c and the challenge of secularisation part 1

What are the responses to militant atheism? -religion has helped id and hf - the straw man philosophical argument.

-The main criticism of new atheists is that they misinterpret mainstream christianity. Further, they ignore instances where conflict has been waged by atheist regimes e.g the soviet union, and they disregard the way that religion has contributed to intellectual development and human flourishing. -Others argue that militant atheist views are based on ignorance of theology and a personal distaste for aspects of religion. -Militant atheists often define religious beliefs in over simplified terms, or attribute extreme or minority views to all believers and then pour scorn upon them. This is a philosophical fallacy 'the straw-man ' argument. There are extreme and minority views but in general christianity is complex. And christian belief is morally and psychologically justified. -Some religious people can be narrow minded, prejudiced and morally weak. Militant atheism claims that religion makes people unreasonable and unpleasant. But simply recommending that everyone should be reasonable and 'nice' does not start to do justice to human experience , including hope and a sense of purpose, which feed religion.

How has religion been replaced as the source of truth and moral values? -aquinas human reason but doctrine - religion not replaced in 13th century where it worked with rational thought - pr -17th cent universal truth was challenged. -19th cent religion used as source of truth - humanism is theology without god

Aquinas argued that human reason can grasp certain truths but only as a first step. Doctrine and scripture are needed to see the whole truth. in the dark ages religion was opposed to rational thought, but in contrast in the 13th century religion and rational thought seemed to work together allowing people to develop personal morality. further during renaissance period people reflected on religions role and rediscovered works of aristotle about natural law. authority of the church was challenged during protestant reformation by the authority of the scripture. it became possible to hold individual beliefs that didnt conform to national religion. challenged idea of universal truth and 17 and 18th centuries; rise in scientific thinking some believed god was not necessary. 19th cent faith is seen as a matter of personal commitment. philosophers saw religion as something functional e.g keeping w/c from fighting oppressors [marx] or satisfying psychological need [freud] religion seen as optional.

How did Jesus reverse this expectation?

In the NT. he argued that the poor were blessed because their situation was about to be reversed with the coming of the kingdom of god. In parable of luke he contrasts a rich man with a beggar. They both die. The rich man goes to place of suffering and the poor man enjoys comfort in heaven beside abraham. Jesus appears to deal with rich and poor alike, but also applauds those who are charitable - not because they are keeping a religious rule, but because they choose to share their wealth and care for others. Jesus does not condemn wealth in itself but argues that it is extremely difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven and therefore the riches can be a distraction from the more important aspects of life. Some one whos rich is concerned to preserve and increase their wealth on earth rather than focusing on building up what Jesus calls 'treasure in heaven' - virtuous behaviour and charitable attitudes.

In the Old testament, how were rich people rewarded?

Materialistic values may be religious if wealth and possessions are thought to be given by god; in the ot , solomon was rewarded for his wisdom by being given great riches. material wealth are secular when wealth is not seen as gift from god or any religious power.

what do militant atheists believe about those who hold irrational beliefs?

Militant atheism argues that belief in the existence of god, life after death, miracles, the virgin birth, resurrection and so on is neither logical nor based on evidence. So its irrational to believe in them. People who hold irrational beliefs , according to militant atheists , are either insane or stupid.

What is militant atheism?

Militant atheism is the general name given to the view that all religion of any kind is a bad thing. They are called ' militant atheists' because they are very hostile to religion - they see it as something they have to fight against.

How would militant atheists respond to miracles? (link to Hume!)

Militant atheists suggest that religion itself is irrational and adopting religious beliefs goes against reason. Irrational because go against assessment of evidence using reason. Hume's argument about the lack of evidence to prove that a miracle has taken place. What do Humanists say? Humanists tend to emphasise the role of reason and evidence, but that may be naive in terms of human nature. People do not generally, if ever, fully operate on the basis of reason and evidence alone. Institutions and the range of human emotions go beyond or bypass reason and evidence. Some branches of christianity place emphasis on fallen nature of christiantiy= limitations of human reason. Replacing all supernatural ideas with reason and evidence will not bring about universal peace and happiness.

Are there any examples of how religion still has a public role?

Religion is said to be 'relegated' to the personal sphere when it is seen as entirely a matter of personal choice and conviction. This suggests that evangelisation is wrong or immoral bc trying to persuade people to change their views goes against their personal autonomy. But many people accept and defend that many aspects of the christian religion [e.g preserving cathedrals or having christian ceremonies for state occasions]. Many agree that religion contributes to culture. An atheist may be inspired by reading the beautiful language of the king james bible. In many ways religion still belongs to the public sphere. The church of england remains the established religion in england. Civic occasions ;remembering those who are killed in war ,are still mainly religious.

to militant atheists, religion is irrational

militant atheists go beyond recognising the non rational elements in religion. they suggest that religion itself is irrational- it goes against reason. if religious beliefs are to be taken literally, then many beliefs e.g miracles, are irrational beccause they go against the assesment of using reason. - david hume's example about the lack of evidence to prove that a miracle has taken place. but if not taken literally, those who believe them are not being irrationaly e.g its not irrationaly if a person takes the view that resurrection of jesus is a dramatic way of presenting the spirit of j is alive and active within the church. not depending on any physical evidence but inspires people to live a way.

militant atheism emerged into this situation. focus on the literal sense of religious beliefs, seeing any form of religious claim equivalent to believing in fairies.

rise of scientific thinking contributes to worldwide view that rejects religious explanations for natural phenomena. other things contributed to disenchantment with trad religion such as the rise of 'new age' spiritualities in 1970s which offered individualised or framework for people to explore ideas about the meaning and value of life. scandals within trad churches including child abuse and financial scandals undermined confidence in institutional religion and leadership of the clergy.

Include Humanism and Feuerbach in answer

secular morality followed from religious traditions but with religious element removed, moral attitudes were accepted on a rational rather than religious basis. For feuerbach, god is not more than a projection of the highest aspirations of humans. He suggests that religion is essentially a matter of cultivating a sense of self within the world in a way that is distinctively human, and finding peace with god is a matter of becoming at one with ones true nature. -modern secular humanism is in many ways a form of theology without god, with an ultimate belief that humankind improves through reason and evidence.

humanism

the belief that people can live good lives without religious or superstitious beliefs.

how religion has become relegated to the personal sphere (individualisation ) - augsburg settlement - more secular society, religion personal choice Why would this be seen as a problem? - consumer decision

the post reformation agreement 1955 'Augsburg Settlement' led to gradual acceptance that people should be free in matters of religion no matter what society they lived in. this is seen in the westphalian acceptance that people should be free to practice their religion in private and also in modern times where religion is a free for all - simply a personal choice. As society has become more secular, religion became a set of ideas and values that individuals might choose to follow. This is the key feature of the secular view of religion. The multi faith society of the 21st century is quite the opposite of the situation in the 16th cent. The choice of a religion may be seen almost as a consumer decision- taken up bc it suits ones self image, promises to deliver personal benefits.