by Trygon 1 Replies latest jw friends
http://www.thepickards.co.uk/index.php/200610/religious-intolerance-the-atheist-bigots/
I think I found a guy that knows what he is talking about. This article is great and pretty much sums up everything in the Bigotry and Tolerance sector of the topic of Atheism and Theism. A good read. It is good to see someone that is not on a particulier side taking the subject with non biased views. This guy pretty much speaks the dam truth actually.
Trygon, as an atheist, I'd like to take issue with a few of the comments there.
I read the oft-repeated expressions that atheists want to see all religions gone, that they won't "live and let live", that they proselytize on behalf of atheism.
I say this author is the pot calling the kettle black. Evangelical religions have been on the offensive against atheism for decades, doing things like introducing "under God" to the American pledge of allegiance just to rattle the atheists' cages. Many religions have it in their DNA that they are the only truth, and that they must evangelize to save the non-believers or else crusade against them. They won't "live and let live".
I personally don't believe in any of the gods that religions have offered for worship. However, I also think that people should have the right to believe (or not believe) as they wish. When governments favor one religion over others, they cross the line. Most western nations are becoming increasingly multi-cultural and multi-religious, and to say that "ours is a Christian nation" (as seems to be a theme in the current American presidential campaign) discriminates against non-Christians, including atheists.
When government is involved in funding religious activities under the guise of "faith based initiatives", and when it promotes non-scientific religious ideas such as creationism in public schools using tax dollars, they are violating the spirit of freedom of choice and are favoring one religious view over all other religous and non-religious views. This works against human rights.
No government of a free nation should be in the business of favoring the majority and discriminating against minority viewpoints.
Yes some atheists are a bit outspoken, and speak ideally of "no religion". Heck, even John Lennon talked about it in his song "Imagine". But it's just an idea, and won't happen any time soon or ever as long as mankind exists on this planet. What many atheists are asking to see is freedom from undue religious interference in the governmental, educational and scientific affairs of a nation. Is that so terrible?
