Whether we like it or not (and I don't - just to make that clear), many Christians and Atheists regard the "other side" with a degree of disdain, suspicion, or even outright hostility, so that putting Jesus Christ together with Atheist might raise a few eyebrows.
My intent in the name was to indeed raise the eyebrows, but not to put people off; rather, I wanted them to read further, to see whether the distinction was as sharp as it is often made out. I would contend that already many people who see themselves as Christian, and unapologetically so, do not believe that the bible records absolutely accurate accounts of past events, do not believe the stories of miracles represent true records of real events, do not believe that Jesus was divine, born of a virgin, or rose from the dead, and don't even believe in God (at least not in the "conventional" way).
So enough preamble. It's over to you folks now: should I change the name of this blog, and if so, what should I change it to? Bear in mind the stated purpose of the blog - to develop a Christianity Compatibility Layer for Atheists. Some ideas for starters:
- "Christian Atheist Understanding"
- "Tolerating Difference"
- "What is Truth?"
Opinions welcome below in the comments section. Thanks in advance!
People need to get over themselves. 7 billion people are never going to agree on anything, let alone philosophy, religion, and morality. Every possible opinion can and will be held, and 99% of them will make it to the interwebs eventually. Like Ghandi, I rather admire Christ (despite thinking most of his purported words and deeds are totally fictional) but his followers, not so much. I don't think your title is any more outrageous than "Jews for Jesus," and even if I did so what? You have a right to your opinion and I have a right to my opinion of your opinion. An exchange of ideas is a beautiful thing. Getting outraged over someone's opinion is an ugly thing.
ReplyDeleteThanks LadyAtheist - some very good points there. At least that's my opinion of your opinion of my opinion... It's nice to know that some people are reading my incoherent ramblings :-)
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, there has also been a wee bit of comment on Twitter - I'm @shanemuk and my timeline has some discussion on this very point.
For me it's the word "Church" in the title that I think might turn people off, as it sounds like another sect. Personally I like the title a lot, but it may not be the best if you want to attract future converts ;)
ReplyDeleteAlso, "Christian" tends to mean somebody who believes that Jesus was the son of god and that he rose from the dead - not just someone who agrees with the reported teachings of Christ.
I'm happy to call myself Christian, in that I agree with most of what he supposedly said, but I always have to caveat that statement quite heavily as most of the associations with that word do not apply to my use of it. (I have to do the same when I call myself a skeptic too. My use of the word just doesn't match the more popular meanings)
One other thought - saying we're Christian Atheists might imply that we agree with the teachings of Christ over and above those of say Confucius or Marcus Aurelius for instance. So I like the idea of "Christian Atheist understanding" as a title, as it's a descriptive sentence rather than a label. Labels are too much subject to other people's perceptions of the words.
This is my first time here. Popped over from a comment in the Dispirited blog.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, I love the title! It's intriguing makes me what to find out more.
Maybe I'm just prone to the same kind of humor...
Interesting premise here. I'll look forward to checking in again.
Keep the title. It's provocative but not excessively so, I don't think.
ReplyDeleteThe title of your post, though, has 'alienation' spelled wrong. Sorry to nitpick.
You would probably be better served by a title that is positive, like your overall approach is. The current title is catchy but it can make people defensive right away. You want people to be positively disposed toward your effort, not defensive. How about "Pro-Christian Atheism"? That's jarring and surprising, but it's unambiguously positive.
ReplyDeleteDon't accept a watered down title. Keep "Christ" or "Christian" in there with "Atheist" or "Atheism." Christian Atheism, Atheist Christianity, Christianity for Atheists, something like that, but something positive, not just shocking.
Thanks folks so much for these (including pointing out the spelling error!). I think I'm gradually coming round to the idea of choosing a title that is a little less antibody-raising (although I *do* like the title).
ReplyDeleteWhat about "Christian-Atheist Convergence" or something like that? Or (to grab ideas from Alain de Botton) "Christianity for Atheists"?
When we see dynamics that have been adequately steady break into polarised camps - eg fundamentalism and extreme liberalism in religion - then we know that change is coming. We now seem to be reaching a greater understanding of what it means to be human and we are approaching the end of some cycles of myth. Human consciousness is vastly complex on both the individual and on the collective levels and since we have in every era created Gods - a God - to meet our needs and to reflect our own stage of evolution - we are now engaging in new ventures into what we have called the divine.
ReplyDeleteThat there is a spiritual dimension to our lives is undeniable given evidence from the beginning of recorded history to the present day and part of that is our continuing need for self-transcendence in terms of consciousness. What strikes me about Christ is that he used his power to empower others - particularly the vulnerable - and he spoke of the Kingdom of God as present in us. he had a deep and relational sense of something that was "more than" his own level of consciousness and he devoted his life to teaching that to be fully human in the best sense is to be in a relationship of empowering love with others. That way of life was in tune with the theism in which he was so deeply related.
I like Rene Girard's exposition of the concept of the sacred being founded in violence and of Christ's death paradoxically opening that dynamic to scrutiny and so making possible a new way.
I find your exploration and your questioning of basic assumed beliefs thought-provoking and therefore good . Your proposed title contains a paradox in that it seems to suggest a church of atheism. Perhaps you are expressing the paradoxical nature of much religion today when we are reaching a new level of consciousness and find ourselves not quite ready to let go of the familiar comforts and to strike out in search of who we really are. Church implies not only religion but also community - gathering together - and perhaps that element is reflected in your title. You are seeking a community of discussion - of exploration. Where is our need for transcending our current consciousness taking us? Using current Christian beliefs as a take-off point then perhaps titles for such a questing group might be - Finding Christ in Atheism or Atheism following Christ or Atheism and Christ??
Anyway, Shane, thank you for your questing mind and beneficially disturbing question.
plantingtheoar
Thanks, plantingtheoar - nice to see you here as well as on Twitter :-) The way I see it there are a number of things we have to learn to live with (some subsets of each other): 1. The Universe; 2. Other people; 3: Ourselves.
ReplyDeleteIt pays not to be too dogmatic, and not to assume that others see the world in exactly the same way we see it. However, the world is as it is, and we very much can choose how we deal with that...