By Sam Harris
My concern with the use of the term “atheism” is both philosophical and strategic. I’m speaking from a somewhat unusual and perhaps paradoxical position because, while I am now one of the public voices of atheism, I never thought of myself as an atheist before being inducted to speak as one. I didn’t even use the term in The End of Faith, which remains my most substantial criticism of religion. And, as I argued briefly in Letter to a Christian Nation, I think that “atheist” is a term that we do not need, in the same way that we don’t need a word for someone who rejects astrology. We simply do not call people “non-astrologers.” All we need are words like “reason” and “evidence” and “common sense” and “bullshit” to put astrologers in their place, and so it could be with religion.
Attaching a label to something carries real liabilities, especially if the thing you are naming isn’t really a thing at all. And atheism, I would argue, is not a thing. It is not a philosophy, just as “non-racism” is not one. Atheism is not a worldview -- and yet most people imagine it to be one and attack it as such. We who do not believe in God are collaborating in this misunderstanding by consenting to be named and by even naming ourselves.
Read full story in Newsweek/Washington Post
Yeah, I think your right on
Yeah, I think your right on this, but on the other hand there i think is the problem that atheism is sometimes the quickest and easiest way, to say: "I don't believe in your bullshit.". Of course its no philosophical statment in any way, but Christianity (or any of this other stuff) isn't one as well. So when they call themselfs Christ or Muslim, i call myself an Atheist.
PS: I hope my English is not to bad to read.