How Helpful Is Atheism To The Left?

A listener asks if the best strategy for the left is to ditch all forms of religion. Should all leftists be atheists? The left needs allies. It needs solidarity. Attacking people's religion is a quick way to alienate people. It is better to inform religious folks how their faith is being corrupted by the forces of capitalism.

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Sam Seder: Glass Eagle: "I disagree about atheism not being helpful for the left." Okay. "Promoting belief in a paradise afterlife is a perfect way to also promote apathy about suffering and injustice in this life even in your own. and that is such a powerful tool for capitalism also militarism. It's surprising that anyone on the left wants to be associated with it. Religion is also great for legitimizing and passing on bigotry. So way atheism can be helpful in making people aware of who what and served by religious messaging and helping people recognize fundamentalism and other BS." I mean that may be the case I will tell you what Desmond Tutu said to Janeane and me when he came on to the show. Which was religion is like a knife it can be used to spread butter or it can be used to be you stick in your gut.
Matt Lech: Right. Like I mean we saw how the sort of new atheist project just evolved into basically justifying intervention against Muslim countries using military force. Like I agree that religion can be used for reactionary purposes and often is. And basically is like the psychological operations for the state in a lot of cases. Throughout history but also like when it comes to going after individuals who might subscribe to that religion it's just not helpful to attack their religions to stick it to capitalism. And maybe talk about how their religion is being attacked by capitalism and malformed by it. But don't attack religion as a way to like illustrate capitalism.
Sam: Right. And I also don't see a relationship necessarily between how less religious of a country we've become and the furtherance of anti-capitalism. I mean there's you know think fundamentalism is very problematic. I just don't think that religion is as problematic as it is. Emma: I also agree because I mean there's you wanna win over cohorts in areas where religion is important. And you have a Latina population that values religion. You also have a black population that's religious in some areas of the country. And you know I think like there's a tendency maybe in left discourse to be a little insular and coastal and city-focused and that's I think we're a lot of promotion of some sorts of atheism which I’m an atheist myself but is a little concentrated.
Sam: As an atheist these days says Vinnie Holiday I find more common ground with liberal Christians than conservative atheists.
Matt: They find more in common with right-wing Christians than they do with you.
Emma: Because religion doesn't need to just I mean be like a belief in the afterlife doesn't mean that what's happening on planet earth matters that much. It can also mean you know I’m my values instruct me to be kind and charitable et cetera. It can go it cuts both ways and that brings us back to that knife analogy.
Sam: Right. Cuts both ways.

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