Why the New Atheist movement died out

[Rambozo]

Back in the early 2000s, the New Atheist movement was mildly popular, and tried to make it trendy to attack religion. However, the movement seems to have petered out.

Whatever happened to new atheism? The rise and fall of the U.S. atheist movement | Politics and Religion | Cambridge Core

Whatever happened to new atheism? The rise and fall of the U.S. atheist movement - Volume 18 Issue 2

www.cambridge.org

Apparently, the growth of identity politics played a role in its demise. I would also argue that many of its claims simply aren't true, and that there is plenty of evidence demonstrating that many of its claims are based on myths and falsehoods (such as its claims that "religion" is responsible for violence, when, in reality, there are many religious prohibitions against violence, and secular violence, such as that committed by the Soviet Union and Communist China, has taken more lives than religious violence). Likewise, New Atheism was heavily associated with Scientism (a belief which has to be held on faith and can't be falsified), and Secular Humanism (which has legally been recognized as a religion in its own right by the Supreme Court).

So, rather than "get rid of religion", New Atheism was merely promoting religion and belief systems in its own right. As well as using its own myths, memes, and falsehoods as a way of promoting itself and taking money from its devoted falsehoods.

For that matter, this is just my opinion, but much of the New Atheist movement seemed to appeal to incels, or at least people who would fit the typical demographic of those who identify as incels.

 

[SkyChief]

I think we agree that the "New Atheism" movement is unnecessary and complete waste of time.

New atheism was a sociocultural phenomenon that emerged during the first decade of the twenty-first century. Centred principally on the United States, it played a key role in the construction of a wider atheist movement and attracted high levels of media and academic interest with its no-holds-barred approach to religious affairs.

The whole point of atheism is that one doesn't need to believe in god(s), and there is no point or benefit for atheists to disparage people who do.

It seems that the New Atheism movement is waning, and on its death bed. There was never really any need for it to begin in the first place.

 

[Demon]

Maybe a lot of people never even heard of it? I know I haven't - I'm just an atheist, no atheist movement necessary.

 

[Manc Skipper]

Atheism is growing in the US now as well as in the rest of the world. Education is the key.

 

[Rambozo]

Maybe a lot of people never even heard of it? I know I haven't - I'm just an atheist, no atheist movement necessary.

So you haven't heard of Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and the like? They were among the "Four Horsemen" of the New Atheist movement.

 

[Rambozo]

Atheism is growing in the US now as well as in the rest of the world. Education is the key.

Education is the key to no longer being an atheist.

 

[Demon]

So you haven't heard of Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and the like? They were among the "Four Horsemen" of the New Atheist movement.

I've heard the names Dawkins & Hitchens. I don't know anything about them. Like I said - no atheist movement necessary.

 

[dseag2]

Back in the early 2000s, the New Atheist movement was mildly popular, and tried to make it trendy to attack religion. However, the movement seems to have petered out.

Whatever happened to new atheism? The rise and fall of the U.S. atheist movement | Politics and Religion | Cambridge Core

Whatever happened to new atheism? The rise and fall of the U.S. atheist movement - Volume 18 Issue 2

www.cambridge.org

Apparently, the growth of identity politics played a role in its demise. I would also argue that many of its claims simply aren't true, and that there is plenty of evidence demonstrating that many of its claims are based on myths and falsehoods (such as its claims that "religion" is responsible for violence, when, in reality, there are many religious prohibitions against violence, and secular violence, such as that committed by the Soviet Union and Communist China, has taken more lives than religious violence). Likewise, New Atheism was heavily associated with Scientism (a belief which has to be held on faith and can't be falsified), and Secular Humanism (which has legally been recognized as a religion in its own right by the Supreme Court).

So, rather than "get rid of religion", New Atheism was merely promoting religion and belief systems in its own right. As well as using its own myths, memes, and falsehoods as a way of promoting itself and taking money from its devoted falsehoods.

For that matter, this is just my opinion, but much of the New Atheist movement seemed to appeal to incels, or at least people who would fit the typical demographic of those who identify as incels.

Your posts are about as effective at getting people to change their minds as a thread on Covid. You remind me of a Seventh Day Adventist accosting people to put flyers in their hands. And, you seem to have an unnatural obsession with atheism. Kind of like MAGA and trans people.

 

[Manc Skipper]

Education is the key to no longer being an atheist.

View attachment 67586742

The reverse is true. Religiosity drops in proportion to education. Education leads to critical thinking, skepticism and exposure to alternative worldviews. And less god.

 

[Rambozo]

The reverse is true. Religiosity drops in proportion to education. Education leads to critical thinking, skepticism and exposure to alternative worldviews. And less god.

Education leads to critical thinking, skepticism of atheism and scientism, and exposure to alternative worldviews, like those of religion and spirituality.

 

[Manc Skipper]

Education leads to critical thinking, skepticism of atheism, and exposure to alternative worldviews, like Christianity.

Religion obviously doesn't go hard on original thought. Such a tepid bot like response.

