Do Atheists Have Any Sacred Cows?

Does unbelief leave any room for customs that are beyond scrutiny?

Every religion has its share of sacred cows—beliefs and practices that reflect a given religion’s special respect for certain ideas, creatures, or things. Figuratively speaking, a sacred cow is a belief or custom that is beyond scrutiny. Even if you’ve never heard of Vishnu or Ganesha, you likely know that in Hinduism cows are sacred. Even if you know nothing about Christianity, you probably know that “You can’t take the Christ out of Christmas.”

But the idiom “sacred cow” also applies to beliefs and customs outside a religious context. If a belief isn’t allowed to be questioned or criticized, then it possesses a kind of “sacredness” for the one holding it. Why do some people get so upset when football players kneel during the national anthem? Because to them, the national anthem is sacred, held to such a degree of respect that even if you have legitimate gripes you ought not choose that moment to voice them.

From a bird’s eye view, sacred beliefs and customs stand out as some of the most colorful aspects of human culture. How many cathedrals, symphonies, paintings, novels, and songs wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for our collective sacred cows serving as inspiration? If you subtract the world’s sacred cows, you’ll find that…