A new sociological study of UCLA undergraduate students has been getting some play in the sceptical blogosphere. Since it relates to some previous blog posts I have written on the LoR I thought I would go through it. Basically, a UCLA organisation called the Spirituality in Higher Education Project (SHEP)1 surveyed the religious opinions of the first-year population on campus. They then followed up with another survey of juniors to identify opinions influenced by several years of higher eduction. The study in question (Scheitle, 2011) focuses on the students’ perception of the relationship between religion and science.
Students could choose between four options to describe their view on this relationship.
Conflict – I consider myself on the side of religion
Conflict – I consider myself on the side of science
Independence – they refer to different aspects of reality
Collaboration – each can be used to help support the other
Categories three and four were lumped together into a ‘non-conflict’ answer.
Of this sample 83% of the students were religious. Unsurprisingly then, this means that 86% of the respondents went with non-conflict (69%) or sided with religion (17%). That leaves 17% non-religious students, 14% of whom sided exclusively with science. Given the large proportion of Christians in the US and that most are not of the fundamental variety, meaning they will have their science and eat it too, this seems a fairly straight-forward result.
Interestingly by their junior year, 73% of those who had originally sided with religion had come to adopt a non-conflict or pro-science position. This shift perhaps reflects the secularising effect of education. However, 47% of those who had originally picked science had also shifted their position. Not as large of a percentage of those who changed from a pro-religion stand-point but a substantial proportion of students. Even when the researcher looked into the data for only science students, the moderating effect of education was still present. Apparently, learning more about science decreased the view that science and religion were in conflict.
What I would have liked to be able to look at is the detailed data for both the independence and collaboration viewpoints instead of having them lumped together in a single category. If it’s correct that more education promotes a more secular viewpoint I would expect to see the ‘independence’ category increase. Whereas if education was actually supporting religion, I would expect to see a growth in the number of students picking ‘collaboration’. With the data in their current form, it’s impossible to make such judgements.
SHEP is funded by the Templeton foundation; any true sceptics will now hum the Jaws theme.
Scheitle, C. P. (2011) U.S. College Students’ Perception of Religion and Science: Conflict, Collaboration, or Independence? A Research Note. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 50(1), 175-186.
Showing posts with label Atheism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Atheism. Show all posts
June 01, 2011
September 21, 2010
Pope in fallacy
A recent speech by the current Pope, in Britain, where he links atheism and Nazism has caused some controversy in the blogosphere and in our own forums. The Pope spoke of “a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society” and went on to express concerns over “aggressive forms of secularism”. This is such a common trope in debates that I wanted to take an entire blog post to explain what I see as the gaping flaw in this form of argument. What I want to discuss is the way atheism and theism should be properly related to religion and ideology and why it is incorrect to set up atheism as the counter-position to religion.
Atheism, at its most inclusive, describes anyone who has no belief in gods. From even this basic understanding, it is remarkably difficult to see how atheism could be expected to produce any action from an individual atheist. There is no causal line from the absence of a single belief to any other belief or action, be it good or bad. Even explicit atheism (the denial of gods) does not imply any further belief or action. If we say this for atheism, in order to be consistent, we must also say this for theism. Theism (the belief in gods), as a single belief, does not entail any other beliefs or actions by the individual theist. A theist may believe in the philosopher’s god, a non-interventionist god, Allah, the trinity, or a whole pantheon of pagan gods. But even these basic beliefs about the nature of gods are additional to the initial claim of theism, not derived from it. Taking the example of the Thirty Years war, the Pope would have us blame theism for the conflict. However, given both sides of the conflict were theists this conclusion makes little sense. The true dividing factor was the different religions, Catholicism and Protestantism, which each side maintained. My contention is that while atheism and theism are blameless in the great atrocities of history, ideology and religion should be held to account.
Ideologies and religions are not single beliefs but whole belief systems and as such can serve as powerful motivators for individuals. While each belief in the system may not be cause for action, the combination of various beliefs produces stimulus for the individual. A single belief in the existence of Hell does little to motivate a person unless further beliefs such as the nature of sin, the possibility of salvation, and a divine overseer are part of the overall belief system. Nazi Ideology, to take the Pope’s example, is a powerfully motivating belief system. What gave the Nazi party its appeal in post WWI Germany was its staunch conservatism and a resistance to the liberal direction of the Wiemar republic. The Nazi’s were anti-communistic, anti-atheist, anti-homosexual, anti-immigrant, and anti-semetic. While not necessary a Christian movement, the Nazi party endorsed Christianity and, in turn, received support from the more conservative Catholic and Lutheran churches. The Catholic church even assisted in tracking down those of Jewish descent by opening its records on marriages and births to the Nazi party. While there were Christians who opposed Nazism the record of Christianity in Germany is one of acquiescence and support rather opposition or resistance.
