There are freaks and there are freaks. Then there's this guy.

[charlie]

Bruce Sheiman, atheist. Author of An Atheist Defends Religion, FoxNews' go-to guy for Why Atheists Suck quotes, and one of the weirdest dudes on the planet.

...Atheism is a bankrupt ideology on empirical grounds: Its benefits simply do not come close to covering its opportunity costs. Religion, by contrast, offers the vast majority of people a high-value transaction: Its enduring benefits far outweigh its costs. Religion persists, in short, for the reason that it provides the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Thus, by book "An Atheist Defends Religion" is not mainly a critical examination of the New Atheism. Rather, I am making a broad statement about the affirmative role of religion in the contemporary world and what is lost in a purely secular conception of the world.
...

I am not a person of faith: I do not feel the majesty or mystery of the Holy. But neither do I stridently repudiate God. Indeed, there is a part of me that wants to believe in God. That makes me an "aspiring theist." And I want to believe in the Divine because, on balance, religion provides a combination of benefits -- moral, emotional, aesthetic, psychological, existential, communal, and even physical-health -- that no other institution can replicate. These are the essential qualities that make religion so enthralling, enriching, enlightening, and enrapturing. They explain how we achieve our fullest humanity only in religion.
...

Being an atheist is not something that I or any one else rationally or deliberately chooses. I did not think through all the competing belief systems and chose unbelief. It is just something that I am. I must admit, however, that the more I understand the world as revealed by science, the more I find the materialist and reductionist explanation for our human destiny terribly devoid of depth, value and meaning. This offends not my religious sensibility (of which I have none), but my existential vanity - the strongly held personal view that my life counts in the grand scheme of things. As a consequence, I am an atheist who is sympathetic to religious aspirations and who is prepared, if not to defend God, then to defend the belief in God.
...

In the end, "An Atheist Defends Religion" cogently explains that the most rational and definitive argument for dismissing atheism is not found in the interminable debate over the existence of God, but in elucidating the enduring value of religion itself.

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/09/an_atheist_defends_the_value_of_religion.html

Plenty more at the link.

Hat tip to our it's-bigotry-unless-I'm-doing-it theist, for hipping me to Atheist Bruce with a Fox News link.

[onager]

1. Oh, he's gonna get some interesting e-mail!

That makes me an "aspiring theist." And I want to believe in the Divine because, on balance, religion provides a combination of benefits -- moral, emotional, aesthetic, psychological, existential, communal, and even physical-health -- that no other institution can replicate. "

Fuckwit.

Just today on the local Fundie radio station, they were talking about some grand project to "pair" every Internet Searcher After (Xian) Truth with an "internet missionary." This thing is an internet offshoot of the good ol' Campus Crusade For Christ, some of the most aggressive and untiring proselytizers ever unleashed on an already annoyed world.

These people are actively trolling the internet, looking for stuff just like Fuckwit posted. They even mentioned that they had recorded X number of million Google searches on "god," "Jesus," etc. etc.

Their take on this...stop me if you've heard this one before: on the Internetz, there is a huge HUNGER for information about Xianity in America! Even though, as I often point out in R/T, just about the only way for an American to STOP hearing about fucking Jebus is by committing suicide. (And they apparently never stopped to think that many people, like myself, only Google religious sites to laugh at them.)

That stupid bastard Bruce better soup up his spam filters.

[amyrose2712]

3. Ok. I am an agnostic ...

I normally don't get offended or even respond to things I find bothersome, let's say. There were times in y life that I "wanted to believe" and sometimes still hope there is a purpose. Does this also make me a fuckwit? I guess what bothers you is that he chooses to align himself with atheists. Just wondering. And just because I ask doesn't mean I agree with this guy.

[onager]

4. No, you're not a fuckwit...

You're right about "what bothers me."

There were also times in my life when I "wanted to believe" - believe it or not. But during those times, I didn't go around publicly advertising myself as an atheist. And I certainly didn't write bonehead articles that just confused things even more.

That kind of writing usually focuses on the writer's interior struggle - as you and I just mentioned. IMO, it can be downright poetic, describing fascinating inner battles between the author's head and heart (to overuse an already bad metaphor).

Then we have Bruce here, nattering on about all the (alleged) practical everyday benefits of religion. That's what set off my BS detector in this article. "O-o-o-h! Religious people have really better lives than non-believers! I want some!"

Bruce seems to be a "faitheist." Those people post on R/T all the time, and they are very easy to spot:

"I'm an atheist, BUT... Then it's off to the races. "But belief should be respected." "But Mother Teresa should not be questioned." "But those militant atheists should stop trying to remove 'In God We Trust' from our money." Etc., etc, etc.

As I'm always being reminded by believers on R/T, I should provide "context" for my post. I posted that rant on Friday night, after a most excellent dinner where I had too much to drink. Bruce's smarminess and back-pedaling just set me off and I went into "Flame On" mode. Ergo, the fuckwits and such. :-)

And thank you for replying. I hope this response didn't confuse you as much as it did me.

[amyrose2712]

5. Yeah, I actually

read the OP a little better after I replied and can definitely see what set you off and I think I agree with the fuckwit comment. I don't really frequent R/T, but it seems many of the responses here stem from OPs on R/T. Thanks for not flaming the hell out of me for asking though.

[ihavenobias]

7. Amyrose, did you see this?

http://gretachristina.typepad.com/greta_christinas_weblog/2007/06/comforting_thou.html

I found it in a thread about atheism in Articles & Editorials and thought it was good. Hope you enjoy it.

[amyrose2712]

8. Interesting...

Thanks, but can I ask why you targeted that to me? I don't know that I fear death because I will no longer exist. Mostly I am afraid it will hurt getting there. And not accomplishing the things I want before I go. Not so much scared of what comes after. I don't often dwell on it to be honest. I am curious because I don't know what happens. There are infinite possibilities I would guess.

[ihavenobias]

9. I didn't especially target it to you, it's just that I saw you mentioned questioning.

Which is common and normal of course. And the most common thing that seems to come up is fear of death or if there is purpose to life if there is no God, etc.

And I came across that writing which I found to be interesting so I wanted to share it.

[amyrose2712]

10. Sorry, just paranoid I guess

maybe its this tea. :silly: :silly: :silly: Thanks anyway for posting.

[and-justice-for-all]

2. Bruce is a lying asshole...

calling him self an atheist and then vomits up that shit;FUCK HIM! he is not an atheist and I would more than enjoy handing that clown his ass.

"neither do I stridently repudiate God" THEN YOUR NOT AN aTHEIST!!!

[enlightenment]

6. Hang on . . .

I have never "stridently repudiated God", either. I just don't believe in any flavor of mythical beings (okay - not completely true. I have a soft spot for dragons. I'd really like dragons to be real. They're not, but I'd like them to be . . .)

But I'm not strident about my lack of belief; stridency is so tacky(!). Nor do I feel the need to repudiate - that suggests there is something there that needs to be refused/denied/rejected. I don't think there is anything thing 'there', so nothing to repudiate.

Does that mean I'm not an atheist, either?



*and yes, I'm just yanking your chain a little.*

[Synnical]

11. "Being an atheist is not something that I or any one else rationally or deliberately chooses."

Computer says no.

-Cindy in Fort Lauderdale

Edit to add: Charlie, love your OP headline! :-)