now i'm not a particularly religious boy (despite my current and past reading habits), and despite my lack of faith, i do take annoyance to those of the militantly atheist variety...
BUT i found this particular scene (taken several weeks ago while driving thru Wetumpka, AL, with my mom) a bit amusing. behold, in all it's glory:
that's right kids, you thought it was bad when your mom joined Facebook (hi mom!). unless you want to be smitten (in the bad way), please resist the urge to "poke" him (or invite him to your Farmville/Mafiawars game). though surprisingly, despite the son of God's infinite wit and wisdom, he doesn't have more followers on Twitter).
further reason to start your own social media
blackout. don't worry, i was probably already going to hell for a lot of other reasons.
How does one be of the "militantly atheist variety"? That's a term used by the religious right to describe any athiest who is vocal about disagreeing with their rhetoric...so for you what makes someone a militant atheist?
ReplyDeletehmm. good question.
ReplyDeletei guess i take issue with ANYONE of the militant variety - religious or atheist. despite my personal POVs, i'm all for either side disagreeing with the others "rhetoric." while religion might not be my cup of tea, i take no issue with people's practice of it (or lack thereof), until their will infringes on that of others in a dramatic manner that exceeds calm words (enter, militancy, and eventually, the path to the dark side).
so - i'm often ok w/ sir Richard Dawkins, but sometimes get uncomfortable with Bill Maher (while i agree with a number of his points, just not his method). as Gandhi said, "passive resistance [baby!]"
...i inserted that last part for effect
Well, I'd confirm just for the status updates, and I bet there would be some wild pictures EVERY weekend. I mean if he can turn water into wine, his Jello-Shots must be heavenly.
ReplyDeleteTo Ben I'm going to impose even though I haven't seen you in years. I think what Raman is going for I've described as atheist who practice atheism as another religion. "Religious Atheist" or Militant Atheist are propagandist. Their goal and focus is to convert other people to atheism by emphasizing the negatives of current and historical organized religion, ignoring the benefits of current and historical organized religion, and overemphasizing the benefits of atheism. I put Bill Maher in this group, and I also would put Sir Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens in this group.
Other organized atheist (I haven't seen a word to describe them yet, so I'll call them "Community Atheist") typically recognize the historical relevance religion, and try to keep the benefits of religion and live beyond the traditional negatives of religion. Of course their goal is also to get converts, but they focus on community and charity. They try to stay as far away from propaganda (and Bill Maher-types) as possible. Sad thing is I can't name a single person in this group, because they don't write best selling books or make movies.
And most atheist are unorganized. I have a mild fear that they could be won over by the militant propagandists the US could retrace the same state-mandated atheism as Soviet Russia. Overall, I still have "faith" that won't happen.
i dunno if i'll fully agree w/ Derrick.
ReplyDeletei continue to find myself sitting uncomfortably on the fence here. but i think there are those in a similar situation who probably make up the "silent" majority, moving the cause neither up or down. just living with their beliefs (or lack thereof), and wishing everyone else would just shut up and get on with their lives =)
who knew a silly picture would turn into a full out bout in the comments sections? i need a vacation. oh wait...
HOLY THURSDAY BATMAN! Tomorrow is a vacation day!
ReplyDeleteI do like the term "Silent Atheist." Can I steal that? If I ever get a good enough grasp on the idea to do more than hijack someone else's bloog, I think those might be the three terms for Atheist I'd use: "Religious Atheist" "Community Atheist" and "Silent Atheist"