Atheists in Svargaloka

 

Why do US YouTube atheists constantly insist that atheism isn´t a “worldview”, and that atheism “merely” means “a lack belief in God”? They also have a strangely broad definition of atheism. Apparently, you can believe in reincarnation and immortal souls, and still be an atheist?!

Do these guys feel, I don´t know, lonely or something?

Nobody outside US atheist YouTube would refer to people who believe in reincarnation, immortal souls, magic or Svargaloka as “atheists”, least of all themselves. I think proponents of Samkhya or Buddhism (not to mention the California New Age) would be somewhat surprised to be lumped together with Democritus, Dawkins or Joe Stalin! 

Note also the curious fact that virtually no really existing YouTube atheist believes in reincarnation, immortal souls, magic or Svargaloka. Note further that atheism is very much part of their core identity and, ahem, worldview. So once again: what´s the *point* of denying that atheism is, all things considered, a cluster of very narrow worldviews?

Indeed, consistent atheism *must* be a worldview. After all, the atheist isn´t denying a purely abstract God-concept (although I suppose he or she is denying that as well). No, he is very concretely denying Christianity. Of course this has consequences for his worldview. How can it not? Further, atheism is denying, pardon, lacking belief in 10,000 other god-concepts, too. But the only way you can consistently deny almost all god-concepts is if you are a materialist. Therefore, a consistent atheist must be a materialist. And indeed, most atheists outside the United States do seem to be materialists. If you meet an atheist in the jungles of ´Nam, he is usually a materialist. A dialectical materialist, to be more exact. And, frankly, today I suspect most atheists in the US are *also* materialists, as the older generation of dualists, panpsychists and neutral monists quietly die away. OK, Boomer!

While it´s certainly *possible* to be a dualist or panpsychist while also being an atheist, it´s nevertheless a fact that religion will use these metaphysical positions to sneak in through the back door (or is it kitchen window). Theism will inevitably use dualism, while pantheism takes the route through panpsychism (nobody knows what the heck “neutral monism” is anyway). Indeed, I sometimes wonder if dualism is simply theism with the serial numbers filed off? If *even human morality* comes from an “acausal realm” suspended in Platonic form-space, what on earth *is* this mental realm other than the mind of God? In the same way, panpsychism is simply shame-faced pantheism.

But there´s more. Not only must a consistent atheist be a materialist, he or she must also be a Skeptic. No ancient aliens, modern aliens, future aliens can be allowed to enter the metaphysical (or very empirical) city gates of Roswell. There are, after all, materialists who worship them as “gods”. And while Marxism is non-shame-facedly atheist, it could be argued that Marxism-Leninism is a deviation in a quasi-religious direction, due to its personality cult of various Great Leaders, from Old Joe to Kim the even younger. Perhaps the *really* consistent atheist must be a centrist liberal? Or at least a Menshevik!

But we could go even further. It could be argued that a consistent *materialist* must reject all forms of teleology. Indeed, that is what many materialists are arguing themselves. It´s therefore quite ironic that many atheists are teleological, either in an explicit and often quite brazen manner (post-Marx Marxism and Marxism-Leninism, although Marx and Engels themselves perhaps weren´t entirely clear on the topic) or in a cryptic manner (almost everyone else). But then, materialism probably isn´t a coherent position anyway. All forms of materialism that actually tries to explain what the heck is going on in that “material” cosmos of theirs, end up sneaking in panpsychism through the back door. And since not even that can provide the poor materialist with Meaning, he sneaks in cosmic teleology, as well. Is materialism the real shame faced pantheism?

Maybe the Amerikwan YouTube atheists are right, after a fashion. The only thing they do deny is the Christian god-concept…