Posted on 10/03/2007 10:15:01 AM PDT by jacknhoo
Religion Must Be Destroyed, Atheist Alliance Declares By Matt Purple CNSNews.com Correspondent October 03, 2007
(CNSNews.com) - Science must ultimately destroy organized religion, according to some of the leading atheist writers and intellectuals who spoke at a recent atheist conference in Northern Virginia. God is a myth, and children must not be schooled in any faith, they said, at the "Crystal Clear Atheism" event, sponsored by the Atheist Alliance International.
Some of the luminaries who spoke at the conference, held at the Crown Royal Hotel in Crystal City, Va., over the weekend, included Oxford professor Richard Dawkins, author Sam Harris and journalist Christopher Hitchens. The Atheist Alliance International describes itself as "the only democratic national atheist organization in the United States."
While most attendees on Friday night were adamant that God was a myth, the convention, attended by hundreds of people, brought into focus a divide among atheists as to their identity as a movement and the nature of the enemy they faced.
In his speech, Dawkins portrayed a black-and-white intellectual battle between atheism and religion. He denounced the "preposterous nonsense of religious customs" and compared religion to racism. He also gave no quarter to moderate or liberal believers, asserting that "so-called moderate Christianity is simply an evasion."
"If you've been taught to believe it by moderates, what's to stop you from taking the next step and blowing yourself up?" he said.
By contrast, Harris's speech was a more tempered critique of the atheist movement itself. While Harris said he believed science must ultimately destroy religion, he also discussed spirituality and mysticism and called for a greater understanding of allegedly spiritual phenomena. He also cautioned the audience against lumping all religions together.
"The refrain that all religions have their extremists is bull-t," Harris said. "All religions do not have their extremists. Some religions have never had their extremists."
Specifically, he noted that radical Islam was far more threatening than any radical Christian sect, adding that Christians had a right to be outraged when the media treated the two religions similarly.
Harris also criticized movement atheism and questioned the use of the word "atheist."
"Atheism is not a philosophy, just as non-racism is not," he said. "It is not a worldview, though it is frequently portrayed as one.
"Rather than declare ourselves atheists, I think we should emphasize reason," Harris added.
While the audience gave Dawkins a standing ovation, Harris received only polite applause. One questioner later declared herself "very disappointed" in Harris's talk.
But whatever differences the speakers had with each other, they were united in their contempt for religion and their belief that religious faith had to be challenged and ridiculed by secularism and reason.
"Religion is not the root of all evil, but it gets in the way of [determining] how we got here and where we find ourselves," Dawkins said. "And that is an evil in itself."
Dawkins was particularly critical of parents who raise their children as a "Catholic child" or "Protestant child." Children must not be labeled as subscribing to a particular religion, he said, and should be allowed to examine the evidence and determine their beliefs for themselves.
"If I said that's a post-modernist child, for example, you'd think I was mad," he quipped.
Other speakers at the convention included philosopher Daniel Dennett, evolutionary scientist Eugenie Scott, and Charles Darwin's great-great-grandson Matthew Chapman. There was also a performance by atheist rapper Greydon Square, who wore a shirt that read "The Black Carl Sagan."
Many of the attendees seemed to have developed an aversion to religion from conservative, Protestant Christians. Several of the atheists Cybercast News Service spoke to complained of living under fundamentalist parents who frowned upon any questioning of the Bible or any activity condemned in Scripture.
"It wasn't easy [telling my parents I was an atheist]," one said. "I still haven't entirely told them. I just say I'm a humanist, which they don't seem to mind."
Further emphasizing the attendees' distaste for conservative religion was the convention gift shop which, in addition to atheist materials, sold politically liberal-themed bumper stickers and pins, including "Impeach Bush" and "Stewart/Colbert '08."
A common decoration at the convention was the red letter "A," which was emblazoned on t-shirts and pins worn by several of the attendees. The "A," an allusion to Hester Prynne's punishment in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, is a symbol of the Out Campaign, a movement started by Dawkins to encourage Americans to proudly display their atheism.
