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stone space

(6,498 posts)
Thu Feb 19, 2015, 07:43 PM Feb 2015

Hi. I'm a militant atheist. Do you fear me?



Some folks on DU find militant atheists threatening:

because militant atheists want to kill believers

And burn churches, that is not ok. Anyone calling themselves a militant atheist is in the same groupnas hicks and does not belong on this site.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1218&pid=182630

Do you fear me?



174 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Hi. I'm a militant atheist. Do you fear me? (Original Post) stone space Feb 2015 OP
This is what I fear. Warren Stupidity Feb 2015 #1
OMFG!!! PUT A TRIGGER WARNING IN YOUR SUBJECT LINE!!! trotsky Feb 2015 #4
What am i missing edhopper Feb 2015 #5
Long story. My wife and I have some goats as pets in her country. stone space Feb 2015 #148
That sounds weird edhopper Feb 2015 #150
Not sure how else to explain it. stone space Feb 2015 #151
I doubt atheism has anything to do with it edhopper Feb 2015 #152
OK, I give up. stone space Feb 2015 #153
I don't know edhopper Feb 2015 #154
All I know is that it started... stone space Feb 2015 #155
I guess there are those here edhopper Feb 2015 #156
Then they're wrong. stone space Feb 2015 #157
Ah, that explains it. okasha Feb 2015 #167
Fear doesn't even come close skepticscott Feb 2015 #2
I don't think everyone is using the word 'militant' in the same way. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Feb 2015 #3
It's a first for me, too. But remember what they said about MLK, ... stone space Feb 2015 #6
When did the preferred adjective for atheists change from "rabid" to "militant"? Fumesucker Feb 2015 #7
Wow. I hope that I never hear that one. Rabies is a horrible desease. stone space Feb 2015 #9
Cancer is used quite a bit. Goblinmonger Feb 2015 #12
My TV has an "off" button made just for such occaisions. stone space Feb 2015 #42
Eh, I think militant is worse Fumesucker Feb 2015 #16
Certainly with folks accusing us of... stone space Feb 2015 #20
seriously? 64 years old somehow I haven't heard that one until now.. but I tend to use the term ... 2banon Feb 2015 #59
In this group, "rabid" okasha Feb 2015 #22
wow (nt) stone space Feb 2015 #23
When "rabid" is used to mean skepticscott Feb 2015 #74
now reserved for "rabid apologists" for religion, AlbertCat Feb 2015 #81
I think the whole problem is that you don't mean the word the same way others understand it. Rainforestgoddess Feb 2015 #8
I mean confrontational. stone space Feb 2015 #10
militant non-violent Lordquinton Feb 2015 #11
Why do you accuse us of burning churches? (nt) stone space Feb 2015 #15
No accusations, it's what actual militant atheists do Lordquinton Feb 2015 #27
Now we're like Nazis? stone space Feb 2015 #29
yes that is exactly the point that was made. Warren Stupidity Feb 2015 #31
Yeah, atheists are evil. We're just a bunch of church burning nazis. (nt) stone space Feb 2015 #32
I like pie. Act_of_Reparation Feb 2015 #72
Who doesn't? trotsky Feb 2015 #83
What part of the goat does pie come from? EvolveOrConvolve Feb 2015 #126
The head, obviously. Act_of_Reparation Feb 2015 #138
You don't think edhopper Feb 2015 #33
militant = active nonviolence Goblinmonger Feb 2015 #35
Would you demonize militants like MLK? stone space Feb 2015 #37
OK. Goblinmonger Feb 2015 #39
I don't do facebook. Nor am I a twit. stone space Feb 2015 #41
OK, scrolled back. Somebody else. stone space Feb 2015 #43
You have me confused. Goblinmonger Feb 2015 #46
Uh...no...you mentioned facebook. stone space Feb 2015 #49
Well, since we are going old school, Goblinmonger Feb 2015 #51
Oh, please do tell! stone space Feb 2015 #54
"Upper Class Twit of the Year" Goblinmonger Feb 2015 #56
What does it mean to be militant on an internet board? stone space Feb 2015 #47
So do you own a dictionary? trotsky Feb 2015 #50
Chat board militants? stone space Feb 2015 #52
We don't know each other in real life. Goblinmonger Feb 2015 #57
We discuss real world experiences all the time. stone space Feb 2015 #65
You know exactly what I meant Lordquinton Feb 2015 #159
The very definition of "militant" contradicts your use of "nonviolent" Goblinmonger Feb 2015 #14
Shoud militant atheists be demonized? stone space Feb 2015 #21
I am an atheist. Maedhros Feb 2015 #26
Some folks have been trying.... stone space Feb 2015 #30
You aren't a militant atheist. Goblinmonger Feb 2015 #36
MLK was marginalized. stone space Feb 2015 #40
Take things out of context much? Goblinmonger Feb 2015 #44
This isn't about Domestic Terrorists like Craig Hicks. stone space Feb 2015 #45
I have been in more than one dust up edhopper Feb 2015 #48
Surely you understand that the understood usage implies violence Rainforestgoddess Feb 2015 #17
Did you read the definition that you posted? stone space Feb 2015 #18
No, *I'm* not talking about mlk or your other friends. You are. Rainforestgoddess Feb 2015 #19
It's about militants. stone space Feb 2015 #24
I honestly don't know what the fuck you're talking about. Rainforestgoddess Feb 2015 #25
A "clueless" MLK on militant nonviolence stone space Feb 2015 #34
A clueless Fred Flintstone on "gay" Rainforestgoddess Feb 2015 #58
Reading the responses to this OP has been interesting. chervilant Feb 2015 #158
Yes, people can absolutely pick their own labels. Rainforestgoddess Feb 2015 #163
Wave my finger at you? chervilant Feb 2015 #164
May have misread your tone. Rainforestgoddess Feb 2015 #165
Even if militant meant what you think it means Lordquinton Feb 2015 #13
"Militant"? bvf Feb 2015 #28
MLK could have used whatever words you are thinking of. stone space Feb 2015 #38
I wasn't referring to MLK. bvf Feb 2015 #55
Because he was a powerful and gifted orator Rainforestgoddess Feb 2015 #61
^^THIS^^ Goblinmonger Feb 2015 #62
The dynamite goes... Act_of_Reparation Feb 2015 #64
That'll teach them Damn Godless Atheistic Russian Commies a lesson! (nt) stone space Feb 2015 #67
Mrs. Pronoun and Mr. Antecedent want to spend their lives together. Act_of_Reparation Feb 2015 #73
Do you EVER read what you've written before you hit "Post"? mr blur Feb 2015 #76
