Rachel Lucas learns a hard lesson about the faithless
Many of my favorite people on the intertoobs are atheists, Rachel included. But the vast majority of atheists are basically whackjobs with an axe to grind (axetogrind??).
The update I posted about Rupert’s dad was titled “There are no atheists in a foxhole.†Which anyone who reads here regularly would understand is my way of poking fun at myself, seeing as how publicly, on this blog, I’ve repeatedly identified myself as feeling like either an atheist or an agnostic, depending on my mood. I’ve regularly criticized Christians and their beliefs and have asked them to defend themselves, which they did, some nicely and some not. I’ve been very open about the fact that I simply don’t know the truth even though I’d like to, and that I find debates about religion interesting because they give you such a window into how other people think and view the world.
…
Well. That post title really, really, really pissed off some atheists. An atheist forum linked to it and its members began peppering my comment thread - which remember, was for a post that was about a loved one being in a coma and that I wrote and titled while in an understandably emotional state - with things like this:
I am sorry to hear that you find the contribution of so many members of our military, such as Master Sergeant Gid L. White (retired), to be of no value.
- Foxhole AtheistYour opening post is a lie. There ARE atheists in foxholes… even if you don’t “believe†there are. Pat Tilman was just such an atheist. Educate yourself and quit deleting posts who try to lessen the bigotry you spread. http://www.atheistfoxholes.org/
Lying for Jesus is still lying. I hope your friend gets better. I hope he never is the bigot you are.
Just because your faith makes you feel all humble and honest… doesn’t make it true, you know.
- A Third Atheist (articulett)
Uh huh. Not a word about the state of Rupert’s dad, or any best wishes. Just nattering on about their (lack of) ideology. Why? Can’t you just say “hey, I don’t like you’re post title, but I hope that guy’s ok”? Are you so unsure of your un-faith, that you have to hijack a person’s blog post about an injured family member like that?
“But the vast majority of atheists are basically whackjobs with an axe to grind (axetogrind??).”
Uh …. right. I’m afraid to ask what you think of blacks and homosexuals.
“Uh huh. Not a word about the state of Rupert’s dad, or any best wishes. Just nattering on about their (lack of) ideology. Why?”
Perhaps because they’re tired of people like you maligning them on a regular basis? I mean, seriously, where do you get the nerve to ask a question like that right after insulting “the vast majority” of atheists by calling them “whackjobs with an axe to grind”?
Comment by Alex — June 9, 2008 @ 9:48 pm
Within the dogmatic/militant atheist secularist beats the heart of a commie activist.
Seeing how commie activism has murdered 300 million people in the last century do we really want to give statist atheism any moral, civil or political credibility in this century? Let’s purge the public discourse of these old dangerous ideas and move on to a freer society where individuals can live without the oppression of some control freak orthodoxy forcing itself on us.
They had it right so many years ago…”Live free or die”!
You wanna be atheist, Muslim, Christian, Judaic, dogmatic commie, or Gaia pagan..fine do that…just don’t force it on me or my response will be to give you some ad hoc empathy lessons with my fist…just leave me alone…I don’t want to be “saved” by any of you… I’m doing just fine thanks.
Comment by WL Mackenzie Redux — June 10, 2008 @ 7:54 am
Um Alex,
I don’t think atheism is genetically predetermined like being black, or having sexual attraction for your own gender. A more appropriate comparison would be to Christians, Muslims, Conservatives or Liberals(ideologies). But then, the original statement would be defesnible, wouldn’t it? Those of us who are religious tend to dislike being maligned too, but for us as for atheists the answeyr remains the same. Act like people worthy of respect if we want to be respected. I think that was the author’s point
Comment by Stephen — June 10, 2008 @ 9:33 am
“Act like people worthy of respect if we want to be respected. I think that was the author’s point”
That’s nice. “Don’t be a bigot” was mine. Or did you want me to judge you based on the words of some idiotic evangelist?
How’s this: you agree not to judge all Atheists based on thew words of a few, and I’ll agree not to assume that you hold the same views as Obama’s preacher. Deal?
Comment by Alex — June 10, 2008 @ 7:25 pm
“Within the dogmatic/militant atheist secularist beats the heart of a commie activist.”
Well, you might be surprised how many rabidly principled right-wing libertarians are either atheist, agnostic or at the very least: spiritually indifferent. Among them you can count me, my co-host on the Al & Mike Show, and many of the Blogging Tories.
I don’t go out of my way to advertise my spiritual beliefs one way or the other. In fact, this might be the first time in the history of my time in the blogosphere (short of a comment or two at FreeDominion years ago) where I’ve even brought up my secularism.
The mere idea that atheism or agnosticism is ideologically or intrinsically aligned with socialism is probably one of the most boneheaded and ridiculous under-simplifications of why communists are at war with religion. Communism is at war with religion, because communism is a religion. It represents a value system that must be embraced as a way of life, as a set of morals, etc.
However, the logic that because of this, an atheist would therefore be communist is just stupid. It’s about the same logic as saying: Adam, the murderer had a gun. John has a gun. Therefore John is a murderer.
And if you think that because I am not religious, that I have an axe to grind, I invite you to search through my thousands of blog entries over the years where I have had nothing but impassioned defense for ones right to religious belief, or my vehement position against Human Rights Commissions attacks on religious beliefs on my last appearance on the Michael Coren Show.
That’s right. An atheist libertarian, going to bat for some Christian Pastor in Alberta who wrote disparaging and disdainful remarks about homosexuals. And to add to it, this atheist libertarian has a gay family member.
And let’s not forget some seriously influential historical figures on the right who were atheists; John Stuart Mill, Ayn Rand, Milton Friedman, Alan Greenspan, etc. Not exactly the kinds of people communists and socialists would welcome to their parties.
Comment by Mike Brock — June 10, 2008 @ 8:24 pm
Alex: You are right, it is bigoted to say that the majority of atheists have an “axe to grind”. I apologize. Though you seem to have been guilty of a similar bigotry (someone who has a low opinion of atheists is the same as a racist). Atheism has within it the assumption that religion is incorrect, it is thus partially within the system that there would be an anti-religious axe to grind (and the religious probably have many experiences of that axe-grinding).
Comment by Stephen — June 11, 2008 @ 11:09 pm