I joined the atheist ‘movement’ right around the time of the schism between what an atheist is and what some people though an atheist should be. A group of folks – some of them intellectuals – proposed the concept of Atheism+, a movement that tried to evolve the atheism movement past a simple non-belief in a god and into concepts of equality, feminism, and other forms of identity politics.
It sounds good, doesn’t it? I mean it’s kinda logical when you think about it. After all, since the Christian dogma touts things like subjugation of women, execution of homosexuals, and other such authoritarian concepts, then anything to serve a more humanist cause would be the right thing to do, wouldn’t it?
Well, no.
America has an obsession with liberty to the point some would call it a fetish. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This is enshrined in their Declaration of Independence, signed by the founding fathers of the United States. It’s a great thing when you think about it. I mean, not only having the freedom to do what you want, but also to have such a freedom as part of your nation’s very core doctrine? Damn.
However, the concept of freedom is absolute. No caveats were built into that declaration, so if you want to believe in a god, then that’s your business, just as it is within an atheist’s freedom to say you’re wrong. Even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, you are still free to believe what you will.
I’ve said it before: atheism is a facet of a person as a whole. Can you have prejudicial beliefs and still be an atheist? Sure. So-called ‘science’ has tried to prove how black people are lesser beings, using biology or even evolution as an example. This, of course, has all been debunked, but some people still insist on touting that when trying to justify their beliefs. It’s no different than anti-vaxxers touting Dr. Wakefield, or conspiracy theorists referencing Alex Jones.
However, despite what you think of them in that regard, you still have something in common: a non-belief in a god.
Bigots, rednecks, MGTOW’s, feminists, MRA’s, LGBT, political left and right…atheism is everywhere and is potentially a part of the many groups I just listed. Many of these groups may find each other distasteful, but they still have the non-belief in common and, up until recently, were working together in some respects to fight against the religious erosion of the Constitution and other founding documents. I don’t have to like your politics to add my voice to yours in the cause of atheism. Let’s get that out of the way first, then we can go back to bickering over the other things.
So what brought this about? Two words: Dave Mothafuckin’ Foda.
I’ve talked to the guy a few times over Facebook and once on HCTV, and to say he’s outspoken is to say that a hurricane is a light breeze. He likes to troll the religious and identitarian alike with memes or ‘hot takes.’ Most recently, he posted a meme on Facebook that basically equated Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
I’m pretty sure he was expecting a backlash and oboy, did he get one. Interestingly enough, one of the first responses was from Noah Lugeons from The Scathing Atheist (if it’s still on). I gave up on TSA years ago since they went from anti-religion to completely political. Alas, HCTV’s not much better, but we never touted ourselves as strictly atheist at the start. We were skeptics, and gave ourselves some leeway to delve into other topics.
Noah and his group are devout anti-Trumpers, so this meme Dave posted must have been quite the insult. At the very least, it garnered this repsonse:
I’ve said it before that I’m more of a centrist than most. As a result I listen to both sides of the argument. I even try to get past the ‘ist’ and ‘phobe’ comments I continuously hear from the Left in order to get a clearer picture of what’s really going on. Neither side really gives me confidence when it comes to running a country, and I feel fortunate every day that I don’t live there. Canada might not be a political or economic powerhouse, and our current government might have all the spine of a jellyfish, but at least my ability to get out there and live isn’t being curtailed by one special interest group or another.
With a few notable exceptions, the atheist movement is dead…it committed suicide by trying to over-define itself and reach a sense of purity that no institution could ever attain. It is human nature to rebel against that which we find oppressive, and the founding concepts of liberty in the US Declaration of Independence exacerbate this. The country was formed as a rebellion to the monarchies across the pond and the god they served. That sense of liberty is why when Atheism+ reared its head, people walked away. A cry for conformity is a demand for supplication, and human nature will not supplicate.
So where does that leave me? I know too much to simply return to the faith, and I’ll be damned if I toss a coin to those child-abusing bastards. I still believe in the fight, but it appears now that I can’t be a part of any of the larger groups because I don’t tick off enough boxes in the ‘diversity checklist.’ I don’t believe I’m alone in this sentiment either. In fact, I’m sure a lot of people like me simply refuse to be a part of the ‘community’ because of how unwelcome it has become. Yet, the fight still needs to be fought. I guess that means a lot of us are going to be lone wolves from now on. Sure, younger folks are increasingly turning away from the church, and that’s fine. However, activism and that sense of community we once had is gone.
From now on, I may lend my voice or signature to atheist causes, but that’s it. Try to stuff in a bunch of riders about things I don’t necessarily support, and you lose me.