Maybe severely harmed. Perhaps, for example, the idea that human beings have a soul goes to the heart of their identity - how they see themselves as human being. And maybe not being recognized as a being with a soul would be a fundamental existential shock.
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Perhaps also the consequence of increased secularization would be economic and cultural marginalization. Maybe being religious would be seen as being a little bit odd.
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So the harm is real. And religious people can't simply stop believing in God, because that's not how religious belief works, and anyway religion is at the heart of how religious people experience their humanity.
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Does it follow, therefore, that atheist philosophers should not argue for the truth of atheism; they should pretend that there is in fact a god? NO, OF COURSE IT BLOODY DOESN'T. DON'T BE RIDICULOUS.
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It imposes certain kinds of moral obligations on atheist philosophers (particularly if the balance of forces is in their favour, and they're not being no platformed). You should tone down the rhetoric. Insist that religious people should not be subject to *unjust* discrimiation.
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But you get to carry on making arguments. It's hard to nail down exactly why the pursuit of truth is virtuous. But if you're a philosopher, & you think in a broad sense that truth is subordinate to other moral claims, you're in the wrong game.
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