The revelation a few weeks ago that 21% of atheists say they believe in God confused those of us who took the term to mean someone who, well, doesn't believe in God. It seemed a bit like saying 21% of women are men.
I probed the Pew Religious Landscape study a bit more and found these equally intriguing statistics:
- 21% of atheists believe in miracles
- 18% believe in life after death
Another set of statistics seems to indicate that the Spiritual Atheists actively attempt to find meaning in their lives beyond the purely materialistic or mechanistic:
- 18% of atheists meditate weekly
- 37% feel deep sense of wonder about the universe weekly
- 28% deep sense of spiritual peace and well being weekly
It may be that these confused results stem from a certain atheism chic. Though atheism is still highly stigmatized in much of the country, there are undoubtedly pockets of America that find it intellectually glamorous. Perhaps some of the Spiritual Atheists dislike organized religion but wanted to be a part of some group, and this one came close enough.
But I suspect it shows something a bit deeper than that. The growth of atheism in recent years is more a full rejection of religion than it is a full embrace of science. For the Spiritual Atheists, not everything can be explained rationally. They know that the religion of their childhoods doesn't explain it but they haven't given up on the idea that supernatural mysteries play a role.
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"Spiritual Atheist"? Maybe this is a use of the word "spiritual" that I haven't encountered before. But as long as it doesn't entail an entity that exists separate from the human body, well... ok. I'll see where it goes. As for the word "atheist", the word in it's roots is self-defining. Atheism is the absence of a belief in any god. Anyone who calls themselves an atheist, then professes a belief in a god, is simply confused or ignorant of the facts.
In the interest of disclosure, let me say here that I am an atheist. As atheist as any honest, rational, thinking human being can be. When I let go of my belief in a god, I also let go of any belief in an afterlife, along with any other irrational beliefs that I might have been clinging to. It is my sincere opinion that for the vast majority of those skirting the issue of accepting atheism, the fear of a permanent death is the last barrier to accepting the truth. The prospect of saying goodbye (forever) to everyone you have known, as you pass into oblivion, can be a little unsettling upon first examination.
I understand this fear well. Irrational though our behaviour can be, in the face of this truth, the fear itself is not irrational. It is a predictable and rational response to the stripping away of an immensely comforting 'little white lie'.
Back to the topic at hand... Let me address the points the OP raises, one by one. I think I've already addressed the question of 21% of atheists believing in a god. It is simply, by definition, not possible.
As for 21% of atheists believing in miracles; one would need to create a radically different definition of the word 'miracle' in order for this to be true. If by 'miracle', you really mean phenomena that haven't been fully scientifically categorized yet, then ok. It's a corruption of the english language and a real stretch, but if that's the only way you can present it, well alright. As far as bona fide miracles in the original intent of the word... an atheist would no sooner believe in such delusions than to offer up his or her first-born for christening.
18% of atheists believe in life after death?! Uh... well, not unless it involves in cryogenics, cybernetics, or the passing of intelligence to machine life. And these ideas are really in the minority, at least for now. As for the standard religious presentation of a worry-free romp through the heavens with the deity of your choosing; accompanied by all your relatives and friends who shared a belief in the same invisible man (or woman) as you, well... Atheists have a lot of light-hearted fun with this concept. But it's not something we believe in. Actually, our interpretation of the word "belief" is probably a bit different from that of most theists.
18% of atheists meditate weekly? Sure. What would be so unusual about that? Meditation hardly requires a belief in a god. A belief in one's self, perhaps. The benefits of meditation are well known to atheists, and have been for some time.
37% of atheists feel a deep sense of wonder about the universe weekly. You bet your sweet star cluster we do. If this figure is truly accurate, I feel sorry for the other 63% who don't feel a deep sense of wonder about the universe. The universe, and many of our fellow humans along with it, are an almost limitless source of inspiration. True, some humans inspire only fear or contempt, but that is the minority. I believe most humans have an immense capacity for good. The universe too, has some very scary aspects. But they are vastly outweighed by the potential for wonder and inspiration. And on that topic, some of these scary threats from the universe have presented us with good reason to throw off our illusions and start cooperating with one another. Our first test is a mere 20 years away. It will be, uh, interesting to see if the theists show their allegiance first to self-preservation, or to their mythology.
28% of atheists feel a deep sense of spiritual peace and well being weekly.
