Atheist extremism is bad... mkay?

[Cerrone]

I spent nearly an hour on that last reply, couldnt believe where the time went lol

>>>This is the same debate that goes through the skeptical community – “why are we arguing about HOW we’re doing things when we could be taking out religious leaders and quacks?” I guess if you turn it around, there are plenty of people outside the Muslim community who say that Muslims should be arguing with themselves as well to take out the fuckers who think it’s okay to kill ‘infidels’. (Don’t anyone write back that bullshit that all Muslims think alike – I know they don’t any more than all Jews or all Christians do.). The spiteful language Void was talking about is useless, even detrimental, in the fight against that “common enemy” and it needs to be argued amongst ourselves whether or not it should continue. Otherwise somewhere down the line you’re staring at whether or not the ends justified the means (in some situations).

Yeah I kind of agree, even though i've found that the ends usually do justify the means as much as people irrationally deny that fact. But like I said, if you can achieve the same positive result and do it courteously then thats great. My only doubt is that when people do meet the more ignorant kinds of religious people that polite conversation isn't going to cut it. Believe me i've had so many conversations with evangelists and casual believers in my life and it isn't until the conversation gets heated and you don't pull your punches that you really begin to open their eyes.

>>>Living in America, my observation is that we’re nothing but a mixed bundle of passions – you could argue that we broke away from England because of a few individuals passionately arguing for certain freedoms (we’ll leave which they are to another discussion). The only thing that I notice that limits this is a propensity to be politically correct, and even that is a hotly debated issue. We have a lot of people running around in this country using the First Amendment as their defense to say and sometimes do whatever they want, and that’s to their credit – it’s what that amendment is for. We’re not arguing whether or not the people Void mentioned are ALLOWED to say those ‘hateful’ things…we’re arguing the usefulness of it, by the way, before anyone questions that either.

Ah political correctness, yeah that comes back to extremism and hate speech doesnt it? lol.. well political correctness is another form of moderation, I don't hold with it myself. Surely political correctness is just hate speech in reverse, when you're afraid of talking about whatever issue because a certian member of the group involved in that issue is within earshot, but all that does is prolong the issue through a lack of discussion to find a resolution. Like how the Israelis refuse to talk with Hamas or Hezbollah, or how our governments refuse to talk with "terrorist" factions in the middle east...

But if you feel strongly about anything, talk about it! You shouldn't avoid doing that just because your words may cause somebody offence.. and if they are offended, then explain your position and if they aren't completely closedminded they should explain theirs as well and then a dialouge has been created!

This is what i'm saying about moderation; if people aren't able to talk honestly and openly for fear of causing offence through being bound by politcal correctness or the vanity to be perceived as being calm and indifferent then how do they hope to settle disputes? If honest conversation isn't able to happen then disputes and issues just fester away until they erupt in some other violent or unsavoury form of extremism. That's why i'm more inclined toward passionate debate- however much bile it may appear is being thrown up- because it is infinately less conceited and a thousand times more productive in the long term.

>>>I’m just saying, hypothetically – stranger things have happened. In the arena of politics (not that religion doesn’t blend in with it, unfortunately), we had a guy ram his car into the back of another car because he had an Obama bumper sticker. Maybe the first dude was just racist, that could have been the real reason, I don’t know, but if there is violence possibly motivated by opinions towards a secular establishment…

Actually if christians did find themselves persecuted by an atheist inquisition that'd be a very sweet irony..