The Path of Atheism

A sermon delivered at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation (Blacksburg, VA), May 3, 2009, by the Reverend Christine Brownlie.

You have WHAT in your congregation? Atheists? Really? My friend’s eyes widen, his lips clamp shut as if to hold back an expression of ... Surprise? Displeasure? Contempt?

Then the inevitable question, “Why would an Atheist come to church?” I sense another question — unspoken perhaps, but very clear, “And why would you let one in?”

Pity the Atheists, for they have been targeted throughout the ages as troublemakers, enemies of the church, of the state, and of all that traditional believers hold dear. Scorned, despised, and even put to death for their lack of faith in any sort of divine, supernatural being (or beings) throughout the ages, Atheists have traveled a difficult and lonely road. That was true in ancient Greece when Socrates was executed for promoting atheism among other “crimes.” And it is true today.

If you read the letters to the editor in The Roanoke Times, you know that many who subscribe to more traditional religious views hold atheists in low regard. Back in 2007, a survey conducted by the Gallup Poll found that 53% of Americans would not vote for a candidate for President, if that person were an atheist. This number was higher that it was for the same question in 1987 and in 1999.

A national survey of more than 2,000 households by researchers from the University of Minnesota’s Department of Sociology, found that Americans rate atheists below Muslims, recent immigrants, gays and lesbians, and other minority groups in terms of sharing the participant’s vision of American society. Atheists are also the minority group most Americans are least willing to allow their children to marry.

Conservative politicians and religious leaders claim that Atheists and their liberal fellow travelers are responsible for the moral decay of our nation and our youth. After all, it was an Atheist, Madeline O’Hare, who led the battle to remove prayer from our public schools. It was those atheists who have been on the front line of removing even the Pledge of Allegiance from our classrooms because of the words, “Under God.” And look at the mess we’re in today!

It takes real courage to be an out-and-proud atheist in America, which leads me to another finding from a recent survey done by The American Sociological Association. This survey found that that the number of Atheists in America has been steadily increasing over the past decade — unlike most of the mainline religions, which are experiencing a decline.

What is atheism? Simply put, it is the conviction that there is no such thing as a divine or supernatural being or beings — a god or gods. Atheists do not believe in God just as most adult Americans do not believe in Zeus or the Tooth Fairy. That’s it. As one Atheist put it, if someone were to write a book explaining the beliefs of Atheism, that book would contain only one sentence.

Why would anyone choose this path, since it is so far from the mainstream of our hyper-religious society? For some, it was not a matter of conscious choice. Some Atheists grew up in a family that was not at all religious. Like most children who accept the faith of their parents, these people accepted Atheism as “normal.” For those who were raised in a family that practiced a traditional faith, the shift to an Atheist perspective was more gradual and even painful.

Why do I say “painful”? Think of the “Big Questions” that religions are supposed to address: Where did everything come from? Why am I here? What is the purpose of my life? What is the good? Why is there suffering? What happens when I die?

Most religions base their answers to these questions on commands or teachings handed to humanity by a supernatural being. But since Atheists don’t hold to such beliefs, there are no ready-made answers to comfort and reassure the questioning non-believer. Many who follow the teachings of traditional faiths, suspect that most Atheists are amoral. After all, if you are not afraid of having your life judged by a God who will reward or punish you after your death, why be good? Without a scripture or doctrines to provide guidance, what could an Atheist use as a reference point for a personal moral code?

Here is how one Atheist answered this question:

“Virtue is its own reward. Freedom and responsibility are flip sides of the same coin. We exercise our freedom by behaving responsibly. Virtuous acts set us free. Acting in accordance with what is right brings contentment and happiness. It is only by choosing the good and the right through our freedom that we can attain true happiness, a spiritual happiness not dependent on what we have or don't have in our lives.”

As for the morality of those who hold to traditional faiths, Atheists (and others) often point out that many terrible acts have been committed throughout the ages by people who were acting in the name of religion. The claims and condemnations of religious leaders can lead to great suffering for the non-believer, or for those who are marginalized by religious teachings.

Some Atheists also find that quest for purpose and meaning to be of questionable value. As Atheist Charles Bradlaugh explained in an essay titled A Plea for Atheism published in 1864, there is nothing that suggests that the universe has a scheme or a purpose. Everything that exists, does so because of pre-existing conditions, and not to fulfill some special goal or objective.

The question of the object of life, really descends to us from a time when men did not in the least realize their own absolute and utter smallness in the hierarchy of nature. They thought the universe was made for them, as implicitly as the London cockroach still believes that London was built in order to afford a convenient home in its well-warmed kitchens for myriads of sleek and well-fed cockroaches.

Does Mr. Bradlaugh mean to say that life has no meaning or purpose? Not at all! He would agree with most modern day non-believers, that the purpose of human life is pleasure and human happiness, our own happiness, and the happiness of others.

