Atheism: A fad?

[Superior Jazz]

Fads are stupid things people do for the sake of entertainment. Goldfish swallowing. Bell-bottoms. Lava lamps. Stamp collecting. Chia pets. Those are fads. Not a system of beliefs. Or lack thereof, to be precise. People that claim atheism to be rebellious sicken me. I'm atheistic because I don't believe that an all-powerful being could not be corrupt. that he loves us all equally and will take us into heaven when we die? Bullshit. If he loved us all so damn equally, why do some people go to hell when they die? He must not love them as much. therefore, by that argument alone, how can anyone be sure that he likes anyone at all? maybe we're just some grand experiment, to see what happens. We probably screwed up pretty bad. But I can't see that happening. So I am atheistic. Sure, I have occultist tendencies, but doesn't everyone...? ninja Anyway...
Teenagers.
I never had hormonal rage. Seriously. Not once. I really can't stand teenagers. They're >mostly< stupid. Note my use of the word mostly. Anyway. There are a few exceptional cases, in both directions. There are some very, very intelligent teens. Then again, there are some very, very dense ones running about. And the worst part?
They're procreating.  

[Orson Welles]

I would agree that Atheism is becoming a fad for teenagers because I have quite a few friends that became Atheists because they claim to "hate God" or something of that nature. It's terrible because it ruins the reputation of true Atheists.  

[ellell89]

I doubt atheists are a fad people have been doubting god for centurys, people like, according to the bible, jeasus, so that makes doubt quite an old thing. Only difference is that nowerdays we don't kill people for being vocal about it.  

[Edi Gammon]

ellell89

I doubt atheists are a fad people have been doubting god for centurys, people like, according to the bible, jeasus, so that makes doubt quite an old thing. Only difference is that nowerdays we don't kill people for being vocal about it.

I was going to say the same thing pretty much. As long as there is something false yet socially preferred for people to believe in, there will be people who see it for what it is. Whether or not they are 'out' depends on how much social pressure there is and how courageous they are. You can imagine that if the situation today included the military regularly rounding up known atheists, executing them by firing squad and dumping the bodies into mass graves, people would be a lot more inclined to hide their lack of belief. But that wouldn't make people any more inclined to actually believe.

In any organized system of control of humans there will always be rebels, there will always be radicals.  

[Anavis]

Ick, dissolving a belief structure has become a fad now? Have we really been reduced to the level of the latest A&F pants now?

Not to mention the detriment this does to the veracity of those of us who happen to be young atheists. gonk

 

[Sanguvixen]

Even if people today, some of them, treat being atheist as a fad, that still does not make it so. It just means there are a growing number of people choosing a label without understanding the meaning of it.

True atheists did not become atheist by following some "cool fad" because they understand the consequences of choosing to have a lack of beliefs as far as society and relationships are concerned. Now as for your questions:

Has there been a new wave of athiests these past few years?

I do believe as religion has been stamped out of certain areas where it had complete control, it has opened people up to be able to question things like they have never been able to do before which have led people to come to atheistic conclusions. I have no numbers or stats to back up there being a rising number of atheist. I know that where I live, atheists are rare where-as monotheistic religions hold sway over what seems to be the majority of the people around me.

Has current history spurred people into losing faith?

I do not really feel current history has anything to do with people losing faith. However access to a better understanding of history makes it easier for people to understand religion and therefore lose faith in it.

Did The God Delusion play as big a part in new atheism as believed?


I would say no. Considering that the book is not exactly easy to read, and requires at least a College Reading level to comprehend it, and the current mainstream media that is popular among younger audiences, I would have to say that a bulk of the population lacks the ability to comprehend Dawkin's message in his book....and in that way you cannot attribute his book to a "new atheism". I'm sorry, most people 17 and below probably cannot really understand the book, but this somewhat condescending view piggybacks on a discussion of mainstream media and rabid fans from another forum which shapes my perception of the main population and their ability to read and think deeply.

And finally, is today's atheist a product of counterculture?

Well let me show you what definition I go by:
Counterculture: the culture and lifestyle of those people, esp. among the young, who reject or oppose the dominant values and behavior of society.

