[[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]]'':
=== 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, innovation ]] and inspiration[[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==