A friend of mine recommended this TED video on Atheism 2.0 and I found it to be fascinating (wrongheaded…but fascinating nonetheless). Atheism 1.0 is about the angry atheists – he singles out Richard Dawkins – who think religion is dangerous and the intellectual equivalent of believing in the tooth fairy. I have written a book responding to this brand of atheism and am convinced that Christianity is not only true, but there are good reasons to believe its true. But I will let the reader decide if that was successful. I mention that because in Atheism 2.0, Botton starts by asserting (not arguing) “of course God doesn’t exist. But let’s not throw out religion, let’s learn from it.” There are things we can pick and choose and assemble. We can have mystery and spiritual experiences without the existence of anything spiritual. Romanticism meets atheism. There is no purpose so we must create our own. Culture must replace Scripture. Why? Because no one is teaching us how to live. Secularism simply gives us information and data. But what people long for is human flourishing and community (BTW – the Christian worldview really sparkles here). So Botton suggests there is much to learn from religion even if we don’t believe any of it.
