Whenever I see pictures of billboards from atheistic organizations or other advertisements from them, I tend to snicker a little to myself. It is not at the beliefs of atheists because some atheists are sincere in their objections towards God and the Christian faith (besides other religions), which actually helps me to be rational about what it is that I actually believe and hold to be the Truth. Now, although I have admired, in some instances, the ‘work ethic’ of some atheist activists (if I may refer to them in that manner), I still feel as though they put too much energy (in my humble opinion, of course) in encouraging naturalistic ideals in every aspect of society. I am sure that many of them feel that it is of the utmost importance to destroy any hint of religious ideology in the public square, especially when it comes to education and policy-making on Capitol Hill. Though I can understand the call to activism when one feels that their beliefs are just (as I believe that I have been called to live out and share the Gospel message of Jesus the Christ), I feel that when the odds are stacked in your favor by the push of pop culture philosophies, why work so hard to push your agenda.
I honestly believe that certain popular acts do way more damage to Christian ideals than some arguments levied against Christianity by irreligious types. Way more young people will accept the ideas from a Miley Cyrus or a Taylor Swift than knowing the beliefs of a Dr. Richard Dawkins or a Sam Harris any day. More young people will follow the direction of the elite of Hollywood than the scientism of the well-known New Atheists with their Oxford and ivy league school backgrounds. One may imagine that it is easier to get a philosophy over to young minds in a 3-minute song and a flashy video than it is by way of a 40-minute lecture and an opinion-filled tome.
This is not meant to be condescending, but it seems to me that the New Atheists forget to take delight in the irreligious-ness of the famous crowd. They are doing way more for the kingdom of humanism than their skeptic counterparts seem to be.
(Originally posted on my old and now defunct “Watch Your Theology” website back on December 11, 2015.)