 

[Rambozo]

Religion obviously doesn't go hard on original thought. Such a tepid bot like response.

Yes, there is lots of original thought within religion. The authors of religious texts were highly literate (especially in a day and age where literacy was not the norm).

And if you're conflating "religion" with rules or laws which enforce certain beliefs, those things exist within secular or atheist contexts (e.x. the Communist regime of North Korea doesn't go hard on original thought).

My experience is that many, if not most atheists, aren't hard on original thought which goes against their core beliefs (whatever those beliefs are - Secular Humanism, Scientism, etc etc).

 

[Logician Man]

Education leads to critical thinking, skepticism of atheism and scientism, and exposure to alternative worldviews, like those of religion and spirituality.

Study explains global rise in atheism​

An interdisciplinary team of researchers – involving Brunel University of London, and led by Queen’s University Belfast – has launched interim results of a landmark global project ‘Explaining Atheism’, which shows that the UK now has more atheists than theists and explains why atheism has grown both in the UK and around the world.

The researchers also found that the common notion of the ‘purposeless unbeliever’, lacking a sense of ultimate meaning in life, objective morality, and strong values is not accurate, challenging the stereotype that atheists lead lives devoid of meaning, morality and purpose.

The project, involving several universities from around the UK and internationally, was funded by the John Templeton Foundation and ran over a three-year period.

Professor Lanman, a cognitive anthropologist from Queen’s University Belfast, explained: “Our large cross-cultural surveys reveal that while many factors may influence one’s beliefs in small ways, the key factor is the extent to which one is socialised to be a theist. Many other popular theories, such as intelligence, emotional stoicism, broken homes, and rebelliousness, do not stand up to empirical scrutiny.”

Dr Lois Lee, from the University of Kent’s Department of Religious Studies, said: “The UK is entering its first atheist age. Whilst atheism has been prominent in our culture for some time – be it through Karl Marx, George Eliot, or Ricky Gervais – it is only now that atheists have begun to outnumber theists for the first time in our history."

The research team surveyed nearly 25,000 people from across six countries (Brazil, China, Denmark, Japan, UK and USA) around the world to find out why people become atheists and agnostics. They also bring together converging results from the British Social Attitudes Survey and World Values Survey to show the UK now has a relative majority of atheists.

The researchers also used the results from their previous project, Understanding Unbelief (2017–2021), to provide a more detailed picture of the beliefs and values of atheists and agnostics.

 

[btthegreat]

I think if religions have political movements, atheism needs its political arm as well, to lobby for its interests. What atheism does not need is anti-theism or 'new atheism'. That stuff is just toxic bigotry dressed as intellectual elitism. Not a fan.

 

[Rambozo]

Study explains global rise in atheism​

An interdisciplinary team of researchers – involving Brunel University of London, and led by Queen’s University Belfast – has launched interim results of a landmark global project ‘Explaining Atheism’, which shows that the UK now has more atheists than theists and explains why atheism has grown both in the UK and around the world.

The researchers also found that the common notion of the ‘purposeless unbeliever’, lacking a sense of ultimate meaning in life, objective morality, and strong values is not accurate, challenging the stereotype that atheists lead lives devoid of meaning, morality and purpose.

The project, involving several universities from around the UK and internationally, was funded by the John Templeton Foundation and ran over a three-year period.

Professor Lanman, a cognitive anthropologist from Queen’s University Belfast, explained: “Our large cross-cultural surveys reveal that while many factors may influence one’s beliefs in small ways, the key factor is the extent to which one is socialised to be a theist. Many other popular theories, such as intelligence, emotional stoicism, broken homes, and rebelliousness, do not stand up to empirical scrutiny.”

Dr Lois Lee, from the University of Kent’s Department of Religious Studies, said: “The UK is entering its first atheist age. Whilst atheism has been prominent in our culture for some time – be it through Karl Marx, George Eliot, or Ricky Gervais – it is only now that atheists have begun to outnumber theists for the first time in our history."

The research team surveyed nearly 25,000 people from across six countries (Brazil, China, Denmark, Japan, UK and USA) around the world to find out why people become atheists and agnostics. They also bring together converging results from the British Social Attitudes Survey and World Values Survey to show the UK now has a relative majority of atheists.

The researchers also used the results from their previous project, Understanding Unbelief (2017–2021), to provide a more detailed picture of the beliefs and values of atheists and agnostics.

To me, that would indicate that atheism isn't grounded in critical thought, since the average person's IQ is only 100. So, if most people are atheists, that would indicate that one only needs an IQ of 100 to be an atheist.

 

[Logician Man]

To me, that would indicate that atheism isn't grounded in critical thought, since the average person's IQ is only 100. So, if most people are atheists, that would indicate that one only needs an IQ of 100 to be an atheist.

Word Salad: What It Is and Why It Happens - Verywell Mind​

Word salad is a term for jumbled or meaningless speech that lacks logical structure and semantic meaning.

