Spreading Atheism

I keep hearing people say that atheists have no valid motive or right to spread atheism. I think this perspective is ridiculous all over. The reasons to promote atheism may not be as obvious, but they can be just as significant to an atheist as a Christian's reasons are to the Christian.

The most common objection is "you only have this life to worry about, but for me it's an issue of eternity". If this life is all I have, wouldn't it be worth more to me? And if my earthly surroundings are all I'll ever have, am I not justified in being particular about them? I like the story about the boy throwing beached starfish back into the water, where a man comes along and asks, "What difference does it make? You'll never save them all." The boy says, "To the ones I do save, it makes all the difference in the world." All these "insignificant" moments on earth add up, and even Christians believe one's actions in this life make all the difference.

I also believe atheism is the truth, and I think the truth stands for something in its own right. I may not believe in absolute morality, but I do believe in absolute truth, and even though I can't force anyone to accept what I believe to be the truth, I refuse to subvert it to tolerance and "personal preference".

So, what's an appropriate response to the belief that there is no God? For me, the process of rejecting faith was excruciating, even if parts of it were thrilling and rewarding. I do believe that hard-earned knowledge is more valuable and profound, but I don't believe in burning books to make all learning a struggle. If you want to climb upwards, neither flat ground nor a sheer cliff is as useful as a flight of stairs.

My frustrations have come not so much from the disagreement and "intolerance" as from the misunderstanding, disrespect, and outright shock that I received from theists around me. I've also struggled with all kinds of fear, having secrets that may or may not destroy relationships, but could never be taken back. My approach to making things a little better for each generation is more of exposure than education. I try to be "the atheist" in someone's life and show them how little difference it makes, and what form the differences take. I also try to disarm loaded words like "atheist" by using them in natural conversation, when possible.

I like to develop and refine my beliefs by discussion with people who disagree. I don't measure success in "converts to atheism", because I find that it's rare for people to be "led" to atheism. Instead I try to break the certainty people have that they already know everything that I'm going to say, and to give them a flavor of what atheism is really like.

One of my less noble goals is to make the world a little less passively theistic. The way things stand, it's a theist's world and we're just living in it. They have all the traditions, political power, and the "right of way" in most parts of the world. A lot of theist comforts come at atheists' expense, and if they're bailing water from their boat into our ocean, I wouldn't mind bailing some of it back into their boat.

It may sound bitter to frustrate theists just for its own sake, but especially with regard to religious traditions I think the small effects add up. Many Christians refuse to participate in the "harmless traditions" of Santa Claus and Halloween, or the questionable tradition of Mardis Gras (not that any of those are "atheist traditions"), and I call that justification enough for my actions.