems a strange one; after all, what could atheism and animal rights possibly have to do with one another? Veganism is very much a belief in something, while atheism is a lack of belief in something.
Despite these differences, two connections come to mind. First, the two most common defenses (though not the best) of eating meat are closely linked with a God-created universe. The first of these defenses is that nonhuman animals were put here by a God to be used by humans and that they do not have souls so it is alright to use them. The second defense claims that humans have some special characteristic, such as intelligence or language, that all other animals do not. This claim, that one species possesses some characteristic wholly absent in ALL other species flies in the face of any theory of evolution, which maintains that differences between species are quantitative, not qualitative. So if nothing else, atheists should perhaps be more receptive to arguments for veganism.
The Scientific American last month made an interesting comparison between atheism and Asperger’s syndrome:
Why do we often attribute events in our lives to a higher power or supernatural force? Some psychologists believe this kind of thinking, called teleological thinking, is a by-product of social cognition. As our ancestors evolved, we developed the ability to understand one anothers’ ideas and intentions. As a result of this “theory of mind,” some experts figure, we also tend to see intention or purpose—a conscious mind—behind random or naturally occurring events. A new study presented here in a poster at the 22nd annual meeting of the Association for Psychological Science supports this idea, showing that people who may have an impaired theory of mind are less likely to think in a teleological way.
Okay, so the title is just to grab your attention. The Catholic Church is actually extending a rather ecumenical offer to atheists. From The Independent:
The Vatican is planning a new initiative to reach out to atheists and agnostics in an attempt to improve the church’s relationship with non-believers. Pope Benedict XVI has ordered officials to create a new foundation where atheists will be encouraged to meet and debate with some of the Catholic Church’s top theologians.
The Vatican hopes to stage a series of debates in Paris next year. But militant non-believers hoping for a chance to set senior church figures straight about the existence of God are set to be disappointed: the church has warned that atheists with high public profiles such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens will not be invited.
If god exists, he/she/it (I’ll use ‘he’) has gone to great lengths to conceal that fact. In Biblical times, the evidence for god’s existence seemed ubiquitous and undeniable. God helped the Israelites in their exodus from Egypt—sending plagues, parting the Red Sea, and so on. Miracles were also replete in the New Testament. According to the gospels, Jesus cured the deaf and blind, raised the dead, walked on water, and performed countless other miracles.
So what miracles are there today? Celestial cameos on burnt toast and coffee stains don’t compare to the attestations of god in the Bible. From a Mormon perspective, too, there is a relative dearth of miracles. In the early church, reports of angelic visitations, demonic encounters, faith healings and speaking in tongues were commonplace. And whereas Joseph Smith regularly received revelations, god seems to have put today’s church leaders on hold.
Penn Jillette, D.J. Grothe, James Randi—three prominent atheists, three accomplished magicians. (Anyone care to volunteer some thoughts as to why many atheists are attracted to magic? Or is there something about studying and performing magic that lends itself to atheism?)
My favorite atheist magician at the moment is the UK’s Derren Brown. You really ought to search YouTube for his work—some of his tricks put the gospels’ miracles to shame. Converting wine into water? Pfft! Try converting a room of atheists into believers. Brown did it.
“Instant Conversion” Part I