Most non-believers do not consider their path to be either a religion or a belief system. Atheism has no identified leader, no sacred scripture, no rituals, and no agreed-upon core of shared beliefs. For some non-believers, the best life is focused not on pleasing or appeasing a divine parent or judge, but on trying each day to live the best possible life: a life that brings happiness to you and to others, a life that is filled with personal growth, pleasure, and caring for others. As the Rev. Darcey Laine, an out-and-proud Atheist and UU minister, writes:

“... the faith of an Atheist is the remarkable notion that this is enough. What we see with our eyes, touch with our skin, know with our minds, and live with our lives is enough. ... If there is no God, then I am the source of wisdom about my own life, and my own experience will lead me to the truth.”

For some Atheists, the life of the mind offers all he or she requires. But some feel that the emphasis on reason, makes traditional Atheism too cerebral and dry and lacking what some would call a “spiritual” component. For these Atheists, there is an appealing and very ancient path called World Pantheism that is attracting attention — especially after Richard Dawkins, it “sexed up” Atheism. According to the Web site for World Pantheism, this is a way of the spirit that is taking hold in many sectors of the religious community — including Unitarian Universalism. In fact, if you receive the UUWorld, you may have noticed that the cover story for the latest issue is “Natural Faith,” by Dr. William Murray who was the former president of Meadville Lombard, Theological School — one of our two seminaries.

The word “pantheism” might remind you of the ancient earth-based religions that worshiped spirits that were believed to dwell in certain sacred sites. Modern pantheism is also focused on the natural world, but it is grounded in the findings of science and in the emotions that are evoked when we are confronted with the power and grandeur of the natural world.

Pantheism allows the Atheist to bring a new dimension to the stark credo of “no gods exist.” It moves Atheism from a focus on the negative or what is not, and it encourages reverence and respect for the Earth and nature. Personal experiences of awe, wonder, mystery, and gratitude for life are accepted as spiritual expressions that enrich life and one’s commitment to protecting our planet and all entities that share this tiny home with us. This way of the spirit also connects us to something larger, grander, and more awesome than we can imagine: the Universe, which is the source of all that exists. The World Pantheist Web site explains this sense of connection to the Universe in these worlds:

“This doesn’t mean that this Universe is Supreme God in the eyes of the Pantheist. The Universe elicits feelings of awe, wonder, reverence that only seems to grow as we learn more and more of this incredible system that we live within. ... The universe creates us, preserves us, and destroys us. It is deep and old beyond our ability to reach with our senses. It is beautiful beyond our ability to describe in words. It is complex beyond our ability to fully grasp in science.”

Or, as Richard Dawkins explains

“Pantheists don't believe in a supernatural God at all, but use the word God as a non-supernatural synonym for Nature, or for the Universe, or for the lawfulness that governs its workings.”

This quote from Dawkins brings me to a dilemma that some of us face when we gather here on Sundays. And that is the use “God” or what some Atheists refer to as the “G word.” This word is loaded with ambiguity, and definitions that can cause some of us to be very reactive in a negative way.

As my colleague Christine Robinson notes in her new book Heart to Heart, every one of us has a picture of god in our heads, even if we ourselves don’t believe in God, and that picture is different for different people.

Those of us who were raised in a Western culture, are likely to carry a picture of the God that is based in the Jewish or Christian Scriptures. This God is described as All-Powerful, All-Knowing, All-Loving and was present everywhere. For others of us, God is more nebulous, but still real, still at work in the Universe. For others God is Love, or All-that-Is or a unifying source of goodness that surrounds us and connects us to all other beings.

We get into trouble when anyone insists on one particular understanding of who or what God is. Sometimes I will ask someone who objects to the word “God” to tell me more about their vision of God, and often we discover that neither of us believes in THAT God. When we realize that all descriptions of God are limited and incomplete, we become more open to other ideas and experiences. These revelations make it possible for us to look at other meanings for this highly charged word.

My question and my challenge to each of you is this: How can we, as a beloved community, accept both Atheists who reject this word and may even find it offensive, and those for whom the word “God” represents and important part of their spiritual belief system? How do we engage one another with respect and true tolerance for our very different ideas and comfort zones?

As UUs, we are committed to helping one another as we grow our own souls. We need to be able to speak freely and honestly to one another, and yet accept our differences not as problems but as gifts: ever seeking the truth as we understand it.

I am always proud to say that we offer a wide diversity of beliefs within our Congregation, including Atheists who push those of us who hold a more traditional religious view to examine our beliefs in the light of reason. As Francis David, one of our early Unitarian martyrs, said: “We do not need to think alike to love alike.” May our differences be seen as doors not walls, as openings to possibilities and freedom of the spirit.

May it be so.