THE RICH FOOL (Luke 12)

  CONTEMPORARY ATHEISM.

'ATHEISM OF THE ACADEMY', common among secular intellectuals who accept only those realities that can be brought before the bar of reason for critical judgment. Included here are some scientists who maintain that all reality can be understood and explained without making any reference to God.

'MATERIALISTIC ATHEISM', common among those whose ultimate values are found in consummer goods, investments, and pleasure.

'ATHEISM OF MARKETPLACE', which appears among those in industry and corporate life, who absolutize profit and success.

'ATHEISM OF INDIFFERENCE', which does not see the relevance of God to any events, realities, or the carrying on of everyday life.

The contemporary atheist does not tend to be a phylosopher concerned with disproving God, as in 19th century.
Atheists today tend to be people who focus their life on education, science, corporate life, art, or industry and who think that any notion of God or religion simply gets in the way of what they want to accomplish in life. For them God is not part of the universe, or history, or personal life.  This is not so much the post - World II atheism that grew out of anguish and a sense of the absurd. This is an 'atheism of indiference', which seems to develop out of a drive for personal autonomy and individualism.

The atheism of indiference that is prevaent today is not necessarily linked to an ideology that embraces an evil lifestyle. Often this kind of atheism is quite humanistic, concerned about the well-being of all people but convinced  that belief in God and religion can only diminish humankind and inhibit people's freedom.
Bertrand Russell (+1970) described this kind of atheism:' The freedom that the freethinker seeks is not the absolute freedom of anarchy: it is freedom within the intelectual law. He will not bow to the authority of others, and he will not bow to his own desires, but he will submit to evidence' (Bertrand Russell, Collected Essays (1943-1949) (New York: Arno Press, 1972), p.3.)

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