[[File:John Updike.jpg|thumbnail|right|200px201px|[[John Updike]] ]]
Atheist Francois Tremblay wrote: "One last problem that undermines any propagation of [[atheism]] is inspiration. Let's be honest here, "there is no god!" is not a very motivating call for most people."<ref>[http://www.liberator.net/articles/TremblayFrancois/herdingcats.html Herding Cats: Why Atheism Will Lose] by Francois Tremblay</ref>
The atheist blogger Martin Hughes wrote: "Atheism is boring."<ref>[https://www.patheos.com/blogs/barrierbreaker/atheism-is-boring/ Atheism Is Boring] by Martin Hughes</ref> Natasha Frost wrote in the guidebook website online magazine ''Atlas Obscura'' about the [[Soviet Union]], which had [[state atheism]]: "...atheism was taught in schools, alongside history and geography, but in a 1975 survey, many people still professed to find [[Atheism and beliefs|atheistic dogma]] boring."<ref>[https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/soviet-antireligious-museums-of-atheism How the USSR Turned Houses of Worship Into Museums of Atheism] by Natasha Frost, ''Atlas Obscura'', MAY 07, 2018</ref>
The [[Ex-atheists|ex-atheist]] [[Alister McGrath]] has repeatedly pointed out the uninspiring nature of atheism.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tSQPGYvE0s Clear Voices 2014 - Alister McGrath - C. S. Lewis’s Vision of the Christianity]</ref><ref>''In the Aftermath: Provocations and Laments'' By David Bentley Hart, page 136</ref> According to McGrath, atheism is "stale", "dull" and difficult to believe.<ref>
*[http://www.christiantoday.com/article/atheism.in.decline.and.will.be.defeated.by.faith.says.oxford.professor/71639.htm Atheism in decline and will be defeated by faith, says Oxford professor] by Harry Farley, ''Christianity Today'', 25 November 2015</ref>
[[John Updike]] wrote:{{cquote|"Among the repulsions of atheism for me has been its drastic un-interestingness as an intellectual position. Where was the ingenuity, the ambiguity, the humanity...of saying that the universe just happened to happen and that when we're dead we're dead?".<ref>Updike, John (1989). ''Self-Consciousness: Memoirs'' (New York, NY: Knopf), ch. 4.</ref>}}
The British columnist Giles Coren wrote in ''The Times'':
Is there anything more boring in the world than an atheist?<ref>[http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/columnists/article4626072.ece I don’t believe it – they’re doing atheism at GCSE] by Niles Coren</ref>}}
[[Eric Kaufmann]], an [[agnosticism|agnostic]] professor whose academic research specialty is how demographic changes affect religion/irreligion and politics, wrote in 2010: "Worldwide, the march of religion can probably only be reversed by a renewed, self-aware [[secularism]]. Today, it appears exhausted and lacking in confidence... Secularism's greatest triumphs owe less to science than to popular social movements like nationalism, [[socialism]] and 1960s anarchist-[[liberalism]]. Ironically, secularism's demographic deficit means that it will probably only succeed in the twenty-first century if it can create a secular form of 'religious' enthusiasm."<ref>[http://www.sneps.net/uploadsepk/JQR%20Demography.pdf Shall the religious inherit the earth? - Eric Kaufmann]</ref>
In recent years, a number of notable atheists have expressed pessimism about the future of the [[atheist movement]] (see: [[Decline of the atheist movement]]).
