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Religion for Atheists summary

Name: Religion for Atheists
Rating: 3.5 (76 reviews)
Author: Alain de Botton

Alain de Botton

A Non-believer's Guide to the Uses of Religion

3.5 (76 ratings)

17 mins

Topics

Religious Skepticism Atheism Spirituality

Table of Contents

Religion for Atheists
Summary of 8 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 8

What’s in it for me? Discover what we can learn from religion even if we’re not religious.

Religion plays an integral role in human culture. Whether it’s a Buddhist monk seeking enlightenment through meditation, a Catholic going to confession in church or a Muslim praying in a mosque, religion gives meaning and purpose to people’s lives all over the world.

But what role does religion play in the lives of those who identify as secularists or nonbelievers? Is there anything they can learn from it?

Many atheists would say no; science and logic is all we need. As these blinks will show you, however, they’re wrong. Religious traditions and practices can show us not only how to rebuild the sense of community that has been lost in the secular world; they can also teach us to look beyond mere facts, thereby putting our knowledge in perspective.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

how religion fosters community;
why restaurants should be more like churches; and
how religion teaches us to let go of the ego.

Even if we don’t believe in a god, there are still things we can learn from religion.

What do we think of when we talk about religion? A white-bearded God seated on a throne in heaven? An ornately decorated church? Maybe a painting by Botticelli? Such knee-jerk associations reflect how religion and divinity are often assumed to go hand in hand. But there’s far more to it than that.

If you’re someone who doesn’t believe in deities, you might assume you’ve got nothing to learn from religion. On the contrary, however, there is no reason why you can’t make the most of the cultural, social and philosophical aspects that have evolved out of it.

Just think of morality: ideas of how we might live better lives and treat others well need not be explicitly religious. However, “the bad odor of religion,” as Nietzsche referred to it, has made morality something for secular people to avoid, all because of its association with religious practices.

Secular society should reclaim some of the rituals and festivals that give depth to human experience. After all, early Christianity drew from belief systems outside its own to create powerful new traditions. Christmas was created by combining the midwinter solstice – a typical pagan celebration – with the birth of Jesus. And the ideas of Epicurus, the Greek philosopher, which dictated that men inclined to a philosophical way of life should build their own communities, led to the development of monasteries.

So apparently there’s more to religion than gods, divine beings and other supernatural presences. But as a nonbeliever, you might still be skeptical about exactly what religion could possibly add to your life, and how. So read on!

Religion provides a great example of how to bring people together.

When was the last time you saw your relatives? Chances are it was during a holiday – probably one rooted in religion. Traditionally, organized religion brought people together, and it still does today; as secularization spreads and the population grows, however, our world will suffer more and more from a lack of community.

Think about the last stranger you walked past – perhaps you felt that you had nothing in common with her. Now consider religion, which counteracts such feelings of alienation by bringing vast numbers of people together, no matter their differences.

A little extra moral guidance never hurt anyone!

Remember your teenage years, when you had to constantly remind your parents that they couldn’t keep bossing you around? As children, we’re constantly faced with instructions on how to act – advice we start to reject as we grow older.

Still, we’re often faced with morally complex situations, and often, at such times, we could use a little advice. But who do we turn to?

Religious education teaches us true life skills.

For most of us, all those days spent in the high-school classroom are something we’d rather forget. Seems like a shame, doesn’t it! Perhaps our educational approach could do with a makeover.

Modern education prescribes that students should study specific disciplines with specific materials – study paintings to learn about art history, books to learn about literature and classical music to learn about music theory.

Compassion is the best remedy for the pressure of social expectations.

Have a look at your Facebook or Instagram feed. Do you see many pictures depicting the hardships or mundanities of life? Not so much. Most of us like to share things that make us seem accomplished and successful. But such posturing only serves to promote unrealistic lifestyle expectations.

Misery and sorrow are a natural part of life, and their presence actually allows us to appreciate positive feelings for what they’re worth. Striking a balance between misery and hope is a powerful aspect of many religious traditions. Take the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. Every morning, adherents of Judaism congregate along the wall to pray and deposit handwritten notes – containing their wishes, disappointments and yearnings – at the base of the wall.

We’re tiny compared to the vastness of the universe, so keeping perspective is vital.

How can you describe what it feels like to witness a beautiful sunset, or to listen to the laughter of children? Well, for one thing, it certainly puts that terrible pimple on your forehead into perspective! The vastness of the universe can make our own individual troubles seem insignificant in much the same way.

Religions have always been particularly good at reminding us of humanity’s place in the universe and keeping us humble. Take the Book of Job in the Bible. Job lives happily, until God takes everything away from him. Why would He do this? Simply because God perceives that Job feels entitled to his great life.

Art and architecture allow us to share life’s lessons in a memorable way.

How many paintings of Jesus on the cross have you seen in your life? Probably a lot. Same goes for the number of churches. Christianity and many other religions make bold use of art and architecture. But what purpose does it serve?

Art has the power to convey deep concepts and let us understand them in a profound way. In religious art, the same themes are worked on over and over again, giving us a deeper understanding of both the themes and ourselves.

Religion reveals the importance of rituals for wellbeing and for institutions that we can rely on.

How did you feel during your last visit to the doctor? Do you feel confident that you’ll be treated similarly the next time? For many of us, seeking medical help is both uncomfortable and a hassle. But what if it was an opportunity to find comfort in our bodies and minds?

For hospitals to become institutions we can rely on, some changes need to be made. And religion has mastered the art of building dependable institutions. Let’s take a look at how they did it.

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What is Religion for Atheists about?

Religion for Atheists (2012) sheds light on the often-overlooked positive aspects of organized religion. By considering religion in absence of a belief in divine beings, we find many valuable social initiatives and philosophical lessons from which even the most cynical among us might benefit.

Best quote from Religion for Atheists

Joyful immersion in a collective spirit is an unlikely scenario in the majority of modern community.

—Alain de Botton

Who should read Religion for Atheists?

Believers interested in seeing their religion from a different perspective
Non-believers looking for new ways to find depth in everyday life
Those interested in what organizations can learn from religions

About the Author

Alain de Botton is a Swiss philosopher, TV presenter and author currently based in the UK. His book The Architecture of Happiness received rave reviews and was featured in the movie 500 Days of Summer. De Botton is also a fellow of both the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Royal Society of Literature.

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