Militant atheism has become a religion

[marions ghost]

29. "Activist atheism reflects trauma"

caught my eye since I operate from the psychological...

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Here:

"Egbert Ribberink and Dick Houtman, two Dutch sociologists, who classify themselves, respectively, as “too much of a believer to be an atheist” and “too much of a nonbeliever to be an atheist,” distinguish two kinds of atheists. Those in one group are uninterested in exploring their outlook and even less in defending it. These atheists think that both faith and its absence are private matters. They respect everyone’s choice, and feel no need to bother others with theirs. Those in the other group are vehemently opposed to religion and resent its privileges in society. These atheists don’t think that disbelief should be kept locked up in the closet. They speak of “coming out,” a terminology borrowed from the gay movement, as if their nonreligiousness was a forbidden secret that they now want to share with the world. The difference between the two kinds boils down to the privacy of their outlook.

I like this analysis better than the usual approach to secularization, which just counts how many people believe and how many don’t. It may one day help to test my thesis that activist atheism reflects trauma. The stricter one’s religious background, the greater the need to go against it and to replace old securities with new ones.

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Interesting article--thanks for posting.

Activist atheism makes sense to me because we see all this ridiculous Science Denial in fundy religions in America. So in defending atheists we are defending freedom of thought. (Not an atheist but not religious myself). I see activist atheism as a direct reflection of the oppression by evangelical religions in America (and their invasion into politics). So I am supportive of activist atheism (tho not one).