Posted on 10/17/2003 4:04:27 PM PDT by TXLibertarian
Excerpted from a longer op-ed. Author discusses the danger of legal proselytizing by a few firebrand secularists. Worth a read, IMHO.
What Atheists Want
By Chris Mooney
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Unfortunately, in my experience, the U.S. atheist and secularist communities contain a number of activists who are inclined to be combative and in some cases feel positively zestful about offending the religious. Madalyn Murray O'Hair, easily America's most famous atheist firebrand, wasn't dubbed "the most hated woman in America" for nothing. Despite her landmark 1963 Supreme Court victory in a case concerning the constitutionality of school prayer, O'Hair's pugilistic and insulting public persona hurt atheists a great deal in the long run. A head-on attack on the pledge seems to epitomize the confrontational O'Hair strategy.
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(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Tell you what, as soon as all the world's religions, sects, and cults can all agree on a single set of moral rules, *then* I'll believe that there's an absolute morality.
Until then, the folks who think they've got a line on "absolute" morals from some deity are just going with what they "feel" is the right interpretation of what they "feel" is the correct set of ancient writings which they "feel" is the ungarbled message from what they "feel" is the ultimate arbiter who they "feel" actually exists.
Anyone who thinks that they're not basing their morality on what they feel, as fallible humans, is the right set to use is kidding themselves. No one's got a direct line to the absolute.
(And to head off the inevitable misunderstanding, no, that doesn't mean that "anything goes" or "every morality must be as valid as any other", either.)
Oh, for pete's sake... You think selfishness is "all there is" if there isn't a God somewhere? You've got a really twisted worldview, falla. News bulletin: There's a lot more to the world than just God and selfishness. Maybe you need to spend more time outside church, and get acquainted with humanity.
It seems to me that if EVERYONE were atheist, then world-wide anarchy would be the logical, end result. (Each person looking out for number #1)
And yet, contrary to your erroneous impression, even atheists' organizations manage to maintain rules, cooperation, mutual respect, etc., and not devolve into anarchy. So where do you think the flaw in your reasoning might lie?
Despite the attempts of self-professed atheists on this board to redefine the term, atheism is not a lack of belief in god. It is, rather, the assertive belief that there is no god.
One who neither affirms nor denies the existence of a deity is an agnostic, not an atheist. Even agnosticism requires a certain degree of intellectual assent: the admission that "I don't know if there is a god."
I know that lots of self-professed atheists have made significant efforts to create subcategories of atheism, and redefine the term to suit them. But honestly I think that's largely an accomodation for people who are really agnostics but would prefer to call themselves atheists because it's intellectually cooler. I mean, let's face it, agnostics get the short end of the stick here. I think you can make a truly intellectually defensible position for agnosticism; in fact in some ways it's the most defensible position. But a lot of theists and atheists just think of agnostics as too lazy (or chicken) to decide.
I may understand if he was trying to convert his own children, although I doubt he'd have to do that; surely the initial indoctrination will be sufficient.
However, we are talking about adults with as much right to their beliefs as he has to his. Perhaps the atheists should be worried that he's living in a delusional state, wasting his current and only life away on false hopes of something greater afterwards. That sounds like the exact respect out of deep concern you describe, although I believe it would be equally disrespectful.
Splitting hairs, I know, but it's literally "The God." "Allah" is literally the article "A" meanning "The" combined with "llah" for "God" which is closely related to the Hebrew word for God, "Eloah." It makes sense since much of Islam was cribbed from Judaism and Christianity.
But by figuratively adding the meaning they are trying to convey, you can get "The One True God" or "The One and Only God."
Aside from the annoying demonstrator types, we like the way the USA is supposed to be set up. Basically, leave us the hell alone and let us practice our beliefs (or not) in peace.
That's some atheists. Personally I find the statement "There is no god" both logically untenable and full of hubris.
Other atheists simply lack belief in any deity: God, Allah, Zeus, Osiris, Loki, doesn't matter. We aren't claiming positively that they don't exist. We only claim with truth that we personally have no belief in any higher power concept.
A dictionary is not a good place to get definitive answers on philosophy or religion. The same dictionary describes "Allah" as God, but I doubt you'd agree with that.
You don't have to believe. Atheism exists simply for the fact that there are millions of people in this country and around the world who have no belief in dieties. At the time when you or no one else can point to a person who is an athiest and say "there he is in the flesh" then should you still desire to think that atheists exist, it may require belief on your part.
Are you Christian? What kind of Christian? Do you believe you physically receive the body and blood of Christ or do you think it's just symbolic. Or do you not receive his body and blood at all? Do you think you need to get baptised as an adult? Do you speak in tongues? Is there currently a living representative of God on this earth who can give updates for your doctrine? Have there been any prophets since Christ? Do you do confession? Is the Bible the word of God, inspired by God and infallible or inspired by God and fallible?
I've just barely touched the surface of the division of beliefs in one religion with all that. And since we're talking about belief with relevance to religion, don't you think you might get at least a few differing opinions out of those professing to be atheist?
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