My Dogma Ran Over My Karma

"[Theologians] have no right to claim that God is an extreme simplicity ... Maintaining that God is an explanation is an abnegation of the precious power of human reasoning." – (Atkins, 1995. My emphasis)

Throughout all the New Atheist works I’ve read I find two recurring themes that more than anything else set them apart: Absolute, unquestioning certainty, and A total lack of humility. Nowhere is there any sign of tentativeness or self-reflection, no willingness to admit even the possibility of error in their views, and none of the genial selflessness characteristic of the sort of open mind that transcends differences making learning and community possible. The only faces these writers recognize are their own. The only discourse they will tolerate is agreement, or sparring with anyone who dares to question their authority. In the book of Psalms we find this prayer,

"Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." – (Ps. 139:23-24 NIV)

This psalm is believed to have been written by King David—a man of many passions known for his checkered past and statements most of us today find shocking. Yet for all his single-minded passion, David knew his limitations in knowledge and character, and he was willing to seek the counsel of God and others. He kNew All too well his own need for wisdom and redemption, and he wasn’t too proud to reach out to others for help with the journey. As near as I can tell, the New Atheist commentators quoted above are psychologically incapable of making such a statement… to God or anyone else. They literally believe they have no shortcomings whatsoever in intellect or character, and no need to learn anything from anyone about anything at all.¹¹

What I find so disturbing in all this is that the New Atheists I know are among the most thoughtful and caring people I’ve ever met—hardly the sort who make a habit of being closed-minded or intolerant in other areas of their lives, and certainly not the sort who would ever advocate harming those who disagree with them. But when it comes to religion, all show this same conversation-stopping intransigence. I’ve been told countless times my beliefs are “irrational.” Not once have I been asked what they actually are. They tell me I’m “unscientific” yet bare their teeth whenever I cite science to them and flatly refuse to show me any of their own. They accuse me of making intolerant “value judgments” even as they post Facebook memes ridiculing people like me and our beliefs and encouraging others to do the same. Not one has ever acknowledged any inconsistency or hubris in such behavior. They recognize it only when they see it in people of faith.

When otherwise decent, intelligent people can;

1. Wax eloquent about the virtues of science, yet refuse to allow any into a discussion…
2. Claim that Mother Teresa, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and the Dalai Lama have absolutely nothing of value to offer the human race beyond mere “sentiment…”
3. Preach open-mindedness, yet refuse to address any specific statements of those who disagree with them and turn a deaf ear whenever they try to tell their own stories…
4. Denounce intolerance and hypocrisy in believers yet call for anyone who disagrees with them to be ridiculed with contempt…