- Atheists are generally mad about stuff.
It seems that atheists are generally pretty mad, mostly at theists. They're especially mad at the Christian variety. If we narrow it down to fundamentalist Christians, well...the reaction borders on apoplexy. Let me say that it doesn't seem to take much to get them riled up. Christopher Hitchens seems nice enough until he starts talking about religion, then the gloves come off. I guess if I was told I was wrong all the time and that I was going to Hell, I'd probably be a little miffed at theistic folks too. Evidently some atheists are aware of the perception that they're mad all the time. One atheist blogger in particular exhorted his fellow atheists to be more calm and rational as a way to prove they could be nice, without God. Peculiar too is alot of these atheists were evidently involved in churches to varying degress and somehow the wheels came off on the Faith Wagon. It stands to reason that when a relationship breaks up, especially one with God, there's gonna be hard feelings for a while. It shows...
6 comments:
I notice you say that atheists are pretty mad at theists and particularly mad at the Christian variety. This statement I think is false. I think most atheists and indeed most moderate theists are mad at religious extremists who fly planes into buildings and kill cartoonists and yes, they are mad at, though to a lesser degree, Christian fundamentalists who think they have a right to expose religion in science classes. It's not just atheists who are annoyed at this, theistic moderates are too. Professor Kenneth Miller for example, who is a practising catholic and appeared for the plaintiffs as an expert witness in the Kitzmiller v Dover Area School District court case, against teaching Intelligent Design in a science class.
The fact is as an atheist myself, most of the time I'm not mad at theists. But the problem is, their are many theists, who do feel the need to bully and coerce. As Christopher Hitchens has rightly pointed out 'they're not happy until I believe it too'.
Now, I personally don't give 'two hoots' what someone else believes, that is until their beliefs start to infringe on other peoples rights. Now, you are quite right in saying atheists get mad at theists... But it is not an irrational dogmatic madness, it is rationally held. Do you not think it is rational to be mad at religious extremism that leads to intolerance?
The impression you give in saying atheists are mad, especially at theists, is that their annoyance is somehow vacuous and has no foundation. When Young Earth creationists try to force Intelligent Design into classrooms, that is something to be mad at, when more extreme theists kill a cartoonist, for simply drawing cartoons, that 'may be offensive, yes that makes me mad.
The point is that my maddening annoyance at religious insanity is objectively grounded and I think reasonable.
Also, your statement that atheists are generally pretty mad? ...Are they really? If that were really true, then perhaps one should be more scared of atheists than theists, because they are potentially as dangerous as the religious extremists they are so mad at. I have seen no evidence for this whatsoever.
I am not mad at anyone. I am a happy, well adjusted person; I just don't believe in the supernatural.
Give it time...:-)
Do you mean that in time I will believe or in time I will be mad?
I'd say for now, getting mad.
Got a little testy there on your blog when all I wanted was a 'yes' or 'no' answer...:-)
BTW, since its my blog over here...
Have you asked Him yet?
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