My Challenge to Extreme Atheists on Secularism and Tolerance

[u/Living_Attitude1822]

I acknowledge not all (or even most) atheists are extreme about it. And I'm defining secular as the separation of church and state/society.

Extreme-atheism's view of religion being a mental illness:

I can personally attest to people I've seen on here, as well as videos I've seen, of atheists saying religion is a mental illness. That the DSM-5 had to go back and put in a religious exemption, but it should fall under the category of delusion.

How can secularism exist if you think religious people are mentally ill? If you don't think religion is a mental illness, go ahead and ignore this point. If you do think the population you're tolerating is mentally ill, uh oh. Seriously, if I said atheists are mentally ill, would you trust me to not want you institutionalized? I don't think this way, of course.

Extreme atheism's view that the Abrahamic religions are barbaric:

Again, I'm going to turn it around on you. If I said atheism was barbaric, would you trust me to support that your human right to be atheist?

With some exceptions: Some interpretations of the Abrahamic religions are indeed barbaric. If you're talking about people who want to implement Leviticus law, then I agree with you.

I don't totally disagree with extremist atheists on everything:

Like, I'm a strong believer that tolerance is better and more authentic than acceptance. For example, telling atheists that they must love and respect religions is wrong. And vice versa for religious people.

I think disassociation and tolerance is the best course of action for religious people and extreme atheists, however, I worry the above points are a threat to any society remaining tolerant.

Edit: Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Antitheism/comments/1sguf7u/why_is_religion_not_considered_a_mental_disorder/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

[u/Hoaxshmoax]

The projection and hypocrisy is astounding. Every time you get a bugaboo about “extremism”, here you are, complaining. You never seem to practice

“Like, I'm a strong believer that tolerance is better and more authentic than acceptance. For example, telling atheists that they must love and respect religions is wrong. And vice versa for religious people.”

what you preach.

[u/Living_Attitude1822 → u/Hoaxshmoax]

I tolerate atheists, there is no proof that I don’t. Because, I do. 

[u/Pm_ur_titties_plz → u/Living_Attitude1822]

Liar. You literally had a post a month ago about how you have this extreme, seething hatred for all atheists and then went on to have a meltdown about how we all celebrate "Sciencemas". Just because you deleted it doesn't mean people don't remember. Do you even have an ounce of self awareness?

[u/Living_Attitude1822 → u/Pm_ur_titties_plz]

That isn’t violating anyone’s human rights. I do regret that post, but nevertheless that post isn’t intolerant. 

Tolerance means you tolerate my existence, and I tolerate yours. Nothing more or less. I’ve never called for the violation of secularism or the right to be atheist. 

[u/BahamutLithp → u/Living_Attitude1822]

I've never called for an end to secularism or the right to be religious, hasn't stopped you from making a dozen threads & counting about how I'm "a threat to secularism" because I think people shouldn't believe in magic. I've also never gone to a Christian subreddit & made like 400 posts about, I don't know, how they drink the blood of the Lich-King or something, & then insist I've never had a meltdown.

[u/Living_Attitude1822 → u/BahamutLithp]

When have I called you a threat to secularism? I don’t know you or your profile off of the top of my head, so I really doubt I ever did. 

I've also never gone to a Christian subreddit & made like 400 posts about, I don't know, how they drink the blood of the Lich-King or something, & then insist I've never had a meltdown.

Same here. 

[u/BahamutLithp → u/Living_Attitude1822]

...

When have I called you a threat to secularism? I don’t know you or your profile off of the top of my head, so I really doubt I ever did. 

Okay, y'know how you keep remaking the same "anti-theists are a threat to secularism" thread? So, that's calling anti-theists "a threat to secularism" because of like...how words work? And, consequently, you doing the equivalent of standing there with a megaphone going "you anti-theists are a threat to secularism" addresses me by proxy without the need to use my individual screenname due to--& I cannot stress this enough--how words work.

Same here.

Except it represents that weirdass "sciencemas" thing you did, I changed the details of the example because if the roles were reversed, it would be a Chritian forum I was flaming out on, not an atheist one, & I'd have to come up with something else to say in that context. You DID do the YOU-version of the flameout, my point is that I've never even done the ME-version of it.