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4.0.5 Modern Religion and Atheism - OverviewVersion 1.3 March 2013 (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 Islamic literalism is dominant globally. On the other hand, many religious people fully accepted scientific and social progress, and learned to reinterpret their sacred texts, as allegories with deeper meanings rather than historical truth. 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. Agnosticism – saying you cannot know whether or not God exists - arose in early modern times. Atheism – not believing in God – also arose in fairly modern times as religions became dogmatic and required their followers to adopt beliefs that were contrary to science and historical criticism. 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, or various other tyrants, 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!! ● Hippies, new agers and other even less distinct groups have similar stories, that once, when we lived more simply as hunter gatherers or farmers, in touch with the land, each other and ourselves, we were happy, but science and technology made life complex, big business and big political parties are ruining society and our environment. The solution is to live a simpler, more ‘spiritual’ life, using primitive hunter gatherers – Indians, Bushmen or Aboriginals - as models. 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.
In response to criticism, some Christians and Muslims moved to fundamentalism, others adopted political, religious-like, ideologies like Communism and Americanism; modern philosophy moved towards atheism; and some, like the existentialists, essentially ignored god, or reinvented pantheism, like New Agers. 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.
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