Cappy

Last weekend a few of us involved with Reason Weekly attended the annual American Atheists Conference and, surrounded by so many that held an assumption about the nature of the universe similar to my own, I was once again reminded of the fact that atheism is just a conclusion. On its own it may represent a step in the right direction for a particular individual, but it is a point reached as the result of a path, a methodology. And it is that methodology that is important. It is that methodology that I hope to share with others.

I have met many atheists who are nihilists. Theirs is not a true disbelief in god or an embrace of reason, but rather a hatred of life. They are defined by the things they are against, the things they despise, the things they destroy. And this one conclusion that I share with them, that there is no god, is as morally and intellectually irrelevant to me as the fact that I share a support with many Christians for homeschooling.

What is atheism, anyway? It is simply the belief that there is no god. In a rational world such a word would have little use, like pointing out that one man is a biped. We’re all bipeds. And the term atheism is not intrinsically a support of anything, conceptual or physical. Exactly the opposite. It is an “anti” word, a word that means you are against something.

But I, and I hope you as well, do not like to think of myself in such a way. I am not someone who has a vendetta against god or the religious, I do not wish to define myself by the things I rally against. And if the entire world was atheistic it would be better, but not necessarily great, or even good.

I am not anti-god. I am pro-reason. I support logic, empiricism, universal principles. I support the Law of Identity and the definition of man as a rational, noble savage. I support philosophy and truth, and the idea that an understanding of each must be earned, tested, reevaluated and employed in daily life. I want a world without the concept of god only because I want a world where people embrace their minds, their capacity to learn, understand, grow and face challenges.

I am an atheist and I support atheism, but only as a outcome of the rational methodology that I use to understand reality. The concept of atheism is an central to my idea of self as is my belief that our senses can be trusted to unravel the world around us. The latter is hardly ever considered, because its proof is so obvious, its efficacy so self-evident, that I would have to assume that it is correct even in the act of questioning it. To me, atheism is the same. So long as I am rational, the existence of god is something I hardly need think about, unless somehow new evidence came to light about such a phenomenon.

Reason is the tool we have to understand reality, morality and ourselves. These are the things that define who I am, not the specific conclusions that I come to. You may call me an atheist if you like. But I would much prefer to be called a scientist, a thinker and a philosopher.

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