The concept of contemporary atheism is directly traceable from Christianity, the enlightenment, and western civilization as a whole, just like other ideas such

The concept of contemporary atheism is directly traceable from Christianity, the enlightenment, and western civilization as a whole, just like other ideas such as democracy or human rights. The term ‘atheism’ makes no sense in a Buddhist context, for example. Fundamentally, the word ‘religion’ is just misunderstood by most people, or ascribed only to a narrow institutional or literalist sort of belief. Much of what one believes is unconscious or behavioral, rather than explicitly stated in words. Many/most of the people whom call themselves atheists today (especially the so-called New Atheists) also tend to still maintain this Christian ethical and political heritage (belief in democracy or the essential equality of human life, for example), even if they don’t realize the origins of their beliefs. Many of these beliefs can be described as ‘humanist’. Hence my calling them ‘post-Christian pseudo-humanists.’