4.0.5 Modern Religion and Atheism - Overview

Version 1.5 September 2020                                        (Previous Version)

Despite the perception, fundamentalism is a relatively modern approach to religion.  As modern science questioned the literal truth of the Bible, and modern social movements opposed its rules, there was a religious reaction to return to the “fundaments� of the Christian faith.  The Salafis and Wahabis in Muslim Saudi Arabia, and Q’tub and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, adopted a similar approach, as did the Hindu Hindutva movement in India.  Christian fundamentalism is now dominant in the USA and Africa.  Islamic literalism is dominant globally among devout Muslims.

Some political ideologies have the same narrative structure as religions, with an early paradise, the beginning of suffering, and glorious leaders who show us the way to a better life.  For example:

●   Communism saw hunter-gatherer society as based on communal sharing, but exploitation by agricultural land lords and industrial capitalists brought oppression, from which only Marxism, implemented by Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Che or various other strong leaders, can save us.

●   Americanism’s story is that Europeans became oppressed by unequal societies ruled by royalty, and inherited wealth.  America was created by revolutionary heroes (such as Washington and Jefferson).  Those who escape to America, with its elected government and few restrictions on business, are free to work hard, become rich, and be happy. The world can share this vision!

●   New agers and other even less distinct groups have similar stories, that we once lived simply and happily as hunter gatherers or farmers, in touch with the land, each other and ourselves; but science and technology made life complex, big business and political elites are ruining society and our environment.  The solution is to perhaps destroy capitalism and return to a simpler life. 

Existentialists learned to accept there is no God, and concluded life is really absurd, without meaning, and the best we can do is be honest with ourselves about this and live an ‘authentic’ life.

Some religions were simply invented, like Mormonism, Scientology and the Moonies.

Agnosticism – saying you cannot know whether or not God exists – and Atheism – not believing in God – both became more prominent in early modern times, as religions became dogmatic and required their followers to adopt beliefs that were contrary to science and historical criticism.  But skepticism about the Gods has existed since ancient times, in both east and west.  Many of America’s “Founding Fathers� were Deists: believing in a creator god that had no further interaction with the world, and viewed sacred texts as fallible human inventions. 

All governments should be secular: showing no favouritism to any religion or non-religion.

We work through the next level of detail on each of the above issues (more).  After considering this evidence, we’ve looked for a way to state our conclusions briefly, and we come to the following summary.

Is this the best way to state our conclusions in this area?  Click on feedback, or add a comment below, if you can improve the substance or the phrasing.

   more                                                             Statement 25

Fundamentalist religious movements lost sight of traditional values and still can't find meaning.  Most Atheists and Agnostics don't appreciate our fundamental need for a universal narrative defining our identity and our place in the world, to guide our choices and express our values.

Many religions in the past have focused on dogma: fixed beliefs that adherents must learn and conform to.  But many religious people from all faiths do accept reason and science, and that many of us need to work things out ourselves, despite this path being harder.  Similarly, here, we have no dogma, but take the difficult path, to show how we can discover reasonable beliefs and values.