What is the point of Atheist Activism?

[starbucks]

Where is the need to point out that one is an atheist or to even call it atheist activism when there are plenty of other people who share the same perspective that are not atheist? This I could never understand, especially coming from people who normally disassociate themselves from being part of any order/group/organization that would put them into the same category as other organized religious groups?

Take for example the heated controversy over gay marriages. Christians have been made out to be the bad guys because their voice is the loudest but I can vouch that there are plenty of other people who find homosexuality disgusting and they aren't religious or even Christian. They would undoubtedly oppose gay marriages in a heartbeat. Then there are some faith-goers who are more liberal about the issue and don't see gay marriages as violating their personal beliefs.

Thus, when atheists are rallying to oppose or support a cause, why must they bother to even point out that they are atheist? Couldn't they just be watchdogs for humanity without a label? Otherwise, they are becoming just like any other organized religious group. Can't people be part of a cause without having to bring in their religious or non-religious background?

[Minimalist]

there are plenty of other people who share the same perspective that are not atheist?

Er, what "perspective" might that be?

[Purple Rabbit]

Christians have been made out to be the bad guys because their voice is the loudest but I can vouch that there are plenty of other people who find homosexuality disgusting and they aren't religious or even Christian. They would undoubtedly oppose gay marriages in a heartbeat.

Hang in there...

What kind of logic are you referring to here? Are you suggesting that fish eating can be prohibited for all by the group of people that don't like fish as food?

The relevant question is not what is disgusting, but what principle of right over othrs an opinion constitutes.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

Where is the need to point out that one is an atheist or to even call it atheist activism

Why does there need to be a point?

when there are plenty of other people who share the same perspective that are not atheist?

Well , (a) No,there aren't actually;there is no such thing as an atheist perspective on any subject other than a disbelief in gods.(b) So what if you were right? Your question contains a logical fallacy; argumentum ad populum or argument by consensus. That any number of people hold an opinion means only that. It neither implies (suggests) no allows an inference (conclusion) of truth or that there are no no other choices.

Why must they bother to even point out that they are atheist?

Why should they not?. Because it irritates you? Get over yourself.

Couldn't they just be watchdogs for humanity without a label?

They are no such thing,as atheists. Again if you were right,why should they be either?

[Eilonnwy]

The point about atheist activism is not the promotion of atheism, but rather the promotion and defense of secularism. This country is based on secular principals, which means it does not endorse one religion over another. Every person has the right to believe or not believe, worship or not worship as they please. However, there are people that promote the idea that the US is a Christian nation and that Christian principles must prevail.

When the government promotes a national day of prayer, atheists are there to protest. When a child dies because their religious parents refused desperately needed medical attention based on religious notions, atheists are going to cry out. When a woman is fired from her job because her boss found out she was an atheist, atheists are there to defend her. When a newly elected official is threatened impeachment for being a nonbeliever, atheists are going to bring attention to it. When gays are denied a basic civil right based on religious notions, atheists will stand beside them, defending those rights.

All my examples above are things that have happened in the past couple of years. Granted, my brand of activism may not translate directly to what concerns the people here that are from the UK and other parts of the world, but the ideals of secularism are pretty universal.

[Tiberius]

I don't see how the gay marriage issue can be branded as "atheist activism".

I'd also like to point out the flawed reasoning in saying people who find something "disgusting" would oppose it. This isn't how a lot of people work at all. Certainly in some political philosophies like Libertarianism (I use it as an example because I know it the best), one may oppose certain things like gay marriage or drug use, but respect the right of people to do those things since it doesn't 'harm' anyone but themselves.

[Eilonnwy]

It is if you consider what reasoning lies behind the denial of gays getting married. You cut through all the crap and it ends up being religious bullshit. Now, there are people who are against gay marriage because they're against all civil marriage, but that's a different argument entirely. And I got no issue with them. Even so, if you are against civil marriage, would not at least admit that if civil marriage exists that gays should be a part of it too?

I feel similarly about hate crime legislation. Don't support it on the grounds that it essentially legislates thoughts and I think government has no business doing so. It's one issue where I stray from the left. However, it still exists and I am at the very least glad gays are included even if I don't support the hate crime legislation. I care about equal treatment ultimately.

[SleepingDemon]

Atheist activism in and of itself is important if you believe that the religious right has more pull in this country than they should. People can try to get prayer back in schools all they want, as long as it doesn't happen I don't care about that. However I do care about politicians being anti-gay marriage and anti-abortion because of religious belief. The US is at a crossroads. Every other industrial nation in the 21st century has become more secular, whereas we have become more theocratic in a sense. Somewhere in the last century we allowed the fringe far right uber-christian conservatives to seep into government. It isn't a government that promises the freedom to believe whatever you want, we have a government that either blatantly or secretly endorses only the christians, and our laws, our policies are dictated from that.

So taking the offensive from an atheist point of view provides an objective reasoning to ensure that our country doesn't become completely theocratic. Atheists march and protests as atheists because it isn't one sect of believers or another pressing for their own agenda, it is nonbelievers pressing for the end of bias. Barack Obama possibly maybe being a muslim should not be an issue at all, whether it's true or not, but because this is a christian society this unfounded rumor has taken root and damages every move he makes. The very fact that they care about what church a politician attends attests to the severity of religious ideology in politics. This nation is teetering on the edge of unadulterated theocracy, and if the skeptics can't reel us back in, then we will become the southern Baptist equivalent of Iran. Atheism provides an objective agenda, not based around one set of beliefs or another. So using that as a platform makes sense in that we are trying to move away from the ideological reasons for policies, and towards the moral and social reasons for policies.

[Tiberius]

Yes, but just because it is certain religious scripture behind the denial of marriage for gays, doesn't automatically make it an atheist activism issue. You are assuming that to be against a certain religious scripture, you must be an atheist, or at least have atheist virtues. Nothing could be further from the truth.

There are many Christians who don't think the "anti-gay" parts of the Bible are true, or that they should be used to enforce laws. For something to be "atheist activism" I think it would have to involve atheists for an atheist cause. Gay Marriage isn't atheist activism (there are plenty of non-atheist gays); it's a gay rights issue...an equality issue.

Even if there are some atheists involved, there are far better instances of atheist activism.

[Eilonnwy]

You're right, it's not a solely atheist issue. However, where people state that civil rights should be dictated by a Bible, it should concern atheists whether it concerns gay, straight, or otherwise. Just because it overlaps with other causes, doesn't mean it doesn't apply.