Atheist Chic – Los Angeles Times by Dan Neil

The revenge of the godless nerds is well underway at your local Barnes & Noble. … [It is what] Wired magazine last month called the “new atheism”—I prefer to think of it as “atheist chic” ….

Despite the recent gains among free thinkers, atheism is still hugely unpopular. … There are few publicly confessed atheists—the illusionists/debunkers Penn and Teller come to mind. Comedian Bill Maher, though not strictly an atheist, is, let’s say, without benefit of clergy. The cadre of the damned —Sagan, Susskind, Dawkins, Dennett, Harris, et al.—won’t sell a fraction of the books culture warrior Bill O’Reilly will sell this Christmas, which kind of makes sense. Merry Christmas! Your God is a fraud!

I am a white Anglo-Saxon male born in late-20th century America—in other words, one of the most privileged beings to walk the earth. And yet insofar as my godlessness is concerned, I am a member of a despised minority. It’s like being gay.

I do appreciate the company, and the ammunition in these books, and the occasional exchanged glance of solidarity in the bookstore. But I’m just slightly alarmed. The new atheism is pretty hard-core, militantly insisting we challenge religiosity wherever we meet it, or else enable its darker extremist tendencies. In other words, the new atheism is on a quest for conversion. Having insisted on tolerance of our non-faith, Dawkins and Harris’ take-no-prisoners orthodoxy would have us be intolerant of others’ faith. Oh boy, just when I was beginning to enjoy being an atheist.

I can’t bring myself to confront others on the truth-data of their religious beliefs, even if they do involve some strange convoluted myth of Old Testament prophesy and Hellenistic blood cults. I was brought up better than that. Believe what you like, insofar as it does not interfere with my lack of belief. Believe in Thor’s mighty hammer, for all I care. Tell me Merry Christmas when I’m coming out of Wal-Mart. And happy holidays right back at ya.