BS: Militant atheism has become a religion

Subject: RE: BS: Militant atheism has become a religion
From: Little Hawk
Date: 24 Mar 13 - 10:48 PM

Yes, I've always said that everyone is really "religious" about something (It could be God, money, themselves, success, possessions, sex, fame, their body, their intellect, their profession, their country, their party, their sexual preference, their racial profile, their gender, their home team, their hobby, their drug of choice, etc.), atheists included. Everyone puts a lot of faith in a few particular favorite baskets. And if they're also dogmatic about it, and they want to attack or ridicule all religions, faiths, and obesssions which are different from their own...then they're a pain to be around.

There's a lot of good stuff in that article. This, for instance:

"Dogmatists (either religious or atheistic dogmatists) have one advantage (in a debate): they are poor listeners. This ensures sparkling conversations when different kinds of them get together the way male birds gather at "leks" to display splendid plumage for visiting females. It almost makes one believe in the "argumentative theory," according to which human reasoning didn't evolve for the sake of truth, but rather to shine in discussion."

One sees that in government all the time, specially when the cameras are running. And one sees it on discussion forums.

That's why I'm starting to prefer PMs for difficult subjects. I can talk to just one person then, and neither one of us is tempted to start grandstanding for the rest of the online audience. It makes for far better communication. Also, you don't keep getting interrupted constantly by other people who want to divert things in some other direction. Again, far better communication when it's just two people talking.

Which is why they say, "Too many cooks spoil the soup."

Subject: BS: Militant atheism has become a religion
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 24 Mar 13 - 10:26 PM

Very interesting article. Why are some atheists so militant.

Prominent non-believers have become as dogmatic as those they deride

"I like this analysis better than the usual approach to secularization, which just counts how many people believe and how many don't. It may one day help to test my thesis that activist atheism reflects trauma. The stricter one's religious background, the greater the need to go against it and to replace old securities with new ones."