Taking the historical record of Christianity in Hitler’s Germany and applying the Pope’s recent “reasoning” we should conclude that theism is to blame for Nazism. Note that this would not only include the denominations of Christianity that supported Hitler but also those who objected to Nazism. It would also include Muslim and Hindu theists who had nothing to do with the atrocities. The Pope’s “logic” would also have us blaming the Jewish theists who were aggressively persecuted by the Nazi regime! This conclusion is rightly considered ludicrous as it lacks all subtlety by failing to distinguish between those guilty of the crime and those victimised by it. This is the gaping flaw I wanted to identify. It is not theism or atheism that is to blame for Nazi Germany but primarily the ideology of Nazism and secondarily the religions of Catholicism and Lutheranism.
What we all should realise is it religions and ideologies that are to blame in these historical atrocities not individual beliefs. In the case of the Soviet Union it was a type of Marxism, not atheism, which was the problem. During the Thirty Years war it was types of Christianity which were the problem, not theism. In Hitler’s Germany it was a type of political movement and on 9/11 it was a type of Islam. In no way is either atheism or theism to blame for these devastating events. One final point, I think we atheists contribute to this misperception by setting up atheism in opposition to religion – this is a mistake. Theism is the opposite of atheism and we should make this point clear in all our communication on the subject. We should also reserve our criticism of the historical record for the ideologies and religions that are at fault, and not try to extend this critique to cover all types of theism.
Atheism, at its most inclusive, describes anyone who has no belief in gods. From even this basic understanding, it is remarkably difficult to see how atheism could be expected to produce any action from an individual atheist. There is no causal line from the absence of a single belief to any other belief or action, be it good or bad. Even explicit atheism (the denial of gods) does not imply any further belief or action. If we say this for atheism, in order to be consistent, we must also say this for theism. Theism (the belief in gods), as a single belief, does not entail any other beliefs or actions by the individual theist. A theist may believe in the philosopher’s god, a non-interventionist god, Allah, the trinity, or a whole pantheon of pagan gods. But even these basic beliefs about the nature of gods are additional to the initial claim of theism, not derived from it. Taking the example of the Thirty Years war, the Pope would have us blame theism for the conflict. However, given both sides of the conflict were theists this conclusion makes little sense. The true dividing factor was the different religions, Catholicism and Protestantism, which each side maintained. My contention is that while atheism and theism are blameless in the great atrocities of history, ideology and religion should be held to account.
Ideologies and religions are not single beliefs but whole belief systems and as such can serve as powerful motivators for individuals. While each belief in the system may not be cause for action, the combination of various beliefs produces stimulus for the individual. A single belief in the existence of Hell does little to motivate a person unless further beliefs such as the nature of sin, the possibility of salvation, and a divine overseer are part of the overall belief system. Nazi Ideology, to take the Pope’s example, is a powerfully motivating belief system. What gave the Nazi party its appeal in post WWI Germany was its staunch conservatism and a resistance to the liberal direction of the Wiemar republic. The Nazi’s were anti-communistic, anti-atheist, anti-homosexual, anti-immigrant, and anti-semetic. While not necessary a Christian movement, the Nazi party endorsed Christianity and, in turn, received support from the more conservative Catholic and Lutheran churches. The Catholic church even assisted in tracking down those of Jewish descent by opening its records on marriages and births to the Nazi party. While there were Christians who opposed Nazism the record of Christianity in Germany is one of acquiescence and support rather opposition or resistance.
Taking the historical record of Christianity in Hitler’s Germany and applying the Pope’s recent “reasoning” we should conclude that theism is to blame for Nazism. Note that this would not only include the denominations of Christianity that supported Hitler but also those who objected to Nazism. It would also include Muslim and Hindu theists who had nothing to do with the atrocities. The Pope’s “logic” would also have us blaming the Jewish theists who were aggressively persecuted by the Nazi regime! This conclusion is rightly considered ludicrous as it lacks all subtlety by failing to distinguish between those guilty of the crime and those victimised by it. This is the gaping flaw I wanted to identify. It is not theism or atheism that is to blame for Nazi Germany but primarily the ideology of Nazism and secondarily the religions of Catholicism and Lutheranism.
What we all should realise is it religions and ideologies that are to blame in these historical atrocities not individual beliefs. In the case of the Soviet Union it was a type of Marxism, not atheism, which was the problem. During the Thirty Years war it was types of Christianity which were the problem, not theism. In Hitler’s Germany it was a type of political movement and on 9/11 it was a type of Islam. In no way is either atheism or theism to blame for these devastating events. One final point, I think we atheists contribute to this misperception by setting up atheism in opposition to religion – this is a mistake. Theism is the opposite of atheism and we should make this point clear in all our communication on the subject. We should also reserve our criticism of the historical record for the ideologies and religions that are at fault, and not try to extend this critique to cover all types of theism.