I "read" an image of a nuclear weapon. stone space Feb 2015 #77
I'd like to see how militant goats respond to pie. Act_of_Reparation Feb 2015 #91
damn, now I want a gyro! n/t Rainforestgoddess Feb 2015 #104
OMG!!! The Russians are Comming! The Russians are Comming! stone space Feb 2015 #66
Journal, day two Rainforestgoddess Feb 2015 #69
You are trying to make people scared of militant atheists... stone space Feb 2015 #70
Journal addendum Rainforestgoddess Feb 2015 #71
Sometimes the clue stick, even the very large clue stick, is useless. Warren Stupidity Feb 2015 #78
AWESOME. trotsky Feb 2015 #68
I'm atheist, but I have not much to gain trying Ed Suspicious Feb 2015 #53
I use the term "Rabid" quite deliberately.. 2banon Feb 2015 #60
Militant atheists most certainly exist. stone space Feb 2015 #63
i dont fear you your bunny wrote Feb 2015 #75
Same here. stone space Feb 2015 #82
but i dont want burn anything . AlbertCat Feb 2015 #85
Your post TexasTowelie Feb 2015 #162
Your insistence on fighting a (losing) battle over the semantics of "militant" Maedhros Feb 2015 #79
Should I step into the closet? (nt) stone space Feb 2015 #80
Depends on how big your closet is. Act_of_Reparation Feb 2015 #109
If you must. PassingFair Feb 2015 #172
Sorry, but I wil not go quietly to the closet. stone space Feb 2015 #173
Your posts puzzle and amuse me. PassingFair Feb 2015 #174
I don't fear you and congrats on someone starting a mocking thread in the other room. hrmjustin Feb 2015 #84
On, no, that can't possibly be correct. cbayer Feb 2015 #88
Well i am not going to judge how they run their room but the threads speak for themselves hrmjustin Feb 2015 #94
I can't see that particular thread, but I am sure it is just more of the cbayer Feb 2015 #105
The thread I was mentioning is typical of the op. hrmjustin Feb 2015 #106
It's kind of like the comic pages of your local newspaper. cbayer Feb 2015 #107
Thanks and I take care of it when they wonder in to cause mischief. hrmjustin Feb 2015 #108
Imagine okasha Feb 2015 #146
I love it! hrmjustin Feb 2015 #147
*sigh* Goblinmonger Feb 2015 #96
vestitu ne maxime punire Warren Stupidity Feb 2015 #90
Some people just can't help themselves. hrmjustin Feb 2015 #92
I like mocking. Warren Stupidity Feb 2015 #97
Good natured mocking is perfectly fine but mean spirited mocking is hurtful. hrmjustin Feb 2015 #98
oh now you've done it! Warren Stupidity Feb 2015 #100
Oh I have come to expect your posts now. hrmjustin Feb 2015 #103
Romanes eunt domus? Act_of_Reparation Feb 2015 #93
I guess it's an honor of sorts. stone space Feb 2015 #119
So, do you post something in the echo chamber and then rush over to see mr blur Feb 2015 #169
No actually mocking threads of other members are not allowed in Interfaith. hrmjustin Feb 2015 #170
You need to provide a precise and concise definition. cbayer Feb 2015 #86
Uh-oh, friendly fire! AtheistCrusader Feb 2015 #87
Good luck with that. n/t Rainforestgoddess Feb 2015 #95
I read the whole thread before I asked and I am still not getting cbayer Feb 2015 #99
I honestly hope you get a straight answer, because I'm at a loss. n/t Rainforestgoddess Feb 2015 #101
Would some examples help? stone space Feb 2015 #112
Why do you want to blow up goats? Rainforestgoddess Feb 2015 #122
In case you don't see it below, I think I understand. cbayer Feb 2015 #125
I did see that exchange, yes Rainforestgoddess Feb 2015 #131
You once self-identified as a militant. stone space Feb 2015 #111
I was actively involved in the anti-war movement. We had a cause. I am at a cbayer Feb 2015 #114
I've been involved in a number of things. (nt) stone space Feb 2015 #116
What is your cause that would warrant calling yourself a militant atheist? cbayer Feb 2015 #118
I can give you an example if you want, but... stone space Feb 2015 #120
OK, I'm getting the picture. You are these two things but they are not related to cbayer Feb 2015 #121
Will I be billed for the psychoanalysis? stone space Feb 2015 #123
This bears no resemblance at all to psychoanalysis, but I am beginning cbayer Feb 2015 #124
I'm sure that we disagree... stone space Feb 2015 #135
I doubt that we disagree on all that much really, but cbayer Feb 2015 #149
Active, confrontational nonviolent action/resistance. stone space Feb 2015 #110
MLK used it in describing his civil rights work. What are you cbayer Feb 2015 #113
Calling out bigotry is not baiting. stone space Feb 2015 #115
You are not calling out bigotry at all. You are fabricating an argument. cbayer Feb 2015 #117
Hahaa no, I don't fear unarmed people. AtheistCrusader Feb 2015 #89
Indeed. trotsky Feb 2015 #102
Please tell me Curmudgeoness Feb 2015 #127
A couple of things EvolveOrConvolve Feb 2015 #128
I will not be pushed into the closet. stone space Feb 2015 #129
If you self identify with a term that's insulting to atheists and is used by violent atheists EvolveOrConvolve Feb 2015 #130
We are not terrorists. (nt) stone space Feb 2015 #132
I didn't say you were EvolveOrConvolve Feb 2015 #133
This is McCarthyism, plain and simple. stone space Feb 2015 #134
Amazing EvolveOrConvolve Feb 2015 #137
What does this even mean? stone space Feb 2015 #168
I'd believed for a time that you were being purposefully obtuse EvolveOrConvolve Feb 2015 #171
You want to rethink edhopper Feb 2015 #136
I'm an optimist EvolveOrConvolve Feb 2015 #139
but keep edhopper Feb 2015 #141
Who is we? Lordquinton Feb 2015 #161
Eliminate closets? Act_of_Reparation Feb 2015 #140
Gay rights stuff. I'm a militant atheist, remember? stone space Feb 2015 #142
Oh, I get it. You're comparing your experiences here to stigmatization homosexuals face. Act_of_Reparation Feb 2015 #143
Oh good greif! (nt) stone space Feb 2015 #144
I disagree. Act_of_Reparation Feb 2015 #145
He's already compared himself to MLK Lordquinton Feb 2015 #160
An absurd and self-indulgent thread, moderators would have removed it back in the day. NYC_SKP Feb 2015 #166
 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
148. Long story. My wife and I have some goats as pets in her country.
Sat Feb 21, 2015, 02:18 AM
Feb 2015

