Stop calling atheists 'fundamentalists'

[Jacob(smooth)]

So, here's the idea: When someone calls us fundamentalists, point out the definition of fundamentalism. I already looked it up on the online dictionary and here's what I got:



(source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionar...amentalist)
Ask them what "set of basic principles" atheists "stressing strict and literal adherence to." It sure would be interesting to hear a response.

I think the term has some values. Some people are atheist simply insofar as an absence of belief. In the same way as, say, your average prawn is probably atheist.

Others however take it a little further. They form forums. Unspoken "rules" develop within the "set", little sociological quirks and things which get bolted onto the core belief (or lack of it in this case). People come together in common cause. It becomes, in short, a movement.

Atheism is defined as
"disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods."

Lets say I rocked up here and said I did not believe in God, but I did believe in spiritualism, speaking to the dead, reincarnation of the immortal soul, and psychic healing. An atheist in the most naked sense of the word would not be predisposed to snigger at me. Those beliefs are separate from the existence of God so it should be no more relevant than my view on wagner or climate change. However I think we all know that such a person would struggle to get those views respected because they are contrary to the PRINCIPLES of atheism. Scientific process. Burden of proof. Occams razor. That style of thing.

The teaching of religion as science in schools might be another example. An atheist is not by definition pro or anti, the definition of the term does not contain any comment on other peoples interaction with religion. However most Folk here would be very anti that. Atheism the MOVEMENT is anti that. And rightly so.

That, for me, is the difference. One can be an atheist by default or omission. However some people go another step and make atheism an active thing (I now consider myself included in that group). Fundamentalist atheist is a pejorative term but I don't think its entirely without merit.