Although Crystal Clear Atheism was well-attended, it received little publicity and media attention. The convention also experienced frequent technical difficulties, particularly during Dawkins' Powerpoint slideshow.
Atheists are still a small minority in America. A Newsweek poll earlier this year found that 91 percent of Americans believe in God. A more recent Pew Research Center poll found that atheists were among the most distrusted people in the nation, with 53 percent of Americans holding an unfavorable opinion of them.
But they are a proudly elitist and self-certain minority. When asked what the main difference between believers and atheists was, Dawkins had a quick answer: "Well, we're bright."
The “Hitler was a Christian” argument has been around forever (well since April 1945 anyway).
Atheists often pull out Hitler quoting scripture to the masses in Munich, Nuremberg, etc.
In their world, a genocidal psychopath that says he’s a Christian, IS indeed a Christian.
And of course Christians that went to the middle east during the Crusades, Christians that slaughtered off the American Indians...all the horrible things “done in the name of Christianity”...blah blah blah...
well you get the point.
Yet they can never seem to produce one iota of New Testament scripture that Christ instills in people to behave like that.
They really don’t even know the very definition of Christianity, let alone who’s Christian or not.
Paying church taxes and murdering millions of Jews makes one a Christian!
WHO KNEW?
Got any BIBLICAL refernces to back up your claims?
Like maybe just some New Testament wisdom showing us where rounding up innocent men, women and children, gassing them and cookling them in ovens by the millions is a qualifier?
Alot of pudgy middle aged balding men consider themselves God’s gift to women too...
yet on the front cover of GQ they’re just NEVER EVER there!
GO FIGURE!
Well, that’s the point in a nutshell isn’t it? Atheists a believe that there is no God and theists believe their is. But somehow ateists also believe that their belief is the only rational one which is, well, irrational.
Loons exist on all sides of the politcal spectrum. Being from the right and being a loon are not mutually exclusive notions.
i have felt his love as well !
hmmmm...perhaps you’re confusing me with someone else, but I’ll play...
within the context of atheism, the far right loons would seem (to me anyway) to be more apt to be the believers, whereas the far left loons would tend to be more the non-believers...
keeping within the context of this thread mind you.
Hitler didn’t have a Catholic wedding or funeral. A “cafeteria catholic” perhaps?
Believe what you choose and I’ll do the same, but the second you try to force your lack of belief upon me or mine, you cross the line and I’LL DO THE SAME.
I don’t suffer fools gladly.
About Dr. Steigmann-Gall Richard Steigmann-Gall is Associate Professor of History and the Director of the Jewish Studies Program at Kent State University.
Sorry Locke, but it seems that Mr. Steigmann-Gall is a little bit more that a "young Canadian historian". His agenda is showing.
That may be true (but not the point I was arguing). But then, many Christians on this forum would argue that they were the only rational ones and atheists are irrational for not believing. So, really, atheists are no worse than religious people in this regard.
What one of the speakers at the conference, Sam Harris, appears to have said is: "Science must ultimately destroy organized religion."
What he is saying is that some day in the future, probably in the far distant future, he believes that science will supplant religion as a matter of course. He believes that religion will become obsolete and people will stop believing in God in the same way they the Greek, Roman, and Norse gods became obsolete.
I am an atheist but have no interest in forcing you to change what you believe, now or in the future. And I happen to think Harris is wrong. Religion will always be part of the human experience. Even if today's religions cease to exist, something similar will take its place.
There are 46 MILLION abortions performed worldwide each year. All of the research I've seen and that includes from pro-abortion groups indicates that there were between 530 and 850 million abortions from 1900 thru 2000, the nearly seven years since then account for just over 300 million more.
I realize that the existence of someone like me is anathema to you, but I assure you that I am right in line with nerly all conservatie principles, with the exceptions of euthanasia and I believe 1st-trimester abortions should be allowed, but severely discouraged.
This makes you a pro-death libertarian, not a conservative.
