DOCSLIB.ORG

The Lived Experience of Atheist and Irreligious Youth Living Within

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Lived Experience of Atheist and Irreligious Youth Living Within THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF ATHEIST AND IRRELIGIOUS YOUTH LIVING WITHIN RELIGIOUS HOUSEHOLDS by ANTHONY WAYNE HANSEN (Under the Direction of Anneliese A. Singh) ABSTRACT In the U.S., the population of people who identify as atheist or irreligious is growing (Brewster et al., 2014; Zuckerman, 2010, 2011; Kosmin & Keysar, 2008; Zuckerman, 2007). Recent studies show that atheism and irreligious people are viewed in a negative light with many persons in the US; as antipathy toward atheists is greater when compared to other religious groups, racial and ethnic groups, or (LGBTQ) people (Cragun et al., 2012). Hunsberger and Altemeyer (2006) found that conflict within family structures over a family member’s lack of belief caused feelings of ostracism and discrimination from other religious family members. Moreover, adolescents report poorer parental relationships when parents are more religious than the youth (Kim-Spoon, Longo, & McCullogough, 2012). Research on atheism remains poor within social science scholarship, psychology, and within counseling psychology specifically. Yet it is apparent that non-belief is quickly becoming a valid issue of diversity within psychology and counseling psychology as a profession (Brewster et al., 2014; D’Andrea & Sprenger, 2007). Counseling psychology has traditionally been at the forefront of social justice issues and cultural competencies within APA, yet the lack of attention to atheism as a diversity issue is problematic (Brewster et al., 2014). The current study sought to explore and understand the experiences of self-identified atheist/irreligious youth who live with their religious parents or are dependent on parents for financial support. A qualitative methodology known as psychological phenomenology, centered in social constructivist theory (Gergen, 1985; Creswell, 2012) and guided by the minority stress model (Meyer, 2003), served as the theoretical foundation into the exploration of the lived experiences of atheist and irreligious youth living within religious households. Results of this study included the identification of three major themes (minority stress, outcomes, support) that represent the varied experiences of atheist/irreligious identifying youth in this study. Additionally, each theme contains one or more subthemes, and a total of seven subthemes were identified. The themes identified through this study have implications for clinical practice, for advocacy, and for continued research centered on the under measured population of atheists in the U.S. INDEX WORDS: Atheism, Nones, Atheist Youth, Familial Religious Differences, Minority Stress, Phenomenology THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF ATHEIST AND IRRELIGIOUS YOUTH LIVING WITHIN RELIGIOUS HOUSEHOLDS by ANTHONY WAYNE HANSEN B.A., University of Georgia, 2009 M.Ed., University of Georgia, 2012 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2017 © 2017 Anthony Wayne Hansen All Rights Reserved THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF ATHEIST AND IRRELIGIOUS YOUTH LIVING WITHIN RELIGIOUS HOUSEHOLDS by ANTHONY WAYNE HANSEN Major Professor: Anneliese Singh Committee: Edward Delgado-Romero Bernadette Heckman Electronic Version Approved: Suzanne Barbour Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia August 2017 iv DEDICATION To my wife, Chandra Danielle Hansen, for being steadfast in your devotion to our family and for being the ultimate supportive backbone in all that we accomplish together. I truly cannot fathom how I could have done any of this without your love, support, and encouragement. To my children, for giving me life. You help me to see the world in new and exciting ways, and I am the best of me when I get to be with you. I will love you for all of my days, and I am eternally fortunate to be your father. This document is also dedicated to all secular, humanist, atheist, agnostic, freethinking, pastafarian, and all other religious “nones” out there who live in the world and feel the struggle to live in and/or proclaim their identity proudly and without shame. This is for you. Your views and feelings are important, and you are not alone. Lastly, to Dennis Tettlebach, for believing in me when I was unsure and caring enough to take the time to speak to me with words of kindness and encouragement. You truly changed my life. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is hard to know where to begin to acknowledge all of the persons in my life who have influenced me along this seemingly ever-long journey to becoming a psychologist. I am grateful for each and every one of you, and it saddens me to know that some of you might not ever fully know how much you have meant to me during this process. To my advisors, Dr. Singh and Dr. Delgado-Romero… thank you. Thank you for seeing in me what I was not able to see, for believing in me as I stumbled and grumbled, and for being examples of living inspiration. Both of you are living proof that you can be successful, compassionate, and widely respected leaders in the field of Counseling Psychology while standing firm in issues of social justice. Thank you for challenging me to be more, to do more, and to also take a step back and remember to take care of myself. I cannot believe how fortunate I am to have two advisors who inspire me to be greater every single day. I mean it when I say I could not be here today without you, and I will forever feel indebted to both of you. I am thankful for the entire faculty