 

[Rambozo]

Professor Lanman, a cognitive anthropologist from Queen’s University Belfast, explained: “Our large cross-cultural surveys reveal that while many factors may influence one’s beliefs in small ways, the key factor is the extent to which one is socialised to be a theist. Many other popular theories, such as intelligence, emotional stoicism, broken homes, and rebelliousness, do not stand up to empirical scrutiny.”

So, in other words, if one is socialized to be an atheist, that would be the main component in them being one.

 

[Rambozo]

Word Salad: What It Is and Why It Happens - Verywell Mind​

Word salad is a term for jumbled or meaningless speech that lacks logical structure and semantic meaning.

It's pretty simple.

If most people in the Uk are atheists. And most people have an IQ of 100. Then that means you would only need an IQ of 100 to be an atheist.

Therefore, I'm skeptical that being an atheist requires a "high level" of critical thought.

 

[Logician Man]

It's pretty simple.

If most people in the Uk are atheists. And most people have an IQ of 100. Then that means you would only need an IQ of 100 to be an atheist.

Therefore, I'm skeptical that being an atheist requires a "high level" of critical thought.

Many Chinese Communist Party members follow …​

 

[Michael Cole]

I have regular old atheist movements.

 

[Michael Cole]

So, in other words, if one is socialized to be an atheist,

We are born atheists. Religious beliefs are socialized.

that would be the main component in them being one.

 

[Rambozo]

We are born atheists. Religious beliefs are socialized.

Wrong:

More Studies Show Children Are Wired for Religious Belief: A Brief Literature Review

If you’re an evolutionary atheist, don’t you find this just a bit peculiar?

scienceandculture.com

 

[Michael Cole]

Wrong:

Religion is a social activity. We are born atheists. Without religious indoctrination, we would remain atheists.

 

[Loulit01]

Atheism in America | Research Starters | EBSCO Research

<p>Atheism in America has seen significant growth in recent decades, especially since the 1990s, with an increasing number of individuals identifying as atheists or claiming no religious affiliation. This rise contrasts sharply with the traditional view of the U.S. as a predominantly Christian...

www.ebsco.com

America’s nonreligious are a growing, diverse phenomenon. They really don’t like organized religion​

America's nonreligious are a growing, diverse phenomenon. They really don't like organized religion

Ask Americans what their religion is, and nearly 1 in 3 say this -- none. That’s according to the U.S. adults surveyed by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

apnews.com

Number of Americans with no religious affiliation growing

The portion of Americans with no religious affiliation is rising significantly, in tandem with a sharp drop in the percentage that identifies as Christians, according to new data from the Pew Research Center. Based on telephone surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019, Pew said Thursday that 65% of...

www.pbs.org

 

[tosca1]

Back in the early 2000s, the New Atheist movement was mildly popular, and tried to make it trendy to attack religion. However, the movement seems to have petered out.

Whatever happened to new atheism? The rise and fall of the U.S. atheist movement | Politics and Religion | Cambridge Core

Whatever happened to new atheism? The rise and fall of the U.S. atheist movement - Volume 18 Issue 2

www.cambridge.org

Apparently, the growth of identity politics played a role in its demise. I would also argue that many of its claims simply aren't true, and that there is plenty of evidence demonstrating that many of its claims are based on myths and falsehoods (such as its claims that "religion" is responsible for violence, when, in reality, there are many religious prohibitions against violence, and secular violence, such as that committed by the Soviet Union and Communist China, has taken more lives than religious violence). Likewise, New Atheism was heavily associated with Scientism (a belief which has to be held on faith and can't be falsified), and Secular Humanism (which has legally been recognized as a religion in its own right by the Supreme Court).

So, rather than "get rid of religion", New Atheism was merely promoting religion and belief systems in its own right. As well as using its own myths, memes, and falsehoods as a way of promoting itself and taking money from its devoted falsehoods.

For that matter, this is just my opinion, but much of the New Atheist movement seemed to appeal to incels, or at least people who would fit the typical demographic of those who identify as incels.

The New Atheist Movement came out looking as nothing more than an angry cult group................... and their famous leader RICHARD DAWKINS, was shown to be an ignorant "philosopher wanna-be."
The movement eventually died after the release of Dawkins' book, The God Delusion.


The GOD Delusion - ironically - showcased Dawkins' own delusion about himself.
Who can forget William Lane Craig going after him, and his book?
Dawkins can't - and, therefore didn't want to defend his own book in a debate.

The Debate That Never Was: William Lane Craig vs Richard Dawkins?​

Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford (October 25, 2011) Richard Dawkins was invited by the Oxford student Christian Union to defend his book The God Delusion in public debate with William Lane Craig.
The invitation remained open until the last minute. However, Dawkins refused the challenge and his chair remained empty.
Craig then gave a lecture to a capacity audience on the weaknesses of the central arguments of the book and responded to a panel of academics.
The event, which was chaired by atheist Prof. Peter Millican, was part of The Reasonable Faith Tour 2011 sponsored by UCCF, Damaris & Premier Christian Radio.

Richard Dawkins is either a fool or a coward for refusing to debate William Lane Craig ​