The standoff between the Attorney General and Atheists in Kenya has expectedly generated quite some animated public debate in the past few weeks.
Gabe Bullard, in an article published on April 22, 2016 in the National Geographic website, says atheism is now the world’s new major ‘religion’. Gabe notes that more people are now identifying as atheist, nonreligious, with potentially world-changing effects. He adds that as secularism grows, atheists are trying to expand and diversify their ranks.
According to the Pew Research Centre, there is a new global phenomenon called the ‘Privilege of Not Believing’. Other demographers have attributed this phenomenon to financial security, which would explain why European countries with a stronger social safety net are more secular than African countries where poverty is more common.
In Kenya, atheism has grown rapidly, thanks to existing gaps amongst religious people — in particular, the presentation of the Christian faith as one that is more for the downtrodden, poor and disadvantaged in the society than a rich faith for all. Consequently, Christians who have advanced in the various spheres of life, especially through education and acquisition of wealth, view their elevation as independence from God. This is because they were socialised with a gospel about a God of provision when in need, comforter in times of pain, which essentially is not all that God is about. An absence of these issues due to abundance and success leaves the believer with a gap for a higher calling, hence breeding a very fertile ground for scepticism and then atheism.
Atheism is also tied to academic achievement. Atheists in many places tend to have college degrees and are highly educated, many of them coming from the sciences world like IT experts, engineers, medical practitioners, among others.
That is why the membership of AIK is predominantly young and highly educated people. They have very compelling arguments. During the recent media forums where Christians were debating with atheists, they were, in my view, shallow, ridiculous and pathetic. Many Christians put up very hollow arguments, which played them into the hands of atheists who believe religious people cannot think critically.
But why are atheists aggressively showing up publicly in Kenya yet they have been around? Even in some far-flung villages, there exists a barefoot, illiterate member of AIK.
First, Christians have had a sense of entitlement in Kenya. Let us be candid here. This was heightened during the Kanu regime under former President Moi. Christianity was treated as the state religion. Come the 2005 and 2010 referenda, the church endeavoured to pursue this cause but with little success. Again that is a story for another day.
It seems that official state religion now drives people away from faith entirely. This could help explain what has happened in the US, which was very Christian. The country now has a number of cults such as Scientology, Mormonism and Jehovah Witnesses. These cults have attracted those who are disenchanted with older faiths and have brewed the kind of atheism now being embraced in Kenya.
In addition, frequent infighting for leadership, resources and other earthly things amongst mainstream Christian faith leaders and members have over time produced great disillusionment among the congregation. Yet the God of the Bible is expected to be worshiped devoid of overt and injurious internal strife. When these become frequent, there is room for other beliefs or non-beliefs to germinate. Atheism is only exploiting an opportunity provided by the church herself.
For the church in Kenya, a solid inward reflection of itself is of essence. Refusal and denial to be dynamic and pragmatic in presenting its claims, including the inability to tap into the huge pool of intellectuals in the congregation, will continue to make it vulnerable to new entrants as atheism.
This will deepen if Christians remain wanting in their appeal to reason and evidence, or even just displaying a Christ-like lifestyle.
In a nutshell, the problem is within the church, not outside of it.