Materialism vs.Atheism

Materialism simply means in practice that scientific laws are strictly consistent with matter and energy, fundamental particles and forces. In other words, the natural world is made of matter. Until fairly recently in the U.S., it was considered pretty much common sense among educated people, regardless of their religious beliefs.

Atheism means the belief that there is no God.

Since the 17th century, most educated people considered materialism consistent with the existence of God as well as being a tradition that helped retain the independence of scientific inquiry from pressures by religious authorities.

This changed in recent years in the U.S., not because materialism suddenly became a form of atheism, but because of the success of U.S. conservatism in its increasingly aggressive response to secularization; viewing an increasingly wider range of ideas as associated negatively with the breakdown of social order. So for religious conservatives; atheism, materialism, Darwinism, and liberalism are all closely related or even logically entailed by each other, and all associated with the evils of modernity.

Outside of conservatives, this connection actually begs the most important questions because the relation of things like atheism and materialism is itself a central issue. Rather than something that is assumed.

kind regards,

Todd

Replies:

Re:U.S. conservatism?, by Fred H., 06/22/04 Cry for help, by Fred H. , 06/22/04

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