5 ways the atheist community hurting itself

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And what do we all think of this? Would you agree or disagree with the author?

http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-ways-atheist-community-hurting-itself/

Well, I've never met a militant Atheist, until I come to this Internet site; but the article certainly reflects all of what I've seen here, online.

Mosts Atheists in real life, just talk about it, if asked, with a simple answer of I don't believe in God. And yeah, considering how Abrahamic religions describe and define God that is the majority religious voice in the U.S.A. that's totally reasonable.

However what's not reasonable is not understanding the value of what the human social animal naturally does to bind in social ways over common goals and purpose, whether those goals or purposes are of dark or light nature.

Sometimes it's female genital mutilation and sometimes it's an Emperor of Rome named Constantine and his Roman Catholic Cohorts who promote a oral tradition of a Yogi and Naturist leaning dude into a Soldier GOD/King of the Universe, as so-called Jesus.

And yes; that too is understandable as human beings have been using hyperbolic statements flared with emotion, then and now, to sell a product whether it is religion or pantyhose that makes a person look like a Super Model.

It's just human nature. To suggest human nature is ignorant or stupid is the height of innate ignorance and stupidity itself.

Well, I fully recognize that great historical philosophies; whether they come from the Buddha, Gnostic Jesus, Lao Tzu, Krishna myth, or American Indian Great Spirit tradition; all recognize GOD as the force of Nature, including that force AS experienced and expressed as human being inside, outside, above so below, and all around as one force of Interdependent Relationship of All Stuff seen and unseen, as a beautiful tapestry of Art that is all the Universe and beyond, seen and unseen, now and then, and for all infinity to come for now.

God IS ALL, per whatever metaphor is used to replace ALL or GOD, is the same stuff of reality experienced by humans in common sense, when not blinded by illusions of abstract language, collective intelligence, or complex cultural blinds of lies; that suggest humans are somehow superior or separated from the rest of social animal nature and nature in general, by removing some foreskin and covering the skin that connects to nature with clothes, which is kinda sad too, as any true naturist like Yogi-leaning Jesus in the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas promotes in verse 37, which says to know GOD is to strip naked, tread on one's clothes and not be ashamed of one's nakedness, which truly is the metaphor that we are just another animal of God; nothing special really; but the really great thing is we are connected, all the same together as one beautiful tapestry of all that is for now.

I am so glad that I am not separate from the rest of Nature and science does show now that we are all connected too, by the 'God' of Nature, as illustrated nicely by a philosopher-like scientist known as Carl Sagan and friends.



And it doesn't take a genius, truly, to understand if one replaces the three letter word God with the seven word Nature, in this video; that the same passion and exuberance expressed by these scientists over the Nature of all the connection of the Interdependent relationship of all that is; is no less mysterious, beautiful, or wonderful than the mystery, beauty, and passion folks express over the three letter smaller word describing something called God, which more less is the same dam thing.

Problem is, folks get attached to material idols, which truly are all the tools of modern culture from language, to collective intelligence, to culture; and frigging forget that the essence is the truth and not the semantic differences in abstract symbols; whether they are words or a golden calf or the word Nature to express the same essence of truth that we ARE ALL connected.

Anyway, science shows, general speaking; there are two types of folks; those who are closed minded to new experience, and those who are more liberal in considering and experiencing new stuff.

I hang with Fundamentalist Christians, as well as Militant Atheists, as well as Liberal minded folks.

And truly the only thing, in general that separates a closed minded Atheist from a closed minded Fundamentalist Christian, is the word GOD. The general closed minded attitudes are the same. And it is a fascinating phenomena to experience as a participant observer Anthropologist on this site, where Militant Atheists are not afraid to let their true personalities that are often as non-empathic as the fundamentalist Christian folks in my area.

They are often closed minded and cold hearted in terms of thinking their world is the only one that exists.

Nothing could be further from the truth. We ARE all connected; but each human is a 'galaxy' unto itself, in perception of a
Universe that is unique in emotions and senses; both experienced and expressed in non-verbal and verbal language.

So yeah, in a nutshell, Militant Atheist and Fundamentalist Christians are the same basic animal; one with science with an extremely limiting tool of the scientific method that has no consistent method to measure the internal experiences of emotions and senses inhuman mind and body in balance.

And the other that does precisely the same thing with biblical text that is limited by words as idols, rather than a scientific method of observation and repeatable experiment. Humans, once again, are as unique as galaxies and non-repeatable experiments, neither understood fully by the scientific method tool or the bible tool, literally as such.

The humans experience is almost all metaphor of emotions and senses. That is out of the pay grade of science and truly more in the pay grade of even a 3500 year old book, and the new testament that includes both myth for hyperbolic PR, and truth for living and prospering alive, as free.

In the Catholic Church I attend regularly many of the 'science' (systemizing) structured traditions and routines I tolerate and do not accept as truth.

However, when the priest clearly states that the teacher Jesus comes to extinguish the instruction guide of 613 Jewish commandments to just one Rule of Love; that is human truth as a socially cooperating mammal for survival; in both science and New Testament truth.

