Audacity of Godlessness
Being godless in America today is an act of audacity. American culture, politics, and history are oriented towards the reinforcement of traditional theism generally and Christianity in particular. This means it is audacious for anyone to challenge tradition and popular religion.
Audacity comes with a lot of different connotations, all or most of which are appropriate here. To be audacious is to be willing to take bold risks, to be impudent, insolent, or even disrespectful. Being bold or heedless in this sense is characterized as "aggressive" and often cited in the context of challenging convention or tradition. All of this easily describes how atheists challenge traditional religion today and probably accounts for much of why atheists are described as "militant."
We atheists have the audacity to think freely for ourselves rather than submit to self-proclaimed authorities and religious leaders or the weight of tradition. Religious leaders and religious tradition are given a great deal of deference in American society and even in American politics.
There's no rational or legal justification for this, but atheists are among the few who dare to question this deference and challenge this status quo. This is a significant source of the animus against atheists, but we persevere anyway because being able to think freely and for yourself may be the most essential freedom a person can enjoy. Without it, we lose our autonomy.
We atheists have the audacity to be creative with our lives. We create meaning and purpose in our lives rather than simply accepting meaning or purpose imposed on us from the outside by self-proclaimed authorities from churches, families, and other social institutions. We resist efforts by such authority figures to force us to adopt traditional social roles and attitudes. We deny that meaning or purpose can come from anywhere but ourselves because they can only truly arise out of our own values and choices.
We will not pretend that there is anyone out there who can or will make everything better if we do something wrong or mess things up. Only we can fix our mistakes and only we can improve our lives. We may not succeed because, after all, we aren't perfect, but the responsibility for success or failure lies entirely with us. Only by consciously accepting this responsibility do we stand a chance of success.
We cannot claim to be perfect when it comes to fulfilling the promise of equality, but we are audacious enough to believe that we can do better without religion because religion has made such a mess of things over the past millennia.
We atheists have the audacity to push the boundaries of human knowledge with science and to refuse to bind science or limit scientific inquiry with the chains of traditional religious dogma and faith. Religions have had millennia to show us what they have to offer; in all that time, they have produced far less knowledge about our world than science has in just the last couple of centuries.
We don't believe that science will necessarily solve every problem or question that comes along, but we do know that science has proven to be the only reliable source of empirical knowledge that we have. Without such knowledge, we won't solve any problems.
We atheists have the audacity to reject the chains of tradition which religion would impose on everyone. We reject the idea that religious ideas, practices, or institutions should be privileged in any way. Such privileges have been defended for generations, but these privileges only end up serving to divide people and encourage religious tribalism.
Religion tends to be the strongest and most vociferous bastion of tradition in society; this means that those who free themselves from and/or who challenge religion also end up freeing themselves from and/or challenging tradition generally. This is why secular atheists tend to be so liberal — far more politically and socially liberal than the rest of the American population.
We atheists have the audacity to defend the importance of secular government and secular public institutions. We also have the audacity to live secular lives rather than adopting religious structures like so many others. Over the course of human history such secularism, whether public or personal, has been the exception rather than the rule.
This is why the religions which have developed over history have tended to do so in a non-secular context and, as a result, the very structures of religions tend to take a non-secular social and political context for granted. Even those religions which haven't been aligned with political power will assume that religiosity in government and public institutions is necessary, appropriate, and/or correct. Atheists, even religious atheists, tend not to share such assumptions. This is why atheists in America are far more likely than all other groups to be strong supporters of church/state separation and secularism.
Audacity comes with a lot of different connotations, all or most of which are appropriate here. To be audacious is to be willing to take bold risks, to be impudent, insolent, or even disrespectful. Being bold or heedless in this sense is characterized as "aggressive" and often cited in the context of challenging convention or tradition. All of this easily describes how atheists challenge traditional religion today and probably accounts for much of why atheists are described as "militant."
•Free: Thinking for Ourselves
We atheists have the audacity to think freely for ourselves rather than submit to self-proclaimed authorities and religious leaders or the weight of tradition. Religious leaders and religious tradition are given a great deal of deference in American society and even in American politics.
