Pray For Peace, Or Don't, Whatever

I've heard it said that when religions begin, they go through a period of extreme proselytizing where the adherents truely believe they are going to change the world and win everyone over. But after a while, they cool it; they haven't given up their beliefs, or ever their goal of convincing the whole world to join them, but they start to realize that it's going to take a while. Any spiritual revolution will take centuries, and the current faithful will not be around to see it. It becomes clear that in the meantime, they're going to have to deal with living on a planet where most people disagree with them.

And that's how so many people around the world get along with one another. Yes, there are plenty of examples of people not accepting each other's re beliefs, but even the most cynical has to concede that the majority of people get along the majority of the time. They may have profoundly different views of the nature of the universe, but they realize that at some point you just have to get on with your life.

Which brings us to atheism. Or specifically, "New Atheism," the more assertive brand being championed by folks like Richard Dawkins. Atheists tend to dislike being classed as a religion, so they may not like where this is going. I'm not saying it's a religion, but for the purpose of this discussion, it has sufficient similarity: it's an idea about the nature of reality, and an idea that some people agree with, and others disagree with. Even if those ideas come about in a different way than religious belief, people with that belief still have the same challenge as any religion: how to deal with people who disagree, and are unlikely to be convinced.

I think that's the source of many of New Atheism's missteps. Although atheism has been around since the dawn of time (however you see it) it's only been a cooperative, political force in the twenty-first century. And thus, it's still at the stage of seriously believing that it can win over everyone.

This came out recently with the news that Dawkins suffered a minor stroke. (Fortunately, it appears he's going to be alright.) When news of his illness came out, the Church of England put out a tweet urging prayers for Dawkins.

Prayers for Prof Dawkins and his family https://t.co/KxBBkBrECk

— Church of England (@c_of_e) February 12, 2016

A lot of people were upset by that, accusing the church of either trolling or being passive-agressive. But really, this is a good example of the need to get along with others. Part of getting along is allowing others to do the little harmless things they feel is important but you don't believe in. It may seem nonsensical to thank someone for doing something that you are sure is not helping, but it's better for our shared society if you do.