The Loser Letters
Mary Eberstadt, at National Review, has just produced her third installment in a series of “Loser Letters” in which she assumes the position of a former Christian (”Dulls”) who has recently converted to atheism (”Brights”). In these correspondences, she offers advice to the leading athiests on how to better promote the athiest cause. As a new “convert” to atheism, she is in prime position to do so.
They are all done in a tongue-in-cheek manner, actually offering a defense of Christian theism. The letters, from A. F. Christian, are addressed thusly:
An open letter to those spokesmen for the New Atheism who have labored mightily these last few years to sweep aside religion’s paralytic webs of superstition and prejudice, and to liberate the rest of our Species via Science and Enlightenment:
Here are the links to the present letters (I suspect more are coming): Letter I, Some Little Contradictions and How They Grew, and The Trouble with Good Works.
Here’s a taste from letter three, in which she advocates pointing out the evils committed by religious people, but strongly advocates against promoting atheism as capable of producing good:
The trick to end-running it is clear enough: Just keep focused at all times on the evils committed in religion’s name. Never mind how long ago they were! Try not to let the Dulls point out that you are comparing religious apples (i.e. what institutionalized religion did in Europe 600 years ago) with atheist oranges (i.e. what institutionalized atheism did in Europe 60 years ago). Mercifully, as it were, many of them are just ignorant enough of history not to call our bluffs on rhetorical saves like that.
Addendum (6/7/08): Here is the fourth letter, The Trouble with Dull Art.