Is Neo-Atheism The Way to Go? [Poll]

[chezlaw]

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Perhaps you're unintentionally making a case for the good mocking does. It seems to have worked over there. You guys are more secular than we are here in the states. (although don't you have an increasingly huge Muslim population?).

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The best anti-extreme-islam humour comes from the muslim community.

Mocking works. Let us not forget how Monty Python died for us, frequently.

chez

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But the forum matters. It's one thing to mock religious beliefs and people in a comedy act, another to mock them in what's supposed to be serious civil discourse (or to their face in day-to-day life). The former is oblique enough to be occasionally convincing and passably polite; the latter just tends to alienate people who don't already agree with you. The former stokes our sense of humor, while the latter stokes our sense of outrage -- and you don't have to be Yoda to know that making people angry with each other is a bad thing, all else being equal.

Enmity begets enmity. If you want to convince someone of anything, it helps if he doesn't think you're a raging [censored].

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The mocking only works if it amuses. If someone laughs then its probably working.

LeStat is dead on, intolerance is vital. We must be totally intolerant to the idea that we have to tolerate the ridiculous.

DS is very dead on.

chez

[Lestat]

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I'm not sure how or why the prefix "neo" is used. Most likely because it's come to stand for the new-age atheist who is more outspoken.

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I'm not sure either, although I generally lump one "neo" in with the next, neo-con, neo-atheist, neo-nazi.

Neo has become synonymous with rude, intolerant, and downright nasty people, and I think in many cases with the term neo-atheist, it fits like a glove.

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Its a good thing you dont mock people. I knew we'd find the contents of your list somewhere.

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Thats not mockery, it's an opinion. "Atheists are idiots" is a mockery. And note, I wasn't even referring to most atheists, just the ones who feel they must shove their particular non belief system down others throats, while at the same time attacking religious people from doing the same thing.

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I think you've got a lot of us all wrong. It's not a matter of shoving our non-belief systems down other people's throat. People are free to believe whatever they want. But when you tell me of your belief that the mothership will be here soon to pick you up, I reserve the right to laugh and tell you that's a most ridiculous thing to say.

As Sam Harris puts it: Atheism is simply the noise rational people make in the face of unfounded and irrational claims. There's not much more to it than that.

[VarlosZ]

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People are free to believe whatever they want. But when you tell me of your belief that the mothership will be here soon to pick you up, I reserve the right to laugh and tell you that's a most ridiculous thing to say.

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Sure, that's your right. It's also your right not to bathe. The two are generally inadvisable, however, and for very similar reasons.

[chezlaw]

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People are free to believe whatever they want. But when you tell me of your belief that the mothership will be here soon to pick you up, I reserve the right to laugh and tell you that's a most ridiculous thing to say.

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Sure, that's your right. It's also your right not to bathe. The two are generally inadvisable, however, and for very similar reasons.

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Comparing bathing to tolerating nonsense is ridiculous.

Fear is the key to your soul, metaphorically speaking of course.

chez

[Bill Haywood]

Mockery is a tactic. Ya'll are treating it as a principle.

[chezlaw]

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Mockery is a tactic. Ya'll are treating it as a principle.

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No, we're treasting it as a tactic.

chez

[luckyme]

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I think this thread is confusing religious belief with religious people. Those arguing for mockery are focussing on the silly beliefs, those arguing for civility are focussing on the people holding them.

I think you should respect me and mock my silly beliefs (As an aside, I reject the claim that religious belief entails certainty, but concede that most believers say it does. In my opinion, the real problem stems from being sure your mystical beliefs are correct, not from the fact that you have them).

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Are you making a distinction between "that's laughable" and "you're laughable for believing that"?
"that's loud". "you're a loud person".
"that a lot of fat." "you're a fat person".
"that's a racist comment". " you're a racist ( because you believe that)".

"Fritzig tells some funny jokes ... gawd, he's funny".

Sure, we can pretend the ideas a person has are nailed to their door in the middle of the night and they're just forced to recite them, or we can recognize that we are what we do/are, as above.

That was the gist of my wanting to keep my respect respectable. I want my kids, friends and coworkers to be able to trust my opinion and not have to worry that I can think thoughts such as " he's an honest man, he just lies a lot"

Not to be confused with respecting their right to believe in ufo's, heck, I may drive them to the landing spot if they're stuck for a ride. Perhaps that's somewhat along the line you're taking.

luckyme