Hello- How do we promote atheism? Should we?

[whanks01]

So I am new here and there is one question in particular that caused me to search for a forum in the first place.  This seems to be a very active forum with many intelligent contributors, so I have high hopes for working through this.

Here is the question with a little backstory:

I was raised religious and was indoctrinated to believe atheists were evil.  I read the Bible for the first time when I was 26 (currently 28) and the inconsistencies and immorality jumped out at me.  I have been to Iraq and seen people willingly die for a religion which they considered to be true, yet that religion was different from my own.  Long story short, with a little help from Dawkins, Hitchens, etc., I was able to free my mind, find the truth, and be completely happy for the first time with my understanding of religion, the cosmos, and myself.

The inner peace that I found was short lived.  I realized I was now an unwelcome stranger in my own country (the U.S.).  I could not be myself around my friends, family, co-workers, or the public in general.  The ignorant masses had rewritten history to reflect a Christian foundation.  I realized how held back we are as a species not because of our technological or mental limitations, but because of self-imposed religious roadblocks.

I now consider what the world would look like if the notion of god could be erased from the minds of the masses.  How many of the world's problems could we solve be reallocating our time, effort, and money towards things that actually matter?  

I refuse to accept the status quo.  With my little time left on Earth in this highly-functional arrangement of atoms I intend to do what I can to open minds.  The question I have pertains to the method used to accomplish this.  While I enjoy watching debates between atheists and religious believers, I question how effective it is.  "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still."  While a debate may be beneficial to someone in the audience who truly has no stance on the polarizing subject, I think everyone else can walk away from the debate regardless of what was said and feel that they won.

Some may argue that people should be free to believe whatever they want.  While this is true, I think that there is nothing wrong with persuading people for the benefit of society.  People were free to believe that slavery was acceptable, women shouldn't vote, and bloodletting cured diseases, but eventually the masses were convinced otherwise to the benefit of society.  People are free to believe genocide is ok, homosexuals are evil, and Allah will reward you for flying planes into buildings.  But I think the world would be a better place if they didn't believe it.

So my question is how do you persuade them?

Do you agree that we should attempt to spread atheism?

[Plu]

Welcome to the forums. Unfortunately erasing god from the mind of people does not magically make them smart and rational people. Most of them just become dumb atheists.

Instead of focusing on making people realise there is no god, focus on making them realise they have a brain and using it is a positive trait, not a negative one. Make them understand that knowledge and learning are the greatest things you can do.

If you manage to make them see that, they'll become better people. And probably also atheists, because knowledge is the bane of religion.

[whanks01]

thanks Plu, and I agree with you that critical thinking and reason are hugely important.  I realize my point is based largely on my personal experience, but I'm hoping other human brains might respond as mine did.  I remember the exact "aha" moment that hit me as I was running on a treadmill one day when I allowed myself to embrace the possibility, then the likelihood that there is no god.  It's just us.  I had a short existential crisis when I realized the insignificance of my life relative to the universe, then I embraced that as well.  After that, it's like my thinking shifted completely.  Now reason alone guides my decisions and I feel more connected to everything including every other human.

I feel like it's hard to guide someone toward critical thinking when every bit of information passes through a religious filter before it is even processed.  Once my filter was gone, my brain that had been there all along started working.

Is it possible to get people to that "aha" moment without changing how their brain works first?
Does everyone who previously had religious beliefs have an "aha" moment?
Does anyone know where I can find any studies or more information on this?

[stromboli]

Welcome. Promoting atheism through political activism tends to meet strong opposition. The internet and forums like this one, and sites like Reddit and Huffpost do a pretty good job, because they continually expose the hypocrisy of religion. to me it's about information- the more informed people are, the less acceptance for antiquated ideologies.

[PickelledEggs]

Promoting atheism can be hard, it requires doing what a lot of theists don't like doing; thinking. More specifically it requires them to ask questions that are against their faith.

I've noticed that asking someone about their religion, not posing it as a "you're wrong" kind of way but, more of a "I just don't understand and I would like to understand why you believe that" kind of way, works a bit better than listing facts of why religion is wrong. (at least in my experience) Usually when I try to explain why there isn't any god people get defensive and their thinking locks up. It does help to have your own research and facts down so you know what questions to ask.

In the words of Mister Dawkins though... :

[youtube:1ju4j2ho]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxGMqKCcN6A[/youtube:1ju4j2ho]

[PickelledEggs]

Oh yeah. and welcome!  :-D

[LikelyToBreak]

Welcome!

