Religion for Atheists

Why did I pick it?
I was looking for books from the School of Life, a philosophical school with very interesting YouTube videos. I also heard an interview with Alain de Botton and was very entertained by his way of talking. Finally, the topic ‘what can we learn from religion and why is it too short sighted to just ban religion altogether'?

The book
De Botton starts with the main thesis of the book; God does not exist, then, why do we even have religion and what can we learn from it?
He highlights several topics, among others community, art, perspective. He both argues what the secular world is missing, and what various religions have as a solution. For example, it is often difficult for people to admit that they have wronged somebody. In the spur of the moment sometimes even so badly, that apologizing seems like a monstrously difficult thing to do. The Jewish religion knows this, and has called for a great Day of Atonement (Yom Kipoer) on which everyone thinks about the wrongs they have done to people and tries to make amends. This is made easier because, since it is tradition, it is something that you just do, no matter how wrong you were.
Finally, de Botton makes recommendations on which traditions/solutions a secular world could implement to life a more meaningful life. From the roles of museums, to having the right idols, and how/why we go to restaurants.

My recommendation
I thought it was a really enlightening book. By both describing what a secular world is missing, and giving descriptions on how various religions tackle certain problems of life, de Botton offers a nice insight in how to life a more meaningful life. Especially the first chapter is really strong, focusing on community and community values.

I think most people can learn a great deal from reading this book, most importantly to keep an open mind and focus on what we can learn from people different from us, rather than rejecting them.

If you enjoyed this book for its philosophical aspect I would recommend to also watch the videos by School of Life. If your interest is peaked on what we can all learn from (various) religions, but in this recommendation from Christianity in particular, I recommend the video series from The Bible Project. And if you want more arguments for why we need religion, rather than reject it altogether I am also interested in that recommendation :)

I've had this book on my to-read list for sometime and finally stumbled across a copy. It has some interesting ideas even if I think the suggestions for what to do with them are somewhat naive. The basic thesis is that if we assume there isn't actually a god, why did humans invent religion anyway? Lots of reasons, and those reasons are still very valid ones from an atheistic perspective. De Botton goes beyond the traditional arguments of “community-building” to talk about religion's influence on art, architecture, perspective, kindness, and many other topics.

What I really enjoy about de Botton's writing is that he's able to speak about atheism without being snarky or derogatory. Too many books about atheism treat religious or spiritual people like idiots and end up just making fun of them. De Botton says that while he disagrees with their central idea, the fact that religions are the foundation of most human cultures means they are doing something right. There is a way to take religion into the modern world that will benefit everyone no matter what they believe in. De Botton confines his study to Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism, but I definitely was able to see parallels with Shinto and Paganism as well.

Oddly enough, I found myself thinking that a lot of the basic spiritual needs De Botton speaks of are being met for a lot of people these days through fandom. This could be just one nerd's hypothesis, but the community, the connectivity, the symbolism and ceremony that surround the modern fan experience are an oddly secular religion. Something to think about for sure. De Botton's ideas on how to create this secular “church” are a bit pie in the sky for me (at least as applied to the Western world), but they provide a starting spot for personal reflection and for the needs people often deny after rejecting the idea of God.

Atheists and Religious people alike could easily read and enjoy this book. It reads extremely fast, has a good sense of humor, and gives you a great deal to think about.