Hardened Hearts

I will be really glad when the hubbub over the atheist placard in Washington State is over with, but it does keep generating insight on the state of atheists in the culture--but not just in terms of how they are perceived, but in how they are portraying themselves.

Take, for example, Dan Barker, head honcho at the Freedom from Religion Foundation, an important group that is responsible for the placard which states, in part, "Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds." (Emphasis mine.)

[Barker] said if anything, it's the Nativity scene that is the intrusion.

"Most people think December is for Christians and view our signs as an intrusion, when actually it's the other way around," he said. "People have been celebrating the winter solstice long before Christmas. We see Christianity as the intruder, trying to steal the holiday from all of us humans."

Well, that's a pretty big "we" there, Mr. Barker. I don't know of any atheists that are comfy with the state of religion's encroachment on government and policy, but I also wonder at the idea that Christianity is somehow "intruding" on what would otherwise be a pagan celebration which would include, what, fertility sacrifices? I don't know about Dan, but if that's the choice, I say the Christians can have this one. Does the religion of the majority intrude on the lives of nonadherants? Of course. But I'm less concerned about one essentially benign holiday overtaking a more, shall we say, dangerous one.

Maybe the pagans had dibs, but I wasn't there when it all went down.

I somewhat digress. Contrast Mr. Barker's comments and the text on the placard with something I read from Tanya at Dizzying Intellect, a blogger who considers herself to be a conservative atheist:

These crazy, bitter extremists don’t represent the vast majority of (grown-up)atheists in this country. [. . .] we love it when you tell us Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah or Blessed Yule, because you’re wishing the joy of your holiday on us. The spirit of the season may be secular for us, but we certainly don’t deny that it exists. We smile at strangers and call our familes [sic] and give to charity more at this time of year, just like you do. And we certainly don’t want to take away your sparkly trees and menorahs and crèches, because they’re lovely and cheerful, and we like that they make you happy, and they definitely don’t “harden your heart.”

Now, I would not call FfRF "extremist" at all, but I too have been unsure of the confrontational tone of their sign if only from a PR perspective, considering the otherwise-brotherly context of the other displays (until recently, of course). And I agree with the general thrust of Tanya's perspective: a spirit of good will towards everybody is a good thing. I lament that many people feel they need an omniscient superbeing to tell them to have good will, but even Richard Dawkins is happy to hear and say "Merry Christmas."

But of course, it is not Christmas and Santa and candy canes that the folks at FfRF believe harden hearts, but religion in general. And that is a proposition worthy of debate.