The Teenage Atheist: A Criticism

Teenage rebellions these days
tend to just get WAY out of hand.

All things considered, I was a pretty typical teenager. I grew up in a middle-class suburban neighborhood with my mother, father, and older sister. I watched movies, played video games, and hung out with my group of friends after school. And, like most preteens, I was kind of confused about religion. When I was in early elementary school, I sometimes wished that I knew exactly what it meant to "not say God's name in vain," and I had no idea what to say when some other kid asked me what religion I was. In middle school, I went through a fairly typical middle school Wicca phase. I don't think I even started to "figure out" religion until I hit my teenage years, when I started to settle on the idea that I might not be religious, and that I might even be Atheist.

But this blog isn't about me. It's about the inconsistencies I've seen in my (and others') experiences in exploring religion and Atheism, and the way the Teenage Atheist is portrayed in pop culture. The Teenage Atheist can be seen in a whole slough of novels, movies, and TV shows about adolescents entering adulthood. Of course, the first that may come to mind is Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye. Fellow fictional atheists include Donnie Darko (Donnie Darko, 2001), Kurt Hummel (Glee, TV Series), Jen Lindley (Dawson's Creek, TV Series), Daria Morgendorffer (Beavis and Butt-head, TV Series), Cassandra Edelstein and Roland (Saved!, 2004), and Liz Warren (Hummingbirds, novel, 2003).

Notice anything similar about all of these characters? I do! They're snarky, hyper-intelligent, weird, trouble-maker teens, and pretty much all... messed up... in one way or another. None of these characters are normal. They have "excuses" for their Atheism. Whether it be a troubled childhood, psychotic episodes, or a tendency towards being awkward and unpopular, nearly all of these characters seems to have a reason for why they turned out as an Atheist.

So, why is this a problem? Tons of other fictional teens struggle with identity in other ways. Teens struggle with sexuality, relationships, pregnancy, authority, and countless other programs quite often on television. These problems are often the main focus of the character's development over the series. In any of these cases, the character has an often clearly negative obstacle to overcome (bullying, struggles with teen pregnancy or the morality of abortion, abuse, etc.); it is clear that these are obstacles to overcome, in which the character must do some soul searching in order to overcome them.

But what about Atheism? It is treated as as a reason why the character is so messed up. Instead of offering up Atheism as a character trait to be explored, Atheism is often the root of the bigger problem. In Saved!, Cassandra Edelstein is an outcast and troublemaker because of her Atheism. In Donnie Darko, the main character struggles with the idea of his thoughts forcing him into being an Atheist (after which, his therapist reassures him that, no, he is not an Atheist). As a whole, Atheism is treated as something that always needs to be struggled over during the teenage years. It is treated as an offshoot of the teenage rebellion phase instead of a sign of maturation or greater understanding of faith.

Don't worry, Donnie. Atheists are people who don't believe in God. You definitely still have a chance, buddy!

This lack of discussion about Atheism as a route of spiritual belief or as a positive or neutral character trait in the shows we broadcast to our children and teens is unhealthy. Although it is sometimes treated as a joke, whether or not Atheism is mocked as a silly system of belief is not actually the issue here. We mock all other kinds of religions, as well as all ethnicity, sexuality, and personality types. The issues is that Atheism is only ever treated as a joke, a phase of rebellion, or an open-ended question. You rarely, if ever, see a teen or young adult fictional character at ease with their Atheism. It is always tied to a history of a troubled, angsty past, or as a fleeting fancy that will pass with age or wisdom.