AOF Activities & Events

Disdain: Those stuck-up atheists!

Ah, here we are. So precious, arrogent, full of ourselves ... certain we are right ... the darlings of the truth. Hm, maybe we should work on that. Maybe atheists and freethinkers can be a bit less disdainful of those living in other intellectual bubbles. Because we're in a bubble too, aren't we, breathing our own exhalations? Do we not tend to dismiss faith-claims out of hand? Don't we bang square pegs into round holes to fit our ideology, our paradigm? We can continue so, gazing into our navels, irredeemably lost within the echo chamber of our own stories. Or we can open our hearts. Become a bit more compassionate, more open, to contrary views. And maybe in the process, learn something.

Let's try it. Let's ask truly, who is more likely to look down on people unlike themselves -- who is most easily conned and hoodwinked -- who is kinder, gentler, more honest? Who more despitful or cruel? In the great conversation between faith and doubt, which side is more likely to be liberal, in the original sense of the word? These are hard deep questions, each a can full of worms, wiggly ones. Studies have been done, patterns have emerged -- maybe not always what you might expect.

Come to the January Philosopher's Table, to take a good honest look at the smugimage in the mirror.