Atheists Should Stop Saying This!

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An atheist blogger who goes by Ricky has called out his fellow atheists and listed four things they should stop saying.^[1] I agree that these four things come up quite often in online and even in-person exchanges. So, we're going to take a look at this. He writes:

As someone committed to meaningful conversations, I've noticed that some common statements can oversimplify issues or even make people feel excluded if they have different views. . . . I've become very aware of the strong impact words can have. They can either increase divisions or help us understand each other better.

So, statement number one: "You're not rational unless you are an atheist."

He writes:

I’ve found that claiming to be more rational just because one identifies as an atheist is misleading. Being rational involves using logic and evidence across all beliefs, not just rejecting religious ideas.

In my discussions, I avoid suggesting that being an atheist makes anyone better at reasoning. Instead, I promote a humble approach that encourages more inclusive and thoughtful exchanges of ideas.

Also, seeing atheism as a sign of intellectual superiority can prevent understanding the reasons behind personal beliefs.

I have to admit that when I was in high school, when I was 18 and 19, atheists had been very successful at making people think that atheists are smarter or more rational. I remember having to work on that in my own mind when I was young. It can be very intimidating.

Dr. Craig: I think that this claim on the part of popular-level atheists has just been exploded as patently false by the renaissance of Christian philosophy in our day, as well as the advance of Christians across the curriculum in our universities. I remember as a young philosopher hearing Alvin Plantinga once remark that the arguments against God that were offered by his secular colleagues were just not very good arguments. They were unimpressive. And that just sort of popped the balloon for me. These people have no basis at all for their vaunted superior rationality. Now, by the same token, we need to avoid this error as well. I think as Christians we should not be denouncing atheists as irrational. It would be far better to simply suggest that we've got good reasons for what we believe in and make no pronouncement at all upon the rationality of the people with whom we're talking.

Kevin Harris: Here's the second phrase to be avoided: "We are all born atheists."

Ricky writes:

I’ve noticed that using this phrase can limit meaningful discussion. It implies that any religious belief is a deviation from the norm, which might seem dismissive to those who hold these beliefs. Instead of treating this idea as an absolute truth, I prefer to explore how beliefs start and the mix of inborn and external factors that shape our worldviews.

It's kind of the assumption that atheism is the default position.

Dr. Craig: I think the problem with this statement is that it's based upon a false definition of what atheism states. It treats atheism as a psychological state rather than as a philosophical position. This would make my cat Muff an atheist, because Muff doesn’t have a psychological state of believing in God. And yet that would be absurd. Atheism is the position: “there is no God.” And so the question will be: what reasons do we have to think that is true? The idea that we're all born atheists is just based upon a misunderstanding of what atheism is.

Kevin Harris: Here's number three: "You can't reason out of an unreasoned belief."

Ricky writes:

The saying “you can’t reason out of something you weren’t reasoned into” often comes up in discussions about beliefs, like religious ones. While this phrase reflects the frustration of trying to change such beliefs through logic, my experience shows that people can change their beliefs based on new reasons, insights, or experiences that affect them in unexpected ways.

I’ve learned the importance of keeping an open mind after reflecting on times when people changed their beliefs after being exposed to new ideas and ways of thinking.

One of the things that interests me on this one is the epistemological implications. The witness of the Holy Spirit can bring conversion rather than a systematic rational process or study. It implies that therefore atheists are wasting their time when trying to reason someone out of that kind of conversion.

Dr. Craig: I think we all know that this statement is not true because Christians often lose their faith. We see this happen frequently in high school or college where Christians deconstruct and walk away from their faith. In fact, I would say that it is a lot easier to reason someone out of faith that is purely emotionally based rather than rationally grounded. It's the person who does not hold his beliefs for rational reasons, but purely emotional reasons, that is the most susceptible to being argued out of those beliefs.

Kevin Harris: Here's the final phrase that he says needs to be avoided. He did these in reverse order, so this is at the top of the list: "Reading the Bible will make you an atheist."

Ricky writes:

Sometimes in discussions, it’s suggested that “reading the Bible will make you an atheist.” While I understand this statement aims to highlight contradictions or ethical issues in the text, I argue that it oversimplifies the relationship between a reader and scripture. Many people read the same texts and come away with strengthened, not weakened, faith.

In my interactions, I’ve found that broad statements like this can alienate those who find personal truth and comfort in their religious texts. Instead of claiming that reading the Bible inevitably leads to atheism, I support a discussion that explores specific passages and their interpretations.

Again, this is common. Maybe – in fact, I suspect – it's a reaction against Christians who encourage skeptics to read the Bible. They're in a discussion, and they say, "Well, just read the Word." To which the skeptic responds, "I did, and it made me an atheist." And so then that's the end of the conversation.

Dr. Craig: Again, I think this statement is so easy to refute empirically. Just do a sociological survey. There are huge numbers of people, hundreds of millions of people, who read the Bible and do not lose their faith and become atheists. Moreover, many of them are brilliant philosophers, scientists, historians, and scholars in other fields. So, this statement, again, is just patently false.

Kevin Harris: You know, I can think of a lot more phrases to be avoided. Here are some oldies but goodies we've talked about before. Let me throw them at you again. They're not as popular, at least anecdotally when I looked, as they once were. So perhaps there's some progress being made in addressing them. Two that come to the top of my head are: "Sky Daddy," referring to God as a Sky Daddy, Sky Buddy, or the Invisible Man in the Sky; and the second one is, "We're all atheists about most gods. I just believe in one less god than you do." You've addressed these before, but go ahead and put them to rest if you would like.

Dr. Craig: The first characterization of God is just based on ignorance of the concept of God. The concept of God is not of a finite humanoid being in the sky, but rather of a necessary, self-existent, timeless, spaceless, perfectly good creator of all finite reality. It's not until you grasp that full-orbed concept of God that you're really prepared to talk about whether or not such a being exists.

Now, the claim that "we're all atheists about most gods; I just believe in one less god than you do" is again a false definition of atheism. Atheism is the proposition that there are no gods. So it's not true that a monotheist who believes in one God is an atheist. He believes that there is a God, and that is different from the atheistic proposition that there are no gods. These are just popular caricatures based on misdefinitions.

Kevin Harris: As we wrap it up, here are Ricky's final thoughts. He says:

I’ve learned that the phrases we choose in our discussions can greatly influence the quality of our interactions. In my ongoing journey of engaging with different beliefs and ideologies, I have discovered that promoting thoughtful, nuanced exchanges proves more fulfilling and constructive than adhering to catchy yet divisive slogans.

I like his attitude, Bill. He certainly has emphasized a more humble approach when dialoguing with others.

Dr. Craig: Absolutely, and an approach that we ourselves as Christians should adopt. But I do want to add that I think that the reason these four statements we've looked at today should be abandoned is not primarily because they might hurt people's feelings, stifle a good conversation, or impede dialogue. The reason they should be abandoned is because they are so patently false. Most of them are just silly.^[2]