I mentioned it fairly early on after coming to DU, before realizing how DU comes down on pet owners.

Now it 100% goats, 100% of the time.

If I had said we had cats as pets, then you'd be asking them what all the cat stuff is about.

They just don't like pets, that's all.

No big deal.

I've come to expect it.

It easy to ridicule people thru their pets, and DU is just a hard place for pet owners in general, in my experience, with people constantly doing this.

I've pretty much come to accept the practice as a longstanding DU tradition, since it has been happening here at DU for as long as I've been here.

It's just the way that DU rolls. Not ideal for pet owners, but it is what it is. If pet owners want to be a part of DU, this is just something that they have to put up with whenever they make a post.

In any case, IMNSHO, goats are awesome!





















 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
151. Not sure how else to explain it.
Sat Feb 21, 2015, 11:30 AM
Feb 2015

But it's been going on since I first arrived here.

I just assumed that it happens to all pet owners.

Maybe it's only atheist pet owners?

edhopper

(33,580 posts)
152. I doubt atheism has anything to do with it
Sat Feb 21, 2015, 11:32 AM
Feb 2015

since this particular jab comes mainly from other atheists.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
153. OK, I give up.
Sat Feb 21, 2015, 11:46 AM
Feb 2015

What are all these goats that I've been seeing ever since I came to DU all about?



I assumed that it was just a jab at pet owners, and that it happens to everybody.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
155. All I know is that it started...
Sat Feb 21, 2015, 11:51 AM
Feb 2015

...when I mentioned our pet goats.

If it's not a general DU practice, then I can't explain it.

Surely there must be some reason why it happens.

edhopper

(33,580 posts)
156. I guess there are those here
Sat Feb 21, 2015, 11:52 AM
Feb 2015

who think, and I am very sorry for the pun, that this will "get your goat".

okasha

(11,573 posts)
167. Ah, that explains it.
Sat Feb 21, 2015, 11:36 PM
Feb 2015

It's a version of the "yacht club" insult/ fabrication aimed at cbayer and Starboard Tack. At least no one's questioned your tax status yet.

And here I just thought Warren was posting selfies.

 

skepticscott

(13,029 posts)
2. Fear doesn't even come close
Thu Feb 19, 2015, 08:02 PM
Feb 2015

Last edited Thu Feb 19, 2015, 08:40 PM - Edit history (1)

to describing it…

But I do fear people who think there are such things as militant atheists.

Erich Bloodaxe BSN

(14,733 posts)
3. I don't think everyone is using the word 'militant' in the same way.
Thu Feb 19, 2015, 08:05 PM
Feb 2015

I have heard the phrase 'militant atheist' for years, and this is the first I've heard that 'militant atheists' want to burn churches and kill believers.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
6. It's a first for me, too. But remember what they said about MLK, ...
Thu Feb 19, 2015, 08:17 PM
Feb 2015

...who one biographer called the Apostle of Militant Nonviolence.

Will Herberg, “‘Civil Rights’ and Violence: Who Are the Guilty Ones?”, The National Review Sept. 7th, 1965, pp. 769-770

It did not come easy for us in this country, under the weight of the vast influx of immigrants and the residual effects of the frontier tradition, to consolidate a secure internal order based on custom and respect for constituted authority; but finally we managed. This internal order is now in jeopardy; and it is in jeopardy because of the doings of such high-minded, self-righteous “children of light” as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and his associates in the leadership of the “civil rights” movement. If you are looking for those ultimately responsible for the murder, arson, and looting in Los Angeles, look to them: they are the guilty ones, these apostles of “non-violence.”

For years now, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and his associates have been deliberately undermining the foundations of internal order in this country. With their rabble-rousing demagoguery, they have been cracking the “cake of custom” that holds us together. With their doctrine of “civil disobedience,” they have been teaching hundreds of thousands of Negroes — particularly the adolescents and the children — that it is perfectly alright to break the law and defy constituted authority if you are a Negro-with-a-grievance; in protest against injustice. And they have done more than talk. They have on occasion after occasion, in almost every part of the country, called out their mobs on the streets, promoted “school strikes,” sit-ins, lie-ins, in explicit violation of the law and in explicit defiance of the public authority. They have taught anarchy and chaos by word and deed — and, no doubt, with the best of intentions — and they have found apt pupils everywhere, with intentions not of the best. Sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind. But it is not they alone who reap it, but we as well; the entire nation.

