Atheistic Fundamentalism??

Question

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7156783.stm

What are your thoughts on the above story?

Answer 1

I think he is a fundamentalist. He is a hypocrite.

Answer 2

I think thatt attacks on anyone based one there religion is wrong. That said I don't believe tha religion should play any part in schools, children should be allowed to wear a cross or a pentacle or whatever symbol of their religion that they prefer to wear, that goes for the rest of the world as well. If you tell someone that they can't wear a cross or a hammer or Thor OR any other religious item then their right to religious freedom is being violated. Putting a Nativity scene in front of a court house is different. That is a public government institution and religion should have no part of it. Or if a Nativity scene is allowed then all other religions should be allowed to put up their own representations. If a Christian church wants to put up a nativity scene or put on a Christian play it should be allowed, that is a church after all, but putting it into a school, unless it is a private religious school, also violates the separation of Church and state. Ignorance a bigotry cut both ways, now for maybe the first time mainstream Christianity is feeling the bite of what they have practiced for so long. That doesn't make it any more right or just and it can easily be seen as a scary prelude to future events.

Answer 3

I think it's an interesting article, but doesn't give a fuller picture of the conflict between religious conservatives and atheistic activists at the moment. I'm an atheist and pretty comfortable with it, but I also respect that others have a right to their belief systems. I like the idea of Christmas and what it stands for, but don't think my tax dollars should be spent on displays or celebrations - even if it also celebrates other religious observations.
I don't want my kid praying in school, having teachers talk to her about religion, or otherwise trying to proselytize. I've been on both sides of this: as a former evangelical, I know that it's their duty to try to enlighten those poor souls who don't believe as they do and that witnessing for their lord is a requirement.
I don't want to stop others from celebrating their faith - I just don't want my money to be used to support it. If private citizens put up a display on public land, that would be fine. If private people held a celebration in a public school auditorium that would probably be fine too.

Answer 4

Dr.Morgan is an imbecile, and probably deserves to lose his job. "Fundamentalism" is, by definition, staunch adherence to a set of (usually scriptural) rules without regard to any new evidence that suggests those rules might be flawed. It was invented by American Christians in the 1800's, and the concept has since been embraced wholeheartedly by many fringe followers of Islam. Since atheists are not a cohesive "movement", but just people whose common trait is that they don't believe in deities or theisms, it makes absolutely no sense to suggest there could even be such a phenomenum as "atheistic Fundamentalism", and the Archbishop should know that, assuming he has studied at least a little theology.

What next, vegetarian hamburgers made with real meat?

The Church of England should be ashamed!

Answer 5

The phrase 'atheistic fundamentalism' makes about as much sense as a Bhuddist jihad - it's a contradiction in terms. Atheism has no central authority or 'fundamental' creed. The term is intended solely to raise fears by linking atheism to Islamic fundamentalists - i.e. to make people think that atheists are out to behead people and set off car bombs.

Some atheists are more extreme than others; some want all public expression of religion suppressed. Most have no problem with other people expressing faith, they just don't want it shoved down their throats. Personally I have no problem with Christmas decorations and Nativity scenes. The US and UK may be secular nations, but they have a Christian culture and it's only to be expected that this would be reflected in seasonal customs.

Answer 6

I asked this five hours ago, and got five answers...
You may be in a better time-zone slot.

It seems, at least in some people's eyes, hordes of us are on the march. Unstoppable, unreasonable, not open to debate...

But the Archbishop is against Biblical fundamentalism too, though I'm not sure his comments in that area square up against mainstream Christianity.

I would *wish* all religion to disappear from the planet, but I'm not about to shoot or blow up anyone displaying a religious symbol, or wearing costume of religious significance.

Answer 7

I think the Archibishop of Wales is an idiot to talk about "atheistic fundamentalism". Atheists do not require everyone to follow their belief system; we just ask to be left alone (which includes not having our taxes spent on religious education).

And that "winterval" idea was just an idea a city council had of having a long winter festival that *included* Christmas as the highpoint. By mentioning it, he is aligning himself with the Daily Mail (a UK newspaper that is anti-homosexual, anti-liberal, anti-immigrant, anti-foreigner, and anti-tolerant), which made an issue of it a few years ago and use it for its own purposes.

And if airline staff are supposed to be able to "wear a cross round their necks", should a fervent communist be allowed to wear a red star pinned to their uniform?

Answer 8

The National Secular Society has said Christians in the UK have "nothing to complain about".

I agree ! Practice religion on private grounds . Your home or church .
And while wearing a cross at work may seem a petty detail , If you allow that symbol you might have to allow other symbols or even words that might be offensive to some passengers .

Answer 9

Even those who most enthusiastically believe in atheism, like Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins, don't insist that others either believe as they do or should be punished for being skeptical of their beliefs. ( They might, of course, ridicule those who believe otherwise. ) Thus, they do a lot less damage than, say, Islamic fundamentalists who believe in beheadings, lashings, bombings for fancied slights to their religion as well as insisting that their religion requires earthly hegemony.

Someone who believes he has a message straight from God, or from someone who has such contact, or reads from a book that he beleives is divinely inspired, is quite likely to act without the constraints of ordinary morality or common sense. Atheists are, at least, not in this camp at all and must bear personal responsibility for all their actions. There are not too many atheist suicide bombers, beheaders, etc.( For that matter, there aren't too many Christian, Jewish, or Buddhist ones, either.)

Answer 10

It seems to me that the main complaints about this 'fundamentalist atheism' is in terms of political correctness, how these atheists are trying to ban the word 'Christmas' and forbid religion from even being mentioned in schools and so on. And if there's one thing I'm against, it's this so-called 'political correctness'. I am an ardent supporter of atheism and freethought, but I also detest censorship, and political correctness is really just another name for a new type of censorship.

Answer 11

The Archbishop is entitled to his opinion. The article relates to his experiences in the United Kingdom and have no bearing on the United States of America. Personally, I think his proffer for the existence of so-called 'Atheistic Fundamentalism' is utter nonsense. Just another whining cleric who wants to be unrestricted in promoting his own particular religious fundamentalism. Whine on Archbishop. Whine on.