http://www.npr.org/te...

A schism in the Athiest community? "New" versus "Old" athiests

Oh boy, I'm just now writing a blog post on this. Good topic! I come down strongly on the "new" side, although we need all kinds. We have no dogma (I hope), and if we can work things out we can become a pretty potent force. Problem is, this particular hatchet job by NPR isn't going to do us much good. I think the other side is trying to make more of this then it really is.

It's really about "respecting" organized religion. The premise of Harris's book that started it all was that moderate Christians are more of a problem ('cause there's more of them) then the hard-right whack jobs. The moderates give cover and support to the wackos. As far as I'm concerned, they're all delusional, and the village idiot shouldn't be running the village.

See...

http://hollywoodreali...

I think there is certainly a broad question about proselytizing in general, and believe this may be one of the hardest questions for atheists and / or humanists to address. How much should we or must we try to encourage or persuade others to our own way of thinking? For theists it is an easy answer. Their holy books virtually demand some sort of recruitment activity.

Personally, a try to engage anyone I can in debate about specific religious points and issues, and try to talk through the logic of beliefs they may never have considered or questioned.

I have seen first hand that if you can get someone thinking and asking important questions, rationally and honestly, they are set on a better path to understanding their life philosophy, and the universe as a whole. I have also found that a positive approach works vastly better than a critical one every time.

Nothing is worse than blind, unquestioning belief (and few things are more frustrating for any humanist, rationalist or atheist). Unfortunately a great many clerics and their sermons vehemently oppose skeptical inquiry as weak and demonstrating lack of faith, so asking questions can be a fairly big hurdle to encourage someone in that camp to leap.

Proselytizing a humanist / atheist viewpoint in North Carolina, where christianity has a strong, ingrained foothold and tradition, can certainly lead to some social discomfort, particularly within ones own family group. I would argue, however, that it is not only our right to ask people to explain and question their beliefs, but our duty.

I think the more humanists there are, and the fewer theists, benefits all humanity. I believe strongly that we should guide people to greater insight, and let everyone know there is an alternative and far better path.