Morality of the Atheist

Children are to be taught about atheism in R.E. classes, which has, predictably, upset those who misunderstand either the nature of R.E. or the nature of atheism. But is it really so strange that a subject that aims to expose children to the world's many religions should include the fastest growing religion in the west?

Atheism is a religion. The central tenet (that there are no gods, spirits, or other supernatural beings with power over our lives) is one that cannot be proven. It must be accepted on faith. A true atheist is every bit as much a believer as the most committed Christian. The person who simply doesn't believe anything is an agnostic, not an atheist. Atheists fervently believe in the non-existence of God, with an irrational surety the equal of any other religious experience.

Which is not to say that there aren't many atheists who claim their beliefs are not a religion. Their argument normally hangs on a belief that their faith is in some way more rational than that of others. But mixing logic and religion is normally a mistake. The Christian God is a being that can create universes and perform miracles. The ability to bend logic seems little compared to this. Yet many people (not just atheists) seek to prove their beliefs by recourse to some form of logic.

By way of example, take the infamous anti-evolutionary argument about the watchmaker. This says that if you find a watch in the desert, is it more logical to assume that it somehow assembled itself, or that somewhere there is a watchmaker? Which leads to the obvious counter argument that if there exists a watchmaker, who made him? And ultimately, who made God? If a watch cannot exist without a watchmaker, how can God exist without a Godmaker?

Ultimately, this is the essential difference between atheists and Christians (and those who believe in other, similar religions). The Christian sees the Universe in all its splendour, and seeks for a creator to explain its existence, happily ignoring the issue of how a creator sufficiently sophisticated to create the universe can exist without a creator in turn. the atheist moves the creator issue a step closer to himself, simply accepting that the universe is without need to explain its existence. In this atheism resembles some Eastern beliefs - most notably Buddhism - which concern themselves primarily with man's relation to the universe.

If atheism is just another unjustifiable, faith-bound religion, is it simply equally deserving of inclusion in a comparative religion course? Not quite. Atheism is one of the small number of religions that has an additional claim that makes it more deserving of study than others. Because atheism does not admit the existence of a superior, supernatural entity that can influence our lives, the morality derived from atheism is of a different order than that derived from, say, Christianity. This difference makes it more worthy of study than just about any other religion.

Christian morality is based on a book of rules, and fear of a father figure. The central message is one of punishment and reward. Do as you're told, or else. For a Christian to prove an attitude is moral, it is sufficient for it to be demonstrated to follow from some passage in the Bible. Atheists, on the other hand, have no supernatural being to turn to. Their morality must come from a system where not only the logic, but also the basic axioms can be challenged.

A quick examination of the recent debate surrounding same-sex marriages will demonstrate the difference amply. Those opposed to same-sex unions are quick to claim that marriage is defined by the Bible as the union of a man and a woman. That same-sex marriages undermine the sanctity of marriage. That, basically, God wouldn't approve. No atheist could make such an argument. For an atheist to disapprove of same-sex marriages on moral grounds, he would first have to demonstrate that a mixed-sex marriage was preferable to a same-sex marriage. Then he would need to demonstrate that the existence of same-sex marriages would have a negative effect on mixed-sex marriages. Throughout, all the assumptions made would be open to challenge.

Now in the case of same-sex marriages, our hypothetical atheist would fail. There is no argument against allowing same-sex couples in committed, loving relationships to enjoy the same legal privileges and protections as their mixed-sex peers. Except Biblically sanctioned homophobia, of course. Even the "marriage is a holy institution" rings hollow, as the thousands of couples every year who marry in registry offices prove.

On the flip side, morality than can be derived from an atheistic belief system is much stronger than that which comes simply from on high. Murder is wrong, not because the Ten Commandments says so, but because it removes someone's greatest possession - their life. Atheism may be based on an irrational belief in the non-existence of a supreme being, but that belief means that the morality of atheists has to be rationally derived. Which makes atheism the ideal framework within which to debate moral choices.

Atheism is a religion, as much based on belief and faith as any other. It is also one of the fastest growing religions in the West. For that reason alone it deserves a prominent place in any course on comparative religion. But atheism also requires that moral choices be based on rational thought - something that few other religions can claim. An understanding of the moral frameworks that atheists construct to guide their lives is perhaps the single greatest tool that any pupil can gain from a study of other religions, allowing them to face the moral choices in their life as a rational individual, not a fearful child-figure.

Graham Robinson. 18th February 2004.

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