It is worth noting that the worst victims of these high-minded rabble-rousers are not so much the hated whites, but the great mass of the Negro people themselves. The great mass of the Negro people cannot be blamed for the lawlessness and violence in Harlem, Chicago, Los Angeles, or elsewhere. All they want to do is what decent people everywhere want to do: make a living, raise a family, bring up their children as good citizens, with better advantages than they themselves ever had. The “civil rights” movement and the consequent lawlessness has well nigh shattered these hopes; not only because of the physical violence and insecurity, but above all because of the corruption and demoralization of the children, who have been lured away from the steady path of decency and self-government to the more exhilarating road of ‘demonstration’ — and rioting. An old friend of mine from Harlem put it to me after the riots last year: “For more than fifteen years we’ve worked our heads off to make something out of these boys. Now look at them–they’re turning into punks and hoodlums roaming the streets.

http://themoderatevoice.com/15520/recall-the-words-of-the-national-review/


Fumesucker

(45,851 posts)
7. When did the preferred adjective for atheists change from "rabid" to "militant"?
Thu Feb 19, 2015, 08:18 PM
Feb 2015

Twenty years ago any atheist you happened to know was an atheist was considered "rabid" but I haven't heard that particular term of endearment in a while.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
9. Wow. I hope that I never hear that one. Rabies is a horrible desease.
Thu Feb 19, 2015, 08:31 PM
Feb 2015

My wife was bitten as a child by a friend of hers while my wife and her teacher were trying to restrain her friend in the back seat of the car on the way to see a doctor because her friend had contracted rabies.

Her friend died, and my wife and the teacher both had to go thru a series of very painful shots because they were both bitten by her friend.

People who talk about "rabid atheists" (or "rabid anything&quot need to really think about what they are saying.

What other diseases would they like to use like that? Cancer? HIV?

Sheesh!

 

Goblinmonger

(22,340 posts)
12. Cancer is used quite a bit.
Thu Feb 19, 2015, 10:02 PM
Feb 2015

"He's a cancer on the team" shows up in sports and business world off and on.

Too soon for HIV to be used.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
42. My TV has an "off" button made just for such occaisions.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 11:11 AM
Feb 2015
"He's a cancer on the team" shows up in sports and business world off and on.


Fumesucker

(45,851 posts)
16. Eh, I think militant is worse
Thu Feb 19, 2015, 10:05 PM
Feb 2015

It definitely carries a lot of cultural baggage at this point..

Sorry to hear of your wife's experiences, didn't mean to touch a personal nerve.

FWIW, I've heard atheists described as a cancer on society.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
20. Certainly with folks accusing us of...
Thu Feb 19, 2015, 10:49 PM
Feb 2015

...burning churches and stuff now here at DU, the cultural baggage is beginning to pile up.



 

2banon

(7,321 posts)
59. seriously? 64 years old somehow I haven't heard that one until now.. but I tend to use the term ...
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 12:07 PM
Feb 2015
"Rabid" when referring to Christian fanatics. Especially the ones I used to see on my teevee when I used to have one.

Or those creatures on street corners condemning everyone to death for the sin of being a non-believing human.

I use the term "Rabid" quite deliberately with the full implication of extreme danger to the health and well being of our nation and the world.

In recent years, I have expanded the frame work to include all religious fanatics, with an emphasis on the term religion to make my point.

But I've never met a "rabid" or a "militant" atheist though...






Hang Me... Oh Hang Me, and I'll be dead and gone.

Hang Me... Oh Hang me and I'll be dead and gone.

Wouldn't mind the hanging, but the laying in the grave so long, poor boy

I've been all around this world










okasha

(11,573 posts)
22. In this group, "rabid"
Thu Feb 19, 2015, 11:19 PM
Feb 2015

is now reserved for "rabid apologists" for religion, believers and especially Pope Francis.



 

skepticscott

(13,029 posts)
74. When "rabid" is used to mean
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 01:33 PM
Feb 2015

"Not acting out of reason, and unlikely to be disuaded by reason", it fits quite well. Obviously, no one is using it literally. Obvious to most, anyway.

 

AlbertCat

(17,505 posts)
81. now reserved for "rabid apologists" for religion,
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 02:57 PM
Feb 2015

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!




you so funny!

Rainforestgoddess

(436 posts)
8. I think the whole problem is that you don't mean the word the same way others understand it.
Thu Feb 19, 2015, 08:21 PM
Feb 2015

militant mili|tant
Pronunciation: /ˈmɪlɪt(ə nt

/
Definition of militant in English:
adjective
Favouring confrontational or violent methods in support of a political or social cause


You seem to define the word militant more like others would use the word "assertive"

So when you say "militant atheist" , we understand (because of the definition of the word) "violent, confrontational, activist atheist" when it really seems that what you are trying to communicate is "outspoken atheist".

Am I correct?

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
10. I mean confrontational.
Thu Feb 19, 2015, 08:56 PM
Feb 2015

Militant, nonviolent, confrontation.

Perhaps it's our rap sheets that scares people?



Lordquinton

(7,886 posts)
27. No accusations, it's what actual militant atheists do
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 03:07 AM
Feb 2015

You keep claiming the label, but you demonstrate a complete lack of comprehension of what it means.

Militant means:

combative and aggressive in support of a political or social cause, and typically favoring extreme, violent, or confrontational methods.


That sounds like the opposite of you.

See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Militant_Atheists

they were all about tearing down churches and killing believers.

I don't mean to Godwin the thread, but it's like claiming you're a Nazi, then getting upset and offended when people ask you why you hate Jews.

(Note to Juries, I am trying to explain a basic concept here, and this is the best example, it's extreme, but really drives the point home)
 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
29. Now we're like Nazis?
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 08:09 AM
Feb 2015
I don't mean to Godwin the thread, but it's like claiming you're a Nazi, then getting upset and offended when people ask you why you hate Jews.


You may be confusing militant atheists with anti-theists here.

