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Originally Posted by photon
So called "new atheists" are so called by religious people BTW, they didn't create the name themselves.
And why are they annoying? Because they're writing books? Trying to get equal consideration? Speaking out against bigotry and marginalization? Answering questions when people ask them? Expressing and discussing their views in venues of discussion?
Really, what precisely is the thing that all the "new atheists" do that's so annoying?
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I was not aware of where the term "new atheism" came from, but I am alert to the increasing prevalence of anti-religious literature and writings- perhaps they were there all along, and simply more in the limelight now because of new media. On the other hand, my opinion may be correct and atheists are taking advantage of a post 9/11 world that has become increasingly hostile towards hardcore religious ideas.
Quote:
Originally Posted by photon
Lol, you think this graph is a product of new atheism? One of the first works on Biblical inaccuracies is hundreds of years old. There's an entire area of scholarship dedicated to tracking the different versions of the Bible and trying to figure out what the earliest writings actually said. This graph is just a visual representation. Lots of people have no clue that the Bible actually has those kinds of problems, I certainly didn't when I attended church.
Again I'd like to see the examples of aggressive behaviour, certainly creating a graph for anyone interested isn't aggressive is it?
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The graph by itself is not the issue- but it is an example of the logic used to discredit the Bible, a book of faith, not science. If non-believers want to debate the historical inaccuracies of the Bible, I am ok with it- I just wonder when it is used as a tool against faith.
Quote:
Originally Posted by photon
Atheists can't become dogmatic, since there is no atheist dogma. They can't be preachy because there's no doctrine to preach. If you don't want to listen to something, don't listen to it. No one's forcing you to.
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My use of these terms, that normally have a religious affiliation, towards atheists is intentional and cheeky. It is meant to point out that I often see as much fervor in atheists as I do in the religious.
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Originally Posted by photon
You are definitely wrong about sparking the revelation in a Christian of a godless universe (though I wouldn't put it that way), I know a good number of people believers and pastors who have deconverted as a result of knowledge of the Bible and its history and content, or deconverted as a result of learning more about science and how it contradicted their worldview, or deconverted as a result of some of the things brought up recently in the books coming out.
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Yes, perhaps there are people that have disavowed their beliefs because of revelations in Science- I can't imagine why they were believers to begin with? I mean, Science will always win out when it comes to arguments of reason.
Quote:
Originally Posted by photon
There's an inverse correlation between how religious someone is and both their IQ and their eduction.. the higher the IQ or the more educated someone is the less likely they are to be religious.
A few links here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religio...d_intelligence
I don't think it's a causal relationship though, I think it has more to do with socioeconomic and cultural factors...
You are right in that there are lots of religious people who are educated, and lots of atheists who dropped out of grade school, so it's not a clear line, just a correlation. |
I would argue that this phenomena is more concentrated with intelligent minds in the field of science, and not intelligent minds across all fields of study- Its no secret that science has been at war with religion, and we shouldn't expect the world's most renowned scientists to believe in a deity.
Look, my issue has nothing to do with the debate of atheism vs. religion- I am simply pointing out the changing landscape of atheism in the world. While one might argue that "religion has been targeting non-believers for years- why not return the favor?", my contention is that this is against the entire philosophy of atheism... but perhaps I am wrong.