and classmates in the Professional Counseling and Counseling Psychology cohorts in my life. Each of you played a pivotal role in allowing me to challenge myself and grow into my professional identity today. In particular, I would like to acknowledge Dr. Calhoun, Dr. Campbell, and Dr. Spears, for your professional guidance and personal support, and to Brendan Carr, Steve Fogleman, and Neha Khorana for your close friendship. vi To the research faculty around the United States who took the time to consult with me about the state of research on atheism, thank you. To Dr. Brewster, Dr. Hammer, Dr. Cragun, and Dr. Smith, you inspired me to pursue this area of research with an honest enthusiasm. It is because of your previous work that was able to present this topic as an area of research in dire need to be explored. I hope that this work can be added alongside yours and help to shine a deserving light on this underexplored population. It has been an honor to work alongside you. I am grateful to the participants in this study. Thank you for being eager to share your experiences; I am humbled by your willing eagerness to be a part of this lengthy research process, and I cannot wait to share this document with you. This entire document is as much a reflection of you as it is of me, and I am continually inspired by your stories. Thank you. Finally, to my family. To my mother, Christel Hansen, for your love and for being a living model of resilience. To my father, Jerry Hansen, for teaching me about the world and for teaching me how to be a man who is empathetic, emotional, and kind to others. To my brother, Tim Hansen, for being a big brother whom I looked up to continuously. You may not know, but witnessing your graduation from Georgia Tech was a pivotal moment for me, and inspired me to be more…to dare to be greater. I think in some way I have always sought out my big brother’s approval, and I still look up to you to this day. To my wife, partner, and best friend, Chandra Hansen, for being more than I ever thought I wanted in a partner. Thank you for your sacrifices and thank you for your love and continuous support. You make me strive to be better, and your vii presence next to me is the most gracious gift that life has given me. I am eternally thankful for you and your love. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ...............................................................................................................x LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................1 Background and Context of Study ...............................................................2 Purpose .........................................................................................................8 The Researcher ...........................................................................................10 Definitions and Operational Terms ............................................................13 Significance of the Study ...........................................................................17 2 REVIEW OF RELATED RESEARCH ...........................................................19 Religion, Spirituality, Atheism, and Identity .............................................19 Atheism and Irreligion ...............................................................................20 Atheist and Irreligious People in the United States ...................................23 National Attitudes toward Atheists ............................................................26 Atheism, Irreligion, and Mental Health .....................................................33 Atheism, Irreligion, and Counseling Psychology ......................................36 Current Study .............................................................................................41
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Impact of Religion on Values and Behavior in Kenya Naomi Wambui
    THE IMPACT OF RELIGION ON VALUES AND BEHAVIOR IN KENYA NAOMI WAMBU50I European Journal of Philosophy, Culture and Religious Studies ISSN 2520-4696 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp50-65, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org THE IMPACT OF RELIGION ON VALUES AND BEHAVIOR IN KENYA 1* Naomi Wambui Post Graduate Student: Finstock University *Corresponding Author’s Email: [email protected] Abstract Purpose: The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of religion on values and behaviour in Kenya. Methodology: The paper adopted a desk top research design. The design involves a literature review of existing studies relating to the research topic. Desk top research is usually considered as a low-cost technique compared to other research designs. Results: Based on the literature review, the study concluded that religion has positive impact on values and behavior. The study further concludes that a belief in fearful and punishing aspects of supernatural agents is associated with honest behavior, whereas a belief in the kind, loving aspects of gods is less relevant. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study recommended that policy makers should review policies involving religion by changing commonly held beliefs regarding the Constitution and religion. The study also recommended that religious leaders and parents take special care of the religious formation of children, especially during the transition period from childhood to adolescence, when they are most likely to lose their religious faith. Keywords: religion, values, behaviour 51 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Study Religious practice appears to have enormous potential for addressing today's social problems.