One is based on active nonviolence, and the other on hatred of religious folks.

Seriously, there's a huge difference.

edhopper

(33,580 posts)
33. You don't think
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 10:10 AM
Feb 2015

one can have a giant problem with religion and religious beliefs and not hate religious people?

You don't only not know what militant is, you don't know what anti-theist is.

 

Goblinmonger

(22,340 posts)
35. militant = active nonviolence
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 10:28 AM
Feb 2015

You can't be for real. You can't really think that is what the word means.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
37. Would you demonize militants like MLK?
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 10:42 AM
Feb 2015

Many folks did at the time, with rather predictable results.

Or is it only atheists you want to demonize?

 

Goblinmonger

(22,340 posts)
39. OK.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 10:57 AM
Feb 2015

1. I'm an atheist.
2. I'm a lot more confrontational of an atheist than you are on here.
3. I know MLK used it that way. That's not the normal usage either.
4. Again, you can answer the question: Do you identify with the sentiments of the Facebook group for militant atheists? You have no problems with those pictures I shared?

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
41. I don't do facebook. Nor am I a twit.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 11:07 AM
Feb 2015
Do you identify with the sentiments of the Facebook group for militant atheists?


Old school luddite here.

Posting comments on DU already stretches my technological competence to the limit.

You have no problems with those pictures I shared?


I tend to pretty much ignore the internet memes you post.

They mostly seem to involve goats, anyway, and we already have several goats, so they don't really impress me.

Or do I have you confused with somebody else here? Hard to keep folks straight here.



 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
43. OK, scrolled back. Somebody else.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 11:18 AM
Feb 2015
They mostly seem to involve goats, anyway, and we already have several goats, so they don't really impress me.

Or do I have you confused with somebody else here? Hard to keep folks straight here.


Oops...I need more coffee...

 

Goblinmonger

(22,340 posts)
46. You have me confused.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 11:29 AM
Feb 2015

I'm the only red stapler at DU as far as I know.

So when a bunch of other people use the term militant atheist to be something you don't agree with, you call them a twit?

Ever think that maybe, like pretty much EVERYONE here is telling you, that you are the one that is using the term incorrectly?

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
49. Uh...no...you mentioned facebook.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 11:36 AM
Feb 2015
So when a bunch of other people use the term militant atheist to be something you don't agree with, you call them a twit?


So I made a reference to twitter as well.

In my luddite brain, there are lots of synapses connecting the two.

Guess it's not a very good joke if I have to explain it.

Oh, well...

 

Goblinmonger

(22,340 posts)
51. Well, since we are going old school,
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 11:45 AM
Feb 2015

I thought it was a Monty Python reference. Which was funnier.

But I'm not the goat guy.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
54. Oh, please do tell!
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 11:52 AM
Feb 2015
I thought it was a Monty Python reference. Which was funnier.


If I like it, I'll use it.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
47. What does it mean to be militant on an internet board?
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 11:32 AM
Feb 2015
2. I'm a lot more confrontational of an atheist than you are on here.


I thought confrontation was something that takes place in the real world and in the streets, not on some internet chat site.

trotsky

(49,533 posts)
50. So do you own a dictionary?
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 11:40 AM
Feb 2015

Perhaps you should start looking some of these words up.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confrontation

Nothing in there about it having to be "in the real world."

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
52. Chat board militants?
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 11:50 AM
Feb 2015

I don't even know what it would mean to take militant action on an internet chat board like DU.

Is this some kind of coded reference to Anonymous or something?

If so, even that isn't a chat board activity, and it would hardly apply to the typical everyday luddite militant.


 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
65. We discuss real world experiences all the time.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 12:46 PM
Feb 2015

Not sure I understand your point here.

I'm willing to bet that neither one of us has engaged in militant action online.

Now, maybe you're Anonymous or something, but for a old school luddite like me, online militancy is still kind of an oxymoron.

I wouldn't know where to even begin.

How can the average layperson engage in militant action on an internet chat board?

Isn't it easier to do in meatspace?

Lordquinton

(7,886 posts)
159. You know exactly what I meant
Sat Feb 21, 2015, 05:11 PM
Feb 2015

Looking at this post you are put into the same position and react in just the way that getting put in that position is supposed to induce. You know exactly what you're doing here, and the act is thin and boring.

I'm done interacting with you, but I'll leave you with a riddle: What do you have in common with a raven?

 

Goblinmonger

(22,340 posts)
14. The very definition of "militant" contradicts your use of "nonviolent"
Thu Feb 19, 2015, 10:03 PM
Feb 2015

It's kind of odd that you are using the word in a completely opposite meaning form it's definition and, yet, you are confused at those that understand it as it is defined.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
21. Shoud militant atheists be demonized?
Thu Feb 19, 2015, 11:13 PM
Feb 2015

Do you view us as a threat?

Do you believe that we burn churches?

 

Maedhros

(10,007 posts)
26. I am an atheist.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 01:42 AM
Feb 2015

I find your behavior on this thread needlessly combative.

Perhaps try and engage your opponents, rather than belittle and berate them?

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
30. Some folks have been trying....
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 08:12 AM
Feb 2015

...to push us into the closet for some time here.

Our very existence offends them.

 

Goblinmonger

(22,340 posts)
36. You aren't a militant atheist.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 10:33 AM
Feb 2015

Even if we use your definition of a confrontational atheist, you aren't that.

What the world understands as militant? Yes, they should be marginalized. If the shootings weren't about a crazy person freaking out over perceived parking spot problems and was, instead, a militant atheist trying to kill believers, then he, and other militant atheists like him, are a threat.

I think there are very, very few of those types of people around. Perhaps I'm wrong.

But if you go to facebook and look at the militant atheist page, you will find this (which is kind of in line with what you are saying about being confrontational but is in NO WAY like the faithiest you act like):

(And I've shared these with you before and you haven't addressed whether you stand with your other militant atheists to support positions like this)




 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
40. MLK was marginalized.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 11:00 AM
Feb 2015
What the world understands as militant? Yes, they should be marginalized.