Andrew Brown wrote in ''The Guardian'' in an article entitled ''You [[Atheism and dance|can't dance to atheism]]'':
In recent times, the number of people attending [[atheist conferences]] has grown smaller.<ref>[http://www.patheos.com/blogs/tippling/2017/07/13/10923/ Whoever I Don’t Like Is Ruining the Atheist Movement] by Jeremiah Traeger</ref><ref>[http://www.patheos.com/blogs/dogmadebate/2017/06/reasonably-controversial-regressive-left-killing-atheist-movement/ Reasonably Controversial: How the Regressive Left Is Killing the Atheist Movement] by David Smalley</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luT2vQ3ctKU #ReasonRally Crash n burn. Thanks SJWs!] by [[Thunderf00t]]</ref> Atheist [[David Smalley]] wrote: "And we wonder why we’re [[Atheism and politics|losing elections]], [[Atheist fundraising vs. religious fundraising#Atheist organizations and fundraising|losing funding]], and our conferences are getting smaller."<ref>[http://www.patheos.com/blogs/dogmadebate/2017/06/reasonably-controversial-regressive-left-killing-atheist-movement/ Reasonably Controversial: How the Regressive Left Is Killing the Atheist Movement] by David Smalley</ref>
In 1839, Isaac Taylor wrote in the novel ''Saturday Evening, by the Author of Natural History of Enthusiasm'', "This at least may most confidently be prognosticated, that the atheism which now is bland, submissive, respectful, crafty will become a creature altogether of altogether another temper....".<ref>[https://books.google.com/booksid=bdlhjyFsuCgC&pg=PA166&lpg=PA166&dq=%22become+a+creature+altogether+of%22&source=bl&ots=g4noGhjILh&sig=ACfU3U1YUb4aHC7aoFhXlck5eJ5AooHDQw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwju8PbHnsfkAhXGx1kKHc6PB_YQ6AEwAnoECAQQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22become%20a%20creature%20altogether%20of%22&f=false ''Saturday Evening, by the Author of Natural History of Enthusiasm''] by Isaac Taylor, 1839</ref>
In ''The Guardian'', the atheist Jim Al-Khalili wrote about the Christian holiday [[Christmas]], "living in a [[secular]] state should never mean one that is bland and homogeneous. Certainly, it should be one in which those of us who wish to can still celebrate Christmas."<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2012/dec/23/why-this-atheist-celebrates-christmas Why this atheist celebrates Christmas] by Jim Al-Khalili, ''The Guardian''</ref>
In December 2003, the University of Warwick reported: "Dr. Stephen Joseph, from the University of Warwick, said: "Religious people seem to have a greater purpose in life, which is why they are happier. Looking at the research evidence, it seems that those who celebrate the Christian meaning of [[Christmas]] are on the whole likely to be happier."<ref>[http://www.scienceblog.com/community/older/2003/A/20037338.html Psychology researcher says spiritual meaning of Christmas brings more happiness than materialism]</ref>
See also: [[Atheism and happiness]]
[[File:Washington Cathedral.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Washington National Cathedral]] ]]
The atheist philosopher Alain de Botton wrote:
{{Cquote|The museum shouldn’t be a neutral space for laying out the artworks of the past like a giant library or catalogue. It should be a place to convert you to something.
Try to imagine what would happen if modern secular museums took the example of churches more seriously. What if they too decided that art had a specific purpose — to make us good and wise and kind — and tried to use the art in their possession to prompt us to be so? What if they gave up on the neutral, bland captions they tend to use, and put beneath each picture a really directive set of commands, telling us, for example, ‘Look at this image and remember to be patient’ — or ‘Use this sculpture to meditate on what you too could do to bring about a fairer world?’”<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/do-atheists-have-anything-to-learn-from-religion/2012/03/26/gIQAZXqdcS_story.html Do atheists have anything to learn from religion?] byBy Kimberly Winston| Religion News Service, March 26, 2012</ref>}}
The American Christian Todd Strandberg said of atheism: "The ranks of atheists have always [[Atheist Population|been small]]... The key problem with atheism is that it lacks a strong 'selling point'".<ref>[http://www.raptureready.com/rr-atheism.html Atheism: The cult of death]</ref> See also: [[Unattractiveness of atheism]] and [[Atheist Population|Atheist population]]
''See also:'' [[Atheism and open-mindedness]] and [[Atheism and dogmatism]] and [[Atheism and intolerance]] and [[Atheism and groupthink]]
The artist Nick Cave declared: "An artist's duty is rather to stay open-minded and in a state where he can receive information and inspiration. You always have to be ready for that little artistic epiphanyEpiphany."<ref>[https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/nick_cave_187032 Nick Cave - Brainy quote website]</ref>
Open-mindedness is important when it comes to creativity. For example, the creativity involved in creating original and inspiring art.
