The Odd Couple

Asininity and Contumacy

Here's a different take.  A geneticist, who is also an atheist, has argued that Christianity could well triumph over atheism.  Naturally, he employs both genetic arguments to develop the proposition.  This, from The  Telegraph:

Christianity will rise as sceptics die out, geneticist claims

Growth of Christianity in Africa coupled with population decline in Europe will trigger new resurgence of the religion, UCL academic claims 

The world could see a resurgence of Christianity driven by population decline in sceptical countries, the geneticist Steve Jones has claimed. Professor Jones said history had proven that religion grows rapidly during large population booms, particularly in poorer countries. He argued that rapid growth in Africa could spark a new resurgence of major religions like Christianity.

However in increasingly atheist countries in Europe people are no longer reproducing in sufficient numbers to avoid population decline, he told the Hay Literary Festival. “Britain is the only country in Europe that’s replacing its population,” said Prof Jones.

Might there be a causal connection between atheistic cultures and population decline?
  Does atheism produce declining populations?  We believe that, at least in general terms, there is a causal relationship.  Firstly, atheism is at least open to widespread cultural pessimism.  Evolution is a cold doctrine.  There is no certainty at all that any species wills survive under evolutionism.  On the contrary, evolutionism evidently produces decay and extinction everywhere.  It is only wishful thinking that suspends such destruction from humanity itself.  Evolutionism as a cosmology is blind.  But the bearing and raising of children--in large numbers--requires a fundamentally optimistic view of the future.  People usually trade on a hopeful outlook for the future in order to bring children into the world.

Secondly, atheism has no fixed nor authoritative doctrine of the family.  Children may as well be produced in a laboratory as by sexual intercourse between a wife and a husband.

Thirdly, atheism has no transcendent values or ethics to inculcate to children.  Consequently, the children of atheism have a peculiar susceptibility to narcissistic self-gratification.  It's all about Me.  An earnest longing to bear and raise children for the glory of God and the good of mankind simply does not exist.  Consequently, atheistic societies have low and falling birth rates, below replacement.  Atheistic populations decline.

Professor Jones continues:

“We atheists sometimes congratulate ourselves that the incidence of religious belief is going down.  But religious people have more children. Where are people having the most children? It’s in the tropics and in Africa.  It’s clearly the case that the future will involve an increase in religious populations and a decrease in scepticism.  We may not need more scientists but more theologists.” 

Or, as Richard Dawkins has argued, children of Christians should be stripped away from their parents, lest they be seduced into that macabre belief.  But Professor Jones is a bit more conciliatory.  He suggests that it is possible to learn some things from Jesus Christ.

However he admitted that when you removed the supernatural elements and miracles, the New Testament was one of the greatest political documents ever written.  “It’s very easy to be sarcastic about religion,” he said, “But many think that the New Testament is the finest political document ever written and you would be pushed to argue with that. Our entire society is based on tenets of the New Testament.”

However, as they say in New Zealand, "Yeah, . . . Nah!"  When you "remove" God from the New Testament, all you have left is wishful thinking--a whole bunch of high-faluting sentiments hung on sky-hooks for decorative purposes.  "Love your neighbour as yourself"?  The challenges no atheist can ever overcome when confronted with such a sentiment are, firstly, why? Then, who says?  Then, who cares?  And then, what is "love"? and so forth. 

But, then, Atheism has usually tried to have it both ways: it insists that God is dead and that the world is a cosmic accident, but on the other hand, we ought to live as if it were not. 

Asininity bound together with contumacy.  Odd couple.