Comments on: Interesting quote on “new atheists” in the U.S., Britain http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2008/01/07/interesting-quote-on-new-atheists-in-the-us-britain/ Religion, faith and ethics Fri, 24 May 2013 05:33:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Tom Heneghan http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2008/01/07/interesting-quote-on-new-atheists-in-the-us-britain/comment-page-1/#comment-1114 Tom Heneghan Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:03:48 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2008/01/07/interesting-quote-on-new-atheists-in-the-us-britain/#comment-1114 Matthew, critics of the "new atheists" say they ARE "self-righteous proselytising busy-bodies." They would also consider real atheism a kind of faith, since it is an empirically unprovable belief that there is no God. The simple absence of belief comes closer to agnosticism, since it seems to be weaker than an atheist's conviction there is no God. Maybe this linguistic spectrum of only three terms (atheist-agnostic-believer) is too simple and we need two more to describe the views between them. I don't know of any other terms in this spectrum in other western languages. Does anybody out there have any suggestions? Matthew, critics of the “new atheists” say they ARE “self-righteous proselytising busy-bodies.” They would also consider real atheism a kind of faith, since it is an empirically unprovable belief that there is no God. The simple absence of belief comes closer to agnosticism, since it seems to be weaker than an atheist’s conviction there is no God. Maybe this linguistic spectrum of only three terms (atheist-agnostic-believer) is too simple and we need two more to describe the views between them. I don’t know of any other terms in this spectrum in other western languages. Does anybody out there have any suggestions?

]]> By: Matthew http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2008/01/07/interesting-quote-on-new-atheists-in-the-us-britain/comment-page-1/#comment-1113 Matthew Tue, 15 Jan 2008 10:58:27 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2008/01/07/interesting-quote-on-new-atheists-in-the-us-britain/#comment-1113 The number of people sensible enough not to believe in any god will, I hope, continue to grow. I don't like the sound of the term "New Atheism" at all, though - it suggests to me a bunch of self-righteous proselytising busy-bodies almost as bad as evangelical christians. For me, atheism is simply an absence of belief in any god. I doubt if I have anything else in common with 99.99% of all atheists, and I have no desire to associate with anybody merely because they are atheist. We're not a club, we're not an association, and we certainly ain't a religion! The number of people sensible enough not to believe in any god will, I hope, continue to grow. I don’t like the sound of the term “New Atheism” at all, though – it suggests to me a bunch of self-righteous proselytising busy-bodies almost as bad as evangelical christians. For me, atheism is simply an absence of belief in any god. I doubt if I have anything else in common with 99.99% of all atheists, and I have no desire to associate with anybody merely because they are atheist. We’re not a club, we’re not an association, and we certainly ain’t a religion!

]]> By: joseph http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2008/01/07/interesting-quote-on-new-atheists-in-the-us-britain/comment-page-1/#comment-1093 joseph Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:50:18 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2008/01/07/interesting-quote-on-new-atheists-in-the-us-britain/#comment-1093 it will continue to grow as satan has his way in turning the created from the creator. people dont need religon to do evil acts against each other,people need religion (or should i say a personal relationship with their saviour jesus to avoid falling into sin and lead a good life.) it will continue to grow as satan has his way in
turning the created from the creator.
people dont need religon to do evil acts against
each other,people need religion (or should i say
a personal relationship with their saviour jesus
to avoid falling into sin and lead a good life.)

]]> By: Keith M Warwick http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2008/01/07/interesting-quote-on-new-atheists-in-the-us-britain/comment-page-1/#comment-1087 Keith M Warwick Fri, 11 Jan 2008 09:30:12 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2008/01/07/interesting-quote-on-new-atheists-in-the-us-britain/#comment-1087 It will absolutely continue to grow. Faced with prima facie, de facto evidence of bigotry, hypocrisy and child abuse cover-ups, more and more people are realising that the extremism that religion breeds is both anathema and poison to any democratic country. I would go as far as saying, with maybe the exception of the Greek Orthodox Church - which sets a fairly good example on some issues, that atheism is increasingly seen as a way out of any religion that seems more and more to champion persecution and condemnation. It will absolutely continue to grow.

Faced with prima facie, de facto evidence of bigotry, hypocrisy and child abuse cover-ups, more and more people are realising that the extremism that religion breeds is both anathema and poison to any democratic country.

I would go as far as saying, with maybe the exception of the Greek Orthodox Church – which sets a fairly good example on some issues, that atheism is increasingly seen as a way out of any religion that seems more and more to champion persecution and condemnation.

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