[ExI] Tolerance

Lee Corbin lcorbin at rawbw.com
Tue Dec 8 08:28:46 UTC 2009


JOSHUA JOB wrote:

>> But is it either wise or good to imply that when the
>> tables are turned, if they ever are, that we will then
>> be completely intolerant of the "stupidity" of religion?
 >
> It depends on how you define intolerance. Banning them, flogging them, 
> stoning them, torturing them, etc. is of course bad, but I very much 
> doubt anyone here or any of the main "New Atheists" would propose that. 

Thank G..., er thank goodness that yes, indeed we have
progressed beyond flogging and stoning.

> If you mean say unequivocally they were wrong and refuse to listen to 
> any of their nonsense, then that isn't a problem at all.

Agreed. One can listen to or not listen to whatever one wishes.

>> And when it comes to that, my friends, I'm afraid
>> that those of us who lack the God gene will be the
>> ones outnumbered and outgunned. Do you want that?
>>
>> Let's please confine ourselves to an evolutionary,
>> not revolutionary, approach. Evolutionary persuasion
>> ---not revolutionary confrontation.
 >
> I think we've been trying that for a number of decades now, and it 
> hasn't had great success.

Au contraire. By every measure in the west, the percentage
of atheists is rising. We'll "win"---just be patient. (At
least we'll win until the demographic change starts the
game over from square one.)

But the strategy of alienating religious people yet further
isn't going to help, except in ways I would not condone.
They shouldn't be given any reason whatsoever to think
that life under the atheists has been as bad as (at many
times) life for us under the religious often was.

Alas, this is surely all wishful thinking on my part.
As soon as we are in the heavy majority, kids will
hear in school from their PC teachers that, so far
as religion goes, "there are the brights who don't
believe, and then, there are the others, less bright,
who do, and sadly some of you in this very class come
from disadvantaged homes..."

> obviously I am not for declaring an intellectual war or anything. But I 
> do think that atheists need to not be wishy-washy and somehow give the 
> religious the idea we think their ideas about the nature of reality have 
> merit.

Again, I agree.

> Because, honestly, they don't. Science has disproved them or 
> logic has shown them sorely wanting and riddled with inconsistency. 
> Don't go around telling people with crosses around their necks they're " 
> 'tards" or something offensive like that.

Exactly. Nor try to define them as "un-bright".

> But if ever the subject comes 
> up, atheists should make it clear where they stand, and if the religious 
> pursue it further, ensure that they do their best to dissuade them of 
> their error.

Quite so.

Lee




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