[Texas Eagle]

and said that the new atheism of Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens had a profound effect on their generation.

Meet the new atheism. Same as the old atheism.

[ek_hornbeck]

This story is consistent with an observation that I've often made. People who abandon the religions that they were raised in typically do not become scientific materialists. Instead, they abandon the faith they were raised in and are drawn to various New Age cults, be it magic healing crystals, pseudo-American Indian shamanism, pseudo-Buddhism, pseudo-European paganism (Wicca) etc.

The reason for this is that they didn't abandon Christianity because Dawkins or Darwin convinced them that they inhabit a material universe, but for political and social reasons. Because Christianity is associated in their minds with social conservatism, rejecting Christianity is their form of rebellion. However, they still have the emotional need for superstition, so Darwin doesn't do it for them while New Age nonsense does. Even those who adopt Marxism as a surrogate religion usually aren't attracted to the materialism of Marx himself, but to various "Marxisms" that celebrate the belief systems of non-white peoples.

It all goes back to Chesterton's remark that the problem with those who abandon Christianity isn't that they believe in nothing, but that they're willing to believe in just about anything else.

[RegulatorCountry]

If no one is in charge then witchcraft is silly superstition too, unless they’ve decided that nothing really is sentient and can be called upon to do their bidding, in which case it isn’t nothing now, is it? Same problem evos have, going on about design but nothing did it. Maybe the Flying Spaghetti Monster touched them with his noodly appendages.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Nothing new under the sun. Verse 3 says it all.

Psalm 2King James Version (KJV)

1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,

3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

[IronJack]

“It left this huge vacuum, and that vacuum had to be filled with something.”

And up stepped Satan ...

[onedoug]

“When you believe in nothing, you’ll fall for anything”

[Jotmo]

“discoveries of Charles Darwin”...

Complete twaddle.

Darwin only theorized, he “discovered” squat.

[I want the USA back]

“, who uses the gender-neutral pronouns they and them,”
Wrong. It does not USE those pronouns. It expects other people to use “they” and “them” when referring to it.

Sorry, but you don’t get to tell other people what pronouns to use when speaking to a third person and referring to you. When speaking to you, “they” and “them” are not used. “you” is used.