Marginalized, demonized, and assassinated.

Do you really not understand the consequences of such demonization?

 

Goblinmonger

(22,340 posts)
44. Take things out of context much?
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 11:20 AM
Feb 2015

I was talking about Craig Stephen Hicks. If he did what he did because of his militant atheism, then he needs to be marginalized. Sure, even demonized. Never called for any assassinations.

Do you not agree? Are you fine with what Craig Stephen Hicks did if he did it in the name of his militant atheism (I'm not saying he did, but many here are.)

And are you going to respond to those pictures ever? Is that representative of what you feel as a militant atheist?

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
45. This isn't about Domestic Terrorists like Craig Hicks.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 11:27 AM
Feb 2015

Another guy thinks the thread is about Nazis.

It is about the demonization of militant atheists here at DU, and how some here seek to force us into the closet.

And are you going to respond to those pictures ever? Is that representative of what you feel as a militant atheist?


Internet memes posted by you are unlikely to ever be representative of what I feel as a militant atheist.

They are more likely to reflect what you feel.

What I feel is more likely to be represented by what I post, not what you post.



edhopper

(33,580 posts)
48. I have been in more than one dust up
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 11:34 AM
Feb 2015

with believers and faithests here.

But I will tell you one thing, no one is trying to force atheists into a closet.

Things can get combative, but no one is saying we should go away.

And you are not a militant atheist.

You are simply and completely wrong.

Rainforestgoddess

(436 posts)
17. Surely you understand that the understood usage implies violence
Thu Feb 19, 2015, 10:17 PM
Feb 2015

Or at least the willingness to employ violence to further a cause.

How can you get pedantic about the origin of the word rabid, which rarely implies the actual disease of rabies, but means unthinking anger, and not comprehend the root of the word militant?

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
18. Did you read the definition that you posted?
Thu Feb 19, 2015, 10:35 PM
Feb 2015
Favouring confrontational or violent methods in support of a political or social cause


Note the "or". That's a logical disjunction.

When you talk about militants, you are talking about folks like the Berrigans.


Profile

Frida Berrigan

Militant




Frida Berrigan is a peace activist and research associate at the World Policy Institute, specializing in arms trade. She is also a columnist for Foreign Policy In Focus. She is the daughter of Philip Berrigan of the Catonsville Nine and Liz McAlister.

http://www.spokeo.com/Frida+Berrigan+1



You are talking about folks like MLK.



How many churches did MLK burn down?

Or are the rules different for atheists?

Rainforestgoddess

(436 posts)
19. No, *I'm* not talking about mlk or your other friends. You are.
Thu Feb 19, 2015, 10:47 PM
Feb 2015

Do a Google image search for militant, and see how many peace activists come up.


The point that everyone who engages you on this topic is trying to convey, is that what *you intend to say about yourself *, and *what you are implying by common usage of the word militant * are completely at odds.

Instead of digging in your heels about it, why don't you find a way to describe yourself that fits how you perceive yourself, that others understand?


I could describe myself as gay, and fight like hell anyone who understood that to mean homosexual, when in fact I meant lighthearted. I would technically be correct, but I'd look like a fool, because common usage means homosexual. So, to stop incessant arguments with people (unless that was actually my intention in the first place) I would find a better, more accurate descriptor for myself.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
24. It's about militants.
Thu Feb 19, 2015, 11:43 PM
Feb 2015

You can't leave folks like MLK and the Berrigans out unless you have different rules for atheists.

Why should atheists be demonized here at DU?

I haven't burned any churches.

Have you?

Rainforestgoddess

(436 posts)
25. I honestly don't know what the fuck you're talking about.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 12:06 AM
Feb 2015


Yes, I see that you've found a book that uses militant in reference to mlk. But that's not what I'm saying. I'm pretty sure the author was using it as a deliberate oxymoron. Though perhaps the author was completely clueless as to the meaning, but I find that doubtful. I don't have the time to look into your other friends right now.


I'll type slowly for you. You are the only one here who doesn't think militant means violent, or willing to use violence.

With that in mind, why don't you find a descriptor for yourself suits both your image of yourself, AND common usage and understanding?
 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
34. A "clueless" MLK on militant nonviolence
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 10:21 AM
Feb 2015
"And I would be the first to say that I am still committed to militant, powerful, massive, non-violence as the most potent weapon in grappling with the problem from a direct action point of view."


http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025920455

chervilant

(8,267 posts)
158. Reading the responses to this OP has been interesting.
Sat Feb 21, 2015, 12:37 PM
Feb 2015

A struggle for "rightness" seems to have overtaken some of the DUers herein above. I find it astonishing that the etymology of "militant" has subsumed the point of this OP.

The author self-identifies as a militant atheist. He has every right to so identify. He can be militant without ever engaging in violence, since the definition of "militant" does allow for confrontational adjurations that aren't necessarily violent.

For example, I am militant about feminism. I am also a pacifist. My militancy about feminism is expressed through non-violent verbal confrontations whenever I encounter sexism or misogyny--both online and IRL.

The same holds true for me with regards to racism and homophobia (which I would prefer to call "heterosexism," since we LGBT folk are not a group to be feared). Anytime I am faced with racism or homophobia, I address it--which cost me my last job when I asked my self-avowed racist boss to respect my right not to hear his racism in the workplace.

That some DUers associate militancy with violence is understandable. But, such a stance does not preclude the right of the author of this OP to self-identify as a militant atheist.

BTW, I don't "fear" the author of this OP.

Rainforestgoddess

(436 posts)
163. Yes, people can absolutely pick their own labels.
Sat Feb 21, 2015, 09:01 PM
Feb 2015

More power to them. But they have to accept the baggage that comes along with the label they choose.

And it helps if they don't deliberately misunderstand analogies as literal slurs.

