Recently I was listening to a discussion on ABC Radio National. On it there was an interesting discussion on the role of religion in schools, and whether it should be allowed. What was particularly interesting for the discussion was that the interviewer, and the interviewees were all atheists, yet had quite different views.
However this issue is more complicated than it first appears. It soon became apparent that the discussion was ultimately about a parent's right to raise their child in a manner of their choosing. The interviewer Brendan O'Neill and interviewee Claire Fox believed that religious people had the right to educate their children in religious schools.
This humanistic view supports the freedom and liberty to choose what we want for our children. The other interviewee, Keith Porteous Wood, thought that religion had no place in schools, and that religious indoctrination was wholly a private matter.
This difference in opinion between the discussants, I believe, represents a change that has been occurring not only in how society views religion, but how atheists view others' rights not to be atheists.
This was not a discussion about compulsory religious education (which would understandably be contentious), but about the right to have a religious education.
Keith Porteous Wood demonstrated a disturbing trend - the New Atheist movement shows a marked intolerance of anyone who they view as being intolerant. Put more simply – many New Atheists are only tolerant of atheists.
Intolerance of non-atheists is seen in many high profile atheists such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens who often seek to belittle those without similar beliefs. Ironically, New Atheists while telling us that we are free agents would not allow us the freedom to choose to believe otherwise.
New Atheism has become about an enforcement of ideals, and restricting belief structures – something that the old generation of atheists worked hard against.
As a Christian I find these attitudes very hard to tolerate, there is the temptation to be reactionary – fighting intolerance with further intolerance. There are certainly many things that we should not tolerate – and these things should be discussed openly.
However, we are called to love our neighbours as ourselves. When we choose to engage in debate or sensitive issues this should always be in mind. Christ died for all of us, and loves all of us. In the face of intolerance the best witness is demonstrating this.
Nathanael Yates from Perth, Western Australia, is a young scientist who was recently awarded his PhD in the neurobiology of schizophrenia
Nathanael Yates' previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/nathanael-yates.html