NewsMax Magazine Pg. 48, August 2007


* My comments in red between stars *

An increasingly militant brand of atheism is now emerging. Yesteryear's quiet minority of nonbelievers, including legal activists in the mold of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, have given way to a more aggressive brand of unbelief that uses the New Media to drive its message home.

One example is the home page for NOgods.org (http://nogods.org/), one of a growing number of Web sites and blogs run by atheists. It boldly proclaims: "There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds."

* Insulting venom aimed at religious people. Bombastic, unprovable claims aimed at people who beleive that there's more to the existence of the universe besides "It just IS." *

Some observers contend that today's atheists are evangelists for unbelief who seek to ban God-fearing religions. The current anti - God movement is fueled by several best-selling books, and focuses attention on a newly burnished message geared for the age of terror.

* Godless, the church of unbeleif ? How can you evangelize about a faith that is an ANTI - faith ? A faith in NOTHING ? *

In a novel twist to the old arguments about the existence of God and his relevance in an age of enlightened science, the new breed relentlessly paints a picture of a nettlesome deity more likely to provoke primitive brooding and hate than inflate a soul with sanctifying grace.

Indeed, the atheists argue, religion is at the heart of the world's troubles - witness only Islam as the ideological justification for al-Qaida terror attacks and suicide bombings.

And if the terror link doesn't grab your attention, just consider for a moment, they implore, how religion has impacted such issues as gay marriage, embryonic stem cell research, faith based initiatives, and the teaching of intelligent design in our schools.

* The hedonistic nature of atheism comes through. If there's nothing to answer for after one's life is over, hedonistic pleasures like "homosexuality" are easier to justify. To an atheist there's no other purpose to life than the pursuit of pleasure. *

Enough is enough, say the new atheists - religion has become so sinister an invasion of the public forum that it must be actively fought.

If there is, ironically, a "patron saint" of the new atheism movement, it has to be Richard Dawkins, Oxford University professor and author of The God Delusion, a vitriolic tome featured on both The New York Times and the U.K.'s Sunday Times best-seller lists.

Dawkins agrees with historian Arthur Schlesinger, who concluded that the presidency of George W. Bush is the "first faith-based administration in American history."

At one book-signing event, Dawkins let rip: "With God's help, Bush led his country into a disastrous war against Iraq. And the anti-American sentiments blossoming throughout the world are to a large extent attributable to the fact that many people are simply fed up with the stubborn and holier-than-thou attitudes off America's self-styled 'born again Christians."'

* Unjustified venom aimed at those "evil christians". Dawkins is a poor example of an academic. He looks more like the typical frustrated moron. The same kind of hate filled idiot that will accuse religious people of "hate" and "phobias" etc. etc. etc. ad infinitum. *

The popularity of the recent spate of pro-atheism books is no mystery to Dawkins. In a recent interview in Wired magazine, Dawkins suggested the number of nonreligious people; in the United States to be' around 30 million.

In fact, the number of true atheists is hard to pin down. A 2006 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found that 11 percent of respondents did not practice religion and were atheists or agnostics.

An earlier survey by the U.S. Census found that 15 percent of the adult population is atheistic, agnostic or otherwise nonreligious.

To Dawkins' mindset, the atheist movement is at present similar to the gay movement a few decades ago.

* Perverse reasoning from a perverse mind. Compare it to "the gay movement". It's a "movement" alright. *

"There was a need for people [gays] to come out," Dawkins explains. "The more people who came out, the more people had the courage to come out. I think that's the case with atheists. They are more numerous than anybody realizes."

There could even be atheists lurking in the U.S. Congress, according to Dawkins. "Highly intelligent people are mostly atheists," he says. "Not a single member of either house of Congress admits to being an atheist. It just doesn't add up. Either they're stupid, or they're lying. And have they got a motive for lying ? Of course. Everybody knows that an atheist can't get elected."

* Here we have him telling us that "Highly intelligent people are mostly atheists,". In otherwords "Only dummies don't beleive what I beleive."

Does this not sound like one of the more aggressive preachers of CHRISTIAN FAITH ?

It should be obvious to us that this (atheism) is a faith TOO.

Many OTHER faiths do what he's doing. Fingerpointing and directing venom at OTHER FAITHS ! *

(In fact, 18-term Democratic Congressman Fortney "Pete" Stark recently became the first member of Congress to declare himself an atheist, telling The New York Sun that he is "a Unitarian who does not believe in a supreme being.")

