Atheists turning to cult behaviour?

[downbeatplumb]

My point is most atheists when asked would say, atheism is pure disbelief, absolutely nothing else. Agreed. But then this lack of absolutely anything else gives space to some subcultures. Misogyny, gay bashing.

Subcultures exist, it as nothing to do with atheism.

To clarify, I don't think all atheists are misogynists. But no one wants to do anything about it, everyone just says "I don't need to do anything. I'm just a non - believer". Yet, thy would readily take it onto themselves to attack other cultures like Islam and Christianity in the name of reason.

As historically atheists have been mercilessly attacked by Christians and are currently mercilessly persecuted in Islamic countries this smacks of sour grapes.
Why can't we point out the problems with religions? It's not like we are stoning Christians or throwing Muslims from tall buildings.
Sometimes we are just saying that maybe a faith that leads to the massacre of 132 school children may not be nice.

[Mister Agenda]

I think Myers is a twat of the first order, as well as Dawkins. Greta Christina and others were bang-on when they pointed out that having these assholes as the public face of atheism keeps a lot of atheists quiet about their lack of belief.

Which is a shame, because it's exactly those quiet atheists we need to hear more from when the people the public associates with atheism aren't representative.

[Tonus]

"When [you] turned?" What, did an atheist bite you on the neck?

Turned against religion. Geez!!

Relax. It was simply too good a straight line to resist.

Becoming an atheist only fixes one of the things you are wrong about.

Yeah, well I'm saying that too. When did I oppose that? When!!

You appeared disappointed that rejecting god and religion did not change some of the other cultural attitudes among your fellow atheists in your area. I am pointing out that changing your views on god and religion will not wipe out those other views. They are not necessarily part of the same "package," so to speak.

[Cato]

Identifying with atheism is hard here, or maybe that's just how I felt in my teen years considering how radical the religious elements here are. Even the mildest criticism of religion or religious or political figures is hard here. As I grew up, I grew more confident and sought out people like me.

India? Your lack of perspective regarding misogyny is breathtaking. Since you're from India, let's see if any of the following sound familiar:

- gang rapes
- acid attacks
- young women considered a financial burden due to practice of dowry
- bride burning (a means to settle a dowry grievance)
- manual scavenging
- literacy rates: men - 64%, women - 39%
- stigma for birthing females
- prevalence for female fetus abortion. Last 50 years, female births per 1000 male births has dropped from 976 to 914. There are 7 million fewer females under the age of 6 than males.

And you have the audacity to stroll into these forums pretending to not understand the source of misogyny in your culture with the added charge that atheism displays cult like misogynistic behavior because of facebook posts and isolated examples of individual unscrupulous non-criminal behavior?

Oblivious dolt. Go fuck yourself!

[Alex K]

Come on Cato, that's all true, but be more generous, after all you don't live there, and it's hard to judge other people's perspective and insight.

[Mister Agenda]

Not enforced. Suggested or at least taught in a non enforcing manner.

Maybe simply promoting humanism more would accomplish what you are seeking. It doesn't need to be directed at atheists specifically.[/quote]

For example, suicide should be legal. Anyone can kill themselves if they want to. but shouldn't there be some guiding principle asking one not to kill himself/herself? Teaching one to deal with issues in other ways?

Agreed, but there's nothing particularly to do with atheism on this issue. I've heard that suicide rates are higher in some countries with higher rates of atheism, but those countries also tend to be dreary and northern, so I'm not sure there's a valid connection.

No I don't see you as confrontational.

Just for the record, neither am I. You're always as good as your last post with me. I know I can be snarky, but it's not my desire to escalate any disagreement we may have.

[dyresand]

Identifying with atheism is hard here, or maybe that's just how I felt in my teen years considering how radical the religious elements here are. Even the mildest criticism of religion or religious or political figures is hard here. As I grew up, I grew more confident and sought out people like me.

India? Your lack of perspective regarding misogyny is breathtaking. Since you're from India, let's see if any of the following sound familiar:

- gang rapes
- acid attacks
- young women considered a financial burden due to practice of dowry
- bride burning (a means to settle a dowry grievance)
- manual scavenging
- literacy rates: men - 64%, women - 39%
- stigma for birthing females
- prevalence for female fetus abortion. Last 50 years, female births per 1000 male births has dropped from 976 to 914. There are 7 million fewer females under the age of 6 than males.

And you have the audacity to stroll into these forums pretending to not understand the source of misogyny in your culture with the added charge that atheism displays cult like misogynistic behavior because of facebook posts and isolated examples of individual unscrupulous non-criminal behavior?

Oblivious dolt. Go fuck yourself!

I second that emotion.

[Mister Agenda]

I'm just drawing a parallel. The way I've seen certain atheists behave isn't arbitrary inhuman behavior.

I don't grasp what you're trying to say, here. The behavior you're talking about is, sadly, very human and not particularly arbitrary.

There is clearly an audience for it amongst other atheists that drives this further.

Like hating on Miley Cyrus?

Maybe that's isn't how religion works, but that's pretty much how a cult forms in my view.

We tend to be careful and precise in our language around here, partly because we know there are fundamentalist members who will seize on any slip of the tongue or mis-statement.

A cult, in the modern sense/connotation as a group with novel, socially deviant beliefs and practices, tends to have a charismatic leader or founder to whom the members are zealously devoted and obedient. Doubt is discourage. How members are to live is ordered in great detail. Mind-altering practices are used. The group is elitist and tribal (us vs. them), and feel the group's ends justify the means.

The behavior you describe isn't at all how cults form. It's just people making asses of themselves and attracting an audience.

[Chas]

Errrr what? Am I dreaming? Are you winding me up....? What in the holy fuck's going on!?

Dawkins really wrote that?

Wrote what? I find no Dawkins quotes in this thread.

[Mister Agenda]

My point is most atheists when asked would say, atheism is pure disbelief, absolutely nothing else. Agreed. But then this lack of absolutely anything else gives space to some subcultures.

Atheism lacks anything else. Atheists don't. Atheists have a variety of positions and philosophies, which are not their atheism, but may have a lot to do with why they're atheists.

Misogyny, gay bashing. To clarify, I don't think all atheists are misogynists. But no one wants to do anything about it, everyone just says "I don't need to do anything. I'm just a non - believer".

Again, I'm hoping someday that we get past having to explain what atheism is and isn't in almost every conversation concerning atheism. I DON'T need to do anything...AS an atheist. My atheism doesn't enter into it. It's not a characteristic relevant to the discussion. PEOPLE shouldn't act like that. I'm happy to do what I can to contribute to people acting like that less.

Yet, thy would readily take it onto themselves to attack other cultures like Islam and Christianity in the name of reason.

Around here, we have lively conversations about whether it's appropriate to attack entire broad cultures and whether doing so is actually based on reason. We seem to be split about 50/50 and presumably a forum like this would attract a sample size leaning towards anti-theist, so the more nuanced crowd might be better represented among atheists in real life.