The New Denial

Today i read an article in 'Der Spiegel' entitled 'Gott ist an allem Schuld!' ('It's All God's Fault!'). It describes the efforts of the new atheist movement, led by Richard Dawkins, to fight the influence of religion and establish the sole rule of 'reason'. According to the magazine, the so-called 'Brights', self-proclaimed missionaries of a world view 'liberated from everything supernatural', are preparing for their own holy war in books and on internet sites such as 'www.infidels.org' and 'www.religionisbullshit.net'. They think that religion is the cause of all (or most) evil occurring in and between human societies. Their offensive stance is essentially a reaction to the terrorist attacks on and after 11/9/2001, but also to the violence in the Middle East, Northern Ireland, Afghanistan etc. (Note: what about the hundreds of millions tortured, maimed and killed by the likes of Stalin and Mao in the name of atheism?) Although i understand and share these people's fear of religious fanaticism and fundamentalism and their dislike of unjust privileges bestowed on religion in many countries, i was shocked both by their aggressive denial of anything spiritual, let alone the notion of an Intelligence that could have created us and our universe, and their incredible arrogance in thinking they know better and they can explain everything in terms of physical laws. I wonder who is more primitive: the honest believer in spiritual beauty and mystery or the self-proclaimed materialist who fanatically pursues and fights any thought that smells of transcendence. Are we back at square one, threatened by the onslaught of new Flatlanders? Ken Wilber, help us! (picture: 'The Illustrated Man' by Peter Goodfellow)