tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20937130.post114635560162539179..comments2023-08-27T11:02:04.653-04:00Comments on Liberals In Exile: Who are these "extremists"?Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138968066861006638noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20937130.post-1167451078268402432006-12-29T22:57:00.000-05:002006-12-29T22:57:00.000-05:00"Most atheists I've met believe that people need t..."Most atheists I've met believe that people need to use their own reasoning abilities to come to atheism."<BR/><BR/>change to:<BR/><BR/>"Most atheists I've met believe that people must use their own reasoning abilities if they are to come to atheism, rather than (joining a church, etc)"<BR/><BR/>By 'Need', I didn't mean 'the world needs this to happen', but meant 'need to use reasoning in order to come to atheism'.<BR/><BR/>-icouldbewrongbutAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20937130.post-1167450791721722782006-12-29T22:53:00.000-05:002006-12-29T22:53:00.000-05:00"Most atheists I've met believe that people need t..."Most atheists I've met believe that people need to use their own reasoning abilities to come to atheism.<BR/>ICOULDBEWRONGBUT (Raw Story Comments)<BR/>Snark Break: You poor, lost soul, look into your heart and come to Jesus. Notice the similarities?"<BR/><BR/>Just came across your post. That wasn't my point. Perhaps I worded it poorly. Let me rephrase: <BR/>Most atheists understand that people who arrive at atheism do so of their own accord by using their own reasoning. IE, It seems to me that most atheists would agree that it is foolish to try to 'impose atheism' on others. Atheists feel that they've arrived at their lack of belief in the supernatural through their own thought, reading, investigation - not by following other atheists.<BR/><BR/>Take care<BR/><BR/>-icouldbewrongbutAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20937130.post-1148403945464128942006-05-23T13:05:00.000-04:002006-05-23T13:05:00.000-04:00Thanks for the suggestions, I'll probably add a fe...Thanks for the suggestions, I'll probably add a few of my own and post these soon. That's if I can get blogger to do more than one link at a time. I've had some issues with my links.Melindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16138968066861006638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20937130.post-1148402996583024912006-05-23T12:49:00.000-04:002006-05-23T12:49:00.000-04:00I would add About.com's Atheism/Agnosticism guide ...I would add <A HREF="http://atheism.about.com" REL="nofollow">About.com's Atheism/Agnosticism guide</A> written by Austin Cline. You know, one of the bloggers that Raw Story wrongfully accused of manufacturing quotes.Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09230447874923339087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20937130.post-1146784182460628092006-05-04T19:09:00.000-04:002006-05-04T19:09:00.000-04:00Melinda,I am honored that you chose me as your fir...Melinda,<BR/><BR/>I am honored that you chose me as your first example of an extremist commemt. <BR/><BR/>"Frankly, I have no desire to harm those who have a psychological addiction to a mythology; I pity the harm you are doing to yourselves." Let's see, positing that psychological addiction to a mythology is harmful and worthy of pity...Is that threatening to you? <BR/><BR/>"Perhaps you, like any other addict, feels threatened by those who do not share your addiction."<BR/><BR/>I notice that you don't address and refute the content of my remarks, simply lable them as extreme.<BR/><BR/>Weak. Very weak. And a favorite tactic of a propagandist. <BR/><BR/>I also notice that you could not respond to the very valid question Kenn asked "Miranda, please explain how each of the quotes you provided here is an example of one or more of the outrageous claims you outlined in the RS post." Your response of "Get a life". is immature, at best. It is certainly not responsive and further denigrates the worth of your commentary. When everyone finally decides that you are not worth the time of day and quits posting, Melinda, just remember...They considered the source. And decided to to waste any more time on you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20937130.post-1146583491617187492006-05-02T11:24:00.000-04:002006-05-02T11:24:00.000-04:00Hello again.I’m not sure the words “extreme” reall...Hello again.