Eddie Tabash

Edward Tabash, more commonly referred to as Eddie Tabash, is an American lawyer and political/social activist. Tabash is an atheist and a proponent of the strict separation of church and state. Politically, Tabash is a secular leftist who vehemently opposes the religious right.

He chairs the Board of Directors for the Center for Inquiry.

He debated the prominent Christian apologists William Lane Craig, Peter van Inwagen, J.P. Moreland, Greg Bahnsen and Richard Swinburne.

Tabash, whose father was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and whose mother was an Auschwitz survivor, previously practiced Eastern/New Age religion before becoming an atheist.

CARM on Eddie Tabash

See also: Atheism and the origin of the universe

Matt Slick, the president of the Christian apologetics organization Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CARM), poses this question to Tabash:

“

Mr. Tabash, in your debate with Phil Fernandez..., you said, “We can’t even speak of a cause [of the universe] because there was no time and space for sequential causation to play out before the big bang occurred.” However, in your debate with Todd Friel at 17:52, you said, “There seems to be no reason why an initial uncaused state of the universe cannot be the self-explanatory cause of everything else.” So, with Mr. Fernandez you say that you can’t even speak of a cause, yet with Friel you say that the cause is uncaused. Can you explain why you contradict yourself in these two different debates?

”

Eddie Tabash on the American atheist movement

See also: American atheism and Low morale of the atheist movement

Tabash said at the 2010 Michigan Atheists State Convention:

“

In every generation there has been a promising beginning of a true vanguard movement that will finally achieve widespread public acceptance for nonbelief. Yet, in each generation there has been an ultimately disappointing failure to actually register the naturalistic alternative to supernatural claims in the public consciousness... Now given the confounding extent to which religion is entrenched in our society, it could take a minimum of 100 years of sustained, intense effort to even begin to cut into the current monolithic stranglehold that religion has on American mass culture,

”

Tabash's proposal for gains in atheist acceptance unrealistic

The likelihood that American atheists will engage to 100 years of sustained, intense effort as far as atheist activism is remote (See: Atheism and apathy and Views on atheists).

Pew Research reported about the American public::

“

In the 2014 Religious Landscape Study, self-identified atheists were asked how often they share their views on God and religion with religious people. Only about one-in-ten atheists (9%) say they do at least weekly, while roughly two-thirds (65%) say they seldom or never discuss their views on religion with religious people. By comparison, 26% of those who have a religious affiliation share their views at least once a week with those who have other beliefs; 43% say they seldom or never do.

”

Also, a 100 year sustained and intense effort of atheist activism would require a high degree of cohesiveness and cooperation among atheists. Tabash said in a speech to the Michigan Atheists State Convention, "Since we are a bit of a cantankerous, opinionated lot...". See also: Atheist factions and Atheism and social skills

In addition, demographic trends point to the atheist population in the United States plateauing in the 21st century as far its proportion of the American public (see: Demographics and trends in American secularism).

Furthermore, due to various historical events/trends, the atheist movement saw a number of setbacks during the latter portion of the 20th century and beyond. As a result, it has lost a considerable amount of confidence (See: Low morale of the atheist movement).