I am a *VERY* strong 2nd-amendment supporter and despise the lack of morals in todays society. I ***HATE** the democratic party, Marxism, socialism, and the idea of any democrat being in any public office.
Again, you sound like a libertarian.
They destroy everything they touch, and hate this country and would surrender it to our enemies given 1/2 a chance.
Our country wouldn't fare any better under the libertarians.
Anyway, as we know, true conservatives are pro-life, period. Any who shout otherwise are simply libs wearing masks.
You didn’t read my ealier post. I said he CONSIDERED himself a Christian but didn’t ACT like one. Go back and look.
OH, you want refernces on the Bible where God calls for people to be exterminated! Happy to oblige my friend:
Here are a few excerpts:
Kill Followers of Other Religions
While the Israelites were camped at Acacia, some of the men defiled themselves by sleeping with the local Moabite women. These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, and soon the Israelites were feasting with them and worshiping the gods of Moab. Before long Israel was joining in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the LORD’s anger to blaze against his people. The LORD issued the following command to Moses: “Seize all the ringleaders and execute them before the LORD in broad daylight, so his fierce anger will turn away from the people of Israel.” So Moses ordered Israel’s judges to execute everyone who had joined in worshiping Baal of Peor. Just then one of the Israelite men brought a Midianite woman into the camp, right before the eyes of Moses and all the people, as they were weeping at the entrance of the Tabernacle. When Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest saw this, he jumped up and left the assembly. Then he took a spear and rushed after the man into his tent. Phinehas thrust the spear all the way through the man’s body and into the woman’s stomach. So the plague against the Israelites was stopped, but not before 24,000 people had died. (Numbers 25:1-9 NLT)
Kill All of Babylon
“Go up, my warriors, against the land of Merathaim and against the people of Pekod. Yes, march against Babylon, the land of rebels, a land that I will judge! Pursue, kill, and completely destroy them, as I have commanded you,” says the LORD. “Let the battle cry be heard in the land, a shout of great destruction”. (Jeremiah 50:21-22 NLT)
Micah Kills a Whole Town
Then, with Micah’s idols and his priest, the men of Dan came to the town of Laish, whose people were peaceful and secure. They attacked and killed all the people and burned the town to the ground. There was no one to rescue the residents of the town, for they lived a great distance from Sidon and had no allies nearby. This happened in the valley near Beth-rehob.Then the people of the tribe of Dan rebuilt the town and lived there. They renamed the town Dan after their ancestor, Israel’s son, but it had originally been called Laish. (Judges 18:27-29 NLT) (Note that God approves of this slaughter in verse 6.)
There aer plenty of other refences - I just grabbed that one as it was the 1st that showed up on a yahoo search. Just do a search on “Nazi Christians” or “Hitler Christian” - there are plenty of other links.
Well we know that Margaret Sanger, father of planned parenthood was more than just a mass murderer hoping to wipe out the black race. The only one I know of who supported her was satan. But Sanger is the past tense of Singer, and now we have Tiller the Killer, Jack, the Dripper, and all these murderers floating around... Hard to keep up.
Great job, unmasking an impostor.
You guys have a very narrow view of the world. I still vote the straight Republican ticket every time - even though pretty much all candidates are proc-choice and anti-euthanasia. If your omnipotent, omniscient God had created a better world, we wouldn’t have to worry about such things, would we? I hate to tell you, but not all conservatives are “pro-life” as you call it. Or dumb enough to be religious.
Hey 8mm - ask nme any question you like about guns - I’ll bet I can answer in real time. I’m a life-member in the NRA and an instructor.
Sheesh. Start with identifying anti-truth, anti-freedom, anti-individual, anti-life collectives and individuals.
Father of planned parenthood, that a good way to put it.
You may have have already read this, but I refer it to most everyone anyhow, because its free.
Free Book: Killer Angel - A Biography of Planned Parenthood’s Founder Margaret Sanger
http://www.entrewave.com/freebooks/docs/39ba_47e.htm
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