Stop calling atheists 'fundamentalists'

[FatAndFaithless]

I am a Food Fundamentalist , I eat nothing else...

I'm an air fundamentalist, I refuse to breathe anything else based on religious principle.

[ignoramus]

if you're going put it like that then we're all "logic fundies" yeah, why not.

[Brian37]

Why do some theists, particularly religious ones, like so much to point out and accuse some atheists of being fundamentalists (similar to religious ones)? Don't they realize atheism has no dogmas, therefore there can't be any fundamentalism? Stop using that word theists, I don't think it means what you think it means!

(specially when talking about Mao Zedong, Stalin and other political leaders who were/are against religion)

I hate that shit too. Now while you could find some atheists who'd like to see religion outlawed, I am not one of those. I certainly see religion as poison, and a distraction and distortion of our species common existence, but we do not live in a utopia and even if I wanted to force religion out of existence it wouldn't be practical on a planet of 7 billion.

Having said that, blasphemy and cussing only makes one blunt, not fundamentalist. Offending someone only means you offended them, it does not mean you want to kill them.

Why shouldn't I be objecting claims of fictional sky heros? Why shouldn't I hate the divisive nature of religion? Why should I value sexism, bigotry, homophobia and xenophobia?

Atheism is the noise people make in the face of naked assertions with no evidence.

[Dystopia]

I am a Food Fundamentalist , I eat nothing else...

Sure, but is there a book or a law that you adhere too, that forces you to love food without questioning? No, if you stopped liking food, you could start eating less. See where I'm going?

[ManMachine]

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

[Rabb Allah]

Al'hamdu le'elhu ahk!

Rabb, was that in Arabic or Klingon!

Arabic but I can talk dirty to ya in Klingon though

[ShaMan]

I can talk dirty to ya in Klingon

[Rabb Allah]

I can talk dirty to ya in Klingon

[youtube]b0YC3RpvE3M[/youtube]

Come on baby

[Whateverist]

I don't really mind when I get called a fundamentlist. It's usually quite fun to tell them how many people I won't be killing today (or ever) just because we disagree, and then ask what a fundamentalist religious person would do when confronted with the issue of disagreement.

Or even more tangibly, you could ask them how many Christian posters you won't be banning for believing in God. Or how many of their posts you'll be censoring for fear of having their evil words heard by the masses of atheists. Answer, none who follow the rules which only require that you take part responsively with others.

[Crossless2.0]

Arabic but I can talk dirty to ya in Klingon though

Be careful with that. When I tended bar in a brothel, we had a customer who insisted on talking to everyone in Klingon (he also claimed some kind of high rank in the Federation). Unsurprisingly, none of the girls would touch him with a ten foot pole.

It's pretty bad when you strike out in a roomful of hookers.