I think just being yourself and letting others know you are an atheist works well.  The other suggestions also make sense, but preaching atheism doesn't work, IMHO.  Once people realize that good people can be and are atheists, they can start questioning their beliefs.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Sometimes just avoiding believers works, but its passive. Just don't encourage them, tell them what you think, stir their minds a bit and a lot finally drop from their ranks, but there are plenty of organisations promoting atheism, filing law suits and so on.
The odds of disbanning them are probably better being able to positively identfy one dinky star at night in the middle of Kansas on a really clear night while you're drunk on your eighth bottle of richards wild irish rose and turning in circles.

Actually I'd bet on the star..

[Johan]

To me, theology (including atheism) is like dark beer. People can get you to try it if they nag you enough, but the chances of you sticking with it are pretty slim. The only way people ever stick with it over the long term is if they choose to seek it out on their own.

[Graniona123]

You could try with just being yourself :D But hey, i'm just neutral :D
Welcome here either way :)

[Shol'va]

Hello- How do we promote atheism?

I heard American Atheist occasionally builds things and puts up billboards.
Sounds like great marketing campaigns to me! Donate all your income to them.

[aitm]

I simply walk around in public....people are always in awe of me simply because of how fuckin cool I am. I am like,,way cooler than that phony guy on the beer commercials,, I am the worlds most interesting man. And when in the course of conversation with me, and of course at once recognizing my superior everything they find I am an atheist and immediately convert so they too can experience at least part of the coolness that is me....



[spoil:2gb7ch8r][/spoil:2gb7ch8r]

[mykcob4]

So I am new here and there is one question in particular that caused me to search for a forum in the first place.  This seems to be a very active forum with many intelligent contributors, so I have high hopes for working through this.

Here is the question with a little backstory:

I was raised religious and was indoctrinated to believe atheists were evil.  I read the Bible for the first time when I was 26 (currently 28) and the inconsistencies and immorality jumped out at me.  I have been to Iraq and seen people willingly die for a religion which they considered to be true, yet that religion was different from my own.  Long story short, with a little help from Dawkins, Hitchens, etc., I was able to free my mind, find the truth, and be completely happy for the first time with my understanding of religion, the cosmos, and myself.

The inner peace that I found was short lived.  I realized I was now an unwelcome stranger in my own country (the U.S.).  I could not be myself around my friends, family, co-workers, or the public in general.  The ignorant masses had rewritten history to reflect a Christian foundation.  I realized how held back we are as a species not because of our technological or mental limitations, but because of self-imposed religious roadblocks.

I now consider what the world would look like if the notion of god could be erased from the minds of the masses.  How many of the world's problems could we solve be reallocating our time, effort, and money towards things that actually matter?  

I refuse to accept the status quo.  With my little time left on Earth in this highly-functional arrangement of atoms I intend to do what I can to open minds.  The question I have pertains to the method used to accomplish this.  While I enjoy watching debates between atheists and religious believers, I question how effective it is.  "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still."  While a debate may be beneficial to someone in the audience who truly has no stance on the polarizing subject, I think everyone else can walk away from the debate regardless of what was said and feel that they won.

Some may argue that people should be free to believe whatever they want.  While this is true, I think that there is nothing wrong with persuading people for the benefit of society.  People were free to believe that slavery was acceptable, women shouldn't vote, and bloodletting cured diseases, but eventually the masses were convinced otherwise to the benefit of society.  People are free to believe genocide is ok, homosexuals are evil, and Allah will reward you for flying planes into buildings.  But I think the world would be a better place if they didn't believe it.

So my question is how do you persuade them?

Do you agree that we should attempt to spread atheism?

I don't advocate promoting atheism. I advocate promoting critical thinking and REAL education.

[Jason78]

So my question is how do you persuade them?

Do you agree that we should attempt to spread atheism?

I like to lead by example.  I go around not believing in gods a lot.  I hope that people see me doing that and maybe a few of them might try it.

[Cocoa Beware]

Ive always found it unsettling when I hear stuff like "spreading atheism" because it suggests atheists are united and share a certain set of beliefs. "Persuading" sounds too much like "attempting to convert"

It kind of plays into the hands of those who try to define atheism as another religion, which I think should be stringently avoided.

Regardless, I have always found that people come to these conclusions on their own like you have, which I think is admirable.

I also think that is what makes it more meaningful as well.