Bruce Sheiman is a nice atheist. Scratch that. Bruce Sheiman is a nice human being, period.
When I first heard about Bruce's new book, "An Atheist Defends Religion: Why Humanity is Better Off with Religion Than Without It," I was intrigued. I'd never met an atheist who didn't decry religion as evil.
"That's because the loudest atheists are extremists and they control the dialogue," Bruce explained. "Extremists always sell the most books and get the most attention. The truth is that moderate atheists–the ones who are content to 'live and let live'–are the silent majority."
And the extremist atheists hate Bruce's book. The pushback has been vitriolic, to say the least. He's been attacked online and accused of not being a "real atheist."
"They think I'm a traitor," he says. "But a traitor to what, exactly? A non-belief?"
All this anger clouds the water, makes respectful dialogue nigh impossible. But Sheiman wants atheists to take a second look at believers. "The untold story of religion is that a lot of good things are being done by people of faith," Bruce says. "Just look at Haiti."
Hardline atheists don't want to hear that religion is good for humanity. Shoot, it's hard to find Christians who think that.
Which is to say, there are churches whose entire appeal, it seems, is based on the claim of being spiritual but not religious. Sheiman, however, sees this as a good thing.
"Christianity is still largely God-centered, but it's becoming increasingly more human-focused," he observed.
Sheiman regrets the age-old debate between science and religion. He suggests that science and religion are compatible because both are devoted to "the alleviation of human suffering." He thinks fundamentalists–both religious and non-religious–have controlled the conversation for too long.
That's a point on which we both agree.
When I asked Bruce why he calls himself an "aspiring theist," he said that it's because he would like to believe there's an afterlife and an underlying force of goodness in the universe. But he can't believe it, partially because there is so much randomness.
"I'm open to a religious experience," he says, "but I just haven't had one."
His openness surprises me. I've never met an atheist who wasn't militaristically opposed to anything smacking of the supernatural. Bruce reminds me that this is because the conversation between people of faith and non-believers has often been reduced to unhelpful things like the debate between atheist Christopher Hitchens and Rev. Al Sharpton.
I agree that those kinds of debates tend to reinforce stereotypes instead of encouraging dialogue.
Peace and moderation don't make for splashy headlines. But they do make for nicer human beings.
And in a strange sort of way, I find myself agreeing with Bruce more than I disagree with him.
You might, too. Read his book: 'An Atheist Defends Religion.'
This believer recommends it.