Counterculture requires something to be exclusive within it's members. You don't have some who are part of it as a counterculture and some who are not. Atheism, which has been around for ages (but suppressed for a long time) has members who treat it like a counter-culture, and other truer members who fully understand why they are what they say they are, and it is not to oppose dominant values and behavior, because they tend to also value similar values and behavior that Christianity and other monotheism promote, due to it simply sociologically making sense.  

[Pilfer von Durem]

Has there been a new wave of atheists these past few years?
No.

Has current history spurred people into losing faith?
I don't know what you are referring to.

Did The God Delusion play as big a part in new atheism as believed?
I hope not.

Lol @Sanguvixen's answer. It was adorable.

And finally, is today's atheist a product of counterculture?
As was said before; some people become Atheists as a way to rebel.

"Counterculture" has been going on for centuries, if not since the dawn of humanity. Ever heard of the Bohemians?

Atheism is not new. The way we spread ideas and opinions are new.  

[Missuhs Bunneh]

It really upsets me that people are thinking atheism as a fad, mainly my parents, because we'll have guests over, and the guests will want to say grace, and usually I just bow my head to keep everyone quiet, and the harassment to a minimum, but my mom had said "Hmph. She just thinks she's an atheist." And one of these reasons why she said that was because she sees it a a way to 'rebel.' So, nuts to the rebels. stressed  

[Slimy Hats]

I certainly hope Atheism isn't a fad, at least for me. Both my aunt and my friend's mom have said that they were very devout Atheists when they were in high school, and now they're both Christian. I'm a little nervous that when I get older, I'm gonna change my beliefs back to Christianity. :/  

[Zombicide]

To be honest, atheism has become somewhat of a fad in recent years. Why? Well, people love to be rebellious to piss others off. Atheism isn't exactly accepted in a world that is predominantly Christian, so of course people are going to try and "go against the flow" and be atheist just to piss others off. However, people like that tend to piss off real, honest atheists (myself included).  

[Serendipity Splendor]

Seeing how most of the people on Gaia are teenagers.... and seeing as we have a very large atheist population... I'd say that there are a fair lot more atheist teenagers nowadays than when our parents were children. Or at least, teenagers nowadays can be OPEN and HONEST about their religious convictions/lack thereof.

We now have a youth culture that allows, even encourages, free speech and expression over the internet. Through this medium, teenagers can "come out": about their atheism, being gay, whatever-- rejecting the ideals of older times.

That said, I am sure that a lot of them are just doing it because they think it's cool to rebel, or get attention.

But those people shouldn't undermine those young people who actually have given a lot of thought to the matter and are looking for a community in which to express their convictions. I became an atheist at age 13, based on persoanl reflection, and I only realized two years later how much Atheist culture there is on the internet! And certainly I don't know many atheist teenagers at my school.  

[Athena_Ritashe]

1 - Has there been a new wave of atheists these past few years?

I just became Atheist after several years of contemplating religion so I wouldn't know.

2 - Has current history spurred people into losing faith?

This entire conflict between the Christian West and Islamic East is utterly ridiculous, and shows how ridiculous both religions are. This could have pushed some people on the fence into Atheism, but overall no.

3 - Did The God Delusion play as big a part in new atheism as believed?

What is going on with The God Delusion? So it's a very popular Atheist book. I think this doesn't play a big part in "new" Atheism, but simply shows that Atheists are becoming more outspoken. Atheists are not becoming outspoken because there are more people becoming Atheist but because we've seen our country get hijacked by the religious majority and are fed up with it.

4 - And finally, is today's atheist a product of counterculture?

I don't think so, I think Atheists are becoming more outspoken because they are tired of the Christian majority taking center stage and claiming the US is a Christian nation. As far as teenagers are concerned I believe that religion plays too much of a roll in most people's lives for them to take on the title "Atheist" frivolously. It is often done only after soulful reflection where one questions the very essence of God, the afterlife, meaning, morals, truth vs. comfort, etc. Perhaps I'm wrong but I would think the people that would join the Atheist crowd to piss their parents off are rare.  

[Paraldehyde Kool-Aid]

No, I don't see any reason to think it's a fad, exactly. It's just that atheists are feeling more of a need to be outspoken about it, perhaps from the desire to be "out" and open about it in the interests of cultural honesty, or perhaps in self-defense in the face of all the loud fundamentalism we've been seeing an awful lot of, especially in the last several years. Bush not only called atheists' patriotism into question, but he also threatened our very rights to citizenship on the basis of nothing more than brute discrimination and a flagrant disregard for the First Amendment. I think that shocked a lot of atheists out to demonstrate that not only are we here and not going away anytime soon, but that we exist in sufficient numbers to taken seriously by those who would otherwise deny that we even exist at all. (Yes, there are those who do. That whole "no atheists in foxholes" crowd that's totally in denial.)