    [Show full text]
  • Stereotypes About Agnostics
    To Believe or Not to Believe: Stereotypes About agnostics by Veronica Nilendra Zivana Bergstrom A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Psychology University of Toronto © Copyright by Veronica Nilendra Zivana Bergstrom 2018 To Believe or Not to Believe: Stereotypes About agnostics Veronica Nilendra Zivana Bergstrom Master of Arts Department of Psychology University of Toronto 2018 Abstract The present study investigated which stereotypes agnostics share with atheists, and which stereotypes are unique to each group. In Study 1, participants reported stereotypes that they believed society held about agnostics, atheists, Christians, and Muslims. Common stereotypes for agnostics were indecisive and questioning, but for atheists were immoral and intolerant. In Study 2, participants rated how representative 10 key traits from Study 1 were of agnostics, atheists, and four religious groups. Results revealed that agnostics were stereotyped less negatively than atheists. In Study 3, participants had to judge whether a target’s actions, such as being immoral, morally indecisive, or indecisive in general were representative of an agnostic/atheist/Christian/Muslim. Inconsistent with Studies 1 and 2, no significant differences were found for perceptions of agnostics versus atheists. Findings from Studies 1-2 suggest that nonreligious individuals are sometimes viewed as a heterogeneous group, but future research must determine when stereotypes converge and diverge. ii Acknowledgments I would like to thanK my supervisor, Dr. Alison Chasteen, for her invaluable guidance and support. Secondly, I would liKe to thanK my subsidiary advisor, Dr. Jason PlaKs, for his feedbacK and expertise. Lastly, I would liKe to thanK my external examination committee member, Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Religious Values in Indonesia's Character
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by eJournal of Sunan Gunung Djati State Islamic University (UIN) Ahmad Nadhif RELIGIOUS VALUES IN INDONESIA’S CHARACTER EDUCATION Ahmad Nadhif STAIN Ponorogo Jl. Pramuka No. 156 PO. BOX 116 Ponorogo 63471 Email: [email protected] ABSTRAK Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menginvestigasi ideologi di balik peletakkan yang tercantum dalam Panduan Budaya dan Karakter Menteri Pendidikan yang diterbitkan pada tahun 2012. Penelitian ini dipaparkan sebagai bagian dari kurikulum pendidikan karakter dan memberi petunjuk pada guru tentang bagaimana melakukan implantasi untuk nilai-nilai moral yang baik dalam fikiran dan jiwa mereka. Isu pendidikan karakter menandai perubahan signifikan dalam kurikulum nasional pendidikan Indonesia yang menunjukkan potensi bagai pertarungan ideologi. Karenanya, hal ini merupakan isu penting untuk diteliti, khususnya dalam kajian Critical Discourse Analisis (CDA). Dengan menggunakan tiga model dimensional CDA Fairclough (1989), kurikulum Indonesia terkait dengan pendidikan berkarakter secara tekstual dianalisa. Analisa menunjukkan bahwa penggunaan nilai-nilai agama masih dipertanyakan; terkait dengan simbol dan jargon, agama sesungguhnya sangat dihargai; namun nampaknya hanyalah merupakan hal tak jelas untuk diam-diam menekan dan memarjinalkan core penting pengajaran. Kata Kunci: Pendidikan karakter, Nilai agama, CDA ABSTRACT This study aims at investigating the ideology behind the positioning of religion included in the Guidance of Culture and Character of the Nation of the Ministry of Education published in 2010. It is presented as part of the curriculum of character education and prescribes for teachers on how to conduct the implantation of good moral values in their students’ mind and heart. This issue of character education marks a significant shift in Indonesia’s national curriculum of education showing a potential to be a conflicting battleground of ideologies.
