Saints and Sceptics

How many times have we heard it? Atheism isn’t a religion; it isn’t a movement; it isn’t a community; it doesn’t have a creed; it has no leaders, no rules and no beliefs; it has no prescribed philosophy; no this, no that and no the other. Atheism is a belief in nothing, or it is not a belief, or it is disbelief; it has no views no politics or policies; it is not a pressure group; not a lobby group, nothing. Not much wonder, then, that Lawrence Krauss believes that nothing can make a universe.

 Yet we have Atheist Churches, Atheist Temples and Atheist Catechisms. In Northern Ireland we used to joke about “Protestant Atheists” and “Catholic Atheists”, but who knows? Maybe it’s just a matter of time. What does all this sound and fury signify? The sound signifies very little indeed. The only thing that can unite atheists is their rejection of theism. They can tout their academic credentials and sneer pretentiously, but the stars of New Atheism lack a coherent programme. The fury, however, could signify a great deal. New Atheism’s voice grows louder because it has less and less to say. Something has to drown out the still, small voice offering nothing less than everything that matters.

-Peter-