Even if God's existence could be proven, Niezsche writes in The Antichrist, we would still refuse to accept him. When I read atheists like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, I don't get the impression that they are motivagted by mere unbelief. I don't believe in unicorns, but I don't go around writing books full of rejection and bile about unicorns. When I read The God Delusion and God Is Not Great, I see that their authors do not so much disbelieve in God as they hate Him.
Consequently, the arguments spelled out in these atheist books are out of sync with the actual vehemence of their authors.
Enter the French atheist Michel Onfray, whose Atheist Manifesto is a bestseller in Europe. Onfray comes out of a different tradition than Dawkins and Hitchens, one that he describes as stretching from the Baron d'Holbach to Nietzsche. This is Continental atheism, and it makes its case against God in an entirely different way than do the Anglo-Saxon atheists we encounter in the United States. Onfray, like Nietzsche, regards Anglo-Saxon atheists like Dawkins as representing a low, brutish type, widely found in England.
These themes will be developed in my forthcoming book What's So Great About Christianity. But here's one key difference between Anglo-Saxon atheism and Continental atheism. While Dawkins and Hitchens insist that we can be moral without God, Onfray with astonishing frankness concedes Nietzsche's point that the death of God also means the death of Western morality and Western values. So if God goes, that means that "equality" and "rights" go too. This is a possibility that Dawkins and Hitchens have not even considered. In many ways I think Onfray's atheism is more honest, more darkly appealing, and more dangerous than the atheism of Dawkins and Hitchens. My review of Onfray's book appears on the religious website Tothesource and you can read it here.
Reader Comments ( Page 2 of 110)
16. You are so correct. Belief in God requires a strong mental response. There is so much evidence for God, you have to think really hard to reject the idea and the ideas contradict themselves. It is impossible not to consider God. As far as is known, belief in God is a human trait. If you belief in evolution, you must consider that since it is a modern nearly universal trait that at the least, it must be necessary for human survival. Lower class animals show no religion except rare exceptions such as the praying mantis. Therefore even if you are an atheist you are really linking yourself more with primitive animals than higher class beings at the very least. From an evolutionary view, the God concept in an advanced level of animal consciousness than atheism. Atheism goes against the theory of the greater and the smaller (david gaston m.d.). There has to be something greater and something smaller than almost everything including man. To suppose that there is nothing greater than the mind of man or to suppose that he is at the top of the ladder of some hiarchy in the universe is absurd. The theory of the greater and the smaller supposes that there is an infinity beyond many things and this would include the mind of man. The ultimate infinity beyond the mind of man would be "God". Thanks also for mentioning about the mind of man. No one has ever seen anybody's mind but we believe in the minds of those whom we have never seen by the results that we see.
David Gaston M.D. Neurologist.
david gaston at 8:35AM on Aug 9th 2007
17. Dinesh D'Souza I appreciate you bringing to light the real drive of popular atheistic faith. I attended an ANTI-GOD rally in washington DC in 2002 or 03. I couldnt understand what the point of having a march and gathering just because ( in their mind )there is no God. If there is no God, then live your life however you want, but dont throw a fit because some people believe there is a God. I have met casual polite atheists, who simply just dont believe, but the bulk of atheists I have talked to are arrogant, intolerant, and hot headed. If there is no God, then the atheistic faith should produce peace in the non-believers because there is no judgement or consequence past the grave. Religon weather christian or atheistic is difined by the individuals practicing it. With humans, there are no absolutes.
Matthew at 9:23PM on Aug 9th 2007
18. I thoroughly enjoyed Eric Barlow’s response to the column above. Although I disagree with most of your points, Eric, I read your entire blog without feeling offended. (Yes, I’m a Christian. Please don’t hold it against me.) I would like to impress upon the readers and responders that generally, Christians don’t claim to be perfect. And we’re not all alike. Many of us are embarrassed and horrified by historical events that have been done in the name of Christ. Perhaps I’m naive, but I don’t believe a mainstream American Christian would kill someone for not believing in God. In any case, Christianity at its finest is about loving people, not changing their opinions by force. I would very much enjoy a response from you, Eric.
Suzanne at 12:43PM on Aug 9th 2007
19. Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends.
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,
So Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a color TV ?
Dialing For Dollars is trying to find me.
I wait for delivery each day until three,
So oh Lord, won’t you buy me a color TV ?
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town ?
I’m counting on you, Lord, please don’t let me down.
Prove that you love me and buy the next round,
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town ? ....
BT at 11:26AM on Aug 9th 2007
20. wait, i have a BETTER question. wat religion, wat God would order his people to kill in his name? that you will automatically go to heaven if you killed "infidels". WHY NOT ASK THAT?
Rhyno101st at 1:30PM on Aug 10th 2007
21. Once again D'Souza proves just how narrow minded he is as he breaks atheism down to black(atheists disbelieve in God) or white(atheists hate God).It's usually none of the above. What atheists believe is that they don't want to be FORCED to believe in any God. And I do mean forced. Ya know, the reason we have a separation of church and state in this country? Ya know, the reasons the pilgrams came here in the first place?
midiwiz at 9:21AM on Aug 9th 2007
22. Dinesh this has to be the most ignorant thing I have ever heard. Athiest don't believe in God. Athiest and religious types alike hate what most religions have morphed into now. Tools by governments and clergy to stay in power and control of monies. If religion was as it was suppose to be, practiced with love and compassion for all, athiest and all would love this.
