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Originally posted by nj2day
Wow! dialup! If you spend a few of your ATS points, you can turn on the "low bandwidth" mode in the ATS store... won't help with the videos... but should help you surf here faster
Originally posted by infolurker
I love this article and will use it every time I see a thread devoted to Evangelical Atheism. (I believe this is another one of them)
The New Atheists are positively evangelical. They want to make a convert out of you, although if you’re a “dyed-in-the-wool faith-head” they’ll settle for peppering you with insults and sarcasm instead.
Nevertheless, some of the brightest minds in the English-speaking world right now argue that religion is the problem. And we know they’re the brightest minds because they keep telling us they are.
But most of the English-speaking world was spared this excessive institutional atheism.
The United States, in particular, has always zealously guarded the freedom of anyone to practice any religion that does not seriously interfere with public order.
That’s why we’re so surprised and baffled by what we call the New Atheism. For the first time in our relatively tranquil history, we’re facing a determined attempt not just to keep organized religion out of government (which most religious Americans agree is a good idea), but to suppress religion completely.
Led by the Four Horsemen, as they like to call themselves—Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett—these New Atheists argue that religion, is simply delusion and at the root of all our problems. They have websites and well-orchestrated media events, and collectively they sell millions of books. Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion has been on the bestseller list since its release in 2006.
The ones you have persecuted, jailed, and put to death over the last 2000 years....
But if atheists have always been with us
why are we worrying now?
After all, the Church has engaged non-believers for over two thousand years.
What we call the “New Atheism” is a bit different than its predecessor. It’s more aggressive, and it has more power. The leaders of the sect are well placed in the academic world, and they have a strong determination to mold government policy.
And you wouldn’t like the government if the New Atheists molded its policy.
Richard Dawkins has asserted that teaching your religion to your child is a form of child abuse and should be criminalized.
The New Atheists see religion as a disease to be exterminated.
Their dream, in short, is not a government neutral to religion, but a governent actively hostile to religion.
What is most worrying is that the New Atheists seem to gain the most followers precisely among the most ambitious and intelligent young people—the people who will be actively shaping government policy in the years to come. Attracted by the intellectual rebelliousness of the movement, young people fall for its insidious message: join us and you can be one of the smart people.
How do we counter the New Atheists where they’re doing the most damage?
First, we need to be polite. That’s all the more important when our opponents descend to the level of playground taunts. If a New Atheist joins our discussion, we need to be welcoming, not hostile. (see link for complete article)
Originally posted by infolurker
But if atheists have always been with us, why are we worrying now? After all, the Church has engaged non-believers for over two thousand years.
Originally posted by infolurker
Name one person in the 20th century in the United States that was imprisoned for being an atheist.
Originally posted by infolurker
Response to nj2day & noobfun
Evangelical Atheism
The New Atheists are positively evangelical. They want to make a convert out of you or they’ll settle for peppering you with insults and sarcasm instead.
what can i say i hate to see a perfectly good proven scientific theory destroyed by ignorance
What can be said. I simply pulled up the user profiles and scanned the last 250 posts. 95% to 99% religious / evolution based posts. Definitely a "one track" agenda... one might say obsessive, agenda driven or evangelical.
Originally posted by noobfun
atheists statistically have a higher level of education and IQ :p