Forum Discussion: Atheists as Troublemakers
Today I have been accussed of being a trouble maker, a thug, a communist and not worthy of any meaningful conversation. Why? Because I stated that I did not believe in any god. Does that make me such a bad person. I have never researched atheism I just know that I do not believe in any god and that that was my own choice. I have never attacked anyone for their beliefs and never would.
Accusations like "thug" and "communist" are derived from common myths about atheists and atheism, but atheists can and probably should be troublemakers on a variety fronts. Atheists should cause trouble by questioning some of the traditional assumptions about morality, relationships, and power which religions often feed people. Atheists should cause trouble by encouraging as many people as possible to question and challenge what religious, social, and political leaders tell them. Atheists should cause trouble by encouraging the broader application of science to domains traditionally reserved for religion.
What other sorts of trouble do you think atheists and and should make in society today? Add your thoughts to the comments here or join the ongoing discussion in the forum.
Comments
On the InQ pesonality test, I score high as a synthesist (trouble-maker). I love intellectual conflict. Most religionists are only interested in domination or persuasion. They miss out on life itself.
The most important part of atheist trouble-making is simple - respond, via posts and letters to the editor, to every piece of theist nonsense you read. I respond to as many newspaper links as I can, from this site, from the Internet Infidels Newswire post, and from the atheist nexus web site. A deluge of short replies is just as important as methodical criticism, because it creates critical mass, and does effect the opinions of third parties who are reading. If those people are theists with doubts, they NEED to hear our messages.
I post letters from my local paper on atheist nexus, and ask others to help refute them. We can and must welcome every possible chance to discuss atheism and criticise religious dogma, because the other side has NO GOOD MATERIAL to work with. They lose every time when we use reason, courtesy, and logic.