May 07, 2010
Free speech in the UK?
Not if the topic is religion.
In this first case, Harry Taylor (59) left leaflets satirising aspects of the Christian and Islamic religions at Liverpool John Lennon Airport. For leaving these cartoons in a public place, Mr Taylor was convicted of causing religiously aggravated harassment, alarm, or distress. Mr Taylor has been convicted on similar charges in the past and is being treated for depression.
The second case involves a Christian preacher, Dale McAlpine (42) who was arrested after allegedly speaking out against sins listed in the Bible - including homosexuality. Mr McAlpine also faces a charge of causing harassment, alarm, or distress.
While the majority of Christians or atheist probably would not support the actions of either Mr Taylor or Mr McAlpine, the overuse of the public order act in Britain is something both sides of the theological debate can agree on. If we want to have these discussions then it is important that even the most extreme speech is protected. Dropping leaflet or holding an impromptu sermon hardly seem like matters that should involve the police.
In this first case, Harry Taylor (59) left leaflets satirising aspects of the Christian and Islamic religions at Liverpool John Lennon Airport. For leaving these cartoons in a public place, Mr Taylor was convicted of causing religiously aggravated harassment, alarm, or distress. Mr Taylor has been convicted on similar charges in the past and is being treated for depression.
The second case involves a Christian preacher, Dale McAlpine (42) who was arrested after allegedly speaking out against sins listed in the Bible - including homosexuality. Mr McAlpine also faces a charge of causing harassment, alarm, or distress.
While the majority of Christians or atheist probably would not support the actions of either Mr Taylor or Mr McAlpine, the overuse of the public order act in Britain is something both sides of the theological debate can agree on. If we want to have these discussions then it is important that even the most extreme speech is protected. Dropping leaflet or holding an impromptu sermon hardly seem like matters that should involve the police.
May 05, 2010
Did atheism cause the atrocities of the 20th century?
An argument that often comes up in the religion debate is whether atheism can be responsible for the crimes committed by atheists. In response to the claims that Christianity lead to the inquisition, witch-hunts, the crusades, and slavery Christians regularly respond that atheism does not have a perfect record. If these crimes can be blamed on Christianity then surely the crimes of atheists such as Stalin, Hitler, Mao Zedong, and Pol Pot can be blamed on atheism.
There are multiple problems with this argument. The first is that it is fallacious, being both an argumentum ad consequentiam and a tu quoque response all in one. Although the atheist argument that Christianity leads to atrocities is also an argumentum ad consequentiam, I've only ever seen it brought up in response to the Christian claim that religion always results in positive outcomes. Even if the argument that atheism lead to the atrocities of the 20th century is true, we can still disregard it as an attempt to show atheism as a faulty position.
So, what is atheism and how could it motivate someone to commit a horrendous act? Atheism is the rejection of the claim that god exists. That's it. There is no dogma or ideology that logically flows from this position. Any other beliefs that an atheist has are separate from their atheism. An atheist could hold related ideas, such as secular humanism, but there is no direct line from atheism to any ideology. Indeed an atheist could be anti-clerical and hate everything about all religions, or they could be religious themselves as many Buddhist or Raelians are. But both positions are separate from their atheist. They is nothing implicit in atheism that could motivate anyone to action and so the argument on the evils of atheism fails here.
The next question to consider is whether religion is a motivating factor in behaviour. Perhaps the Crusades were not fought because of religion but because of some other ideology. This is clearly false. Many knights joined the Crusades specifically because the church offered them forgiveness from their sins and the Crusades themselves were fought to convert heathens to Christianity. Religion itself was the ideology and dogma that motivated people to action. Theism (the acceptance of god's existence) is the equivalent of atheism and cannot drive behaviour. However, add in a religious motivator like Christianity and the result can be great good or great evil.
What really motivated the communist and fascist dictators of the 20th century was an adherence to the ideology of their respective parties. The fascist dictators - Franco, Mussolini, and Hitler - were all closely intertwined with the Catholic church. Franco was a Catholic and made Catholicism the official religion of Spain. Both Mussolini and Hitler were probably atheists but used Catholicism to achieve their goals and motivate their followers. Both signed concordats with the Vatican and promoted their own piety in public. The fault here clearly lies with religion rather than atheism.
