Consciously unreligious; atheism, choice and tomato ketchup

An engaging article should start with a compelling statement, and so here is mine; atheism is more of a conscious decision than religion is.

Most religious people would say they have a choice in what they believe in, but I feel more than comfortable asserting the stereotype that if you descend from a Christian family then you are likely to be Christian, and the same goes with Judasm, Islam and so on. Atheism, on the other hand,  is not something society teaches, but is something the individual must personally decide.

There are exceptions to the rule of course, I am not talking about cafeteria atheists or those who have consciously chose to change or engage with their religion, but by and large, I stand by the assertion that religion is often not a choice.

Atheism has a tarnished name. Hardly surprising when you consider that it is in the nature of religion, and therefore society, to repress dogmas which seek to work against it. Religion holds by far the most powerful weapon any dogma could wish to posses; it holds the right to be above questioning. This immediately takes the credibility of movements that work against it away, leaving atheists cast as having closed minds and thoughts, even though they are the ones questioning the ‘things we have been taught’ for over thousands and thousands of years.

People view atheists as rebels because many can’t comprehend ideologies that are removed from society. There is also an element of fear that arises because people don’t like the thought of not knowing. But atheists are not the ones that don’t turn up to church because they can’t be bothered, nor are they the ones who choose not to learn what has been taught. In fact, atheists are more religious than most people who claim to be religious, in that they are consciously unreligious.

If religion is bred through society and family, how can one claim to have reached it upon their own judgement? For those who claim to be open minded, you certainly have been spoon-fed a large chunk of what your ‘liberated mind’ believes in.  Or do our interpretations of open mindedness differ?

Say we were stood in a supermarket deciding which tomato ketchup to buy. One bottle had no information other than a sign saying ‘I’m good for you’, and the other had nutritional information but no sign. If you chose the former, would you have an open mind for believing without reason? Or would the person who chose the latter  have the open mind for not following what other people say?

By Jack Peat