Atheist food drive

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Which is, of course, counterproductive, since it just gets people defensive.

The best thing you can do is to teach them how to think critically and rationally without specific mention of religion, but to try and get them to apply it in their everyday life.  Sooner or later the principles of the former, which do work, will run up against the dogma of the latter, which does not and the former should win.

AKA, "The HP Methods of Rationality Gambit".

People get rather attached to religion, though, and will either use a twisted version of rationality to legitimize particularly absurd beliefs (Intelligent Design) or they start to reinterpret parts of their religion as allegorical while maintaining belief in the existence of a deity.

Preferably it would at least result in the latter with a decrease in bombings, shootings, and attempting to legislate religious ideas.

[Iason Ouabache]

Which is, of course, counterproductive, since it just gets people defensive.

The best thing you can do is to teach them how to think critically and rationally without specific mention of religion, but to try and get them to apply it in their everyday life.  Sooner or later the principles of the former, which do work, will run up against the dogma of the latter, which does not and the former should win.

Very true, which is why I prefer the "skeptic" label to the "atheist" label. Atheist is negative (defined by what you are not), skeptic is positive (defined by what you are).

[Iason Ouabache]

WTF is a militant atheist? Someone who bombs churches and shit? Haven't seen any of those around here.

One could argue that some instances of Militant Atheism have existed in the past. Some revolutionaries in the 1700's, certain communistic governments/revolutions etc. However, when you dig deep you find that their militant behavior has a lot in common with Theistic militant behavior and may have a lot more to do with the monkey brain, than that which the monkey brain worships (or doesn't worship).

Very true. There have been plenty of violent atheists just as there have been in every belief system. Ideology has never stopped anyone from a raging asshole.  I'd like to point out though that the people getting called militant atheists these days because they commit the sin of disagreeing with someone's world view on the internet. You can't really compare that to suicide bombing, killing abortion doctors and starting unending wars in the Middle East.

Me, I'm a militant Maybe Logican. I feel as though I may kill a motherfucker, in some sense, based on the situation, context and level of knowledge I have at the moment, or not.

I'm a militant agnostic. I don't know, AND NEITHER DO YOU, MOTHER FUCKER!!!

[Juana]

Actually, I just don't care.

[Iason Ouabache]

Actually, I just don't care.

Apatheist.

[Cain]

But are you a militant apatheist?

"I don't care, just leave me alone, or I'll kill your ass"?

[Cain]

Which is, of course, counterproductive, since it just gets people defensive.

The best thing you can do is to teach them how to think critically and rationally without specific mention of religion, but to try and get them to apply it in their everyday life.  Sooner or later the principles of the former, which do work, will run up against the dogma of the latter, which does not and the former should win.

Very true, which is why I prefer the "skeptic" label to the "atheist" label. Atheist is negative (defined by what you are not), skeptic is positive (defined by what you are).

Yeah.  I can understand what the New Atheists are saying, and even think they have several points on which they are correct...but for people who laud their own ability to work on evidence and fact instead of dogma, how fucking faith-based are they in believing being obnoxious twits online and off will cause radical Islam, the Vatican et al to come crashing to it's knees?

If that were true, the combined obnoxiousness of 4chan, ED and this site would've turned everyone into an atheist by 2006.

[Juana]

But are you a militant apatheist?

"I don't care, just leave me alone, or I'll kill your ass"?

Well, I'll render you into bite sized pieces verbally, but pretty much.

Actually, I just don't care.

Apatheist.

Correct. Made my life much simpler when I reached the conclusion I didn't care.

[Thurnez Isa]

I read the subject and immediately got the image of a food drive where they give you food, then take your bible.

[Jasper]

I wonder if there have been pro life food drives.  They give you food, but they take your condoms.

[BabylonHoruv]

It was a joke, since militant atheism is the soup du jour.

Blight,
needs to make better use of emotes

WTF is a militant atheist? Someone who bombs churches and shit? Haven't seen any of those around here.

Interchangeable with atheists within the New Atheism movement or whatever that's called. I've heard atheists describe themselves as militant, in the sense that religion is an enemy that must be eliminated. Not through armed conflict but by directly and repeatedly attacking it on an intellectual level (which usually manifests as being obnoxious trolls either online or in real life with a superiority complex)

I can't stand those guys.  I prefer Christian whackjobbery because at least I can understand where the Christians are coming from.  Militant Atheists, yeah, what's wrong with people believing something that isn't true if there is no meaning to life or higher power anyways?  Aside from when believing something that isn't true makes them do bad things of course, but for most people religion motivates them to do good things more than it does bad things.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

It was a joke, since militant atheism is the soup du jour.

Blight,
needs to make better use of emotes

WTF is a militant atheist? Someone who bombs churches and shit? Haven't seen any of those around here.

Interchangeable with atheists within the New Atheism movement or whatever that's called. I've heard atheists describe themselves as militant, in the sense that religion is an enemy that must be eliminated. Not through armed conflict but by directly and repeatedly attacking it on an intellectual level (which usually manifests as being obnoxious trolls either online or in real life with a superiority complex)

I can't stand those guys.  I prefer Christian whackjobbery because at least I can understand where the Christians are coming from.  Militant Atheists, yeah, what's wrong with people believing something that isn't true if there is no meaning to life or higher power anyways?  Aside from when believing something that isn't true makes them do bad things of course, but for most people religion motivates them to do good things more than it does bad things.

It's the same mentality as "All Muslims blew shit up."

I imagine the majority of Christians (as well as other "religious" people) are just "Eh, there's a God, Jesus died for me and I go to heaven when I die. Can't be arsed to read all that or wake up early on Sunday. I'm too busy getting hammered and having premarital sex on Saturday night."

[Thurnez Isa]

or the same mentality as "all discordists can't take anything serious."

I once went through a full day taking everything serious. True I was in bed with the flue, but it occurred.

[Golden Applesauce]

I'm a little annoyed that they gave out books as part of the food drive.  A reverse-book-drive to increase general literacy would be one thing, but I get the feeling that their "roundly criticized" books are going to mostly be stuff like Dawkins, Harris, etc.

GA,
Atheist who participated in several Catholic-sponsored food drives.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I'm a little annoyed that they gave out books as part of the food drive.  A reverse-book-drive to increase general literacy would be one thing, but I get the feeling that their "roundly criticized" books are going to mostly be stuff like Dawkins, Harris, etc.

GA,
Atheist who participated in several Catholic-sponsored food drives.

Food drives are a great way to proselytize.