Decline and Fall

There's an interesting discussion going on at Mixing Memory about the way atheists approach the topic of religion. Citing the obvious sense of "superiority" of atheists such as Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, and the plain fact that religion itself shows no sign of going away, he asks the question:

Would it not be better to recognize that the content of specific religions has, historically, varied according to the spirit of the times, and therefore the most effective avenue for social critique is to focus on changing that spirit, thereby necessarily effecting change in the content of religion? If you want to make the religious less intolerant, and less hostile towards members of outgroups, wouldn't it be better to work towards a society that is itself less intolerant and hostile towards members of outgrups?

Well, of course I agree. (Just look at my comments!) It seems to me that there is approximately zero chance that belief in the supernatural will ever go away. But there is ample reason to believe that the religions that have stuck around for as long as they have will change to fit the times. Christianity has managed to disavow the Crusades, the geocentric theory of the universe, and almost the whole of Levitical Law. This is not a small change. But it only happened as a direct result of societal changes that found such things as the injunction to kill uppity children (Exodus 21:17) incompatible with basic moral behavior.

The perfect should never be made the enemy of the good. Although I would love to see people embrace reason as wholeheartedly as the Pope embraces superstition, this isn't about to happen. Religion is too ingrained to disappear altogether; fighting against belief in that which cannot be seen is the definition of tilting at windmills. But we can find ways to get along, and I would submit that it is the atheist's duty, as he who would claim moral superiority, to find ways to make this argument without resorting to childish ad hominem attacks or belittling people for whom their faith is an important and civilizing force in their lives. I'd be happy to settle for a world in which religion sees morality through a human lens, embracing the golden rule rather than certitude about God's will.

Labels: reason, religion