Dawkins asserts that the brains of children are especially receptive to religious content. The recipients of absurd advice, he says, later simply pass on the same advice to their own children.

* More hate filled venom. He's going to advise us about "absurd advice" ? Maybe he should examine his own methodologies and presentation before he explains to us his ideas about other faiths. *

Despite the clamor being raised by militant "new atheists," noted evangelical theologian Dr. William Lane Craig sees the movement not as one gathering steam, but as reaction to the rise of evangelical Christianity.

"Atheism has been on the retreat for several decades now," Dr. Craig, author of Theism, Atheism, and Big Bang Cosmology, tells NewsMax.

"What we're seeing is the fierce reaction of a wounded animal. They're on the defensive and hitting back.

* That's what it looks like. The hate and desperation that loudly bleeds through messages from loonybirds like Dawkins gives it away. *

"There certainly has been a trend toward secularization in the West during the 20th century. But at the same time there has been an increase in evangelical Christianity."

Craig acknowledges that atheists are more "aggressive" than in the past, but adds: "They are on the counterattack now after taking a beating for several decades."

John F. Haught, distinguished research professor in the department of theology at Georgetown University, also doubts that atheism is on the rise in America. "There are quite a few academics and scientifically educated people who will resonate with Sam Harris' and Richard Dawkins' new books, but this is a small minority of the population he tells NewsMax.

* "this is" only "a small minority of the population" he tells NewsMax. So Dawkins tells us "the number of nonreligious people; in the United States to be around 30 million." This guy tells us that it's only "a small minority".

Of course atheists are willing to inflate their numbers with massaged statistics because they're mad as hell that they're unable to sell their brand of faith to the mainstream. So, it would seem more likely that it is THEY that are telling fibs. The fact that they're so willing to spew hatred and venom makes it seem even MORE likely that they would be more than willing to create fake numbers. *

"The new atheists are quite certain that they are the real defenders of truth, and that they have the moral as well as intellectual high ground. Usually, however, they have failed to examine the meaning of ‘truth,’ assuming unquestioningly that truth corresponds completely with what scientific method can grasp," Haught adds.

* Let's read that again: ...they have failed to examine the meaning of ‘truth,’ assuming unquestioningly that truth corresponds completely with what scientific method can grasp.

.... atheism unquestioningly assumes that truth corresponds completely with what scientific method can grasp.

It's always unwise to "unquestioningly assume" in MY opinion. Only RELIGIOUS PEOPLE DO SO.

atheism = just another religion. *

Furthermore, Wired magazine contributing editor Gary Wolf notes: "The new atheists have castigated fundamentalism and branded even the mildest religious liberals as enablers of a vengeful mob ... But so far, their provocation has failed to take hold. Given all the religious trauma in the world, I take this as good news."

* In other words, the atheists provocations are being ignored for the ignorant, nutty bullshit that they ARE. Most religious people will only react to the nonsense they spew by rolling their eyes or shrugging their shoulders. IF they don't totally ignore it.

I'll save you some time with the following: I'm not religious :-)

Yes, that would mean I'm not an atheist EITHER. *

So you found one web site that you don't like. I could direct you to WARNING PAGE. Does that mean that Fred Phelps is representative of ALL Christians? If you want to generalise with rubbish like this, then I will to.

I would say several times a year I have both Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses show up at more door. Driving down the main road in our town it is not uncommon to see one of the campus Christian groups holding signs that say trust Jesus or maybe even one of them holding a giant wooden cross. We even have several churches that actually advertise on local television stations and on our cable service. I have never met a atheist in my entire life that was out looking for recruits. Not once. I have met people that where atheist and willing to discuss it when asked but never any that take time out of their day and divert resources to winning people over. Paranoid bullshit.

__________________
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

So this arrogant, academic monkeys ass Dawkins (and all his other "monkey ass" friends) isn't/aren't trying to sell his/their ideas (his/their faith actually) to people ?

He didn't actually author a book called: The God Delusion ?

He isn't using his "academic status" in an attempt to sell his notions to people with comments like "Highly intelligent people are mostly atheists,". ?

What's with the "paranoid bullshit" comment ?

I DID say:

In other words, the atheists provocations are being ignored for the ignorant, nutty bullshit that they ARE. Most religious people will only react to the nonsense they spew by rolling their eyes or shrugging their shoulders. IF they don't totally ignore it.

