The United States is a nation of believers. People attend both mainstream and non denominational churches at high rates. People report that they find both their moral standing and great comfort in their belief. Yet others see religion as a very destructive force in any society.
What is Belief?
It is commonly held that religious belief is belief in some kind of higher power that has a personal interest in the believer's well being and happiness. This higher power is creator, lover, caring parent and govenor of all things. As a rule this higher power is benevolent, kind and caring, but can be incited to a negative reaction by injustice or evil. Above all this higher power is a personal power that knows the believer and the believer knows the higher power.
What about the Non-Believer
Atheists don't believe in any higher power. In fact, they refuse to even acknowledge the validity of that belief in others. Some have said in recent years that atheism is the new fad. Others suggest that society has outgrown its need for god and that with all the scientific understanding society possesses it is no longer necessary to make up a reason for that which we cannot understand.
Scientists and philosophers recently have published books explaining how society has outgrown this need for god and that how holding on to this god can be more destructive than healthy. Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett and Sam Harris have all published works which have made it to the top of bestseller lists suggesting that society has grown so far intellectually that there is no need for god in our existence. Dennett's work, Religion as a Natural Phenomenon, suggests society has simply outgrown god. At points in existence religion served a purpose growing out of a need for explanation that is no longer necessary thanks to philosophy and science.
Dawkins and Harris take a harder line, suggesting that belief in god is dangerous and is responsible for war, child indoctrination and terrorism. Harris, in taking the hardest line, suggests that belief in a god can lead society into wars based upon a political correctness and tolerance that is dangerous.
What Does it Mean Not to Believe
Some would like to believe that atheists and agnostics (those who believe god's existence to be unrevealed) are in fact devils incarnate. Atheists are blamed for everything from moral decline to the downfall of current society. Yet these accusations are untrue.
Atheists do not believe in god. They believe in humanistic behavior, in the wonder of nature, in the power of science to answer questions. Their act of non belief is not a sin against the believer, but rather an educated choice to which atheists have a right. There have always been those who don't believe in a god, but now those who don't believe are more vocal and more willing to take the stand surrounding their disbelief. For this stand most are ridiculed, judged and treated with contempt by the people who do believe.
Religious Tolerance
Society pays a lot of lip service to tolerance; people are supposed to tolerate anything that does not in theory bring harm to another. Possibly we need to start with religious tolerance that tolerates non religion. The choice of the atheist to not believe is their choice. It is not the job of those who believe in a higher power to convince, cajole and coerce others to their belief. If atheists tolerate religious belief in others, why can't others tolerate the non belief of atheists? After all isn't that the true meaning of tolerance?
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