Now the figure presented, I can't comment on. I also wouldn't use the word 'spiritual'. I would more likely express it as 'inner' peace, or 'personal' peace. Using the word 'spiritual' just muddies up the waters. But... as I said before, if that's the best you can do, I'll grudgingly allow it -for now. As I say, I can't speak to the number cited. But, I know that I feel a deep sense of inner peace daily. Unless there is some kind of emotional strife or turbulence going on around me, or if I am sleep-deprived, or physically ill, I feel a deep sense of inner peace and well being every day. It has been like this for me since the day that I let go of my belief in a god. I am now more at peace than I've ever been.
Living a life free of beliefs and superstition has been very different from how I imagined it would be. As a blossoming non-believer, a few things very quickly became clear: life, in all it's forms, took on more value immediately. As a believer I was unaffected by the abortion question. As an atheist, I believe very strongly in the value of these little lives. Never in a million years did I ever think I would take a pro-life stance. I guess life has it's little surprises for everyone. Just for the record, yes, I am a strong advocate for birth control. Just as I am a staunch advocate of human rights. Comes with the territory, I guess. I feel differently about the death penalty now, too. While I feel there are instances where it is appropriate, In the majority of cases, I would opt for life imprisonment. My interest in preserving this planet and of passing something of value to future generations has become almost an obsession with me. I no longer stumble through life counting on a make-believe 'big cosmic daddy' to clean up my messes. I treat myself and the world around me with a lot more respect.
It took a long time and a lot of personal questioning to reach the point where I am today. Over 55 years of life, to be precise. After 55-plus years wandering through the carnival that is religious belief, I finally found inner peace and mental freedom, by (as Julia Sweeney so eloquently puts it) "letting go of god". It wasn't an abrupt, decisive event. I got my first hint that all was not well in 'invisible-sky-buddy-land' when I was 9 1/2 years old. And if my parents, grandparents, church elders, and the 'conspiracy of circumstance' had not terrorized, traumatized, and beat it into me so severely, I likely would have come to this awakening long ago. Still, I am amazed when I hear of adolescents professing long-held atheist positions. Are they really that advanced? Was I really that socially and mentally suppressed?
I won't lose any sleep over it, but I suppose the OP might have a point about the growth in atheism being more attributable to a full rejection of religion, than a full embrace of science. I have witnessed younger atheists proclaiming their disdain for religion, yet provide no compelling scientific or logical reasons for a move to atheism. The problem with embracing atheism as an extension of fully rejecting religion is that it leaves you with nothing to build on. Hopefully, as they mature they will come to embrace science and rational thought more fully. If not, they may find themselves lost in the darkness of ignorance and instead embrace nihilism. Let us hope not. That is a woeful path indeed. And truth be told, a departure from the things that make atheism so great in the first place.
Peace...
I find it as confusing as you do that 21% of atheists believe in God -- but it is fairly intuitive to me that one could be a spiritual atheist. Rejecting the idea of God (or identifying as atheist via some other route) does not mean, as you point out, that one has rejected everything in favor of the materialistic and mechanistic.
The Network for Spiritual Progressives uses "the word 'spiritual' to include all those whose deepest values lead them to challenge the ethos of selfishness and materialism that has led people into a frantic search for money and power and away from a life that places love, kindness, generosity, peace, non-violence, social justice, awe and wonder at the grandeur of creation, thanksgiving, humility and joy at the center of our lives."
This framework of spirituality accommodates spiritual atheists.
http://www.spiritualprogressives.org/article.php/spiritual__butnot
I am an atheist, but nonetheless I am very spiritual. I have read the Tao Te Ching and mediate quite often. I also feel on bright sunny mornings a very spiritual happiness inside me. I am full of awe and wonder at the beauty of the universe and the happiness oen can find in a small measure of peace.
I am an atheist, but I am spiritual- as I like mysteries and have hope, but doubts.
Sentient_traveler is right on the button with the assertion that it is ontologically impossible for 21% of atheists to believe in god(s). What this figure tells me is that there were some VERY serious problems with the methodology of this survey ;)
As for 21% of atheists believing in miracles and 18% of atheists believing in life after death, I do disagree with the aforementioned poster, though the survey Mr. Waldman cites (or at least this particular interpretation of it) has already blown its credibility with me, and should be taken with a grain of salt. It's certainly possible to have an afterlife without a god, and, as the primary dictionary.com definition of the term is "an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause", it is at least plausible that one may have miracles without a deity being involved.
I myself believer in neither gods, afterlives, or miracles, but that's just me. We atheists don't have a Pope or anything, so we all just speak for ourselves.
"The growth of atheism in recent years is more a full rejection of religion than it is a full embrace of science."
I'm getting a wee bit tired of the notion that science and religion are at odds. They're not.
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