I’m asked “How’s that book?”.  I’m carrying Chris Hedges’, ‘When Atheism Becomes Religion’. Two days before, I was told that books on that subject are really just arguing semantics. My reply to the question, “I only read the first few pages. He seems to agree with me on some main points”. Perhaps it was instinct, or even common sense, but I didn’t want to get into an argument about religion in a public space. In fact, the prologue is filled with vitriol and some huge leaps of faith (of the kind that will be somehow “proven” in the coming chapters, I’m sure).

Over the last two weeks I’ve been searching the internet to find an angle at which I can approach atheism in Canada. At first, the title was, “Why a Secularist Climate Must Exist to Usher in Gay Rights” then, “Homosexuality and Atheism”. In Canada, this line of thought is rhetoric. No one talks about this and it’s, quite frankly, relegated to opinion polls and auxiliary political banter. On the odd occasion, it rears its head as “Hijab Day”, and if not, “Lone Wolf Terror Attack”. In these situations, the message is clear, these events have nothing to do with religion.

In the United States, there is a constant debate and political posturing based on religious ideology. No one is saying Canada should follow suit, as doing so may poison the relative religious peace we have. I can’t imagine Justin Trudeau, or even Stephen Harper, viciously supporting their religious leanings and gaining electorate support. But look at social networking atheist groups, you’ll see the traffic is slow. Again, I’m not asking for the crusades, I’m simply saying there is no overt religious debate when compared to other countries. In a way, this bolsters the argument for the Hijab, as it’s seen as a non-issue. I won’t attempt to speculate on more detrimental outcomes in this post. Maybe later.

However, it remains that there are issues in education, law, economics, government and foreign policy that gain traction on a religious, or ideological, road. Perhaps an international scope is in order to delve into the issues I find interesting. China and Brazil seem like perfect candidates.

I’ll keep looking for my angle.

Khalid.