    [Show full text]
  • Religion–State Relations
    Religion–State Relations International IDEA Constitution-Building Primer 8 Religion–State Relations International IDEA Constitution-Building Primer 8 Dawood Ahmed © 2017 International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) Second edition First published in 2014 by International IDEA International IDEA publications are independent of specific national or political interests. Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of International IDEA, its Board or its Council members. The electronic version of this publication is available under a Creative Commons Attribute-NonCommercial- ShareAlike 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) licence. You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the publication as well as to remix and adapt it, provided it is only for non-commercial purposes, that you appropriately attribute the publication, and that you distribute it under an identical licence. For more information on this licence visit the Creative Commons website: <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/> International IDEA Strömsborg SE–103 34 Stockholm Sweden Telephone: +46 8 698 37 00 Email: [email protected] Website: <http://www.idea.int> Cover design: International IDEA Cover illustration: © 123RF, <http://www.123rf.com> Produced using Booktype: <https://booktype.pro> ISBN: 978-91-7671-113-2 Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 3 Advantages and risks ...............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • ISSP Data Report – Report Data ISSP Current This Research
    Das International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) erhebt jährlich Umfragedaten zu sozialwissenschaftlich relevanten Themen. Der vorliegende ISSP Data Report – Religious Attitudes and Religious Change beruht auf ISSP-Daten, die zu drei verschiedenen Zeitpunkten innerhalb von 17 Jahren in bis zu 42 Mitgliedsländern zu Einstellungen gegenüber Kirche und Religion im weitesten Sinne gesammelt wurden. Jedes Kapitel wurde von unterschiedlichen Autoren der ISSP-Gemeinschaft geschrieben und beleuchtet mit Hilfe der ISSP-Daten spezielle Aspekte religiöser Einstellungen und religiösen Wandels im internationalen Vergleich. In der Gesamtschau ergeben sich sowohl Einblicke in das religiöse Leben verschiedener Länder, als auch insbesondere Erkenntnisse zu den Einflussfaktoren religiösen Wandels innerhalb von fast zwei Dekaden. The annual survey of the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) provides data on topics relevant in social research. This current ISSP Data Report – Religious Attitudes and Religious Change examines data collected at three different points over 17 years, from up to 42 ISSP member countries, covering various facets of respondents’ attitudes towards Church and Religion. Individual chapters were written by different members of the ISSP community thereby offering a cross-national, comparative perspective on particular aspects of religious attitudes and religious change via ISSP data. Overall, this report offers insights into the religious landscapes of various countries and in particular information about the factors influencing
    [Show full text]
  • Download (3763Kb)
    A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of Warwick Permanent WRAP URL: http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/145151 Copyright and reuse: This thesis is made available online and is protected by original copyright. Please scroll down to view the document itself. Please refer to the repository record for this item for information to help you to cite it. Our policy information is available from the repository home page. For more information, please contact the WRAP Team at: [email protected] warwick.ac.uk/lib-publications APPENDIX A Containing Violence to What End? The Political Economy of Amnesty in Nigeria’s Oil-Rich Niger Delta (2009-2016) by Elvis Nana Kwasi Amoateng A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Politics and International Studies University of Warwick, Department of Politics and International Studies February 2020 Contents Acronyms ...................................................................................................................... 4 List of Figures ............................................................................................................... 5 Acknowledgement ........................................................................................................ 7 Abstract ......................................................................................................................... 8 Introduction: ...............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Religion 205 Morality, Ethics, and Religion
    RELIGION 205 MORALITY, ETHICS, AND RELIGION BULLETIN INFORMATION RELG 205 – Morality, Ethics, and Religion (3 credit hrs) Course Description: Values and ethics as developed, contested, and transmitted through a variety of religious practices. SAMPLE COURSE OVERVIEW This course offers a critical approach to discourse that associates religion with the development of values, ethics, and social responsibility. In the first part of the course, we take a broad look at some of the main issues related to an academic study of religion, with special attention to: the benefits and costs of equating religious practice with moral/ethical practice, the way that religion can function to authorize and legitimate certain ethical norms, and the implications or deviating from norms associated with divine or otherwise supernatural origins. In the second part of the course, we will examine specific kinds of religious practices (intellectual, ritual, emotional, and coercive) through which ideas about values and ethics are developed, prioritized, contested, adapted, and transmitted. Finally, in the third part of the course we will consider various ways to answer questions about the extent to which religion might or might not be necessary for moral and ethical development. ITEMIZED LEARNING OUTCOMES Upon successful completion of RELG 205, students will be able to: 1. Discuss the sources or origins of values and ethics as transmitted through various religious configurations; 2. Demonstrate an understanding of the different ways that religious practice shapes human attitudes toward values, ethics, and social responsibility; 3. Explain how religious values impact personal decision-making, self-identity, and individual well-being; 4. Analyze the influence of religious values upon community ethics and decision-making in contemporary society.
