Evangelical atheism

Atheistic Evangelism or Atheangelism is a term used by Christian apologists to describe the world view or religion of those who aggressively promote atheism. The word is formed by combining "atheism" with "evangelism". Numerous Christian apologists have described the characteristics of "atheistic evangelism" during the past century and a half, though the term "atheangelism" itself was not seen prior to the 21st Century. "Evangelical atheism" is the term used by atheist Dan Barker.

An "atheangelist" or "atheistic evangelist" is a person who aggressively evangelizes the cause of atheism to the general public, using the theories of Charles Darwin to support the argument that there is no God. Darwin himself was an agnostic, and not an atheangelist.

Christian apologists argue that common tactics of atheangelists include ridiculing the intelligence of those who hold an alternate point of view as well as ignoring or glossing over the legitimate scientific arguments presented by opponents. Atheangelism is a world view and belief structure based on certain key assumptions, which include abiogenesis, the unassailability of Darwinism, and the natural superiority of atheangelism to all other belief structures.

Atheists use the term "Evangelical Atheism" and believe that Christian apologists unfairly portray their zeal for intellectual integrity as ridicule.

History

Origins

Thomas Huxley was the first atheangelist, and the belief structure was christened in 1860 during his famous debate with Bishop Samuel Wilberforce. The atheangelism standard since then has been carried by many scientists and social theorists, including Ludwig Buchner, Bertrand Russell, H.L. Mencken,Richard Dawkins, and Sam Harris.

Harvard botanist Asa Gray, a believing Christian and one of the first supporters of Darwin's theory of evolution, first noted the phenomenon in 1868 when he referred to "the English-materialistic-positivistic line of thought". Such thought was usually associated with Thomas Huxley at the time.

The religious nature of Huxley's beliefs were referenced in Janet Browne's biography of Charles Darwin:

"Huxley was rampaging on miracles and the existence of the soul. A few months later, he was to coin the word "agnostic" to describe his own position as neither a believer nor a disbeliever, but one who considered himself free to inquire rationally into the basis of knowledge. . .

The term fitted him well . . . and it caught the attention of the other free thinking, rational doubters in Huxley's ambit, and came to signify a particularly active form of scientific rationalism during the final decades of the 19th century...

In his hands, agnosticism became as doctrinaire as anything else--a religion of skepticism. Huxley used it as a creed that would place him on a higher moral plane than even bishops and archbishops. All the evidence would nevertheless suggest that Huxley was sincere in his rejection of the charge of outright atheism against himself.

To inquire rigorously into the spiritual domain, he asserted, was a more elevated undertaking than slavishly to believe or disbelieve. "A deep sense of religion is compatible with the entire absence of theology," he had told [Anglican clergyman] Charles Kingsley back in 1860. "Pope Huxley", the [magazine] Spectator dubbed him. The label stuck."

The New Activism

Starting with Richard Dawkins, famed evolutionist and Professor at Oxford, a group of intellectuals have recently mounted an aggressive challenge not only to promote atheism but to positively attack religious beliefs of all kinds. In addition to Dawkins, David Dennet and Sam Harris are the most visible faces of this movement.

Dan Barker is a leading American evangelizer of atheism, and has written extensively on the topic. He is also the founder of the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

References

• Barker, Dan Evangelistic Atheism: Leading Believers Astray in Freethought Today, 1993
• Browne, Janet, The Power of Place, Volume 2 of the Biography of Charles Darwin.(Alfred Knopf, 2002)
• Segal, David, Atheist Evangelist, article in the Washington Post Thursday, October 26, 2006; Page C01
• Witham, Larry, By Design (Encounter Books, 2003)
• Wolff, Gary, in The New Atheism, The Church of the Non-Believers reprinted in Wired Magazine, November 2006
• Wright, N. T., The Last Word (HarperSanFrancisco, 2005)