The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #132437   Message #2999040
Posted By: Steve Shaw
03-Oct-10 - 08:20 PM
Thread Name: BS: True Test of an Atheist
Subject: RE: BS: True Test of an Atheist
"I have to disagree with Steve Shaw.

Everyone I know who self disguises as "athiest" is anti-thiest. Certainly people like Dawkins are."

Well now, I suppose it depends on whether you'll calling that vast body of the human race who care not a shite either way "atheists" or not. As for the rest of us (the non-silent minority), we have no need to self-disguise (whatever that means: I suppose "delusion" was a bit too harsh for you to say but is probably what you meant). In fact, we tend to take the world as it comes, simple souls that we are, and try not to wrap ourselves in myth, legends, tradition, unquestioningness and, worst of all, faith without evidence. How any believer can accuse atheists of lurking around in disguises after all that lot, well, fails me. As for anti-theist, well some of us shrug and ignore, others like a bit of intellectual banter I suppose (don't criticise us - after all, religion indulges in the stupidest, most disguised banter of all. They call it theology). I'm one of those atheists *and* anti-theists I suppose, and why not. Theism deserves every challenge possible, and if you really have the courage of your convictions you'd laugh us off. I suspect many of you secretly haven't, judging from the worried attacks on atheists every time we stick our heads above the parapet, but I'm only guessing there.   

"There may be people who truly don't believe and are neutral about whether or not God exists. But I have neither heard from them or of them."

That's because we don't "not believe," as I've said several times before. I know how hard it must be for you to accept that we don't actually need to say that "we respect you and your God but it's not for us," but we don't, and most of all we don't engage with what we regard as your far-fetched and highly-improbable notions. Do you believe in fairies at the bottom of your garden (or do you regard my question to be facile and pointless)? I wouldn't engage with that if I were you. So don't be too surprised if we don't engage with your equally-improbable question.