Atheism and the narcissism of small differences

Atheist philosopher Michael Ruse:

Why Richard Dawkins' humanists remind me of a religion 

New atheists may repudiate faith but their schismatic squabbles and adulation of figures such as Dawkins sound familiar

Excerpt:

Humanism in its most virulent form tries to make science into a religion. It is awash with the intolerance of enthusiasm. For a start, there is the near-hysterical repudiation of religion. To quote Richard Dawkins:

"I think there's something very evil about faith … it justifies essentially anything. If you're taught in your holy book or by your priest that blasphemers should die or apostates should die – anybody who once believed in the religion and no longer does needs to be killed – that clearly is evil. And people don't have to justify it because it's their faith."

In the caricaturing of "faith" as murderous fundamentalism, one hears echoes of the bloody and interminable Reformation squabbles between Protestants and Catholics. It is also of course to give help to the real enemy, those who turn their back fully on science as they follow their religion.

There are other aspects of the new atheist movement that remind me of religion. One is the adulation by supporters and enthusiasts for the leaders of the movement: it is not just a matter of agreement or respect but also of a kind of worship. This certainly surrounds Dawkins, who is admittedly charismatic.

Freud describes a phenomenon that he calls "the narcissism of small differences", in which groups feud over distinctions that, to the outside, seem totally trivial. The new atheists show this phenomenon more than any group I have encountered.

Atheists do indeed suffer from a horrendous case of "the narcissism of small differences". The reason has a lot less to do with small differences than it does with narcissism, which is basically what atheism is.