I have posted a rant about current trends in atheism that I hope will not distress the many lovely people who take their atheism seriously. It also ought to be brought to the attention of prominent atheists that their movement's being abused by attention seekers and desperate types.
I consider them poseurs. They'll have moved on to something else in five years or even five months.
Atheist fr--well, I think we're actually growing apart as friends, are now using the word "indoctrinate," which probably means something like 'to teach a doctrine' as a synonym for "brainwash." I think that may be over the top.
We're at a strange time in America...the economy's not great, the politics aren't great, and what I'm seeing is people who don't seem to feel they've got anything else to be proud of setting their children up to bait other children in school and out. This seems to be creating some problems for their kids. They also feel proud when their kids take on the teachers. Math grades? Who needs em? Class time spent on teaching math? Oh, nevermind.
Furthermore I find it a little odd to focus so much on arming children against the overtures of the religious. We're not that bad off yet, fundamentalists and zealots don't totally rule the nation. It ought to be relatively simple to say, "I don't agree with you" and walk away. I've done it myself. But I'm finding that atheists on the ground who are struggling with work and stress are beginning to claim that wiping out religious thought is going to solve all of their and humanity's problems. One, that's escapist. Two, getting your child to join you in arguing with every single believer you come across is...well, it doesn't sound fun to me.
Atheists who have lost all grip on reality are ruining the image of atheism and damaging atheists' chances of holding public office or simply enjoying their freedom to follow their own thoughts here in America.
It's actually a shame.
If I'm not wrong Richard Dawkins has asked atheists to get out there and demonstrate that they're nice people.
However, the summer camps are having a funny effect. A child I know stood up to her parents and said she'd never go to one. She wanted to see some other friends. She wondered why her parents were making such a big deal. What alarmed me was that they fought to convince her she really needed it.
They'd set aside some money and everything.
The kid asked to go to the movies.
I no longer believe that we can keep silent. We never really do, mind you. In one way or another, we articulate what has happened to us through the kind of people we become.
---Azar Nafisi
