Pop
Quiz. "A rose by any other name
would smell as sweet" is from:
1.
The Rose
starring Bette Midler
2.
The Purple
Rose of Cairo written and directed by Woody Allen
3.
The Rose
Tattoo by Tennessee Williams
4.
Sweet
Devotion Roses by FTD
5.
Romeo and
Juliet by W. Shakespeare
You
don't really need me to tell you the answer, do you? (*If you do, it's at the end of this
piece.)
So, what's
in a name? A lot, if the name is
"atheist." Much negativity
attaches to that label. By definition,
in fact. The term "atheist" seems
to have made its appearance in France in the late-1500s in the form of athéiste. It evolved from the Greek atheos, which was assembled from: a (without) + theos (deity or god).
My beef with the word
"atheist" is that it suggests one is lacking something, one is without. How can one be lacking
or without something that does not exist?
Should one be labeled an aclausist if one believes there is no Santa Claus? Or an apanist if one denies the existence of Peter Pan? Silly, right?
If one rejects the existence of Santa Claus or Peter Pan, one is
considered sane and a realist. But, to one
who does not believe in the existence of a god, no such latitude or respect is
granted.
Synonyms for "atheist" include
such euphemisms as:
nonbeliever,
disbeliever,
unbeliever,
skeptic,
doubter,
doubting Thomas,
agnostic,
nihilist, and so on. All of them negative
to one extent or the other.
"Nihilist"
I find particularly disturbing. Google
"nihilist," and the first definition provided is: the
belief that all values are baseless and that nothing can be known or
communicated. It is often associated
with extreme pessimism and a radical skepticism that condemns existence. A true nihilist would believe in nothing,
have no loyalties, and no purpose other than, perhaps, an impulse to destroy. Gulp!
A nihilist is
pretty much of necessity an atheist; but an
atheist need not be a nihilist.
Far from it. I am an atheist, and
I ascribe to the basic values of human decency.
About most things I am not pessimistic, nor do I condemn existence. I believe in love and friendship and family
and community and art and the New York Rangers.
I strive to be a good citizen and to help others where I can. I just don't need the supervision of a
supreme being or the threat of everlasting punishment for me to be
ethical. Being a good citizen and good
neighbor simply comprise the logical, responsible, and ultimately satisfying
way to live.
So, back to
"atheist." There have been numerous
attempts to come up with a word or label that better captures what it means to be
liberated from superstition and the supernatural. They include secularist, naturalist, secular
naturalist, humanist, secular humanist, rationalist, free thinker, and "bright"
(for the curious: http://www.the-brights.net).
My preference is "secular
humanist," although, granted, it is neither catchy nor self-explanatory. Over the centuries, greater minds than
mine have been wrestling with this appellation issue, so I doubt very much the
conundrum will be resolved by anything offered by this blog. Consequently, next time you use or consider
the term "atheist," do remember that the negativity is in the eye of
the beholder. An atheist by any other
name very likely will be a cultured, community-minded, considerate, and caring
person.
(*The quote is part of Juliet's
rationalization of her love for Romeo, who bears the name of an enemy family.)
