Greta Christina: Why Are You Atheists So Angry?

[trotsky]

http://www.amazon.com/Atheists-Angry-Things-Godless-ebook/dp/B007MCMKV6

I downloaded this book the other day on my Kindle, and let me just say, IT ROCKS. If I could force everyone in the Religion group to read just one thing, it would be Greta's list of 99 items. (Based off this blog post, also a great read.) It would have been worth the purchase price just for that - but I have the whole rest of the book yet to read. Looking forward to it.

But perhaps most of all, I get angry -- sputteringly, inarticulately, pulse-racingly angry -- when believers chide atheists for being so angry. "Why do you have to be so angry all the time?" "All that anger is so off-putting." "If atheism is so great, then why are so many of you so angry?"

Which brings me to the other part of this little rant: Why atheist anger is not only valid, but valuable and necessary.

*****

There's actually a simple, straightforward answer to this question: Because anger is always necessary.

Because anger has driven every major movement for social change in this country, and probably in the world. The labor movement, the civil rights movement, the women's suffrage movement, the modern feminist movement, the gay rights movement, the anti-war movement in the Sixties, the anti-war movement today, you name it... all of them have had, as a major driving force, a tremendous amount of anger. Anger over injustice, anger over mistreatment and brutality, anger over helplessness.

[JNelson6563]

1. All things in moderation.

For those of us who went from being believers to not believing anymore, the initial anger that comes from feeling that everyone had lied to you for your whole life can match the fury of 100 white hot burning suns. Obviously that level of anger is counter-productive for all involved and very harmful if maintained longer than the natural burn rate.

Just my .0125. Good article.

Julie

[trotsky]

2. Christina does a great job of addressing that, too.

Making sure anger is channeled productively. Her list really puts things into focus.

[dorkulon]

3. Interesting perspective.

I never did believe, nor did my parents. Maybe that's why "angry" is not the word I would use to describe my feelings about religion. "Baffled" is more like it.

[JNelson6563]

4. Yes, the different feelings make sense.