<BR/><BR/>I’m not sure the words “extreme” really describes what Melinda is objecting to. I also don’t think the atheists she has quoted are guilty of dehumanizing theists.<BR/><BR/>In the sense of being far from the norm, nearly all atheists in America are extremists for their ideas. But that’s not what Melinda speaks of here when she describes “someone who believes that HIS group has the absolute truth on a subjective matter and that those who disagree are inherently bad, stupid, deluded, psychotic, immoral, incapable of rational thought, bigoted, dangerous etc...” <BR/><BR/>I think such views might be more precisely called narrow-minded or dogmatic. The word “denigrating” certainly applies as well. Calling these ideas and the people who express them “extreme” adds ambiguity to the word and confusion to the discussion. <BR/><BR/>Melinda wrote that “extremism” “demonizes and dehumanizes the other.” ”This dehumanized other becomes an easy target for those unstable enough to act.” <BR/><BR/>I agree that some of the atheists’ quotes Melinda cites above are demonizing, but with the possible exception of one, I don’t see how any of them are dehumanizing. None of them equate theists with animals, for example, or less deserving of basic human rights.<BR/><BR/>There was one alarming comment Melinda quoted, that of Adnihil’s who wrote that “all faith-based social organizations, governments and culture are so diseased, that their total destruction is the only viable solution…” Fortunately, such calls to violence are exceedingly rare amongst atheists. I can’t recall ever having heard such an incitement before. Usually when an atheist issues a call to action it is to defend the first amendment.<BR/><BR/>Is there a risk that some atheists’ words will lead to unspecified acts against theists? Outside of the vague, theoretical notion that words can lead to actions, there is no reason to think such a thing will become a problem.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20937130.post-1146483785200238642006-05-01T07:43:00.000-04:002006-05-01T07:43:00.000-04:00I came here to discuss rationally. I thought that...I came here to discuss rationally. I thought that's what you wanted too, but apparently I was wrong. Good-bye.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20937130.post-1146482101079423352006-05-01T07:15:00.000-04:002006-05-01T07:15:00.000-04:00Kenn, get a life.Kenn, get a life.Melindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16138968066861006638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20937130.post-1146450566334062922006-04-30T22:29:00.000-04:002006-04-30T22:29:00.000-04:00Miranda, please explain how each of the quotes you...Miranda, please explain how each of the quotes you provided here is an example of one or more of the outrageous claims you outlined in the RS post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20937130.post-1146365104545918722006-04-29T22:45:00.000-04:002006-04-29T22:45:00.000-04:00MAAFAmerican AtheistsIgnostic AtheistsAgnostic Ath...<A HREF="http://www.maaf.info/" REL="nofollow">MAAF</A><BR/><A HREF="http://www.atheists.org/" REL="nofollow">American Atheists</A><BR/><A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignosticism" REL="nofollow">Ignostic Atheists</A><BR/><A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnostic_atheism" REL="nofollow">Agnostic Atheism</A><BR/><A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism" REL="nofollow">Main Wikipedia article on atheism</A><BR/><A HREF="http://www.invisiblepinkunicorn.com/" REL="nofollow">I.P.U. (peace be upon her)</A><BR/><A HREF="http://www.venganza.org/" REL="nofollow">Pastafarianism</A><BR/><A HREF="http://atheism.about.com/library/glossary/general/bldef_logicalpositivism.htm" REL="nofollow">Logical positivism</A><BR/><A HREF="http://www.philosophyofreligion.info/godismeaningless.html" REL="nofollow">More on Logical Positivism</A><BR/><A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theological_noncognitivism" REL="nofollow">Noncognitivism in general.</A><BR/><BR/>You can learn a lot from Wikipedia alone on the different types of atheists in the world. Please learn about a group of people before you write about them. I may not know anything about Jews, but I am not dumb enough to run around writing about them either. What you wrote may or may not have been bigotry, but it definitely was ignorant.Thavithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17398784685481608502noreply@blogger.com