    [Show full text]
  • Becoming Christian: Personhood and Moral Cosmology in Acholi South
    Becoming Christian: Personhood and Moral Cosmology in Acholi South Sudan Ryan Joseph O’Byrne Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Department of Anthropology, University College London (UCL) September, 2016 1 DECLARATION I, Ryan Joseph O’Byrne, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where material has been derived from other sources I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. Ryan Joseph O’Byrne, 21 September 2016 2 ABSTRACT This thesis examines contemporary entanglements between two cosmo-ontological systems within one African community. The first system is the indigenous cosmology of the Acholi community of Pajok, South Sudan; the other is the world religion of evangelical Protestantism. Christianity has been in the region around 100 years, and although the current religious field represents a significant shift from earlier compositions, the continuing effects of colonial and early missionary encounters have had significant impact. This thesis seeks to understand the cosmological transformations involved in all these encounters. This thesis provides the first in-depth account of South Sudanese Acholi – a group almost entirely absent from the ethnographic record. However, its largest contributions come through wider theoretical and ethnographic insights gained in attending to local Acholi cosmological, ontological, and experiential orientations. These contributions are: firstly, the connection of Melanesian ideas of agency and personhood to Africa, demonstrating not only the relational nature of Acholi personhood but an understanding of agency acknowledging nonhuman actors; secondly, a demonstration of the primarily relational nature of local personhood whereby Acholi and evangelical persons and relations are similarly structured; and thirdly, an argument that, in South Sudan, both systems are ultimately about how people organise the moral fabric of their society.
    [Show full text]
  • Europe Experiences Multiple Upheavals in Its Religious Profile
    Europe experiences multiple upheavals in its religious profile Europe has gone through great upheavals in its religious profile in the course of the twentieth century and the process is still continuing. At the beginning of the century, Europe was an almost entirely Christian continent. In the European population of 403 million in 1990, 381 million were Christians. Besides them, there were about 10 million Jews and 9 million Muslims. Muslims were mainly in Russia and Bulgaria of East Europe and in several countries of South Europe. Jews were also mainly in East Europe, particularly in Russia, Poland and Romania. The first great change that occurred in the religious demography of Europe during the twentieth century was the expulsion and decimation of Jews. They now form about a quarter percent of the population compared to 2.5 percent in 1900. The second great change was the turning away from religion of the Soviet Block countries—mostly in East and South Europe—under the influence of Marxism that came to prevail there. In 1970, more than 21 percent of the population of Europe had become either Agnostic or Atheist and their share in East Europe had reached 37 percent. Then towards the end of the twentieth century, with the dissolution of Soviet Union and resurgence of nationalism, there has been a sharp recovery of faith in that region. The irreligious now form less than 10 percent of the population of East Europe. However, while the previously Marxist States of Europe are coming back to their Christian faith, the advanced Capitalist States of West, North and South Europe have come under the sway of a rising wave of irreligion.
