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 7 of 110)
91. I wish someone would tell me where Christians or Jews are killing people in the name of religion or God. All these references to war over God need to have some context or you lose all credibility. The one constant in these anti-religion, anti-God diatribes is the generalizations on the dismissed, discredited, extremist Christians past and present with absolutely no reference to the current main stream Muslim that has no problem with killing people over faith. Until you pseudo-intellectual, anti-American, anti-Christian blowhards can get your arms around that and in addition, the fact that we're all humans (to some degree) with our individual inadequacies, no one should give you any respect.
Dennis Brewer at 1:14PM on Aug 9th 2007
92. I used to be an atheist, and I know I did not hate God. There are plently of monotheists who hate God, but atheists are not among them, they believe there is nothing to hate or love in the sky. As others have written, if people were killing each other over unicorns, Dawkins would have written The Unicorn Delusion.
Concerning morality, look at the Czech Republic, according to 2001 census it is 68% unbelieving (many of them atheist), yet the murder rate there is much lower than here in heavily Christian U.S.
It's true corruption is higher there, but that is because of lower living standards. When you compare heavily Christian Poland, it has a similar rate of corruption as the Czech Republic, with similar living standards.
Tom Martin at 1:27PM on Aug 9th 2007
93. I feel sorry for atheists because I know their frustration personally: I used to think I was an atheist. The world sucked. People, including in my own family, were evil. War didn't make sense. I saw any "God" as an absentee landlord, a neglectful parent, an utter failure. And then . . . by His grace, my life went really awry. From the depths of my suffering, I cried out to God. (Maybe yelled at him too). Rather than swatting me like a fly, the God I had thoroughly rejected embraced me in my emotional pain and saved me from myself and all of my poor decisions. He introduced me to Himself by letting me know that He had visited earth as fully God, fully man - - as Jesus Christ, Lord of Lords, King of Kings. I certainly didn't deserve the salvation I have received.
War? Still around. The Bible talks about it. Evil? Also still around, but not forever! Peace? All mine. Forever. I now have millions of brothers and sisters (my new family!) I have bundles of hope, love - - even for atheists and non-Christians.
I can't thank God enough for caring about me, even while I couldn't have cared less about Him! That's grace, folks! This life ain't all there is. That's why God can let us do what we will do. He is never going to force us to be good. We are made in His image, but we can choose to reject His character. It's up to us. If we choose Him, he gives us eternity with Him in a world that knows no war, no evil, no hypocrisy. Would you want to spend eternity with someone who wasn't totally committed, "sold out" on you? God knows this life is just a "dress rehearsal." Compare our 75-85 years to eternity. No comparison!!!
Pick up a Bible. Go to a church. Challenge a hypocrite. Believe! Receive the reward of salvation. Don't wait another day. Only Jesus truly saves.
Jones at 1:16PM on Aug 9th 2007
94. It is not that atheists are angry at some god, but rather, they are angry because faith-based beliefs are being seen as equal (and, in some cases, trumping) good, solid logic and reason in the political sphere. The more legislation that is based on faith and downright emotive disinformation rather than reason, the angrier atheists will get. It's not a god because there is no god; it's the effect of nonsensical beliefs that affect the collective that we're angry at. I recently blogged about this very thing here.
Kelly Gorski at 1:15PM on Aug 9th 2007
95. I dont know Robert I. Laitres, but D'Souza looks fairly educated to me. I think some of the smartest people are ones who know a lot but can lower themselves to the common level (and then go back). Maybe he is wondering why Athiests would spend so much time on talking against God if they did not hate Him. Of course they claim not to believe in Him, so maybe it could be considered a matter of important conviction to them. But why are they convicted? To me it seems like there is more reason to think there is a God than that there isnt. Give me five reasons why there isnt a God.
Michelle at 1:15PM on Aug 9th 2007
96. Well, here: http://kellygorski.blogspot.com/2007/05/keep-faith-out-of-politics.html
Kelly Gorski at 1:16PM on Aug 9th 2007
97. Knight_of_BAAWA,
Enjoy your days.... they are numbered.
Be satisfied with your short life. You won't convince anyone to abandon hope for a better life beyond this one, so why waste your precious few moments trying. Dust is your fate. So live it up.
Dane Graves at 1:16PM on Aug 9th 2007
98. Jones thats beautiful. I agree. Been there myself at times.
Michelle at 1:22PM on Aug 9th 2007
99.
Well I am done with this blog to be honest. I've stuck around to hear some opposing viewpoints and done my best to refute them, but enough is enough. When someone does not follow Christian morals explicitly in their belief systems they are suddenly entirely immoral in your view, and that makes you a bigot. I'm not longer interested in you trying to connect atheists to the worst ills of mankind when your faith is just as guilty.
Belief systems have never been the issue for atheists, political manipulation by organized religion in the name of a divine message has always been and will continue to be.
