The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #69767   Message #2213951
Posted By: Stringsinger
12-Dec-07 - 01:53 PM
Thread Name: BS: American Secularist Tradition
Subject: RE: BS: American Secularist Tradition
I like the term Freethinker. It suggests an open mind to the extent of understanding another's point of view without necessarilly agreeing with it.

The danger is overgeneralization. What motivates one person doesn't always apply to another.

Wars are created when the dialogue and understanding break down. It's not religion, per se, that does this. It's the attitude toward and often because of it that is the problem.

There are no two religionists or atheists who are alike. Each arrive at their conclusions through their personal life experiences. The religion of Jefferson is different than the religion of Adams. I argue that Stalin was a religionist of sorts, though he professed to be an atheist. In this I agree with George Orwell, "totalitarianism is a form of theocracy".
However, I don't see every religionist as a theocrat.

A Secular viewpoint based on Freethought is not a product of narrow-minded thinking or labels. It has in its meaning a large component of social-consciousness and humanitarianism. It can't exist in an atmosphere of partisan bickering or hostility.

Frank Hamilton