In a nation of resurgent religious faith, atheists remain a small minority, said Jane Lampman in The Christian Science Monitor. But suddenly, the nonbelievers are becoming as militant as those who insist that every classroom and courtroom be adorned with a copy of the Ten Commandments. The leaders of this atheist renaissance are intellectual authors Sam Harris (The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation) and British scientist Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion). Harris and Dawkins have stormed the best-seller lists with their angry polemics against the religious worldview, which they dismiss as superstitious, intolerant, and dangerous. Faith, they say, keeps mankind mired in ignorance, and is inciting violence across the globe, from the parking lots of Florida abortion clinics to the streets of Baghdad. Critics accuse Harris and Dawkins of not showing proper respect for religious beliefs'”a charge to which they cheerfully admit guilt. Given all the trouble religion is causing in our world, they say, 'œfaith has gotten off too easy for too long.'
None of these adamant atheists' arguments is new, said Sam Schulman in The Wall Street Journal. People have been publicly doubting the existence of God since at least the Victorian Age, and in none of these books are you going to 'œencounter a single point you didn't hear in your freshman dormitory.' What is new, though, is the tone: a vicious, mocking disgust for anyone who even entertains the idea that there might be a force in the universe that transcends the purely material. Dawkins 'œeven floats the idea that the state should intervene to protect children from their parents' religious beliefs,' a proposal of such breathtaking arrogance that one wonders if he's serious. Obviously, Dawkins doesn't care about winning people over to his point of view, said Karen Long in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Like brash young smartasses from the debating club, he and Harris would rather condescend to their opponents and 'œclobber their audience with their big brains.'
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Finger-prickin' good: Are simpler blood tests seeing new life years after Theranos' demise?Today's Big Question One Texas company is working to bring these tests back into the mainstream
-
Cop benched after NFL star handcuffed in traffic stopSpeed Read A Miami-Dade police officer detained Dolphins star Tyreek Hill before the game
-
Unchecked wildfire sears Southern CaliforniaSpeed Read Firefighting crews continue to battle wildfires that have scorched thousands of acres in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties amid heat wave
