Hello Atheists, non-theists and and the un-religious of all stripes.

[futurebird]

I think some of you took issue with a post I made over at Debunkingwhite so I wanted to make an apology if it seemed like I was in any way trying to minimize the discrimination, and hatred any open atheist faces... especially in the hyper-religious United States. It is ridiculous that we can contemplate a political candidate (just as an example)

Comments

[theonides]

The "New Atheists" are just a label given to a bunch of guys who recently wrote books about atheism that became bestsellers, and by extension, anyone willing to be openly atheist. But there is really nothing "new" about them except that they are able to get books published in the mainstream press. And they are hardly organized into some kind of group.

When I was younger, I also wanted to believe, and I eventually realized that it was doing more damage to me to keep trying than to simply acknowledge the truth and become comfortable with myself in my own skin, rather than what other people expected of me. There are times when I miss the Catholic masses I grew up with, but not enough to go back.

As a white non-libertarian woman, I've faced discrimination for this choice. But I couldn't live with a lie anymore. However, as you say, each of us has to make the choices we are comfortable living with.

[futurebird]

The "New Atheists" are just a label given to a bunch of guys who recently wrote books about atheism that became bestsellers, and by extension, anyone willing to be openly atheist. But there is really nothing "new" about them except that they are able to get books published in the mainstream press. And they are hardly organized into some kind of group.

Thanks. This helps me to understand what was going on a bit more. I thought it was a real group with just one agenda.

[theonides]

Nope. The three big 'new atheists" are all extremely different. Hitchens is an antitheist and neo-con. Dawkins is an evolutionary biologist. Sam Harris is a neuroscientist who dabbles in Buddhist mediation (much to many atheists' disdain) and reserves most of his harshest arguments for the liberal religious for covering for the fundamentalists. Some throw Dennett in there who is a philosopher. There are other less common names included, but each comes at their atheism from their own individual perspectives.

[solid_squid]

Definatly not one group with one agenda, that's just the media's fondness for putting people in a labelled box so they can write headlines. Although it might also be the fact that atheists are becoming more outspoken in matters of religion pushing it's way into politics. Because almost all athiests speak out against this it may have given some people the impression that there was one agenda that all atheists followed, when in fact keeping religion out of politics is one of the few things that they all actually agree on

[futurebird]

keeping religion out of politics is one of the few things that they all actually agree on

I agree on that, it's an insult to religion to mingle it with the state. (and vise-versa) Besides the state must serve everyone equally, how can it do that if it's all mixed up in religion?