Nobody has accused stone space of burning churches. Nobody has called him a nazi or a communist. Nobody has told him they are afraid of him.

This is, as cbayer pointed out, a baiting thread with manufactured outrage liberally applied.

MOST atheists object to the term, because it is generally used as a slur. If one atheist asks another to rethink the term, there could, in fact, follow an actual, useful conversation on why one person thinks it's okay, and why the other does not. Instead, what we get are bizarre and rabid accusations of 'silencing' 'red baiting ', accusations that we think Martin Luther King burned churches. It's like an episode of the Twilight Zone.


Wave your finger at me if you like. I tried to have a real conversation. I don't have a history of confrontation with him, so this is not baggage from before spilling over, which may be the case with some of the other people involved in this thread.

chervilant

(8,267 posts)
164. Wave my finger at you?
Sat Feb 21, 2015, 09:07 PM
Feb 2015

I don't think so. My observation is just that--an observation. (Actually, Oscar Wilde said something that applies to situations like this...)

Anywho, the author of this OP surely does have a bunch of folk stirred up. I think this OP would have faded into insignificance but for the myriad responses he's gotten.

Lordquinton

(7,886 posts)
13. Even if militant meant what you think it means
Thu Feb 19, 2015, 10:03 PM
Feb 2015

You are so far from it.

There is a term thst suits you, look up fatheist.

Thanks for the callout tho.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
38. MLK could have used whatever words you are thinking of.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 10:54 AM
Feb 2015
I could think of better words.


If only you had been around at the time to advise him and helped him on his oratory skills.

No doubt you could have written better speeches, and worded them better than MLK did.

Me, I'm just a mathematician.

I flunked English 104.

I wouldn't presume to lecture MLK on his choice of words.

Rainforestgoddess

(436 posts)
61. Because he was a powerful and gifted orator
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 12:21 PM
Feb 2015

Mlk could use the word militant as a deliberate oxymoron and have himself understood. Because it was in the context of his speech, in the context of who he was.

If you are a goat farming math teacher who flunked English and likes to get in pointless and deliberately obtuse arguments on the Internet, perhaps you shouldn't engage in trying to use literary devices such as oxymorons.

And for the record, I believe most of the people in this thread who you are accusing of trying to silence atheists, are in fact atheists who don't want you silenced, but merely want you to understand what you are implying about yourself when you use the term militant atheist.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Militant_Atheists

 

Goblinmonger

(22,340 posts)
62. ^^THIS^^
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 12:30 PM
Feb 2015

Specifically this point:

I believe most of the people in this thread who you are accusing of trying to silence atheists, are in fact atheists who don't want you silenced, but merely want you to understand what you are implying about yourself when you use the term militant atheist.


It's like the idiots up here in the north that fly the Confederate flag on their trucks and think it's just a symbol of their redneckness.

Though, this is pretty fucking spot on, too:
If you are a goat farming math teacher who flunked English and likes to get in pointless and deliberately obtuse arguments on the Internet, perhaps you shouldn't engage in trying to use literary devices such as oxymorons.


 

mr blur

(7,753 posts)
76. Do you EVER read what you've written before you hit "Post"?
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 02:38 PM
Feb 2015

I would guess not because there's always a chance that even you would recognise what confused, ignorant, uninformed, irrational, condescending and just plain wrong garbage most of it is. Really, just stop, you're embarrassing yourself.

[p style= text-align:left;color:#06a481;][font size="1"](note for jury: If you think I'm wrong, perhaps you would read the stuff written in this and other threads by this self-proclaimed and self-obsessed "Militant Atheist". Which in his case means an atheist who is banned from the Atheists & Agnostics Group for being unreasonable and offensive.)

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
77. I "read" an image of a nuclear weapon.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 02:42 PM
Feb 2015

In response to a red-bating post.

Do you EVER read what you've written before you hit "Post"?


Would you like to see how Militant Christians respond to nuclear weapons?

Act_of_Reparation

(9,116 posts)
91. I'd like to see how militant goats respond to pie.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 04:22 PM
Feb 2015

Who knows? Maybe mankind and caprinae may find some much needed middle ground.

If not, fuck it. Pie and gyros for everyone!

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
70. You are trying to make people scared of militant atheists...
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 01:00 PM
Feb 2015

...by invoking the specter of those Godless Atheistic Russian Commies.

Can you say "red-baiting"?

McCarthy would be proud.

 

Warren Stupidity

(48,181 posts)
78. Sometimes the clue stick, even the very large clue stick, is useless.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 02:53 PM
Feb 2015

Then it is time to call upon the fairy goat mother.


trotsky

(49,533 posts)
68. AWESOME.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 12:54 PM
Feb 2015
If you are a goat farming math teacher who flunked English and likes to get in pointless and deliberately obtuse arguments on the Internet, perhaps you shouldn't engage in trying to use literary devices such as oxymorons.


Ed Suspicious

(8,879 posts)
53. I'm atheist, but I have not much to gain trying
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 11:51 AM
Feb 2015

to prove the non existence of anything. I don't get too up in arms over Easter bunnies, Santa Claus, tooth fairies, or compassionate conservatives either, and I'm equally convinced of their non-existence.

I have no dog in the fight like a believer in fanciful things might.

 

2banon

(7,321 posts)
60. I use the term "Rabid" quite deliberately..
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 12:13 PM
Feb 2015

I use the term "Rabid" when referring to Christian fanatics. Especially the ones I used to see on my teevee when I used to have one.

Or those creatures on street corners condemning everyone to death for the sin of being a non-believing human.

I use the term "Rabid" quite deliberately with the full implication of extreme danger to the health and well being of our nation and the world.

In recent years, I have expanded the frame work to include all religious fanatics, with an emphasis on the term religion to make my point.

I've never met a "rabid" or a "militant" atheist though...






Hang Me... Oh Hang Me, and I'll be dead and gone.

Hang Me... Oh Hang me and I'll be dead and gone.

