Comments on: Are you a “fundamentalist atheist” and what is your view of religion? http://agnosticatheist.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/are-you-a-fundamentalist-atheist-and-what-is-your-view-of-religion/ Without absolute knowledge that there is no God.... Sat, 19 Jul 2008 09:24:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU By: Are you a “fundamentalist atheist” and what is your view of religion? « Mark, the Multifarious Modernist http://agnosticatheist.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/are-you-a-fundamentalist-atheist-and-what-is-your-view-of-religion/#comment-1512 Are you a “fundamentalist atheist” and what is your view of religion? « Mark, the Multifarious Modernist Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:56:46 +0000 http://agnosticatheist.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/are-you-a-fundamentalist-atheist-and-what-is-your-view-of-religion/#comment-1512 [...] Are you a “fundamentalist atheist” and what is your view of religion? Another interesting blog post, by Agnostic Atheist [...] [...] Are you a “fundamentalist atheist” and what is your view of religion? Another interesting blog post, by Agnostic Atheist [...]

]]> By: Mark http://agnosticatheist.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/are-you-a-fundamentalist-atheist-and-what-is-your-view-of-religion/#comment-1511 Mark Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:17:29 +0000 http://agnosticatheist.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/are-you-a-fundamentalist-atheist-and-what-is-your-view-of-religion/#comment-1511 Do you consider yourself an “atheist fundamentalist?” Nope, I guess I'd consider myself an Agnostic Atheist, or secular Humanist. I think fundamentalism has more to do with society, and individual personality, than any particular ideology. The term 'atheist fundamentalist' has definately been over-used by theists recently, and only reflects a minority of non-believers. What is your view of religion? It depends, very much, on the particular religion, as well as the strength of faith and personality of individual believers. I think it's dangerous to generalise theists. Do you believe that atheism and religion can co-exist or do you support the eradication of religious beliefs? NO! By no means do I endorse the forceful eradication of religious beliefs, such as that seen in communist Russia and China. However, I <i>do</i> belief, very strongly, in having a secular State and secular education. People should be presented with the 'facts' and opinions; allowed to be as free as possible to choose their beliefs, without being preached at by Atheists <i>or</i> Theists. Atheists are a minority and we would like our views to be respected. However, do you believe that we should reciprocate that respect to those who do not believe as we do? Definately, alienating, ignoring and patronising people, different to ourselves, only excacerbates the divisions in society. Do you consider yourself an “atheist fundamentalist?”
Nope, I guess I’d consider myself an Agnostic Atheist, or secular Humanist. I think fundamentalism has more to do with society, and individual personality, than any particular ideology. The term ‘atheist fundamentalist’ has definately been over-used by theists recently, and only reflects a minority of non-believers.

What is your view of religion?
It depends, very much, on the particular religion, as well as the strength of faith and personality of individual believers. I think it’s dangerous to generalise theists.

Do you believe that atheism and religion can co-exist or do you support the eradication of religious beliefs?
NO! By no means do I endorse the forceful eradication of religious beliefs, such as that seen in communist Russia and China. However, I do belief, very strongly, in having a secular State and secular education. People should be presented with the ‘facts’ and opinions; allowed to be as free as possible to choose their beliefs, without being preached at by Atheists or Theists.

Atheists are a minority and we would like our views to be respected. However, do you believe that we should reciprocate that respect to those who do not believe as we do?
Definately, alienating, ignoring and patronising people, different to ourselves, only excacerbates the divisions in society.

]]> By: Agnostic http://agnosticatheist.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/are-you-a-fundamentalist-atheist-and-what-is-your-view-of-religion/#comment-344 Agnostic Thu, 31 May 2007 00:14:58 +0000 http://agnosticatheist.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/are-you-a-fundamentalist-atheist-and-what-is-your-view-of-religion/#comment-344 Oh I understand now. You are "blogging" in tongues. ;) Oh I understand now. You are “blogging” in tongues. ;)

]]> By: Anonymous http://agnosticatheist.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/are-you-a-fundamentalist-atheist-and-what-is-your-view-of-religion/#comment-345 Anonymous Wed, 30 May 2007 23:12:29 +0000 http://agnosticatheist.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/are-you-a-fundamentalist-atheist-and-what-is-your-view-of-religion/#comment-345 tsyTcvDrIRMjhFBpJ tsyTcvDrIRMjhFBpJ

]]> By: Anonymous http://agnosticatheist.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/are-you-a-fundamentalist-atheist-and-what-is-your-view-of-religion/#comment-343 Anonymous Wed, 30 May 2007 14:13:50 +0000 http://agnosticatheist.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/are-you-a-fundamentalist-atheist-and-what-is-your-view-of-religion/#comment-343 AIHERvWyTcQMZmVuK AIHERvWyTcQMZmVuK

