Have you read this Op-Ed in the Times? This guy cites two reasons for the sudden atheist brouhaha.
First he offers:
The most obvious answer is that the armies of disbelief have been provoked. Articulate secularists may be merely reacting to the many recent incitements from religious zealots
And then he offers:
A deeper and far more unsettling answer, however, is that the popularity of the current counterattack on religion cloaks a renewed and intense anxiety within secular society that it is not the story of religion but rather the story of the Enlightenment that may be more illusory than real. But I'm going to take issue with both of these arguments…
Because even if they're part of the equation, I think we're missing a big variable. I think it's a lot of fucking marketing. I think it's all a ridiculous scam dreamed up by the publicists at the major publishing houses. I blame them, and George Bust too.
Of course.
See, after the last presidential election, there was the scramble for progressive God-books. There was this sudden realization in newspaper land that the political right owned God, and most specifically Jesus. They talked about it, and the people in book-land caught on, and a lot of people I know got calls from agents…
So in a matter of months, there were all these sales for relig-ish books by smart writers. Which was cool, and turned out some awesome books.
But now, there's the backlash. Atheist books everywhere, which is also cool.
But it really bugs me, this sense that the publication of such books by the same houses, and then the backlash to the atheist books (of course less progressive or pluralistic) and the ensuing insanity and debate-style promo ops on fucking FOX news…
… is all just a ploy to force everyone to buy books as a way of "picking a side" or something.
I mean, I'd love to see a roundtable of smart believers and smart atheists… moderated by Jeff Sharlet. Of course. But a lot of this shit…
… is shit. I hate to feel manipulated by marketing. I hate it.
And so does God.
God aint no fucking sucker, sucker!