That’s funny. It seems to me that most peoples’ perception of atheists is that they don’t believe in anything at all, therefore they have no convictions, don’t care about anything, etc. I also think it’s funny being told by an atheist what one should believe.
That may be true. But can you ride a skateboard on a mountain bike trail? I think you have chosen a more rewarding and versatile activity.
I believe we need to form a group to campaign on this issue because militant atheists need to be persuaded to stop believing that they should force other people to not believe what they don’t believe.
I used to be “involved” although never particularly militant. Over here we have:
Atheists - people who not only have no belief in god(s) but are prepared to say so out loud in a social context. Some of them overdo it.
Humanists - a subset of atheists who subscribe to a shared set of “beliefs”. These are not beliefs about the way that the world is, but beliefs about how we should behave. I suppose it’s more of a philosophy - a way of thinking and behaving - than a belief system, but people are lazy about language.
Secularists - people who may or may not believe in god(s) but who campaign to keep religion out of public/legal life. They campaign on issues like excluding acts of worship from state run schools, allowing atheists to affirm in court rather than swearing on a holy book, and so on.
Militant Atheists are among the worst people I have ever known. Complete intolerance of freedom of choice, beliefs, and thoughts that they do not approve of. They are very pushy about it, worse than the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and condescending and abusive to those who they disagree with. The old Soviet Communist regime at it’s worst is very tame in comparison to the way they want the world to be. They are equally dogmatic and extreme in their views as religious fanatics.
I am a big believer in liberty. People must have freedom of choice to live as they see fit so long as they do not harm others, make their own decisions. People must be allowed to form their own beliefs and change their minds about things as they see fit. Militant Atheists want these rights taken away from everyone, and are working towards that end. It will be a dark day indeed if these thought police ever succeed.
Because, of course, all militant atheists have identical opinions and agenda. It’s a common phenomenon. That’s why there is only one Christian church and one branch of the Muslim faith. Or, to put it another way: nonsense.
I agree that many outspoken atheists can go on about it far too much and put far too much effort into trying to persuade others that there are no gods. Evangelists and proselytists from any faith, or none, or any political movement, or dietary movement, or pressure group, are a pain in the backside. Very few people want to be converted to or from any religion or opinion.
I was a vegetarian for 18 years and never once criticised anyone else for eating meat, but if they asked me why I was vegetarian, I explained my reasons. I became heartily sick of them telling me why I should eat meat. I have been a “declared” atheist for around 40 years but have never once tried to talk someone out of believing in whatever gods they choose, although I have argued back whenever a religious person has tried to tell me that I ought to believe in their god.
However, I have never yet met an atheist who wanted to take away someone else’s right to believe or their right to worship. Worldwide, people who care enough about the matter to openly declare themselves atheists are a small enough minority that they have a vested interest in freedom of speech and freedom of conscience.
Most atheists - but not all - respect other people’s right to believe, without necessarily respecting the belief itself.
