Not that kind of atheist

[rug]

July 9, 2012 at 12:26 pm
Maryam Namazie

It seems the wonderful PZ Myers considers me a ‘Humanist’ Atheist. In his blog entitled ‘what kind of atheist are you?’ he says my type of atheist has the following strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths: This is the heart of an atheist movement that will endure and grow. Ignore it and we can expect atheism to fade away.

Weaknesses: Pragmatically fickle. If the atheist movement does not address human concerns, they’ll leave and follow institutions that do. Why be an atheist if an inclusive, progressive church were to do a better job? Why be an atheist if we neglect the concerns of women or minorities, or belittle civil rights?

As an aside, the very thought of being labelled a humanist and pragmatist gives me the shivers. I despise pragmatism, and though I have no problems per se with being called a humanist, I feel increasingly uncomfortable with the label given the fact that pragmatism – and not principle – is such a large part of mainstream Humanism. As I’ve said in my recent speech at the fifth anniversary of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, pragmatism doesn’t change the world – it maintains the status quo. And we so desperately need to change it.

http://freethoughtblogs.com/maryamnamazie/2012/07/09/not-that-kind-of-atheist/

[djean111]

1. we can expect atheism to fade away??????????

I don't think of atheism as a movement. More like a state of being. This goes back to the absurd idea that only the religious have any sort of morals.
Of course, if the religious needed a list to let them know what is wrong to do, I am v. glad they have it.

[MineralMan]

2. Most atheists are not part of any movement at all.

It is a personal decision or realization. What is there to such a movement? Converting people? To what end. People believe or they do not. People can believe or they cannot. In either case, why would an atheist want to convince a believer that they should not believe? The answer is that most atheists do not care whether others believe or not. It is irrelevant. Most atheists I know fall into the category of those who cannot believe, not who have chosen not to believe.

Atheism is most often a realization, rather than a conversion.

There is an atheist movement, I suppose, but I cannot see the reason for such a movement at all. I can see a movement to diminish the role of religion in government, since it rarely works out that well, and generally leads to discriminatory laws and practices. But that's being promoted by both atheists and the religious alike.

[LeftishBrit]

4. Agreed

Atheism just means not believing in God. You don't have an ideological movement for people who don't believe, for example, in the existence of aliens in outer space (I am trying to use an example of a theory about which there's genuine controversy).

Opposing the influence of religion on government is indeed an important movement, and one which atheists, agnostics, members of minority religions, and those who simply believe that the imposition of religious laws is against freedom and democracy, may all share.

[longship]

3. Today, PZ has posted a response to her.

It is somewhat a mea culpa, or actually a surrender by PZ.

I'll post a link on edit.

[Jim__]

5. I'm curious as to where she got her "understanding" of pragmatism.

It doesn't seem to be an understanding at all.

[Gore1FL]

6. I have a technical question.

When I fade away will my internal organs fade faster than my skin, or will people see through my increasingly transparent skin to see my insides?

I am not sure the details of this process.

The reason I would "be an atheist if an inclusive, progressive church were to do a better job" is because I don't believe that there is a God--unless you want to call God, the forces of nature, the laws of physics, or something of that sort. If that's what you mean point me to the "church."



Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to a meeting. We get together once a month to discuss our hobby of not-collecting coins.