Has there ever been an age in which atheists have needed to win converts? Man’s rebellious nature has always chafed violently against the demands of religion and the limits piety imposes. So it is strange to see the “atheist bus” campaign making its pilgrimage across what was once known as Christendom. The Christian faith has already withered so much in Europe that there seems to be no need for missionary zeal on the part of the prophets of godlessness. So why proselytize for atheism if God is already dead?
It seems that believers who were once dismissed as deluded must now be answered and refuted. It is not enough to ignore belief: modern atheists now need to eradicate religion altogether. However, it is wrong to fear the robust denials of Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and their zealous, preaching ilk. Indeed, they seem to be much more afraid of the resurgence of religion they see in society.
And they are rightly afraid. The militant strains of Islam that have spread throughout Britain, and the indecent cult surrounding President Barack Obama in America, are both perversions of transcendent longings which have been channeled into worldly aims.
Against these powerful rivals, the anemic ideals of secular humanism are weak and unattractive. The new atheism is, thus, a symptom of civilizational exhaustion: the godless West must now compete against Islam and post-Christian idolatry for the very existence of the secular state.
The end of an age is proved by placards that read: “The end’s not near.” But what comes after the post-Christian era? Only one thing is certain: the future belongs to the fruitful. If demographics are any indication, the divide between West and East will soon be eliminated. The secular West will give way to a culture in which no separation of culture and religion exists.
However, the exhortation of the Creator – “Be fruitful and multiply” – is complemented by the command of Christ, who said: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19). Modern atheists have realized the need to evangelize. Will the original recipients of the Good News learn the same lesson?