Are you saying that they should respond to it in some other way?
What precisely are you suggesting?

No, that's not what I'm saying.

I'm saying I doubt many (religious people) WILL respond to such obvious nonsense. I'm allowing myself a response to it because I'm not religious. I see both sides as arrogant monkey-wits.

This was a clear example of the arrogant stupidity of the atheists. I HAD to point it out.

You got this one guy and I'm sure a few others compared to how many people that go out all the time in their local towns and try to "win souls"? We have people all over my town that try to soul solicit on a regular basis. We do not have any sort of atheist organization that does the same. You don't see buildings of atheists filled up every week that take donations to send people all over the world to recruit for their cause. I never met anybody that went on a atheist mission trip. There isn't an atheist television channel on my cable but there is a Cristian channel and a Catholic channel. I don't notice any atheist literature in the drawer in hotel rooms I stay in but I see bibles. We have people that hand out tracts which are pretty much little brochures about Jesus that they Christians leave on tables when they go out and eat and leave sitting in waiting rooms and such. I have never seen the atheist version of these. I'm sure some atheists would like to win people over but they are not that common and are not doing a very good job since I almost never run into them. I have never seen an atheist television commercial inviting me to their services which do not exist around my region as far as I can tell. Christians are sore winners. They have the vast majority of the population on their side but that isn't good enough. They have to go around recruiting and then bitch if one guy writes a book that doesn't agree with their view point.

__________________
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

So, you're telling me that this Dawkins dude is full of shit, that's what you're telling me. I don't disagree at ALL.

Remember In a recent interview in Wired magazine, Dawkins suggested the number of nonreligious people; in the United States to be' around 30 million. I'm wondering how he came by that number. He obviously lives in some kind of fantasyland (probably in his head somewhere).

I'm not disparaging you for your disgust over what you call "soul solicitors". I'm no big fan of 'em either. Like I told Diletante "This was a clear example of the arrogant stupidity of the atheists. I HAD to point it out."

You say:

They have to go around recruiting and then bitch if one guy writes a book that doesn't agree with their view point.

The current anti - God movement is fueled by several best-selling books. Dawkins wrote ONE. There is;

1. Dawkins - "The God delusion"

2. Sam Harris - "Letters to a Christian Nation"

3. Sam Harris - "The end of faith"

4. Christopher Hitchens - "God is not great: How religion poisons everything."

I'm quite sure there are plenty of other books besides THESE denigrating religion.

This isn't "one guy writing a book" to be bitched about. It IS a minority, that is true. It always WILL be a minority. Their ideas are so obviously false and foolish even one with a room temperature IQ could see the problems inherent IN them.

Anyways, I'm only pointing out that these bozos are at least AS bad as the bible carrying ones you're complaining of. Probably WORSE. They HAVE taken their worship of nothing to the religious level. Fueled only by their hatred of other religions. Where have we seen this before ? Would you say everywhere ? Everywhere different religions have come into conflict ? Pretty bizarre shit man. The new religion that worships the great nothing. Sounds a bit insane to ME. Entertaining though, I must admit :-)

Yes but the amount of Christian books allow them to have their own book stores. I have never seen an atheist book store. In secular book stores they usually have a section for religious books that are almost all Christian. I have never seen the atheist section in a book store.

__________________
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Although I call myself an atheist, I find it quite stupid that people would say "There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds," when there is no way to substantiate that claim. What business is it of theirs what others choose to believe in? This "Evangelic Atheism" is bullshit. It's not atheism, it's anti-theism.

__________________

So Phelps really is representative of all Christians eh?

Why does the guy have to talk about gays and atheists coming out? I'm tired political movement using gays as part of their arguments. For once I'd like people to leave us out of it. Maybe if they realized how boring most of us really are we wouldn't be so tillilating.

Yes, I understand. You're only underlining the fact that this neo-religion we'll call "atheism" (not ALL atheists fit this category obviously. See:



) --- really IS in the minority.

Because:

The hedonistic nature of atheism comes through. If there's nothing to answer for after one's life is over, hedonistic pleasures like "homosexuality" are easier to justify. To an atheist there's no other purpose to life than the pursuit of pleasure.

Narcissism and hedonism tie together very WELL with the neo-atheist beleif system. Life is about nothing more than pleasure afterall. You won't be required to answer to any judging God at the end. Do what you WILL if it feels good.

But why did you have to point it out?
Is there are reason we should care about this or are you just venting some sort of frustration?