In the Fundamentalist Southern Baptist churches, I visit with friends of that way of thinking, all the talk is about Jesus the GOD and hell fire brimstone eternity of torture, and a mythological devil.

So in other words, overall, my Catholic Church Priest equals truth.

And the fundamentalist ways of both non-empathic militant atheists and Christians equals false;

when the REAL TRUTH of human nature and Unconditional Tough Love for Survival makes the grade.

It's fascinating; the dude Jesus who some folks do equate as King of the Universe, and the famous
Occultist named as the wickedest man in the world last century, Aleister Crowley, both promote
the same Universal Law of Love as any other philosopher with common sense.

And truly that truth neither requires a degree or a clerical collar. All it requires is social human
animal nature expressed as Unconditional Tough Love, as innately evolved.

I mean, duh, why do folks get so mad over differences of semantics.

Well, haha!, again, science shows that some folks are more closed
minded and some folks are more open minded, so that part
is here to stay; there will always be disagreement
between the closed minded folks who live a
life of caution verse the wild and free
open minded folks who live the
life of
a free bird
with wings,
or an
Angel, haha!..

My academic advisor as an undergraduate was an athiest. The first words out of his mouth on the first day of MUS 211--Music History I, was "I am an athiest, and what worse, I'm a Jewish athiest." He was one of the most miserable people I ever met. Every atheistic person I've ever met was quite miserable, including myself, at one time, in addition to my niece.

Who'da-thunk that acting like a condescending douchebag would be a bad persuasive strategy?

But this is not just a problem with Atheists.

Who wouldn't know that naming your theory "white privilege" would make white people flip-the-fuck-out and switch their brains off?

Apparently, every PhD Sociologist in America...

I've long been aware of these issues. Trying to separate people and their religion should be low on the list of priorities for anyone trying to make the world a better place.

Atheist community? There's no such thing. You may as well speak of a "community" of people who don't believe in leprechauns. Those who don't believe in a deity espouse all sorts of philosophies and I for one have never felt a sense of "community" with all the others.

(P.S.: I am outrageously happy and have been so for years now.)

Communities, in general, vary in size and are identified by name both online and off.

Now defunct, out of lack of interest, at one point, The Wrong Planet Strident Atheists who identify by this communal label do exist here.

And, overall, a cheerful lot, they are NOT then, with only 'sick joy' expressed in making fun of religion.

More or less this will be considered anti-social behavior by real life flesh and blood society, and quickly squashed by majority rule in workplace politics, etc...

At least, in the US, religion still rules the reality of social life, overall, behind closed doors; seperation of church of state or not.

Generally speaking; don't ask; don't tell; applies for overall social success and survival, in flesh and blood life, unless one makes a living at it, like Dawkins and a handful of other outliers...

People are wired for religion in terms of social bonding.

And yes, on a micro online level, the wrong planet strident atheists ironically meet the definition of religious practice, as religion can range from football to book clubs, depending in social bonding human needs met by religious type activity.

I was very happy to read the article. Questioning your own beliefs and attitudes should be an essential part of anyone's life. I get upset when I see other non-believers capslocking angry comments at religious people on twitter and where ever else. I'd rather people think of Bruce Lee or Katharine Hepburn first when they consider us. Instead I remember watching The Unbelievers, a documentary about Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss, and being disappointed that it spent the entire time trying to show how witty they are. I'd prefer people see us as human. There are certain issues that we're vocal about for good reasons- I'll always be an advocate for separation of church and state or getting us some government representation, but no amount of wit will benefit our goals. The Amazing Atheist will always earn us more hate though.

Good old "cracked." Always good for a laugh, low-brow or not.
There is also a distinction between atheists and antitheists that they're not distinguishing here. The latter tend to be the ones that cause problems, because they are often militantly against religion, not simply uninterested and unconvinced, as many atheists are. I have had sensible conversations with atheists who are comfortable enough with themselves and secure enough in their own beliefs that they feel no compulsion to aggressively attack other people for believing otherwise, and can discuss religion with religious people openly and respectfully, without being threatened by that into a defence response. But then again, many of these people are Buddhists, who are indeed often atheists, and part of this philosophy is cultivating a non-attached attitude even to your own conceptualisations.
Some bright spark on one of the WP topics has pointed out the pervasive obviousness of hierarchy and self-referential identity structure before, and I think along with adolescent-like insecurity and ego-crazed arrogance, this may explain the repugnant behaviour of many antitheists. They can't stand that others don't agree, for whatever complex and subtle human reasons they may not, that have absolutely nothing to do with how "dumb" they are. They elevate themselves in their own thinking by belittling and ridiculing others as less. They take it as a personal attack, when really, often sensible religious people couldn't care less if they're atheists or not.
But as has been pointed out, fundamentalist religious zealots and militant antitheists behave in exactly the same way, and don't realise the irony. Hate only seems to appeal to others who are as insecure and as keen to gain social status by putting another person/group down as the person perpetuating it.

^^^

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