]]> By: anti-nonsense http://agnosticatheist.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/are-you-a-fundamentalist-atheist-and-what-is-your-view-of-religion/#comment-342 anti-nonsense Wed, 09 May 2007 23:50:08 +0000 http://agnosticatheist.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/are-you-a-fundamentalist-atheist-and-what-is-your-view-of-religion/#comment-342 Do you consider yourself an “atheist fundamentalist? No. I thnk that's a stupid term made up by people that want to make atheists look bad. What is your view of religion? it depends on the religion, i don't mind things like Wicca or jainism, or buddhism really because they tend to be peaceful and not try to shove their beliefs down other people's throats, but I find that many religions are violent and dangerous, and some of them are interfering with scientific progress and making human suffering worse. Do you believe that atheism and religion can co-exist or do you support the eradication of religious beliefs? I don't support the forceful eradication of all religions but I believe that we need to fight against the fundamentalist religions that refuse to admit any dissent from their beliefs, thjese are the kind of people that think even other sects of their same religion are evil and deserve to burn in hell or whatever. if you want to believe that the universe is actually a giant bowl of rice or something then fine, but if you try to force everybody else to believe not only that the universe is giant bowl of rice, but that it's brown rice and not white rice and everybody who believes that it's white rice is evil, ten i have a problem with you. Atheists are a minority* and we would like our views to be respected. However, do you believe that we should reciprocate that respect to those who do not believe as we do? Of course we should show respect for religious people, provided their beliefs don't cause harm. But i will still excercise my right to strongly and publcally disagree with them, I just will try to attack the ridicolous beliefs and not the people holding them. Do you consider yourself an “atheist fundamentalist?
No. I thnk that’s a stupid term made up by people that want to make atheists look bad.
What is your view of religion?
it depends on the religion, i don’t mind things like Wicca or jainism, or buddhism really because they tend to be peaceful and not try to shove their beliefs down other people’s throats, but I find that many religions are violent and dangerous, and some of them are interfering with scientific progress and making human suffering worse.
Do you believe that atheism and religion can co-exist or do you support the eradication of religious beliefs?
I don’t support the forceful eradication of all religions but I believe that we need to fight against the fundamentalist religions that refuse to admit any dissent from their beliefs, thjese are the kind of people that think even other sects of their same religion are evil and deserve to burn in hell or whatever. if you want to believe that the universe is actually a giant bowl of rice or something then fine, but if you try to force everybody else to believe not only that the universe is giant bowl of rice, but that it’s brown rice and not white rice and everybody who believes that it’s white rice is evil, ten i have a problem with you.
Atheists are a minority* and we would like our views to be respected. However, do you believe that we should reciprocate that respect to those who do not believe as we do?
Of course we should show respect for religious people, provided their beliefs don’t cause harm. But i will still excercise my right to strongly and publcally disagree with them, I just will try to attack the ridicolous beliefs and not the people holding them.

]]> By: Good Atheist » Blog Archive » “New” Atheists and “Fundamentalist” Atheists http://agnosticatheist.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/are-you-a-fundamentalist-atheist-and-what-is-your-view-of-religion/#comment-338 Good Atheist » Blog Archive » “New” Atheists and “Fundamentalist” Atheists Thu, 05 Apr 2007 21:22:03 +0000 http://agnosticatheist.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/are-you-a-fundamentalist-atheist-and-what-is-your-view-of-religion/#comment-338 [...] Finally, I always find articles like this a little strange. They seem to imply on some level that atheism constitutes a body of like-thinking people. There’s no Church of Atheism. We don’t have membership cards or weekly meetings. Well, sometimes groups do form, but they are not representative of atheists in general any more than one book club represents all readers. As mentioned in a blog post I read recently, we come in all shapes and sizes. [...] [...] Finally, I always find articles like this a little strange. They seem to imply on some level that atheism constitutes a body of like-thinking people. There’s no Church of Atheism. We don’t have membership cards or weekly meetings. Well, sometimes groups do form, but they are not representative of atheists in general any more than one book club represents all readers. As mentioned in a blog post I read recently, we come in all shapes and sizes. [...]

]]> By: Atheists come in all shapes and sizes « Agnostic Atheism http://agnosticatheist.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/are-you-a-fundamentalist-atheist-and-what-is-your-view-of-religion/#comment-340 Atheists come in all shapes and sizes « Agnostic Atheism Thu, 05 Apr 2007 14:04:15 +0000 http://agnosticatheist.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/are-you-a-fundamentalist-atheist-and-what-is-your-view-of-religion/#comment-340 [...] 5th, 2007 Recently, many atheist’s blogs have commented on “Fundamentalist Atheists.” However, if there are fundamentalist atheists, they seem to be a minority group within a [...] [...] 5th, 2007 Recently, many atheist’s blogs have commented on “Fundamentalist Atheists.” However, if there are fundamentalist atheists, they seem to be a minority group within a [...]