Peter at 1:26PM on Aug 9th 2007
100. Wow a lot of anger here. First I am a Christian. I believe in Christ Jesus and I believe he did die for my sins and I have been granted salvation because of him. That said I will not go around telling people who do not believe what I believe that they are wrong and I am right. i will not try to "scare them" into Christianity with horror stories of eternal torment".Just because I know Jesus died for me does not give me free reign to run around and do the wrong thing. I would like to think I am kind, loving, forgiving,loyal and compassionate. Not because I fear "Hell" but because I want to be a good human being. Because it is the right thing to do. because our greatest asset in the here and now on Earth are each other. Wonderful, good people everywhere of all faiths.There are many atheists and agnostics who I am sure do the same things I do, they help people, love, show compassion and they are doing it for the right reasons, not because of a reward or an eternal punishment. In a way they could be said to be more sincere.(Oh please Christians do not start slamming me!)Just suppose as a Christian I did everything right,repented my sins, had the characteristics I mentioned prior and I die and there is ALLAH, and he states to me, well you did everything right..but.....you did not believe in me you believed in Christ, into hell you go ! Now isn't that a little ridiculous. I believe my God is a loving,caring,entity who loves about me more than any human ever could and is a billion times more loving and forgiving that i could hope to be, so if I can love and forgive so will he.I do believe truly evil people will pay some retribution (like Hitler)but it will be just.An example Hitler will feel physically and mentally every baby he tore out of a woman's womb,every person he gassed or burned to death, he will know and feel the horror and pain of his deeds,for all of his actions that directly or indirectly he had something to do with..(I would not want to be in his shoes)..eternal punishment I have a hard time with, because as mortals we are finite and there is always a finish on earth, death is a finish,eternal punishment is not justice then. But i am not God, none of us really know and we should all subscribe to the theory of doing the best we can in the here and now, to be tolerant of all faiths and non-faiths.To show forgiveness...look at people who have forgiven others who have murdered their children,it does not get more forgiving than that.We are not here to judge, I believe that is God's business, not ours. And using hell as a way of introducing people to Christianity is a really poor idea. If that was one of the first things I learned about Christianity I would have ran the other way.
Tricia at 1:39PM on Aug 9th 2007
101. I have to say that many of the response here have to do with violence committed in the name of religion in general and Christianity in particular, but Mr. D'Sousa is writing specifically about some arguments Hitchens and Dawkins have made against the existence of God. Isn't that what an atheist is, someone who believes that God does not exist?
That said, to answer the historical accusations, as someone already commented, most Christians are ashamed at the atrocities committed in the name of Christianity. Most Christians believe that those who committed them are answerable to God for their heinous acts. Just because people disobey God, that doesn't argue against him. God (I am referring God Christians worship, as revealed in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures) has standards of righteousness, goodness, justice (the guilty must be punished), mercy and love. He hasn't changed, just because some who claim to believe in Him have murdered in His name.
I must point out also that many atrocities have also been committed by those of other faiths and by those who don't believe in God as well. Many Christians have been persecuted and executed for their religious beliefs. There is no group of people that has a spotless record.
Most of the talk seems to be about religion, not God, but the Christian God is not particularly fond of "religion".
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widdows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." The Holy Bible, James 1:27
Jesus, when he walked the earth, condemned the religous leaders of his day for their hypocricy and he treated sinners with love, while calling them to repent. We who claim his name are to model ourselves after him. This is something we fail at continually, yet continually strive to grow in.
The fact that religious people have committed crimes against others does not disprove God's existence. It only proves the immoral character of those people.
As Eric Barlow said, religion does have a dark side (and I don't think many of us deny that). But that doesn't prove that God does not exist or that we don't have to answer to him. It just proves what Christians belive and the Bible says: Man is sinful.
"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans, Chapter 4, verses 6-8.
"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since that may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."
Paul's letter to the Romans, Chapter 1 verses 18-20
Sherri at 1:43PM on Aug 9th 2007
102. Death of Reason - As Knight of Baawa said earlier, "if God doesn't exist [to an athiest]" then how can one hate what doesn't exist? Also, your statment "there's no basis for moral language w/o religion"is such a sad view of mankind and I totally disagree, but hey, you have a right to believe mankind sucks w/o "God." I prefer to believe that mankind is filled w/imperfect beings who are searching for their own truths and happiness and just as you can bake homemade yeast rolls where a few burn or fall flat, so can a few humans be flawed as well. It's just a shame we can't toss them out like we do the burnt or flat rolls. I guess that's why we have so many people in prisons...as a mankind with many diverse thoughts and especially in the USA where we're free to openly express our viewpoints on the subjects we come across, we can't just eliminate the bad ones so we put them into cages and hope the remaining ones weren't infected by them.
Sonia, I love, but don't need to be classified as a "Christian" to prove that I love, and that kind of statement insultingly implies that Muslims and Buddhists and other non Christians don't love based solely on the fact that they aren't Christian. That seems to be the same kind of logic Al Queda has for why THEIR God and belief is the only one that exists and that anyone who doesn't believe it should be eliminated.
Michele, I don't believe the Athiest's hate God because they don't believe God exists in the first place. The only reason they expend so much energy in writing about it is to open a dialogue to try and see if someone can actually find a way to prove that God does exist. I'm not an Athiest but I don't want to be pigeonholed as any member of an organized religion either. I would much rather study viewpoints and come to my own conclusions w/o hate for anyone and w/the hope that people can some day learn to tolerate each other's differences and live in peace. Of course, that hasn't happened for thousands of years so why should it happen now? But one can always have hope!
Humane Human at 1:48PM on Aug 9th 2007
103. More evidence that D'Souza just doesn't get it. He is the intellectual equivalent of George Dumbya Bush.
Randy at 1:46PM on Aug 9th 2007
104. Michelle, it is not up to me to prove there is no god. It is up to you to prove there is one.
Knight_of_BAAWA at 1:53PM on Aug 9th 2007
105. Jones,
I know the frustration of theists. I used to be a theist. Always terrified of death. Always fearful of the naughty place that god would send me if I was bad.
Then I grew up. I stopped believing in fairy tales. Everything makes sense now. Nothing made sense when I believed that there was a god, as nothing can make sense with that belief.
Knight_of_BAAWA at 1:55PM on Aug 9th 2007