An Exceptional Post At Orthosphere

From Alan Roebuck, Atheism, Agnosticism and Cultural Low Self-esteem, an excerpt:

Think of it: What character trait is today nearly-universally held to be the greatest virtue? Which trait is most praised? The absence of which trait is loathed most deeply and punished most harshly?

Tolerance, of course.

It does go by other names: nonjudgmentalism, openness, diversity, anti-racism, etc. But whatever it’s called, the supreme virtue of the modern age is not to believe.

Not to believe that one’s people are good and therefore one should be loyal to them. Not to believe that there is one true religion not only for us but also foreigners. [Hey, if it’s true, it’s true.] Not to believe that there are proper ways to love and marry, not just for me but for all. Not to believe that some things are beautiful and others are ugly. Not to believe that proper standards of decency ought to be enforced. Etc.

[It’s true that the authorities always act as if they believe some things. It’s impossible for an individual to live, or for a nation to exist, without at least acting as if certain things are true. But nowadays you’re not allowed to state openly that certain things are true and that you are acting accordingly. If you do, you’re a “bigot.”]

And this is generally the ethos of today’s atheist. He usually says that, sure, there might be a God. But I see no good evidence. So I remain skeptical. I won’t say for sure that God doesn’t exist, but I just won’t believe it. Today’s atheism reinforces and is reinforced by the spirit of the times.

And, naturally, the atheist regards his worldview as the best. The one that everyone ought to embrace if we are to make a better world. Let’s all stop fighting over Flying Spaghetti Monsters who don’t really exist and get on with living the good life of skepticism, tolerance, and live-and-let-live.

Except that human life doesn’t actually work that way.

In order to achieve anything great, and to insure the continuation of his people in the midst of a hostile world, a man (and a nation) needs certainty about some things. And the most important thing to be certain about is that your life makes sense at a deep level. That you are not just thrown into existence for no reason and then snuffed out utterly a few decades later for no reason either.

A man also needs the confident belief that he and his people are basically good. Only then will he be willing to exert himself, and sometimes deny himself, in order to protect someone other than himself.

But atheism is based on a skepticism that dissolves this confidence. It does so in individuals and nations. Told to be tolerant, told that nonjudgmentalism is the greatest good, told that reality itself is equal and indeterminate, threatened with punishment if he acts as if his people and his religion are actually good, the modern man shrinks back into skepticism and solipsism.

Therefore Western nations lack the will to defend themselves against any but the most crude and obvious physical threats. We allow foreigners to colonize our lands. We allow our children to forget the ways of our ancestors. We allow disorder and rebellion because we don’t want to deny anyone their civil rights. And so on.

All this is the predictable result of widespread skepticism. If God doesn’t exist, I’m on my own. And even if God just probably doesn’t exist, what difference would it make even if he does? After all, so this line of thought goes, a real God would make his presence known, but no such God has made himself known to me. Either way, with no (real) God out there, I cannot look to him to set things right. All I can do is make my brief existence as pleasant as possible. No sense sticking my neck out.

He moves on to a conclusion which is taut and cutting; read the whole thing.