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Religion
In reply to the discussion: I have nothing against people who don't believe in spirituality, but people who proselytize non- [View all]NeoGreen
(4,033 posts)21. Considering the source...
...
Lauren Sandler is the author of Righteous: Dispatches from the Evangelical Youth Movement. She has contributed journalism and opinion about culture, politics, and religion for many publications, including The Atlantic, The New Republic, Slate, The Nation, Mother Jones, and The New York Times.
The article is nothing more than a lament for the feeling you get when your priviledge is being eroded, i.e.:
When Youre Accustomed to Privilege, Equality Feels Like Oppression
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-boeskool/when-youre-accustomed-to-privilege_b_9460662.html
As highlighted in this passage:
While Dawkins can see a political case to be made for the tolerant-humanist approach, he says that it is his writingalong with colleagues Hitchens and Sam Harrisand not the kinder, gentler voices of atheism, that is actually effecting change, and public relations be damned. Plus, he says, his work is hardly radicalit's only perceived as extremist because of the relative silence of people who question that faith is truth. I think the illusion of stridencyyou almost cant use the word 'atheism' without preceding it with 'strident'comes from the long period where it simply wasn't done to criticize religions.
The only ones calling us "strident" are the religious.
Atheists aren't going door to door, they are not the ones advocating laws in deference to bronze age theology, they don't create target lists of who to kill:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnett_Slepian
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_terrorism#United_States
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_of_God_(United_States)
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I have nothing against people who don't believe in spirituality, but people who proselytize non- [View all]
highplainsdem
Jan 2019
OP
Nonsense; one can lack an affirmative belief while still understanding the concept. I know what
LongtimeAZDem
Jan 2019
#204
No, they are not; this is the problem with arguing with the religious: the definitions keep changing
LongtimeAZDem
Jan 2019
#208
Again, it's meaningless, since you pick and choose the definition of "believe" at will. /nt
LongtimeAZDem
Jan 2019
#214
You admitted that lacking belief in someone's brand new god is not a belief system in itself.
trotsky
Jan 2019
#243
Nope, here's what you said in response to the claim "Atheism is not a belief system."
trotsky
Jan 2019
#249
Seems silly when your reply is addressing a specific statement made by another poster...
trotsky
Jan 2019
#265
If there is no way to know one way or another, then there is no reason to believe they are real.
LongtimeAZDem
Jan 2019
#339
Atheists like to say that atheism is not a belief system, because it doesn't fit their self-image
Fortinbras Armstrong
Jan 2019
#285
I need not claim; "there is no god"; I simply state that I lack the belief in a god.
LongtimeAZDem
Jan 2019
#318
I usually just say "I don't beilve in god". If they're open to duscission, I can clarify,
LongtimeAZDem
Jan 2019
#326
Sure, but once they do (outside of forum discussions like this) I just write them off. /nt
LongtimeAZDem
Jan 2019
#336
Yeah, a relative whisper of dissent over a system of opposition by the megawatt
Major Nikon
Jan 2019
#59
See reply 3. And proselytizing doesn't refer only to formal religions or organizations. It can
highplainsdem
Jan 2019
#5
You think advising people to stop worrying about gods or damnation is "empathy neutral"?
muriel_volestrangler
Jan 2019
#127
Even when the atheist one says "hey, that guy is probably wrong so don't worry!"
trotsky
Jan 2019
#232
Sure, and there's lots of other words that can literally refer to the same thing
Major Nikon
Jan 2019
#15
I used the word for the same reason the writer of this Daily Beast article
highplainsdem
Jan 2019
#23
I did have religious beliefs, as a youngster. But, when I became an adult, I started reasoning
MineralMan
Jan 2019
#34
So you're saying that anyone with religious beliefs is illogical, childish, a disappointment to you?
highplainsdem
Jan 2019
#52
You said very clearly that you threw off religious beliefs when you became an adult and could think
highplainsdem
Jan 2019
#56
???? Not sure what you mean by that. But I wish you understood why your comments that adults who
highplainsdem
Jan 2019
#65
So you're still saying that it's illogical to hold any religious belief, and you're disappointed in
highplainsdem
Jan 2019
#70
Your statement made it clear that you believe reasoning, logical adults should throw off religious
highplainsdem
Jan 2019
#79
You have a narrow view of religion. I believe in a higher power and I'm relaxing in bed this
Dream Girl
Jan 2019
#61
My views are fairly similar to yours. I went from a childhood in a major religion to agnostic,
highplainsdem
Jan 2019
#68
Whatabout those who proselytize against the proselytizers who proselytize against the proselytizers?
Major Nikon
Jan 2019
#7
Especially the newly converted whether from religious to non-religious or non-r to religious.
keithbvadu2
Jan 2019
#18
As MJ said: "You were born an atheist. That is the default condition. You did not have a belief syst
keithbvadu2
Jan 2019
#49
Do you doubt anyone can come up with an infinite number of not real things?
Major Nikon
Jan 2019
#87
Agree. I've seen that in my family, with both outspoken atheists and outspoken evangelicals who've
highplainsdem
Jan 2019
#26
I don't have a problem saying that some deity of some sort somewhere may exist.
Pope George Ringo II
Jan 2019
#233
I'd suggest that if quantum mechanics were easier for most, they'd gravitate that way.
Pope George Ringo II
Jan 2019
#240
It is not tiring to me. That is because I am not religious. You are I suppose so you do not want
wasupaloopa
Jan 2019
#50
I'm not religious. I haven't belonged to any religion since my teens. But I know people who are
highplainsdem
Jan 2019
#123
There are just different types of people where religion is concerned - who wudda thunk it?
Freelancer
Jan 2019
#55
Liberalism by definition it seems at first, can't be dogmatic or militant.
Bretton Garcia
Jan 2019
#88
Six and a half billion people on this planet, now, beleive in a Supreme Being, a Higher Power or a
demosincebirth
Jan 2019
#90
I have a very large family, 99% Catholic, three gay and all liberal, but not in all sense.
demosincebirth
Jan 2019
#280
It sounds like what you mean is religion has been around since humans have
Major Nikon
Jan 2019
#145
Yes burial rituals, but also modern hunter gatherer societies provide evidence
marylandblue
Jan 2019
#187
Interesting post, and I appreeciate what I believe are your intentios. Regarding the difference
c-rational
Jan 2019
#96
Maybe they are just talking to themselves in a form of self persuasion.
littlemissmartypants
Jan 2019
#147
Making a sandwich will add just about as much to this discussion as a deliberately cryptic remark.
highplainsdem
Jan 2019
#174
I will assure you everyone who needs to know what it means knows what it means.
Act_of_Reparation
Jan 2019
#176
Oh, it's a forum in-joke for people who agree with you. How helpful to any discussion in a public
highplainsdem
Jan 2019
#178
That old classic doesn't apply to my OP, since I made it very clear I wasn't
highplainsdem
Jan 2019
#171
Uh, by being here in this open forum where all viewpoints are welcome, you are asking to be engaged.
trotsky
Jan 2019
#222
What the actual fuck's going on here is that in your zeal to attempt to prove some kind of point...
ADX
Jan 2019
#226
Thanks for the condescension! The OP compares atheists speaking negative opinions about religion...
trotsky
Jan 2019
#229
Condescension? Seriously? LMAO. This from someone who literally posted a dripping sarcasm smiley...
ADX
Jan 2019
#250
No, that excerpt was posted as an example of the words "proselytize" and "evangelize" being used
highplainsdem
Jan 2019
#203
Again: I have nothing against atheists, and there's nothing wrong with making a case for your
highplainsdem
Jan 2019
#227