Hi guys, yesterday I found myself pondering the bus ads for the atheist convention here in Melbourne “celebrate reason!” they say and heaps of radio interviews about why they are right and smart. ?I don’t know if it was their intention to mimic the violent “we have the truth and want to impose it on others” feel of the fruitcake of our faith or the?bully’s approach to self esteem ie?”lets gain our identity by bagging others” . ?But they did. ?Anyhoo this morning I found this more considered and useful reflection than mine in Eureka Street. Enjoy.

Hype undermines atheists’ mission

TIM ROBERTS MARCH 12, 2010

While the so-called ‘New Atheists’ have recently found their voices, the 2010 Global Atheist Convention, ‘Rise of Atheism’, taking place in Melbourne this weekend, suggests that this movement may be in danger of believing its own hype. Judging by the program, the convention aims to increase atheism’s flock by pouring scorn on those whom it should be courting. If that’s the case, the message won’t reach beyond the fans.Some of the speakers at the convention take a pragmatic approach (‘reason with opponents’) while others take an idealistic approach (‘alienate opponents’). The former approach, while substantially more difficult than the latter, is potentially far more productive.

But it’s unclear whether the convention’s overall aim is to reduce the intensity of religious belief or to crush religion altogether. Though Richard Dawkins and others may earnestly hope for the latter, attempting this will only pick off religious doubters while steeling firmer believers against compromise.

Failing to include debating panels with religious moderates is a missed opportunity. Excluding the religious, of course, probably seemed like an obvious move: after all, one wouldn’t invite creationists to speak at a biology convention for balance’s sake. But inviting representatives from major religions would have prevented the conference from becoming a mere exercise in polemic.

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