As ridiculous as many theists can be when it comes to their stances, I swear that with each passing month, I find many atheists are often no better.
Take Dave Rubin, now openly atheist. He takes a fair amount of time out of the start of the video to explain (to the unknowing) the most mainstream definition of the word Atheism, which is “lacking a belief in god”. That is not where that definition started, but its where it is today.
Then comes past proven idiot David Silverman. Not even 10 minutes into the interview and he is saying “Really, everyone is godless because there is no gods!”.
A hilarious quote, because it takes the claim from a weak lack of belief to a strong positive claim. A claim that puts him in with the likes of, any old preacher or cleric. And also a quote that illustrates the bullshit that Carl Sagan was calling out when he said “Extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence”. Even though that quote has been hijacked by atheists (like Dave Rubin) and used for their own ends, being that all consider Sagan an atheist. Despite him having the reason to defend his position outside of that word.
Ah yes, bigotry.
It seems that no Silverman interview is complete without it. The emphasis on how it is important to have everyone whom is godless identifying as an atheist. Whether they think that the universe is god, are just clinging to old labels, or just have a different opinion.
His quote:
You don’t like the word atheist? To bad, because you are an atheist!
For me personally, I once happily utilized the atheist label. For many years.
But it was bigoted shit like this that made me want to keep my distance. I was going to eventually cut out my own path regardless, but this bigotry only left a very sour taste in my mouth that comes back anytime I hear the word atheist in ANY context.
And yes, I do consider it bigotry and I can show my work. Outside of faith, there are all sorts of positions that one can end up (be it in the end or in transition) that all fit nicely into the umbrella that is the secular community. All this stuff about convincing the 94% of atheists of what they really are, is unnecessary. They already have left religion, THEY ARE ON YOUR SIDE!
This behavior of the Atheist community is no different than any other religious sects infighting over minor differences in views.
And it equates to bigotry for the simple reason that one can get MORE activism out of a united secular community than they can with a scattered secular community and a bunch of atheists focused on turning everyone onto their brand.
Say what you will, but like the RAman interview with Aron Ra, I could not sit though any more than (maybe) 10 minutes of these morons. Not so much Rubin, but mainly Silverman. Like so many other groups that have often incorrect views yet cocksure attitudes, its a shame to see the energy wasted.
Again, I will show my work.
Back in the late 1950’s, Madelyn Murray O’Hair helped promote a movement that eventually culminated in the baning of mandatory prayer in schools in 1963. She also founded the organization which David Silverman now heads, American Atheists.
After that victory for the secular community, there has been not all that much forward momentum. In fact, the trajectory has often tended to be in reverse instead.
But in all fairness, it was a different world for an activist between the 1960’s and the mid to late 1990’s. Other than on university and college campuses and im sure in small groups around the country, there were few open secular forums to attend. And depending on where you reside, such a forum may have proven dangerous.
Then the internet came along.
And with affordable saturation into the everyday persons home, came a whole new place where people of all stripes could congregate with similar people. And the best part was the anonymity. One could be openly secular in backwoods Texas or Oklahoma, without the risk of being run out of town.
These days, millions of people are openly secular online. This is likely an underestimate, leaving out all that cant be bothered to participate in the community. Though the theists have had the cards stacked in their favor in past decades, the internet has helped to even the playing field in a big way.
And yet, still, we have progressed little further than removing mandated school prayer.
In the last 10 years, the digital spaces have advanced participation a lot. Yet, mobilization towards things like removal of tax exemptions on church property (enacted in 1894) are still largely theoretical. To be discussed in depth, or talked about in a YouTube video.
The time is now for (to quote Toby Keith), “A little less talk, and a lot more action”.
May I never quote that sexist douche canoe again. I hate Toby Keith.
A Raindrop In The Ocean 