Atheism v Naturalism

A Pew Research Center option (“There is no God or higher power, other than the laws of nature/physics/mathematics”) made me realize that atheists with a natural worldview reject one additional false belief which unthoughtful atheists overlook.

There is a progression from rejecting the God of the Bible, to rejecting a higher power, to rejecting any element (or framework) that elevates human thought to a cosmic status—all are steps in rejecting supernaturalism. The natural human tendency to elevate mind above and before matter—this is what naturalism is all about ferreting out and eliminating.

Yes, you did good in rejecting God, but if you still elevate intelligence to the point of origin of the physical universe (in the form of laws of physics, or the universality of mathematics) then you have not so much rejected God as disguised him in a more palatable form, one which still preserves the ultimate importance of your mind.

The only step which truly eliminates supernatural thinking is the step of naturalism.

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One Response to Atheism v Naturalism

  1. Dwight says:

    I should point out that the Pew Research “option” has been listed with various wordings over the years, and what I listed in the post is a conglomeration of those into a single wording which I believe captures the point of view intended by the option.

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