There's no rational or legal justification for this, but atheists are among the few who dare to question this deference and challenge this status quo. This is a significant source of the animus against atheists, but we persevere anyway because being able to think freely and for yourself may be the most essential freedom a person can enjoy. Without it, we lose our autonomy.
•Sovereign: Autonomous Rather Than Owned
We atheists also therefore have the audacity to insist that we are sovereign, autonomous individuals. We are members of families and communities, but that's not all we are and we cannot be reduced to cogs in social machines. Our social connections help shape and define us, but none of that usurps our sovereignty, which is our right to rule ourselves, or our autonomy, which is our right to make decisions about our lives, bodies, and futures. We will not be ruled by priests, bishops, or scriptures any more than we will be ruled by kings or queens.•Creative: Meaning & Purpose are Created, Not Imposed
We atheists have the audacity to be creative with our lives. We create meaning and purpose in our lives rather than simply accepting meaning or purpose imposed on us from the outside by self-proclaimed authorities from churches, families, and other social institutions. We resist efforts by such authority figures to force us to adopt traditional social roles and attitudes. We deny that meaning or purpose can come from anywhere but ourselves because they can only truly arise out of our own values and choices.
•Responsible: Accountable for the Future, Good or Bad
We atheists have the audacity to take responsibility for our lives and to be accountable for our choices as well as for our futures, both good and bad. We take responsibility for our futures because only we can do so — we and we alone can make the future better or worse.We will not pretend that there is anyone out there who can or will make everything better if we do something wrong or mess things up. Only we can fix our mistakes and only we can improve our lives. We may not succeed because, after all, we aren't perfect, but the responsibility for success or failure lies entirely with us. Only by consciously accepting this responsibility do we stand a chance of success.
•Equal: Political Status Not Dependent on Religious Beliefs
We atheists have the audacity to assert the full political equality of all members of society regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, or religion. We are not alone in this, but despite improvements it remains the case that traditional religions continue to divide rather than unite. Traditional religions hold on to too much which has long served as justification or even the foundation for discrimination and forms of tribalism.We cannot claim to be perfect when it comes to fulfilling the promise of equality, but we are audacious enough to believe that we can do better without religion because religion has made such a mess of things over the past millennia.
•Scientific: Rely Upon Science, Not Faith
We atheists have the audacity to push the boundaries of human knowledge with science and to refuse to bind science or limit scientific inquiry with the chains of traditional religious dogma and faith. Religions have had millennia to show us what they have to offer; in all that time, they have produced far less knowledge about our world than science has in just the last couple of centuries.
We don't believe that science will necessarily solve every problem or question that comes along, but we do know that science has proven to be the only reliable source of empirical knowledge that we have. Without such knowledge, we won't solve any problems.
•Unchained: Liberated from Tradition, Unjust Privileges
We atheists have the audacity to reject the chains of tradition which religion would impose on everyone. We reject the idea that religious ideas, practices, or institutions should be privileged in any way. Such privileges have been defended for generations, but these privileges only end up serving to divide people and encourage religious tribalism.
Religion tends to be the strongest and most vociferous bastion of tradition in society; this means that those who free themselves from and/or who challenge religion also end up freeing themselves from and/or challenging tradition generally. This is why secular atheists tend to be so liberal — far more politically and socially liberal than the rest of the American population.
•Secular: Government & Public Institutions Must Be Godless, Secular
We atheists have the audacity to defend the importance of secular government and secular public institutions. We also have the audacity to live secular lives rather than adopting religious structures like so many others. Over the course of human history such secularism, whether public or personal, has been the exception rather than the rule.
This is why the religions which have developed over history have tended to do so in a non-secular context and, as a result, the very structures of religions tend to take a non-secular social and political context for granted. Even those religions which haven't been aligned with political power will assume that religiosity in government and public institutions is necessary, appropriate, and/or correct. Atheists, even religious atheists, tend not to share such assumptions. This is why atheists in America are far more likely than all other groups to be strong supporters of church/state separation and secularism.
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