The Atheist Delusion

[Vene]

There are idiots in any group (see 23FNORDOMGZPINEALETC)... and your position is, IMO, relatively sane. However, at least in my experience, it seems that the majority of people that proudly claim to be atheist, tend to have a very Us vs Them concept and often wear a communion wafer on their shoulder I am surprised at the sheer numbers of atheists I've talked with that think "flaw in Christianity= proof of no god". Certainly this isn't true for ALL atheists... but it seems to be a common 'feature' among most, but not all, of the ones I've met and talked with.

Militant Atheists are scary and bothersome.  I would like to point out that, at least in my opinion, the people who see "flaw in Christianity = proof of no God" are not really Atheist, but Anti-Christianists.  Personally, I find the spiritual aspects of religion in general pretty fascinating.  I just don't like Dogma which is, let's face it, both what religion shouldn't be about and what it normally devolves into eventually.  I read somewhere about the differences in Christianity when it was an "underground" religion, in the early Roman times, and after it had become the State Religion and widely accepted.  Fascinating stuff.

I try to classify myself as "areligionist" if absolutely pressed.  That or I tell people I'm a... Neo-Zen Discordian Anti-Radical-Post-Humanistic Taoist who is interested to know how much will fit in the religion slot on this form.

I find that people who tend to identify as 'discordian and atheist tend to hold a position similar to yours, which I think (personally) fits more closely with Model Agnosticism. I wonder how many self-identified atheists would actually consider themselves either Atheistic, Anti-Christian, Agnostic or Anti-Religion if not fur the current "Atheist is Cool" meme?

Atheist is Cool?  Not in the States it's not.

And I do tend to tell people I'm an atheist other than Discordian, because nobody knows that the fuck "Discordian" means.  And I really don't feel like trying to explain it.

[e]

I think the "Atheist is Cool Meme" is a reference to the (albeit controversial) popularity of books like Dawkins' "The God Delusion" and Hitchens' "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything" which in certain circles have been widely popular and "cool".  So I guess he meant "Cool in the sense that Hot Topic is Cool"

[tyrannosaurus vex]

Religion is bollocks. Whether there is a 'supernatural world' or not might be questionable (for now), but Religion, which is any system of political manipulation whose authority and validity is in unfounded declarations about unprovable ideas, is absolute and complete bullshit. So while I do not advocate atheism, because it lends itself to premature conclusions just as well as religion does, I would not oppose enforcing agnosticism on the masses, where there is a very strict system designed to eliminate religion as a motivating factor in any interpersonal relationships, public or otherwise.

[Cain]

You mean as in going against the mainstream, who seem to be caught up in a Christian/Muslim spag-fight/hissy fit of epic proportions?

Atheism is the new emo.  It allows intelligent and well educated people living in first world countries to feel oppressed.

[Vene]

I think the "Atheist is Cool Meme" is a reference to the (albeit controversial) popularity of books like Dawkins' "The God Delusion" and Hitchens' "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything" which in certain circles have been widely popular and "cool".  So I guess he meant "Cool in the sense that Hot Topic is Cool"

That makes more sense.  I don't doubt the existence of atheist in-groups.

So while I do not advocate atheism, because it lends itself to premature conclusions just as well as religion does, I would not oppose enforcing agnosticism on the masses, where there is a very strict system designed to eliminate religion as a motivating factor in any interpersonal relationships, public or otherwise.

Weak atheism is agnosticism where the individual doesn't believe.  It's the strong atheists that are nuts.

[Vene]

Atheism is the new emo.  It allows intelligent and well educated people living in first world countries to feel oppressed.

I think I may have to steal this line from you.

[tyrannosaurus vex]

You mean as in going against the mainstream, who seem to be caught up in a Christian/Muslim spag-fight/hissy fit of epic proportions?

Atheism is the new emo.  It allows intelligent and well educated people living in first world countries to feel oppressed.

Except there really is restriction, if not outright oppression, that stems from nothing but the religious superstition of the stupid.

[e]

Atheism is the new emo.  It allows intelligent and well educated people living in first world countries to feel oppressed.

Errr...  Does that mean that emo was originally there so intelligent and well-educated people in first world countries could feel oppressed? 

[LMNO]

Yes.

Emo started out as the Emotionally vulnerable hardcore kids.

Society hated them and they got beat up by Agnostic Front fans.

[e]

So then, in the future...

"Shut up, you athefag." and "Don't be such an athe" will become common phrases of derogatory import?!

[Cain]

Atheism is the new emo.  It allows intelligent and well educated people living in first world countries to feel oppressed.

Errr...  Does that mean that emo was originally there so intelligent and well-educated people in first world countries could feel oppressed? 

No its so middle class suburban kids can feel marginalized and rejected by the world.

But its the same sort of 'fashionable persecution complex' which seems to be the meta-meme the world is buying into right now, be the bearers Christian, Muslim, Liberal, Conservative or Atheist.

[Cain]

You mean as in going against the mainstream, who seem to be caught up in a Christian/Muslim spag-fight/hissy fit of epic proportions?

Atheism is the new emo.  It allows intelligent and well educated people living in first world countries to feel oppressed.

Except there really is restriction, if not outright oppression, that stems from nothing but the religious superstition of the stupid.

Which could be solved by secularism, which does not rely on atheists to flourish.

Of course, the US is a different case to the UK, but over here, the religious nutters are just another small lobby with a big mouth, no different to the arms industry or pharmaceuticals.

[Vene]

You mean as in going against the mainstream, who seem to be caught up in a Christian/Muslim spag-fight/hissy fit of epic proportions?

Atheism is the new emo.  It allows intelligent and well educated people living in first world countries to feel oppressed.

Except there really is restriction, if not outright oppression, that stems from nothing but the religious superstition of the stupid.

I still wouldn't call it oppression.  We can still vote, hold office (for the most part), and live peacefully.  Yes, it is hard for an atheist to get elected, but it's not the system that's at fault for this, it's the overly-religious fuckwits.  It'd be better for the atheists that don't just rally against religion be known as atheists.  Right now the people that are known to the public to be atheists are all vehemently opposing religion.  There needs to be a balance (after all, religious dogma is bullshit).

And it's not nearly as bad as the persecution complex that you see in fundamentalist Christians.

[Vene]

You mean as in going against the mainstream, who seem to be caught up in a Christian/Muslim spag-fight/hissy fit of epic proportions?

Atheism is the new emo.  It allows intelligent and well educated people living in first world countries to feel oppressed.

Except there really is restriction, if not outright oppression, that stems from nothing but the religious superstition of the stupid.

Which could be solved by secularism, which does not rely on atheists to flourish.

Of course, the US is a different case to the UK, but over here, the religious nutters are just another small lobby with a big mouth, no different to the arms industry or pharmaceuticals.

I support secularism a lot more than an atheist state.  But, sometimes it's hard not to when jackasses like Pat Robertson have so much political sway.

[e]

But its the same sort of 'fashionable persecution complex' which seems to be the meta-meme the world is buying into right now, be the bearers Christian, Muslim, Liberal, Conservative or Atheist.

That makes sense to me.  Underdogism has reached new highs.  I blame Walt Disney.

Of course, the US is a different case to the UK, but over here, the religious nutters are just another small lobby with a big mouth, no different to the arms industry or pharmaceuticals.

I love the Church of England's take on itself.  I once read a quote by the head of it who compared the Church to a "doddering old woman in the corner who just rambles to herself all the time and everybody politely ignores".