]]> By: "Fundamentalist" Atheism Questions « Everyday Atheism http://agnosticatheist.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/are-you-a-fundamentalist-atheist-and-what-is-your-view-of-religion/#comment-339 "Fundamentalist" Atheism Questions « Everyday Atheism Thu, 05 Apr 2007 05:15:28 +0000 http://agnosticatheist.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/are-you-a-fundamentalist-atheist-and-what-is-your-view-of-religion/#comment-339 [...] 5 04 2007 Agnostic Atheist has some questions for other atheists about their views on “fundamentalist” atheism. Go tell him what you think.  You know you want to.  Here are my responses to the questions [...] [...] 5 04 2007 Agnostic Atheist has some questions for other atheists about their views on “fundamentalist” atheism. Go tell him what you think.  You know you want to.  Here are my responses to the questions [...]

]]> By: Everyday Atheist http://agnosticatheist.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/are-you-a-fundamentalist-atheist-and-what-is-your-view-of-religion/#comment-341 Everyday Atheist Wed, 04 Apr 2007 06:02:29 +0000 http://agnosticatheist.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/are-you-a-fundamentalist-atheist-and-what-is-your-view-of-religion/#comment-341 1. Do you consider yourself an “atheist fundamentalist?” Definitely not. The fact that I'm an atheist is probably the least interesting thing about me, it's the ideas and the freedom that flow from that fact that make a difference in my life. 2. What is your view of religion? I think religion is just an organized way of preserving beliefs and practices. There is nothing inherently wrong or dangerous about that, it depends on what kinds of beliefs and practices are being preserved. Many religions promote false or harmful beliefs, and useless or dangerous practices, and that's what I'm against. I'm against those things whether they are enshrined in religion or not, and I have no problem with religions that teach positive values, and inspire people to do good things. 3. Do you believe that atheism and religion can co-exist or do you support the eradication of religious beliefs? One of the first rules of being happy is getting comfortable with the fact that you cannot control what other people think. There will always be people believing in silly things, whether it be angels or aliens. I think the important thing is to fight against fear, intolerance, and hatred. Someone harboring those feelings can be dangerous no matter what they believe. To answer the question, religion might go away, but silly beliefs will always be with us, so we have to learn to coexist with them. 4. Atheists are a minority* and we would like our views to be respected. However, do you believe that we should reciprocate that respect to those who do not believe as we do? I don't think it would be fair to ask for respect without reciprocating. That said, I do think we need to speak out against beliefs that we feel are false, and/or harmful, whether it be hatred of gays, denigration of women, or anti-intellectualism. For me, generic God belief isn't really an issue. If people want to believe in a benevolent creator, or 20 of them, that doesn't affect me. It's the ancient religious texts that justify corrosive attitudes, beliefs, and practices that are harmful to individuals and society. I think the biggest problem religion poses today is the idea that God wrote one of our books a long time ago, and we cannot question what it says. 1. Do you consider yourself an “atheist fundamentalist?”

Definitely not. The fact that I’m an atheist is probably the least interesting thing about me, it’s the ideas and the freedom that flow from that fact that make a difference in my life.

2. What is your view of religion?

I think religion is just an organized way of preserving beliefs and practices. There is nothing inherently wrong or dangerous about that, it depends on what kinds of beliefs and practices are being preserved. Many religions promote false or harmful beliefs, and useless or dangerous practices, and that’s what I’m against. I’m against those things whether they are enshrined in religion or not, and I have no problem with religions that teach positive values, and inspire people to do good things.

3. Do you believe that atheism and religion can co-exist or do you support the eradication of religious beliefs?

One of the first rules of being happy is getting comfortable with the fact that you cannot control what other people think. There will always be people believing in silly things, whether it be angels or aliens. I think the important thing is to fight against fear, intolerance, and hatred. Someone harboring those feelings can be dangerous no matter what they believe. To answer the question, religion might go away, but silly beliefs will always be with us, so we have to learn to coexist with them.

4. Atheists are a minority* and we would like our views to be respected. However, do you believe that we should reciprocate that respect to those who do not believe as we do?

I don’t think it would be fair to ask for respect without reciprocating. That said, I do think we need to speak out against beliefs that we feel are false, and/or harmful, whether it be hatred of gays, denigration of women, or anti-intellectualism. For me, generic God belief isn’t really an issue. If people want to believe in a benevolent creator, or 20 of them, that doesn’t affect me. It’s the ancient religious texts that justify corrosive attitudes, beliefs, and practices that are harmful to individuals and society. I think the biggest problem religion poses today is the idea that God wrote one of our books a long time ago, and we cannot question what it says.

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