Here we go again.
Via Hotair, we find Atheists And Agnostics Take Aim At Christians , an article from The Barna Group about their recent study of atheists and agnostics vs. Christians.
A new evangelistic movement has emerged in America. Yet this effort does not spring from those loyal to a particular faith or religious view.
The new evangelists are atheists. People who have determined there is no God or who doubt his existence (a group commonly known as agnostics) are adopting a more aggressive, intentional effort to discredit the notion that God exists and to critique people of faith.
I’ve noticed.
Naturally this leaped off the page at me:
most atheists and agnostics (56%) agree with the idea that radical Christianity is just as threatening in America as is radical Islam.
Son of a…..!!!! How do they define “radical Christianity”? People who go to church on a regular basis? Who pray? What? What’s a “radical Christian?” Somebody that takes umbrage at a grotesque picture of the Virgin Mary with elephant dung flung all over it, or a crucifix submerged in a jar of urine? People who believe in the sanctity of marriage, the rule of law?
Are “radical Christians” those who pray outside of abortion clinics? Have big families? Vote Republican? I really have no idea what they mean. Radical sounds menacing…threatening….dangerous. How is any of the above threatening to an atheist in any way except maybe to hurt their wittle feewings, and I dare say their political ambitions.
Of course, 44% of atheists, and agnostics don’t feel this way. Many in this group are as conservative as I am, (I’ve come across some at AOS HQ), or are libertarians. And many in this group, (perhaps most), don’t have the antipathy towards Christians, that these 56% do. In fact, some of the atheists at AOS HQ have fervently defended Christianity against troll attacks better than I could. I guess these are what we would call “moderate” atheists and agnostics. The 56% are what I would call “radical”.
And I find it quite rich, that these “radical atheists” who donate way less, volunteer way less, are less “active in the community”, wouldn’t dream of personally helping a homeless or poor person, think CHRISTIANITY IS JUST AS THREATENING AS RADICAL ISLAM.
To hell with ‘em.
June, 17, 2007 at 8:41 pm
I’m one of the most vociferous, and I think that number is crap, it is likely posed only after a general islamic question, which weights towards atheists saying “yeah I can see christians going all kookie” but there is a difference between “christians as extreme as islamists are just as dangerous.” and “are christians as extreme as islamists.”
Phelps’s group? if it weren’t made up of a bunch of wussebag inbreads they could be dangerous, but 99.9+ christians would prevent that from happening.
The question overlooks the fact that christianity and judaism look at technology and advancement in general as a gift from god not a denial of him, so they embrace every opportunity to recreate eden in the name of their lord and in affect for all humans as a duty all should pursue.
Islam ehhhh, not so much.
These polls are straight bullshit, and let me say that I have something that can be used in a particular way for whoever treated this as a scientific poll.
June, 17, 2007 at 8:44 pm
Why do you say the poll is bullshit. I’ve been noticing this trend for some time. It rings true, to me.
June, 17, 2007 at 8:55 pm
It’s the nature of the poll.
The atheists aren’t thinking of christians as they are, but as they could be.
Yes, some christians could be vile and murderous pricks, some history points to it, but the poll is likely formulated in such as way as to deliberately think of “extremist christians” (what is that by the way) in the same way that they think of “extremist muslims”
the idea is that extremism now, is identicle. when it is not, the number of christians who are “extremist” in the way the muslims are “extremist” is extra-ordinarily rare.
If they gave value to what the current view of “extermism” within the christian faith is,then they could reference christian scientists who refuse medical care, or LDS, or 7th Day Adventists, or Jehova’s Witness’s who basicaly can’t accept any sort of surgery?
For western atheists, all of those are “extremist” faiths in christianity, but how many western atheists are worried that they will be blown up on a bus by any of those offshoots of the christian faith?
Where as muslim extremism consists of killing everyone that isn’t muslim or converting them by the sword, until they are caught later, and killed.
thats why the poll is bullshit.
June, 17, 2007 at 8:58 pm
The poll is bullshit, because it likely deliberately guides the participant into a “crusade” or “inquesition” mindset rather than a modern comparisson of “extremism.”
June, 17, 2007 at 9:02 pm
Libs like to bring up Timothy McVeigh as a Christian Terrorist as if there are scores more like him, as as if he was a Christian anyway (which he wasn’t). Or Abortion clinic bombers… rare… last instances, what a decade ago? And strongly condemned by Christian clerics? We’re not talking anything near the scope of violence we’re seeing from Radical Islam. It’s an absolutely ridiculous, insane comparison.
