(July 23, 2014 at 5:50 am)Pickup_shonuff Wrote:(July 23, 2014 at 5:43 am)ManMachine Wrote: you can be characterised as a fundamental atheist, without that being an allusion to some kind of atheist ideology.
MM
I'm not so sure. I can't remember ever hearing it used outside the allusion of some kind of atheist ideology.
Another term I like to scoff at is "evangelical atheist."
While it's true that evangelical can simply mean "zealous in advocating something," by that definition we're all evangelicals. But considering the way it's used and the strong association it has with the Christian church, I'm not sure it's ever been applied to anything outside of some insinuation that atheism is somehow comparable to a religion.
It doesn't surprise me that these terms are uncomfortable for people, personally I think it's a storm in a tea cup.
It's all irrelevant really, groups of people trying to squeeze other groups of people into nice definable categories. If it is used to illuminate a deeper point for debate then I see no problem. It becomes problematic when it gets used out of context and adopted by those who clearly have other agendas.
MM
"The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions" - Leonardo da Vinci
"I think I use the term “radical” rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as “atheist,” some people will say, “Don’t you mean ‘agnostic’?” I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one ... etc., etc. It’s easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it’s an opinion I hold seriously." - Douglas Adams (and I echo the sentiment)
"I think I use the term “radical” rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as “atheist,” some people will say, “Don’t you mean ‘agnostic’?” I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one ... etc., etc. It’s easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it’s an opinion I hold seriously." - Douglas Adams (and I echo the sentiment)
