Men & children killed & dismembered by an atheist.

[Confused Ape]

How many people have killed another, specifically, in the name of atheism?

None as yet but I've come across one or two atheists in the past who seemed to regard atheism as some kind of ideology. They wanted to impose rules and regulations about what atheists should and should not do, Richard Dawkins wasn't atheistic enough for them because he only rated himself 6.9 on the scale of theistic probability and they regarded Sam Harris as a heretic because he's interested in meditation and altered states of consciousness. (I was a heretic too because my brain produces odd, subjective experiences and I use Jungian psychology.) They also regarded stamping out religion as every atheist's evolutionary imposed duty.

Maybe we're just lucky that some atheist nutcase hasn't killed anyone in the name of atheism the ideology but I wouldn't be surprised if it happens.

[Angrboda]

I always find it ironic when somebody labels someone else stupid and ignorant - it is often a stupid and ignorant thing to do.

Indeed, when I signed up here, I also made the mistake of approaching all atheists with the attitude that they were all capable of critical and compassionate thinking. It seems there are some that are happy to ridicule others' experiences and not question their own - or show the humility in explaining the process of how they learnt in relation to your situation.

A lot of keyboard warriors would be scared to approach you in reality. Try not to take the entirety of the Internet too seriously. Information Technology was designed to share educational resources, but often it becomes disinformation and tautology.

I've said things in bad moods in the past that I would not say now. Similarly, whatever you feel now, will change.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urH6nZORzZM


Wow. Sanctimonious, judgemental, and hypocritical all at the same time. You got skillz.

[Zen Badger]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Dahmer

Nothing here, just practicing my propaganda skills, I'm learning from atheists how to do that
It is indeed that he, Jeffery, was encouraged to do his crime because of atheism :

"if a person doesn’t think that there is a God to be accountable to, then what’s the point of trying to modify your behavior to keep it within acceptable ranges?"- Jeffrey Dahmer

Don't you just notice that the most serial killers were atheists ?

You have provided ONE person who claimed that he did what he did because of atheism.

Do you really think that offsets the thousands of atrocities carried out every year under the banner of Islam and Sharia law?

---

This is your religion of peace in action.....



Basically a woman was executed for witchcraft because she was selling fake cures.

[Strongbad]

Well, I see a desperate man trying to escape death.

You've just described every religious person on the planet.

Salam.

[LastPoet]

There is no logical pathway from disbelief in god to murder. The same cannot be said about certain religions.

Your holy books that are folowed blindly leave enough room for interpretation to make a person justified in murdering in the name of god.

Furthermore, if you really believe your morals come from command of god by your belief, then you really have a problem.

I have gained this by philosophy: that I do without being commanded what others do only from fear of the law.

Subsistute "the law" for "god", and you will get the idea.

[Confused Ape]

There is no logical pathway from disbelief in god to murder.

A atheist nutcase turning atheism into an ideology wouldn't be acting logically but once you have an ideology people can kill in the name of that ideology. Communism isn't a religion - it's a political ideology - but millions of people have been killed because of that ideology. Humans don't need religion in order to commit atrocities - an ideology will do just as well.

[LastPoet]

A atheist nutcase turning atheism into an ideology wouldn't be acting logically but once you have an ideology people can kill in the name of that ideology. Communism isn't a religion - it's a political ideology - but millions of people have been killed because of that ideology. Humans don't need religion in order to commit atrocities - an ideology will do just as well.

That is why I think atheism+ is important, since they perfectly show how stupid one can get when associating atheism with an ideology.

---

ETA: and there is always the thing about feeling justified by your ideologies, its like I always say: "I have alot of ideas, therefore I'm an idiot!"

[Ben Davis]

But, see, there doesn't appear to be any indication that he was a serial killer due to his being a Muslim.

None as yet but I've come across one or two atheists in the past who seemed to regard atheism as some kind of ideology. They wanted to impose rules and regulations about what atheists should and should not do, Richard Dawkins wasn't atheistic enough for them because he only rated himself 6.9 on the scale of theistic probability and they regarded Sam Harris as a heretic because he's interested in meditation and altered states of consciousness. (I was a heretic too because my brain produces odd, subjective experiences and I use Jungian psychology.) They also regarded stamping out religion as every atheist's evolutionary imposed duty.

Maybe we're just lucky that some atheist nutcase hasn't killed anyone in the name of atheism the ideology but I wouldn't be surprised if it happens.

These.

There appears to be some confusion between an 'atheist/christian killer' and 'a killer who happens to be an atheist/christian'. It's all about motive (i.e. were they killing because of their religion/irreligion or for some other reason). Consequently, I'd consider Stalin 'an atheist killer': he killed people out of his ideological perspective of 'atheism' (as a subset of his pseudo-religious, communist ideologies).

It's a broad set of extremist ideologies which are the problem. The religiosity of the ideology is only one factor but a powerful one; I'd insert Sam Harris' comment on Jainism here. Therefore it's less likely for an 'atheist' ideology to lead to killing but it is possible.

[popeyespappy]

Posts like the OP make me wonder if the threat of hell is the only thing keeping a lot theists from giving in to their barely repressed desire to become a serial killer.

[Confused Ape]

That is why I think atheism+ is important, since they perfectly show how stupid one can get when associating atheism with an ideology.

I've just looked at their FAQ and I'm not entirely happy with the way they've worded the following -

Atheism Plus FAQ

Atheism Plus does not attempt to conflate atheism with feminism or any other ideology. It does not call for the incorporation of liberal values into the definition of atheism. The “Plus” should be understood as meaning “in addition to” the dictionary definition of atheism, which is still respected as being no more or less than a conclusion on the matter of the existence of gods. It is up to each individual to determine which values they wish to connect to their atheism if any. It just so happens that there is a sizable contingent of atheists who agree that a desire for social justice connects to their atheism in a meaningful way.

Why should anything connect to a lack of belief in deities in a meaningful way?