Turning to communism the picture is slightly different. Communist regimes are officially atheist but that does not mean their atrocities were committed because of their atheism (that would be to confuse correlation with causation). In the case of Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Pol Pot what drove their crimes was an adherence to the communist ideology. By far the biggest killer in each of their regimes was starvation due to the collectivisation of agricultural land - a direct result of communism. The second leading cause of death was murder of the property owning class in order that their property revert to the communist state. Finally, any dissenters or intellectuals were also killed as any opposition to the communist doctrine was seen as evil. At no point does atheism take a staring role in these human tragedies. Rather, a reliance and blind acceptance of communist ideology was to blame.
Any attempt to blame atheism for crimes committed by atheists necessary falls at the first step. Atheism is not and ideology, dogma, or even an -ism. It cannot inspire anyone to do anything, good or bad. Something extra must always be added. The same can be said for theism. Before theism becomes a problem, the dogma of a religion must be added. In the case of Hitler, a religious mix of Catholicism and paganism was what drove him to commit the holocaust. In the case of Stalin adherence to the ideology of communism led him to murder and starve his people. Atheism is guiltless.
There are multiple problems with this argument. The first is that it is fallacious, being both an argumentum ad consequentiam and a tu quoque response all in one. Although the atheist argument that Christianity leads to atrocities is also an argumentum ad consequentiam, I've only ever seen it brought up in response to the Christian claim that religion always results in positive outcomes. Even if the argument that atheism lead to the atrocities of the 20th century is true, we can still disregard it as an attempt to show atheism as a faulty position.
So, what is atheism and how could it motivate someone to commit a horrendous act? Atheism is the rejection of the claim that god exists. That's it. There is no dogma or ideology that logically flows from this position. Any other beliefs that an atheist has are separate from their atheism. An atheist could hold related ideas, such as secular humanism, but there is no direct line from atheism to any ideology. Indeed an atheist could be anti-clerical and hate everything about all religions, or they could be religious themselves as many Buddhist or Raelians are. But both positions are separate from their atheist. They is nothing implicit in atheism that could motivate anyone to action and so the argument on the evils of atheism fails here.
The next question to consider is whether religion is a motivating factor in behaviour. Perhaps the Crusades were not fought because of religion but because of some other ideology. This is clearly false. Many knights joined the Crusades specifically because the church offered them forgiveness from their sins and the Crusades themselves were fought to convert heathens to Christianity. Religion itself was the ideology and dogma that motivated people to action. Theism (the acceptance of god's existence) is the equivalent of atheism and cannot drive behaviour. However, add in a religious motivator like Christianity and the result can be great good or great evil.
What really motivated the communist and fascist dictators of the 20th century was an adherence to the ideology of their respective parties. The fascist dictators - Franco, Mussolini, and Hitler - were all closely intertwined with the Catholic church. Franco was a Catholic and made Catholicism the official religion of Spain. Both Mussolini and Hitler were probably atheists but used Catholicism to achieve their goals and motivate their followers. Both signed concordats with the Vatican and promoted their own piety in public. The fault here clearly lies with religion rather than atheism.
Turning to communism the picture is slightly different. Communist regimes are officially atheist but that does not mean their atrocities were committed because of their atheism (that would be to confuse correlation with causation). In the case of Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Pol Pot what drove their crimes was an adherence to the communist ideology. By far the biggest killer in each of their regimes was starvation due to the collectivisation of agricultural land - a direct result of communism. The second leading cause of death was murder of the property owning class in order that their property revert to the communist state. Finally, any dissenters or intellectuals were also killed as any opposition to the communist doctrine was seen as evil. At no point does atheism take a staring role in these human tragedies. Rather, a reliance and blind acceptance of communist ideology was to blame.
Any attempt to blame atheism for crimes committed by atheists necessary falls at the first step. Atheism is not and ideology, dogma, or even an -ism. It cannot inspire anyone to do anything, good or bad. Something extra must always be added. The same can be said for theism. Before theism becomes a problem, the dogma of a religion must be added. In the case of Hitler, a religious mix of Catholicism and paganism was what drove him to commit the holocaust. In the case of Stalin adherence to the ideology of communism led him to murder and starve his people. Atheism is guiltless.
May 04, 2010
The end of religion
The most interesting idea to me was that, on a world-wide scale, the non-religious (myself included) make up a substantial portion of the population. At a local level a particular religion may be followed by the majority but that does not translate into a wider acceptance. In Spain the dominant religion is Catholicism, in Greece it is Greek Orthodox, in India it is Hindu, and in Turkey it is Sunni Islam. But in each of these countries there is a substantial minority of the non-religious and their lack of belief is shared by millions around the world. When we are brought together by the communication technology of the 21st century, we truly are legion. No matter which faith you pick, at most only a billion people think you are right, billions more think you are wrong. I hope the internet can help hammer that point home for those with delusions of grandeur.
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