Scientific Myth

This chapter explores the relationship among science, religion, and atheism through analyses of popular television shows and their reception by atheist viewers. This chapter analyzes two dramas, House, M.D., and Bones, and one docuseries, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. It argues that television is an important site for contemporary cultural work and that the television narratives contained in these three shows constitute a “mythology of science” that is of central importance in contemporary atheist culture. The chapter identifies three tropes found in the shows: the hero scientist, the use of science to answer “religious questions,” and the myth of conflict (between science and religion).

Atheist Indoctrination?

This chapter analyzes the content of atheist parenting blogs (a subgenre of the “mom blog”) to ask how raising children becomes a way to practice atheism. The chapter observes a delicate tension within atheist parenting discourse. Atheist parents recognize that they would be most comfortable if their children choose a recognizable path when it comes to religion (or, more accurately, lack thereof). At the same time, they are wary of indoctrinating children into atheism, as they see indoctrination as a harmful practice and one associated with religion. This chapter identifies and analyzes a variety of strategies parents use to mitigate the tension of “atheist indoctrination,” while still guiding their children toward beliefs and behaviors that align with their understanding of the good life.

Deconversion Narratives

This chapter analyzes over 200 deconversion narratives (accounts of the loss of faith and the adoption of an atheist position) from an online atheist forum community. This chapter shows how notions of atheist identity develop in direct relation to notions of religious identity. Appeals to what is “natural” or “authentic” and descriptions of a progressive process of maturation or enlightenment appear in these narratives as ways to imagine atheist identity as starkly different from religious identity. The analyses in this chapter reveal a more complicated story, however, as the narratives also nod to the importance of authority, media, and new community in the formation of atheist subjects. This suggests that becoming an atheist entails not only divesting a religious identity but also adopting a new identity: one that is personal as well as communal.

Introduction

The introduction to Practicing Atheism familiarizes the reader with contemporary atheist culture through a brief description of a billboard campaign sponsored by the Freedom from Religion Foundation. This chapter situates the larger work within a growing body of scholarship on secularism and atheism, suggesting that the cultural studies approach of this book makes a novel contribution to the field of secular studies. The introduction explains the book’s approach to media, both theoretically and methodologically, suggesting that there is no separating culture from media. Finally, the introduction lays out the theoretical argument of the book, which accounts for the central tension of contemporary atheist culture: the fact that organized atheism comes to bear a resemblance to what we (and atheists themselves) think of as religion. Ritual theory is introduced as a tool for explaining this tension.

Autonomy or Authority?

This chapter analyzes samples from atheist visual culture (memes, cartoons, fan art) to explore a complex and divisive discourse on authority. Atheists have long critiqued authority as it appears in religion. Atheist culture has its own authorities, however. Famous figures in contemporary atheist culture (including Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens) gain authority largely through their appeals to science and reason, but their influence extends far beyond their respective areas of expertise. The celebrity-scientist-atheist is not an undisputed authority in atheist culture, however, and draws increasing critique from those who identify this type of authority as consistent with established forms (white, male, educated) and ultimately divisive rather than unifying to the movement as a whole. This chapter therefore highlights disagreement within atheist culture regarding the proper location and exercise of authority.

Ritualized Debate

This chapter analyzes moderated debates. The chapter considers both live events and the adaptation of the debate format on online forums, arguing that debate is a central practice in contemporary atheist culture. Many atheists proclaim that debates are pointless, though the events draw large viewership and inspire extensive conversation across atheist culture. This chapter suggests, therefore, that debate is not simply a tool for relaying potentially persuasive information. Debate is a ritualized practice that circulates meanings and produces a shared reality for participants (debaters and audiences alike). This chapter examines debate to observe how communication is often more about participation and fellowship than it is about conveying information.

Conclusion

The conclusion to Practicing Atheism outlines areas for further analysis. Specifically, it observes how questions of identity politics and “atheist intersectionality” lurk throughout the book. The conclusion provides an explanation for the fraught state of identity politics in atheism based on “Enlightenment zeal,” or a contemporary interest in recovering Enlightenment values. The conclusion also introduces the questions of whether an atheist “tradition” exists and how scholars might locate and narrativize such a tradition if it exists. Though many of the materials of contemporary atheist culture analyzed in this work are forgetful or dismissive of the past, there are ways that they harken to much older practices and materials. This chapter concludes with a statement on the theoretical takeaways of the ritual model developed throughout the book.