When Atheism Is Not Humanism
There is (has been and will continue to be) much discussion within the Humanist community on whether a Humanist must be an atheist. Most Humanists would agree that it is difficult to be a freethinker and not come at least to agnosticism. But is an atheist, by definition, a Humanist?
On April 26, Sunday morning’s “Atheist Talk” aired a radio show that reminded us in no uncertain terms that simply being an atheist does not make you a Humanist. It showed how atheism can easily be coopted to push an ideology and how that ideology can be used to lie, create fear and rewrite history.
Sunsara Taylor certainly seems like an honest, caring person. After all, she is a leading figure in the antiwar movement, speaks passionately about poverty, and ably points out the corruption and greed that seems to have taken over our corporate system. And what freethinker wouldn’t love her going toe to toe with the right-wing stars of the Fox Network (watch the interviews via the link on the Minnesota Atheists website if you haven’t already).
But it is the very passion that she shows in those encounters that tip you off to her blind commitment to communism. Skepticism and critical thinking, the hallmarks of free thought, are out the window: Slums and the rush to the cities are blamed on globalization (never mind that these trends have existed for hundreds [thousands?] of years). Food shortages are not due to scarcity … it’s just a distribution problem (the world is not facing an overpopulation crisis??). And, of course, the capitalistic state is the bad guy. (Communist states are better? Could it be that it is the corruption of the state by those hungry for power that is problem regardless of the system?)
Like the most rabid religious ideologue, she has mastered all the diversionary skills including rewriting history. Mao’s pushing people out of the cities into the country and killing millions in the process (didn’t happen, of course) was a good thing! Reagan is the villain who started deregulation (never mind that it stemmed the runaway inflation that we were suffering at the time due to blooming deficits). Religious oppression equals economic oppression (nice sound bite!). She even denied the label of ideologue, claiming we are all ideologues (what about those of us who are skeptics?). Despite the best attempts of many of the listeners to call Sunsara accountable, she diverted every question, labeling the callers “misinformed.”
In the end, Ms. Taylor was there to push the book of her mentor, Robert Arakian, president of the Revolutionary Communist Party USA. By her postering and words, she reminded us that if we want to kill the American freethought movement, all we have to do is align ourselves with communism (or any other dogmatism).
Comments
Comment from Otto Henderson
Time October 5, 2009 at 2:10 am
Thank you, Scott, for the salient points.
Some of the most dogmatic mooks I’ve ever met have been atheists here in MN.
Free thought, practiced as a life-long discipline, is apparently a little too hard for some people…
But it is fun, in the long run, I’ve found.
Live long and prosper!
Comment from NathanCurland
Time October 9, 2009 at 9:16 am
After reading George’s condemnation of my blog, my first reaction is to ignor it. After all he offered nothing more to the conversation than his own opinion … no facts or critical thinking.
But I really have to point out that everything he says about her talk simply supports my basic statement that she is a disengeneous, manipulative speaker who simply distorts basic facts to support her worldview. I felt no compulsion to ask her a question exactly because she is so good at this manipulation. We all have felt the absolute uselessness of having a discussion with someone who is not open minded to anything he/she deeply believes. Her responses to questions was of that ilk and I have no desire to enter into that type of discussion.
I advise George (anyone else) that if you going to listen to podcast, you would be better of trying to substantiate her statements than looking for non-existant ‘openness’.
Comment from George Kane
Time September 11, 2009 at 10:12 am
Although in my experience nearly all Marxists are atheists, that seems to be everyone’s hushed secret. Marxists rarely admit to being atheists, and atheists refuse to acknowledge that there are Marxists in their number. Atheists and Marxists, it seems, are each habitually concerned that acknowledging the other would cast themselves under the shadow of the other’s disrepute.
The release of Bob Avakian’s book Away with All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World, and Sunsara Taylor’s promotional tour were significant steps to remedy that rift. Avakian is the Chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party USA, and Taylor is a street activist and popular contributor to Revolution newspaper.
Taylor’s tour provided a timely opportunity for Atheist Talk Radio to challenge and expand the horizons of our target audience, and to provide them a glimpse of the breadth of the atheist community. I expected many in our audience to disagree with her, and so looked forward to a lively and informative audience interaction. I think it is unfortunate that Nathan Curland did not take advantage of the opportunity to question Taylor by phoning in or at least submitting questions by e-mail, yet engaged in ad hominem attacks in his web editorial.
For example, Curland writes that “she has mastered all the diversionary skills including rewriting history.” Throughout the interview she was given the opportunity to be thorough and expansive, but her answers were direct and never evasive. She is a serious student of history, despite Curland’s aspersions. Curland seems to be making much of a summary answer she gave when told that there was only a minute and a half left to the interview, when she derided the exaggeration that is accepted as conventional wisdom that in revolutionary China there were “many many many millions of people killed.”. I have listened to the podcast once again and find no justification for Curland’s accusations of lies and fear mongering.
Curland accuses Sunsara Taylor of “blind” commitment to ideology and throwing critical thinking out the window. Rather, she has strongly stated and, to Curland, unfamiliar opinions, but she does not shy from the examination that characterizes critical thought. I have seen her field questions from the audience after her presentation at the University of Minnesota. She answered even the rudest and most confrontational questions respectfully and seriously.
She said on the radio program “If somebody actually thinks that I am wrong and can substantiate it with evidence, I want them to bring that challenge, and if I am wrong I want to know.” That is a credo of which any critical thinker would be proud.
Too often we find that organized atheists are constrained by the narrow ideology of American political liberalism. For these dogmatic listeners, an hour of Sunsara Taylor is surely difficult and challenging. I disagree with her on many things but find her always well-informed and her opinions well-considered. Curland’s editorial admonishes us that “if we want to kill the American freethought movement, all we have to do is align ourselves with communism,” but by definition freethought is independent of every organization and political faction. At least Curland forced me to listen to the podcast once again, which I found well worth my time, and recommend to everyone.