    [Show full text]
  • Adjustable Lassication for Libraries
    Adj u stabl e l assifi cati on f or Librar i es W IT H IND E ! Ef}%4/ AMES D B ROW N J . C E K N PUB IC LI B ARY LOND O N L R E WE LL L R , ABSTRACTE D FROM MANUAL OF LIBRARY C LASSIFICAT ION E[ 390 LOND ON LIBRARY SUPPLY COMPANY AVE MARIA A E 4 , L N 1 898 NOT E THIS edition of the Adj ustable Cl assificati on has been slightly revised and interleaved f or the special u se of l ibrarians i n r as a In s and readers libraries whe e it h been dopted . thi f orm it can be used as a gu ide to the cl as sification of the l ibrary by both the staf f and the borrowers . D . B J . AD J USTAB LE CLASS IF ICATION FOR LIB RARIE S Tms method of cl assification has been compiled largely i n response to a demand f or an E nglish scheme with a notation enabling continual intercalation of divisions and single topics - or books to be carried ou . The Quinn Brown method as a as s bu t su n has been used b i , ggestio s have been f reely adopted f rom every important cl assification described i n my ” Manual of Cl as sificati on. The name Adj ustable has been taken to distinguish the s f rom al l s and s its a f u sy tem other to de cribe princip l eat re.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Religious Values in Judicial Decision Making
    Indiana Law Journal Volume 68 Issue 2 Article 3 Spring 1993 The Role of Religious Values in Judicial Decision Making Scott C. Idleman Indiana University School of Law Follow this and additional works at: https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/ilj Part of the Constitutional Law Commons, Courts Commons, and the Religion Law Commons Recommended Citation Idleman, Scott C. (1993) "The Role of Religious Values in Judicial Decision Making," Indiana Law Journal: Vol. 68 : Iss. 2 , Article 3. Available at: https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/ilj/vol68/iss2/3 This Note is brought to you for free and open access by the Law School Journals at Digital Repository @ Maurer Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Indiana Law Journal by an authorized editor of Digital Repository @ Maurer Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Role of Religious Values in Judicial Decision Making SCOTT C. IDLEMAN* [U]nless people believe in the law, unless they attach a universal and ultimate meaning to it, unless they see it and judge it in terms of a transcendent truth, nothing will happen. The law will not work-it will be dead.' INTRODUCTION It is virtually axiomatic today that judges should not advert to religious values when deciding cases,2 unless those cases explicitly involve religion.' In part because of historical and constitutional concerns and in * J.DJM.P.A. Candidate, 1993, Indiana University School of Law at Bloomington; B.S., 1989, Cornell University. 1. HAROLD J. BERMAN, THE INTERACTION OF LAW AND RELIGION 74 (1974). 2. See, e.g., KENT GREENAWALT, RELIGIOUS CONVICTIONS AND POLITICAL CHOICE 239 (1988); Stephen L.
    [Show full text]
  • Asharism and Atheism- a Glimpse Into Two Parallel Ideologies
    Btibsjtn!bne!Buifjtn;! B!Hmjnqtf!Jnup!Uxp! Qbsbmmfm!Jefpmphjft Autor: Ali Boriqee Source: Multaqa Ahlul-Hadeet Compiled by: al-Mustaqeem Publicatons This page left intentionally blank +)#0 ; رب ا+"2<!، و(.- >; و:.9 و28رك /.- 5'234 1)#0 و/.- آ+& و()'& أ$#"! 0"8 >+9E4./ FGH ورAB8* ;< C#Dت I initiate this discussion to enrich the understanding of the Muslims and to solidify what some of them can somewhat already perceive, but only in a general fashion. It may be funny, but it has a great element of tragedy in that those who follow the Ash’ari school of thought, who claim to be the followers of rationalism, simply do not see the rationale and conclusive ramifications of what their school of thought leads to. Whenever the theological topics concerning “limit” and or “place” for Allah comes up, the two heated sides are usually the salafis who are labeled as the anthropomorphists versus the Ash’aris (and we can add the Maturidis) and who are labelled the “Jahmis”. However, what many from Ahlu-Sunnah among the salafis/ahlul-hadeeth have been slightly unaware of, is that the polemic is much graver than simply the kalaam arguments for “limit”, “jism”, and “place” respectively. Little will they realize that discussion on each one of these topics are actually connected to the topic of ilhaad (atheism) and that the formulated doctrines of the later day Ash’aris is nothing less than an institutionalized form of atheism. We will, in this endeavor, highlight Athari Imaams who have either explicitly stated this fact or who have implied this fact.
    [Show full text]