Bulletized

Atheism and Protestantism: The lecture explores whether atheism is a branch of Protestantism, concluding it's "no, but also yes" in that modern Western atheism has roots in the Protestant Reformation and, in some ways, takes Protestantism to a logical conclusion.

• Defining Atheism: Atheism is generally defined as the absence of belief in deities. It can be implicit (unconscious rejection) or explicit/strong/positive (conscious affirmation that deities do not exist). Agnosticism, the lack of firm knowledge on the question of God's existence, can be seen as a form of weak/negative atheism.
• Historical Context and Periodization: The concept of "modern era" began around 1453 (fall of Constantinople) or 1492 (discovery of the New World), with the Renaissance being a "rebirth" of ancient civilization. This created a new historical paradigm of ancient, middle, and modern ages.
• Restorationism: This tradition, from which groups like the Latter-day Saints emerged, believed the primitive church was pure, fell into apostasy after Constantine, and was "restored" in the 19th century. However, the "restored" church often had little in common with early Christianity.
• Early Modern Atheism and Philosophy: Early modern atheists looked to ancient philosophers like Democritus (materialism, atomism, determinism) and ancient skeptics like Protagoras, who questioned traditional Greek gods.
• Charges of Atheism in Antiquity: In antiquity, people who challenged traditional religious understanding (e.g., Socrates, Christians) were often charged with atheism, even if they were religious reformers or followed minority religions.
• Popular Conception of God: The popular Western image of God as an older, bearded man (e.g., Michelangelo's depiction) is relatively new. Early Christianity generally avoided picturing God the Father, focusing on God's presence through Christ (the Logos). This shifted during the Renaissance.
• Biblical Interpretation and Anthropomorphism: A literal reading of Genesis portrays an anthropomorphic God with human-like limitations and emotions (walking, regretting, smelling sacrifices). Historically, Jewish and Christian philosophers like Philo of Alexandria routinely reinterpreted these texts metaphorically to fit evolving theology, viewing God as transcendent and incorporeal.
• Medieval Theological Proofs of God: Medieval Christian theologians like Anselm of Canterbury (ontological argument) and Thomas Aquinas (five proofs, including the "unmoved mover") sought to prove God's existence through reason, defining God abstractly as "that than which none greater can be conceived" or the "unmoved first mover," rather than an anthropomorphic figure.
• Protestant Reformation and Authority: The Reformation challenged traditional Christian sources of authority (church fathers, apostolic succession, tradition), establishing sola scriptura (scripture alone) as the sole authority. This coincided with the printing press revolution, democratizing Bible access but also leading to literal interpretations without historical or theological context.
• Purging Traditions: Protestants purged practices deemed unbiblical or "pagan superstitions" (monasteries, pilgrimages, saint veneration, relics, elaborate rituals). This "purging" trajectory could logically extend to questioning scripture itself if it seemed historically inaccurate or scientifically implausible.
• Enlightenment and Deism: Enlightenment philosophers like Rousseau advocated deism, a belief in a God discoverable by reason, compatible with Anselm and Aquinas's abstract God, but incompatible with a literal Bible reading. This led to an increasingly abstract God, dividing them from biblical fundamentalists.
• Rise of Modern Atheism: As Western philosophy progressed, thinkers started to leave both the idea of God and religion behind, often motivated by anti-clericalism, leading to overt atheism and anti-religious sentiment.
• Defining "Religion": The modern Western concept of "religion" as a cordoned-off sphere of life is a modern construct from the Protestant era. Many non-Western and ancient cultures had holistic traditions where spirituality was intertwined with all aspects of life (e.g., First Nations peoples, Chinese folk religion, Roman religio).
• Protestant Framing of Religion: Protestants framed "religion" to distinguish themselves from Catholicism, emphasizing sacred texts, correct doctrine, preaching, and a personal relationship with God. They categorized Catholic practices as "superstitious religion," creating a good/bad religion dichotomy.
• Secularism and Lived Religion: Even nominally secular people may develop practices or beliefs that could be considered religious or superstitious (e.g., "the universe is telling me something," manifesting).
• Attraction to Eastern Traditions: As Western deconstruction of practices occurs, some people seek meaning in Eastern traditions (Buddhism, Taoism, Chinese practices), which they may appropriate without fully understanding the lived context of the religion.