The Big Kerfuffle

There's a big dustup within the skeptical community of late. A large event known as Skepticon was held and the overarching theme was anti-religion. One well known commentator made the point that it seemed to be more of an Atheist event and less of a Skeptical event, and the gloves came off.

See Jeff Wagg's column here

Just for giggles, I'm going to throw my hat into the proverbial ring. While Atheism may well be one of many logical conclusions from Skepticism, it is but one of many. They aren't one and the same. Skepticism is a methodology and an approach to life and understanding. Atheism is a lack of belief in a deity. Just because one logically leads to another doesn't mean they are one and the same. A Pro-Life rally is not automatically a Republican event, even if it is safe to say that the vast majority of attendees will be registered Republicans.

I'll freely admit that it's largely a PR thing. If I'm fighting to raise public awareness about the safety of vaccines and there's a group of Atheists loudly and proudly proclaiming that Skepticism is all about fighting religion, I know that my message will be heard and trusted by fewer people. It's that simple. Call it accomodationist, call it spineless, I don't care. I'm concerned about getting the message out and helping people learn how to reason for themselves. I'm concerned about people falling for scams that they should have seen coming a mile away. I'm concerned about people visiting Faith Healers and throwing their insulin onto the stage in the belief that they have been cured. I'm concerned about people handing over college funds to psychics who claim to be in contact with a dead husband or wife. I'm concerned about parents forgoing immunizations for fear of causing Autism in their children. I'm concerned for my young niece who spent weeks wheezing and coughing because my sister repeatedly took her to a Naturopath instead of a family doctor or allergist who would have pinned down her dairy sensitivity in days instead of years.

I realize that at least one of my aforementioned concerns deals directly with religious thought and could be theoretically remedied with a good scrubbing of religion from the planet. Here's the thing though; it ain't gonna happen. Religion is pervasive and it will stick around. Humans are stubborn and will dig in their heels when their beliefs are challenged, moreso when the beliefs are strong and closely identified with their personal identity. Read "Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me)" for a more thorough explanation of this.

If some folks are able to accept that Faith Healers are really just highly successful con artists with immunity from prosecution due to their religious status, they are one step closer to rational thinking. If people can understand the placebo effect and the impossibility of distilled water remembering vibrations from a foreign substance, they may stop spending money with a Homeopath. If people can gain understanding of cold reading and avoid falling victim to psychic fraudsters (redundant, I know), they benefit their families and themselves. These are achievable goals that we should be working on.

Pride is difficult to swallow. Sometimes we need to take a big gulp anyway.

To be VERY CLEAR. In case you are getting ready to post a scathing reply to this post, let me state my position more concisely. I do NOT think that Atheism should be ignored or swept under the rug. I do not think anybody should pretend to be religious if they are not. I suggest no dishonesty or downplaying of (anti)religious status. Just don't conflate Atheism and Skepticism in a way that will confuse those who don't understand the nuance. If you are going to hold an Anti-Homeopathy conference, great. Call it that and I'll be there. Don't call it a "Skeptical" conference. If you are going to have an Anti-Anti-Vax conference, great. I'll be there too. Don't call it a "Skeptical" conference. If you are planning to host an Atheism conference, I'll be there too. Just don't call it Skepticism. Skepticism is much more than just one of its logical conclusions.