So, the American Humanist Association is running ads all over the place to make people aware – especially around Christmas – that there are non-Christians out there.
That’s good.
I’ve just put up my Christmas tree and am looking forward to seeing my family, but even in modest Germany, Christianity is getting on my nerves during the season, more than normally. But I love the traditions and I love having a set time that is reserved for family. I love the images and the singing – I even go to open singing sessions in the churches at this time of the year.
However, the more common the atheist-billboard or bus-sign idea becomes, the less witty the boards seem to get. “There probably is no god, so stop worrying and enjoy your life” was simply brilliant – as was the whole “be good for goodness sake” or “Don’t believe in god? You’re not alone.”. But now suddenly we’re at “You know it’s a myth” and “Yes, Virginia, there is no God”, which is just dreadful and negative and not clever… and certainly not humanist.
Somehow the AHA has morphed from “look, there are atheists out here” and “life is great without god, too” to “neener, neener, you are wrong”. You know, those Christians probably are wrong about God existing, but “neener neener” is for kindergarten playgrounds. And also, have they not read the 1987 story of Virginia O’Hanlon writing to the New York newspaper “The Sun” about whether Santa exists?
If they had read and comprehended it, they’d have understood the positive potential. The editor replying to Virginia’s question tells her that yes – Santa does exist – and then lists all sorts of non-graspable, positive concepts that also exist, followed by a description how sad and dreary the world would be without Santa. The difference to God is, that at some point everyone realizes hat Santa is actually not real and all these good, positive things exist, anyway… but it was a nice story. Since the same arguments are made about God, the Sun’s 1897 editor lays the perfect path for someone eventually realizing that God is also a myth and not exactly different from Santa. I’m not saying it happens, I’m just saying that if anything, the editor might have unintentionally played into atheism’s. But this apparently flew past the AHA… much like it must’ve flown past them how many people, atheist and religious, really love this story.
And how many atheists keep the stance “you can believe your myths, if you want, but PLEASE don’t shove it into our faces and don’t force us to act according to your silly beliefs”? I would say it is the majority. So, telling Christians to “celebrate reason” instead of their favorite myth actually seems like it isn’t speaking from the mind of most atheists, and certainly not all humanists. Humanism means that in social and political concepts, you put human values before religious values, but it does not mean that you’re an atheist. It’s actually a perfect place for many agnostics.
I think the AHA is running way off its course here.
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