Why are Atheists afraid to insult Islam and Jews?

[Polaris]

Because they like to go after the low-hanging fruit. They look bad when they target Moslems and Jews since they come off as racist and culturally insensitive when they do so.

So, basically what you're saying is you haven't read any of the threads in the Islam section, or any of the responses to most of MysticKnight's latest threads, or any of the threads Min linked to, but that's not gonna stop you from assuming they're all full of sunshine and puppies anyway!

Min's just as racist as the KKK. He's special.

[Esquilax]

So, basically what you're saying is you haven't read any of the threads in the Islam section, or any of the responses to most of MysticKnight's latest threads, or any of the threads Min linked to, but that's not gonna stop you from assuming they're all full of sunshine and puppies anyway!

Min's just as racist as the KKK. He's special.

Min is a single person among many here on the board, and thus singling out Min is an entirely irrelevant response to what I just said.

[Polaris]

Min's just as racist as the KKK. He's special.

Min is a single person among many here on the board, and thus singling out Min is an entirely irrelevant response to what I just said.

No one else here said Moslems should act American or leave. That's why Min was singled out. Hiding racism behind atheism like he does is complete garbage.

[Hatshepsut]

The OP is a Poe and a troll. My guess is the OP is indifferent to any important issue and just wants to fuck with some people, or he's a butthurt christer.

The "troll" label gets way too much use. Its truth in a given case need not mean it must be invoked at every opportunity. Is a forum interesting if it doesn't entertain its oppositional nuts? Without looking at the OP the thread title itself raises a point. While somewhat less true of atheists and other lovers of satire, a cross section of public outlets wide as a barn door are afraid to insult Islam. The major reason is Political Correctness but  a major secondary reason is because Islam aggressively defends itself, with some sects frequently targeting critics in acts of violence.

This result hasn't required official suppression of free speech, either. It's a self- and peer imposed censorship.

[Exian]

Oh, of course. We're gonna play with each other regardless. I just made the observation in anther thread that troll threads usually evolve into intelligent conversation; "railed"? "rerailed"? But I do hate to see people waste time on a well thought out back-and-forth with the turd who's gonna say "oh, we agree on that. You must also love Hitler."

[Silver]

No one else here said Moslems should act American or leave. That's why Min was singled out. Hiding racism behind atheism like he does is complete garbage.

I see nothing resembling that in his responses in this thread.  

[Cephus]

I'm certainly not afraid, I've got no problem going after the Jews and the Muslims and the Buddhists and any other religion on the planet.  It isn't a matter of being afraid, it's that most atheists in the western world have only limited interaction with non-Christian religions.  We attack what we know best.  That doesn't mean any other religion doesn't get criticized when the need arises.

[robvalue]

Even if/when religion stops doing harm, I'm still going to think it is stupid. But I won't feel it as necessary to openly criticize what a terrible idea faith is and how religion is perpetuated entirely by oral myths, the placebo effect and confirmation bias.

There, I did it. I filtered religion down to three things, in an easy to remember format!

Think religion? Call a COP! Confirmation bias, oral myths and placebo effect.

Put your thinking COP hat on for an hour and you'll see that you've been indoctrinated by oral myths which you would never believe as true if you heard them for the first time as an adult. Your desire to keep those myths going, which have become your reality, is aided by the chemicals your body produces when it thinks something is going to help. And by the human's very strong desire to see patterns, even where there are none, to make you think causation is going on that really isn't. In really severe cases you will have actual delusions where you see things others don't, rather than just intepreting events to fit your oral myths. If this is the case, please seek professional help.

Here at COP, we understand that it is not your fault you were indoctrinated, and the idea that your parents, other family and friends have been misleading you is hard to accept. Remember, they were likely indoctrinated too so may well not have been aware of the falsity of the oral myths. Don't be too hard on them, but don't let their pressure hold you back from reality.

You've been living in a blur between reality and fantasy for far too long. It's time to take that first brave step into the world. It will be scary. It will feel as if you've been relying on an authority figure all your life who now isn't there. But don't worry, in reality he was never there in the first place, and you've done just fine up to now. The world is just what you would expect from a place with no magical being governing it. It's got some really good and really bad things in it. See what you can do to stop the bad things, but be realistic that you can't stop it all. Only a magical creature can do that, and as you have noticed, none have done so.

Your life is now yours to live as you feel is best. Do you feel the urge to kill someone just because you don't have an authority figure constantly looking at you? No? Didn't think so. That's your conscience, your internal moral compass. Up until now, you've been attributing it to myths and this absentee authority figure, but it's in you. It has always been in you. That's why you didn't act on the parts of the oral myths and religious texts which were obviously wrong. But now you don't need to make dishonest arguments about why you aren't doing them. Take credit for the good you do, and try not to do bad things, but if you do, take responsibility. Apologize and make amends to the harmed parties, not with an irrelevant third party. We're human, we make mistakes. But we are great at learning from them.

So go, my child, be free. Life has whatever purpose you want to give it. Accepting that this is the only life we will most likely have is scary too, but it's also empowering. Imagine getting to the end of your life before realising that, or never knowing it at all. Now you can make the very most of it, instead of looking at this as a dress rehearsal, a pointless series of tests before the main event. No, this is the main event. You get one shot at it so make it count.

You're not alone. The authority figure is not there, but that doesn't mean no one is. Even if your friends and family decide to shun you, that is their problem and their loss. Atheists around the world will support you, and you can make new friends who love you for who you are, not just what you believe. Go along and play. Now you don't have to worry about all those silly "sins" and "making God mad". If something doesn't hurt anyone, and you want to do it, then do it! You may feel a sense of guilt at first, but it will fade in time. Indoctrination and oral myths aren't let go of all at once, it is very serious psychological programming. Let it go in its own time, and you will be free of the shackles you could never see.

Never again must you worry about trying to explain a load of supernatural goings on that you have no evidence for, or worry why various aspects of the religion didn't make sense. It's man made nonsense designed to control people, nothing more. You're seeing the world as atheists always see it. As it is.

Now be good, or I'll kick your ass.

[MJ the Skeptical]

I'm afraid of whatever religion my boss has, that's about it.

[Dystopia]

Having been a christian, although in name only, I know most about christianity.

That said, I'm against all religions if they're radical in their practice. I despise radical jews just as much as radical muslims or christians. They all would be killers if they had their way and they all would happily establish - for lack of a better word - their version of Sharia law.

I'm not against religion or religious people as such. In fact I'm one of the people, who don't think the world would be better off without religion because I'm sure that it would just be replaced by any other given ideology. So I rather go with the devil I know.

I agree. I also think religion in a broader sense as well as irrationality is rooted in our DNA. Not believing in god doesn't make someone special because we are all prone to irrational thinking and delusions. To completely erase religion would be to deny our ancestry. If it wasn't for Christianity my country wouldn't even exist. 

Religion is not an exception, but it's also not special - Religion causes harm for many reasons, but so does politics, nurturing and money. I can't simply lump everyone into the same category because I say so. To want to end religion as your goal is basically the same goal of extremists who believe everyone should convert to their faith because it's the right one.

How many people who criticize religion have degrees in philosophy, religion and theology and have actually studied deeply human psychology to see how it works? How many people in the west criticize anything other than the Abrahamic god? Are religious people irrational? The Japanese are 80% Shinto and they seem pretty rational, productive and have high IQ's.