Listening to Young Atheists: Lessons for a Stronger Christianity

[rug]

When a Christian foundation interviewed college nonbelievers about how and why they left religion, surprising themes emerged.

Larry Alex Taunton
June 6 2013, 8:07 AM ET

"Church became all about ceremony, handholding, and kumbaya," Phil said with a look of disgust. "I missed my old youth pastor. He actually knew the Bible."

I have known a lot of atheists. The late Christopher Hitchens was a friend with whom I debated, road tripped, and even had a lengthy private Bible study. I have moderated Richard Dawkins and, on occasion, clashed with him. And I have listened for hours to the (often unsettling) arguments of Peter Singer and a whole host of others like him. These men are some of the public faces of the so-called "New Atheism," and when Christians think about the subject -- if they think about it at all -- it is this sort of atheist who comes to mind: men whose unbelief is, as Dawkins once proudly put it, "militant." But Phil, the atheist college student who had come to my office to share his story, was of an altogether different sort.

Phil was in my office as part of a project that began last year. Over the course of my career, I have met many students like Phil. It has been my privilege to address college students all over the world, usually as one defending the Christian worldview. These events typically attract large numbers of atheists. I like that. I find talking to people who disagree with me much more stimulating than those gatherings that feel a bit too much like a political party convention, and the exchanges with these students are mostly thoughtful and respectful. At some point, I like to ask them a sincere question:

What led you to become an atheist?

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/06/listening-to-young-atheists-lessons-for-a-stronger-christianity/276584/

[WovenGems]

1. The reason why

I went to church for the first time at age 12. On the third Sunday they asked me not come back. Why? I asked questions. Where questions had my mom going crazy it just caused the church to say bye bye. As time went on and I got deeper into science there was no way I could take magic as having any chance of being real.

And that's just the way it is.

[rug]

2. Welcome to DU.

I got thrown out of the Boy Scouts but I still go to church.

[Fumesucker]

4. Be prepared, that's the Boy Scout's solemn creed

Be prepared, and be clean in word and deed

[rug]

5. I never liked the Boy scouts. I dislike the American Legion more.

Yesterday my son came home from school with a piece of paper saying he was selected for a week long "citizenship" camp at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. He asked me to sign the permission ship. I told him he could once he found out how the American Legion began.

Good old wiki had this gem about the Centralia massacre:

November 11, 1919, the first anniversary of Armistice Day and the occasion of the American Legion's formal launch at its Minneapolis Founding Convention, was also a historical moment of violence and controversy. On that day a parade of Legionnaires took place in the mill town of Centralia, located in Southwestern Washington.[43]

Plans were made by some of the marchers at the conclusion of their patriotic demonstration to storm and ransack the local hall maintained by the Industrial Workers of the World, a labor union which had been the target of multiple arrests, large trials, and various incidents of mob violence nationally during the months of American participation in World War I.[43] Plans for this less-than-spontaneous act of violence had made their way to the ears of the Wobblies, however, and 30 or 40 IWW members had been seen coming and going at their hall on the day of the march — some of whom were observed carrying guns.[43]

At 2 pm the march began at the city park, led by a marching band playing "Over There."[44] Marchers included Boy Scouts, members of the local Elks Lodge, active-duty sailors and Marines, with about 80 members of the newly established Centralia and Chehalis American Legion posts bringing up the rear.[44] As the parade turned onto Tower Avenue and crossed Second Street, it passed IWW Hall on its left.[44] The parade stopped and Legionnaires surrounded the hall.[44]

Parade Marshall Adrian Cormier rode up on horseback and, according to some witnesses, blew a whistle giving the signal to the Legionnaires to charge the IWW headquarters building.[44] A group of marchers rushed the hall, smashing the front plate glass window and attempting to kick in the door.[44] Just as the door gave way, shots were fired from within at the intruders.[44] This provided the signal to other armed IWW members, who were stationed across the street to set up a crossfire against potential invaders and they also began firing on the Legionnaires.[45] In less than a minute the firing was over, with three AL members left dead or dying and others wounded.[46]

I asked him what he thought about the American Legion now, let alone the Boy Scouts.

He said, "just sign the damned paper. Please."

I must be doing this too often to him.

[Fumesucker]

8. It's tough having someone who doesn't "fit" as a dad

My dad was an immigrant and he looked at America through a different set of eyes from the parents of all my friends, definitely had an effect on the way I see things about our society.

Bear in mind that Erasmus believed that the one eyed man was king in the land of the blind, however I think Erasmus was a flaming optimist.

I'm reminded of this song.

[Fumesucker]

3. I've remarked several times on DU that most people stop asking questions after a certain age

I don't mean "where is my polo mallet?" sort of questions but more like "why is the sky blue daddy?".

Asking the wrong kind of questions and being too eager to learn, too interested in the how of things, is seen as somehow childlike and immature I think by many people, it's not how you'll get ahead socially.

Welcome to DU..

[WovenGems]

9. Old Dogs?

I be human. And as a human I can learn new tricks everyday. If some think that is childish so be it. I will play them Trivia Pursuit for cash.

What's that old saying by B T Barnum?

[Arugula Latte]

10. By the way, where IS my polo mallet?

I think I might have left it on the squash court, old chap.

[Bad Thoughts]

6. I tuned out after "Hitchens was a friend"

No one of good conscience should be near him.

[skepticscott]

7. Apparently he had to invent

his own notion of an atheist, as simply someone who has become disenchanted with organized religion and general churchgoing. I guess that's own he keeps things softball.