That a person could become an atheist at the age of 13 is not that surprising to me. Kids often question the existence of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy at somewhat earlier ages, in spite of how often their parents may make mention of them and do little things here and there to encourage belief in them. Once a kid sees that those entities are myths, it's not that much of a leap to finish them off with God. It was happening around the turn of the 20th century, all through it, and the fact that it's still going on is only to be expected, I think.

But, it is worth noting that more and more public and lingering communication between people and groups of people are going on today than ever before in such a way that makes it possible for others to see and respond to it. Not such things as evanescent as telephone calls or conversations, and not as private as letters, but out there, broadcast to larger segments of the population than pamphleteering can so cost-effectively reach, written and staying put for sufficient time to ensure a higher readership. This is, of course, the internet, and it makes it possible for a heightened social awareness and a more sensitive finger on the pulse of humanity. A significant number of those involved in these online discussions are teenagers and the younger adults. And more than that, it is youth which possesses a fire that can burn less brightly as people age and mellow (or in such people who do mellow as they age). So, all these things come together to make atheists look more numerous and younger in today's society. In truth, I'm not convinced that the percentage of the population of unbelievers has increased so very much, or that the demographics have much been altered. But, methods of talking about it have.

Teenagers do rebel. It's kind of what those years are all about, really. Expressing one's independence and autonomy in preparation for joining the adult world. But, people change at all ages, when you look at it. Fundamentalist missionaries and adherents have been known to escape from the grip of their churches and become atheists themselves when they examine the beliefs they had once held in the light of day, outside their churches' doors, influences and teachings. Fundamentalists are out there gathering more and more followers the more aggressively they pursue their 'ministries" and, perhaps commensurately, more and more people are becoming disturbed by it all and leaving the "flock," and they're doing so in such numbers that there is an increasing need for deprogrammers to help them recover from it. Well, for the more strident sects, it should be noted. But those who do leave don't necessarily become atheists. A fair number do, but some simply join much more moderate or even liberal denominations in the aftermath.

People are paying more attention to it now, I think, because we hear about it more. Books, documentaries, websites: they've all done their part, but this is, after all, the Age of Information. People are driven to wonder and to know. It's a part of what makes us human. And with knowledge, as always, there are more questions. Questions can make theists of most stripes uncomfortable. So, the progression seems quite natural to me.

If it means there really are more atheists out there, then I'd say that's pretty telling. And not all trends are fads. Pet Rock? Fad. Giving serious thought to personal beliefs or lack thereof? Well, that, I'd simply call progress.  

[=X-Sparker + AquaKiller=]

I am a teenager, and I'm also
the type that gets disgusted/pissed off
by teenagers.

My 18-year-old brother (going to college) and
my mother have caught me, more than once,
saying "Ugh teenagers are so immature."
And then they laugh and say, "Well you're a
teenager, too."

The thing is, I'm not your average,
"I wanna be cool", texting 24/7,
going on facebook another 25/7,
"I love Justin Timberlake" teengaer.
(I don't have texting service in my
cell, I don't have facebook razz ,
I hate Justin Timberlake)

So when these kids start being stupid,
taking one thing after another to be
their fads, and now even one of my treasured
characteristic as a person, I am seriously
pissed. You can't just take something
that's specific to a group of people, be
it race, gender, sexual orientation, or
religion, and make it yours to serve another
purpose.

All they ever do is b***h and moan about
how their parents don't care enough for
them, and how they'd hate their parents
and religion because of that. And how their
parents aren't giving them enough freedom.

Yeah, and they never knew that at the other
side of the world, in a continent called "Africa",
the notion of "freedom" doesn't even exist.

Like, seriously, grow up.

oops caught myself saying that again.
See? I'm just not a normal teenager.
I did a brain test once and got 43 as
my mental age. =_______=

 

[Shounen-Ai Fangirl Moegi]

I only have one simple response to this- Finally, an intelligent fad.