Naturally, there will be exceptions to every rule, but the fact of the matter is, the only real “threat” that Christians pose to Radical Atheists is a political one.
June, 17, 2007 at 9:05 pm
No, I think the poll reflects how atheists feel about modern Christians vs. modern Islamists.
June, 17, 2007 at 9:08 pm
You’re not in this group, WP, but I’ve been noticing more and more, a lefty, atheistic groupthink that definitely feels this way, as insane, and offensive as it is.
June, 17, 2007 at 9:09 pm
I disagree, I still think it is a capitalization of secular guilt, cuz pretty much every secular society is birthed from a guilty christian background (mao’s parents were chinese christians who joined the russian revolution) for history.
I think it is based on the 1K year history of guilt, rather than current reality.
June, 17, 2007 at 9:16 pm
The inability to seperate the past from the present is why the atheists blame all faiths equaly, because they just think that Islam is going through the same natural progression of faith that the other 2 majors had, the difference is that judaism was always oppressed, and christianity only held supreme for about 400 years before infighting and finaly reformation and scietific acceptance.
Islam? they are at best 9 hundred years behind the curve.
June, 17, 2007 at 9:28 pm
It’s true that a lefty will argue, “What about the Inquisition?”
Or “Hitler was Catholic,” to try to make their point. (Hitler was by no means a practicing Catholic…that one really frosts my ass), but I only believe they do this because there’s such a dearth of modern examples to go by. We are living in the present. I strongly believe that they despise Christians for mainly selfish political reasons.
June, 17, 2007 at 9:51 pm
I don’t like most atheists, cuz they are agressive, I’m a PERSONAL atheist, but I respect faith, I’m an “atheist” in that I have no faith in a knowing and thinking “god” but rather that faith should be placed in our fellow human.
Some say it’s humanism, which is the best description, but my humanism isn’t like hitchens “humanism” which is that only CERTAIN humans should make choices, but rather that every human can be human. Maybe I have the benefit of having a lifetime of getting pretty much everyone around me to like, respect, and yes sometimes fear me simply because I am a decent guy.
The aggressive atheists like hitchens are using every bad thing about religion as a validation for their common faith’s.
But I don’t think hitchens has ever been frightened by an “extremist” christian, but he would say he was, just to destroy any faith of any kind.
June, 17, 2007 at 9:56 pm
I don’t know what Hitchens’ deal is. His brother, Peter, is a well known conservative writer and thinker in England who is a practicing Anglican. I often wonder what conversation around the dinner table is like when they’re together.
But I gather they don’t get along.
June, 17, 2007 at 10:06 pm
He was also completely inarticulate in his response to “god is not great” really, you would think that chris is the drunken genius, and his brother is the over educated retard in comparisson.
That was an ODD exchange.
June, 17, 2007 at 10:26 pm
Oh, I missed that. Where did you see it?
June, 17, 2007 at 10:28 pm
you mean chris’s brother?
the fact that he only adressed 2 paragraphs in a 5K word essay to his brothers work?
June, 17, 2007 at 10:31 pm
No, I was wondering if it was an exchange between the two you saw on t.v., or a written review. I gather a written review. I’ll just google it.
June, 17, 2007 at 10:34 pm
I think I found it at NRO corner.
June, 17, 2007 at 10:34 pm
It wasn’t a direct exchange, it was chris’s brother responding to chris’s “god is not great” book.
June, 17, 2007 at 10:43 pm
Here’s Peter’s review in The Daily Mail:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/newscomment.html?in_article_id=459427&in_page_id=1787&in_a_source=
June, 17, 2007 at 10:45 pm
I read it, it’s more than a little “bejiggitty” to quote Christine applegate from “the sweetest thing”
June, 17, 2007 at 10:46 pm
9/10ths familial attituded, 1/10th review, 0% value.
June, 17, 2007 at 10:47 pm
I’m gonna rack out now, and it irritates me, I’m actually involved in a real discussion with someone I like.
Sorry doll, gonna eat my twice backed potatoe, and then sleep.
June, 17, 2007 at 10:54 pm
G’night.
June, 18, 2007 at 5:03 am
Oh, God! Now, I’m an extremist because I’m a Christian?
Heaven forbid.
June, 18, 2007 at 8:23 am
Hitler didn’t really care all that much for Christianity.
Too Jewish.