Fresh Thoughts...

A few weeks ago, atheist philosopher Julian Baggini unvelied a "heathen manifesto". It offers a wonderfully refreshing alternative to Dawkins & Co in terms of its ethos and intent. The manifesto allows for the possibility that atheists may not always be right, allows for a distinction between conviction and dogmatism, recognises both the value and limits of reason, and seeks to invite genuine dialogue.

Baggini chose the word "heathen" because he feels that "atheist" has too many unhelpful connotations and also defines itself negatively - against what it opposes, not what it stands for. "Heathen" represents a humbler and more positively oriented definition.

Yes, there are one or two small hitches. The manifesto doesn't quite succeed in avoiding statements that describe the heathen belief in terms of what it opposes. And the biggest issue, perhaps, is the one of "worldview borrowing": The manifesto affirms so many noble values that do not themselves result from its espoused worldview. In the atheistic worldview, why should "care for the weak" necessarily trump "survival of the fittest", for example?

Such hitches offer a wonderful starting point for dialogue, of course. In this, the theist can reciprocate the "spirit" of the manifesto that seeks to engage rather than dismiss. And nothing should detract us from the fact that there is much about the ethos of the manifesto that both heathens and "non-heathens" can learn from, affirm and embody.

For a thoughtful point-by-point response to the manifesto, together with the original text, see http://www.antwoord.org.za/2012/05/heathen-manifesto-a-christian-response