Research indicates that atheists have less open-mindedness (see: [[Atheism and open-mindedness]]).== Culinary/dietary practices of atheists ==[[File:Food Science and Technology.jpg|thumbnail|250px|right|A [[food science]] laboratory]]See: [[Dietary practices of atheists]] (Dietary habits of various irreligious regions) === Atheism, culinary arts, food science, inspiration and innovation === ''See also:'' [[Atheism and food science]] and [[Atheism and culinary science]] and [[Atheism, culinary arts, inspiration, innovation and food science]] The Institute of Food Technologists defines [[food science]] as "the discipline in which the engineering, biological, and physical sciences are used to study the nature of foods, the causes of deterioration, the principles underlying food processing, and the improvement of foods for the consuming public".<ref>Heldman, Dennis R. "IFT and the Food Science Profession." Food Technology. October 2006. p. 11.</ref> Despite the efforts of food scientists and chefs in irreligious cultures to develop more flavorful food, there have been a significant amount of irreligious cultures with bland food that is not exciting from a culinary point of view (See also: [[Atheism and food science]] and [[Atheism and culinary science]]).
== Atheism vs. Christianity: Art, music and poetry ==
Historically and presently, most [[atheism|atheists]] lean [[leftism|politically left]] (See: [[Atheism and politics]]).
[[File:Richard Dawkins at Global Atheism Convention.jpg|alt=Richard Dawkins|thumbnail|200px|left|The [[Oxford University]] Professor [[Daniel Came]] wrote to the New Atheist [[Richard Dawkins]]:: "The absence of a debate with the foremost [[Christian apologetics|apologist]] for [[Christianity|Christian]] [[theism]] is a glaring omission on your [[Curriculum vitae|CV]] and is of course apt to be interpreted as cowardice on your part."<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/8511931/Richard-Dawkins-accused-of-cowardice-for-refusing-to-debate-existence-of-God.html Richard Dawkins accused of cowardice for refusing to debate existence of God], ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', May 14, 2011</ref> ]]
[[Vox Day|Theodore Beale]] wrote about [[secular left|secular leftists]] and leftists in general:
{{cquote|Regardless of whether it is...[[Richard Dawkins]], PZ Myers, or the vast and [[Lesbianism and obesity|corpulent mass]] of [[feminism|feminists]], the Left has an observable tendency to shun debate. They assert many different reasons for doing so, but the truth is always revealed by their seemingly contradictory willingness to debate the incompetent and the overmatched....
[[File:Richard Dawkins black and white picture.jpg|thumbnail|200px|[[Richard Dawkins]] ]]
[[New Atheism]] has a reputation for shallow arguments. A frequent occurrence is that the works of new atheists often betray an amateurish knowledge of philosophy/religion.<ref>''The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Philosophy of Religion'' edited by Graham Oppy, Chapter 4, ''New Atheist Approaches to Religion'' by Trent Dougherty and Logan Paul Cage, page 52, see: [https://books.google.com/books?id=XXdKCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA52&lpg=PA52&dq=new+atheism+amateur+philosophy+religion&source=bl&ots=1aheNZ4o2E&sig=ncZcNcpoGnUgWYmW3wEUXCp08MQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDgQ6AEwBGoVChMI2d39yrDkyAIVhDI-Ch35fAdR#v=onepage&q=new%20atheism%20amateur%20philosophy%20religion&f=false Google books excerpt]
*[http://www.alternet.org/media/47052?page=entire The Dawkins Delusion] by [[Alister McGrath]]</ref> For example, atheist philosopher Dr. [[Michael Ruse]] declared concerning new atheist Richard Dawkins' book ''The God Delusion'': "''The God Delusion'' makes me embarrassed to be an atheist."<ref>http://www.alternet.org/media/47052?page=entire</ref> [[Vox Day]]'s book ''[http://www.voxday.net/mart/TIA_free.pdf The Irrational atheist]'' found multiple errors in reasoning and factual errors when it came to the works of new atheist authors.<ref>[http://creation.com/review-irrational-atheist-by-vox-day Excellent refutation of ‘new atheists’ flawed by heterodox open theism], A review of The Irrational Atheist: Dissecting the Unholy Trinity of Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens by Vox Day, Benbella Books, Dallas, TX, 2008, reviewed by Lita Cosner</ref> See also: [[Atheism and irrationality]]
=== Decline of New Atheism ===
*[http://seanmcdowell.org/blog/theres-no-god-how-boring There's no God? How boring!] by Sean McDowell
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j97MXi9wwE4 (New) Atheism is boring, and you should stop]
==References==