Nick at 9:23AM on Aug 9th 2007
23. I guess I am agnostic, I just don't know what to believe.
I was raised catholic, but at age 12 I started to question every religion. I am a very skeptical person. I REALLY hope that before I die, science can make me whole-heartedly believe in either a religion or evolution.
I want to live my life based on the ten commandments, even if I don't believe in any god. Watever my beliefs may be, I want to be a good person.
I want to point out that with religion as compared to my catholic upbringing, I know that as a catholic I could confess my sins and ask for forgiveness to be accepted in heaven, but as an agnostic, I know that when I wrong others, I must make amends to them personally and live with the miss-deed forever, perhaps I will receive forgiveness from others, and that may be the most important thing- forgiveness in the here-and-now, what if there is no afterlife?
Kim B at 9:37AM on Aug 9th 2007
24. He needs to realize that these aethiest authors represent a small minority of unbelievers... just as D'Souza, along with various Christian authors, (whose books fight to prove God's existance) only show one side of the religious right.
Many Christians, and most aethiests, don't feel the need to attack each other's beliefs (or lack thereof)... I know Christians have a bad rep for proselytizing, and it's true that some groups are very active in their attempts to convert the neighborhood. LOL :) However, having lived among them most of my life, I've noticed that alot of Christians simply go about their lives peacefully and don't rock the boat or argue about religion unless provoked. They keep to themselves and ignore the rest of us. Aethiests are generally the same way. Not too many feel the necessity to take on the world in one giant debate... what's the point? Christians aren't going to reject God simply because a non-believer gives them "Scientific Proof", and aetheists likewise won't change their views based on philosophical "What if's". I can state: "I believe in the past existance of unicorns, and that magic and elemental spirits are real" but I'm not writing a book trying to prove it.
One or two authors, for either side, don't speak for the people. They speak for themselves.
I'd hate to see us stereotyping everyone based upon the outspoken opinions of a few people.
I also agree completely with Jenn's comments. Whenever a religious person approaches me, and wants to share the gospel, I listen politely, take their pamphlet, and allow them to feel at peace with themselves. A few of these people can be bull-headed but the majority genuinely believe they are helping you achieve "salvation" and that Jesus will make a positive difference for you. By soliciting strangers, they are simply doing the task demanded by their church to prove their faith.
When my friends ask, "Why didn't you argue with them, and tell them off?" I reply, "Why should I?"
They are kind people, and I'm not going to send them away with a negative experience that might sour their day. They didn't sour mine.
The key is to empathize and have respect for others.
TaraFly at 9:56AM on Aug 11th 2007
25. The vehemence regarding the antipathy toward religion has nothing to do with hatred of god. While it is true that you don't believe in unicorns, there is not an organized movement of billions of people trying to impose unicorn belief on the rest of us, sometimes in a very heavyhanded way, who get special treatment under the tax laws and who control or have a great influence on our society. Although I agree that beliefs in unicorns and belief in god is on exactly the same level, one has proven beyond doubt to be dangerous and deadly, deserving of the animosity exhibited by the various atheist writers. As to morality in the west, history hardly backs up the proposition that when religion was much more in control, as in the middle ages or even in today's theocracies, morality western or otherwise, increases.
eric at 3:03PM on Aug 9th 2007
26. If someone is angry with god then they are not athiests. They are simply angry with religion. To find god one must look within yourself, not to some mythical creature. Throughout history man has made god in his own image. A moral god only comes from moral people. A god of vengence and wrath is only an excuse for that behavior. If you look to find a moral society, look no further than the higher mammals. Whales and wolves live in social groups with no religion, no criminals and no war. If you kill someone in the name of religion you kill a piece of god. If you must kill you must take personal responsibility for your actions. If you do good pat yourself on the back and give your self the credit. We are all a piece of humanity. god is good when we are good, it is the light and the darkness within ourselves. Religion is a form of government it has nothing to do with god. I believe in the inate goodness of man, but don't turn your back on them. Especially if they belong to a church.
James Kirkpatrick at 2:21PM on Aug 9th 2007
27. Thunder is the sound of God vomiting whenever Dinesh D'Nazi invokes his name.
Richter at 9:44AM on Aug 9th 2007
28. I'm no fan of D'Souza, and my view of religion is nowhere near as conservative as his...but he has a point.
Dawkins and Hitchens have a funny way of pointing out the evils of religion, whilst ignoring the muderous legacies of atheistic regimes as Pol Pot, Mao Tse Tong, and Jozef Stalin.
Andy at 11:11AM on Aug 9th 2007
29. Go ahead, disbelieve or hate God. Just makes for more room in the new heaven and earth for the rest of us!
hatley at 12:44PM on Aug 9th 2007
30. How can a person hate that which does not exist, Dinesh? Are you really as stupid as your columns make you out to be? Seriously--just how dumb are you? After all, you have to be a complete idiot to think that "western morality" can only come from god-belief. To believe that it only can is a giant non sequitur.
But I expect nothing other than fallacies from Dinesh. It is HE who hates atheists with such a firey passion that he is willing to make a complete fool of himself by utilizing not just refuted-to-death arguments, but arguments that a 2 year-old could see right through to the rotten core inside.
Dinesh: do the world a favor and spare us from your stupidity, permanently. Especially spare us from your idiotic mentality that a few atheists are the representatives for all. I realize that you believe that because your religion requires a few representatives to speak for all, but atheism isn't a religion, and it doesn't have a select few as representatives.
Knight_of_BAAWA at 10:01AM on Aug 9th 2007