brick walls

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Yesterday, "in case you missed it," a friend sent along an atheist rant that asked how come religion, among all ideations, should be given a free ride, not be offered some compelling counterpoint of persuasion. I've thought that too -- the kid-glove treatment accorded to religion and sports in the news media, for example.

I read as much of the diatribe as I could stand and then gave up. Atheists, like fundamentalists who abhor intellectual skepticisms, too often offer shrillness without substance. If there is anyone who prays that atheists will give spiritual life a much-needed kick in the butt, I am in the first pew, praying my ass off.

Butterfly McQueen

But atheists, like fundamentalist believers, too often stick to the superficial. They all remind me of the old joke about an ant climbing up an elephant's back leg with rape in mind. They also remind me of Butterfly McQueen, a black actress who played Prissy in "Gone with the Wind." Prissy was the loyal, stereotyped, sometimes funny, servant who was given to fits of hand-wringing confusion when things got serious. "Lawsy! Lawsy!" Ain't it awful?! And lord knows it can be pretty awful, whether it's the smugness of the atheist or the wriggling, swooning sincerities of the true believer.

Talking people out of things -- atheism and fundamentalism included -- is probably not the best route. Better, from my point of view, is to take an opponent's view seriously and lovingly ... to enter into a realm that is not your own and then deconstruct it according to its own tenets. Playing the role of light when addressing the shadows -- or vice versa -- is just gimcrack argumentation and self-promotion.

Atheists who pay attention hit a brick wall. Fundamentalists who pay attention hit a brick wall. Atheism and fundamentalism are not so important. Brick walls are important. Brick walls call attention to the fact that limitations like atheism or fundamentalism -- while inspiring -- simply cannot assure a simple peace.

But I don't suppose you can tell that to a horny ant climbing an elephant's leg.
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