Wouldn't mind the hanging, but the laying in the grave so long, poor boy

I've been all around this world










 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
63. Militant atheists most certainly exist.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 12:32 PM
Feb 2015

Rabid atheists most certainly exist, also, and they should seek medical attention as quickly as possible.

Rabies can kill you.

The injections are painful, but much preferable to what the disease can do to you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prevalence_of_rabies


There are an estimated 55,000 human deaths annually from rabies worldwide



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies


Person with rabies, 1959

Signs and symptoms

The period between infection and the first flu-like symptoms is typically 2 to 12 weeks in humans. Incubation periods as short as four days and longer than six years have been documented, depending on the location and severity of the contaminated wound and the amount of virus introduced. Signs and symptoms may soon expand to slight or partial paralysis, anxiety, insomnia, confusion, agitation, abnormal behavior, paranoia, terror, and hallucinations, progressing to delirium.[2][10] The person may have hydrophobia.

Death almost always occurs 2 to 10 days after first symptoms. Survival is rare once symptoms have presented, even with the administration of proper and intensive care.[11] Jeanna Giese, who in 2004 was the first patient treated with the Milwaukee protocol,[12] became the first person ever recorded to have survived rabies without receiving successful post-exposure prophylaxis. An intention-to-treat analysis has since found this protocol has a survival rate of about 8%.[13]

Hydrophobia

Hydrophobia ("fear of water&quot is the historic name for rabies.[14] It refers to a set of symptoms in the later stages of an infection in which the person has difficulty swallowing, shows panic when presented with liquids to drink, and cannot quench his or her thirst. Any mammals infected with the virus may demonstrate hydrophobia.[15]

Saliva production is greatly increased, and attempts to drink, or even the intention or suggestion of drinking, may cause excruciatingly painful spasms of the muscles in the throat and larynx. This can be attributed to the fact that the virus multiplies and assimilates in the salivary glands of the infected animal for the purpose of further transmission through biting, and the infected animal's ability to transmit the virus will reduce significantly if he can swallow his saliva with/without external source of water.[16]

Hydrophobia is commonly associated with furious rabies that affects 80% of the infected people. The remaining 20% may experience a paralytic form of rabies that is marked by muscle weakness, loss of sensation, and paralysis. This form of rabies does not usually cause fear of water.[15]



 
75. i dont fear you
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 02:04 PM
Feb 2015

im atheist , but i dont want burn anything .
they must understand true theyself else they will hate us .

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
82. Same here.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 02:57 PM
Feb 2015


im atheist , but i dont want burn anything


I've manager to make it nearly 60 years so far without burning a single church.



 

AlbertCat

(17,505 posts)
85. but i dont want burn anything .
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 03:16 PM
Feb 2015

Awwwww....

Come on over sometime and we'll "burn one"...

&spfreload=10
 

Maedhros

(10,007 posts)
79. Your insistence on fighting a (losing) battle over the semantics of "militant"
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 02:53 PM
Feb 2015

rather than actually discussing an issue, renders your posts meaningless.

Act_of_Reparation

(9,116 posts)
109. Depends on how big your closet is.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 05:37 PM
Feb 2015

And whether or not you have anything fragile sitting on the floor in there.

 

hrmjustin

(71,265 posts)
84. I don't fear you and congrats on someone starting a mocking thread in the other room.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 03:15 PM
Feb 2015

I get those mocking threads when I post in the prsyer cir le st times. Some people just can't help themselves.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
88. On, no, that can't possibly be correct.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 04:07 PM
Feb 2015

Their new and improved rules strongly discourages that kind of thing and the hosts have reserved the right to lock that kind of thing down.

I'm sure one will be along right away to take care of that, unless, of course, they are too busy participating.

 

hrmjustin

(71,265 posts)
94. Well i am not going to judge how they run their room but the threads speak for themselves
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 04:27 PM
Feb 2015

and speak to the person who posts them.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
105. I can't see that particular thread, but I am sure it is just more of the
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 05:14 PM
Feb 2015

same strongly discouraged behavior that is routinely seen there.

I can see the thread that is mocking another safe haven group. This is also mentioned in the new rules. Doing that is also strongly discouraged with an additional statement that there is an expectation that other safe havens will be respected.

Always good for a giggle.

 

hrmjustin

(71,265 posts)
106. The thread I was mentioning is typical of the op.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 05:22 PM
Feb 2015

I expect to see interfaith mentioned once or twice. What I find amusing is they say the room is just one or two of us but they can't stop talking about us.

The prayer circle is a little group but when I ask for prayers on certain topics I get mocked (not by name of course) in the stheist room. I expect it so it rarely bothers me anymore.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
107. It's kind of like the comic pages of your local newspaper.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 05:28 PM
Feb 2015

I am sorry that people have disrespected your prayer circle group. You have got to wonder what kind of person would do that.

Just stay on the high road, justin. People that behave like this got nothing on you.

 

hrmjustin

(71,265 posts)
108. Thanks and I take care of it when they wonder in to cause mischief.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 05:34 PM
Feb 2015

After a few incidents it is perfectly fine now. It is a small group and one or two are away for lent now.

okasha

(11,573 posts)
146. Imagine
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 11:37 PM
Feb 2015

being so dull that you have to spend your time trash talking a rather small group of other people in a tiny corner of the internet.

Now imagine being so intellectulally impoverished that in addition to the protected group in which you do this, you require "several off-site chatrooms" to continue trash talking a rather small group of other people in a tiny corner of the internet.



Morally speaking, I suppose, one should pity them And truly, I try, but--oh, shit---



--I just can't help it......


 

Goblinmonger

(22,340 posts)
96. *sigh*
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 04:43 PM
Feb 2015

No host has participated in that thread which I'm sure you know but feel free to spread that nonsense. And if you haven't seen the thread then don't comment about it.

If you don't like it, you or someone else can alert and a jury will take care of it or you can send it to us as an SOP violation. If you want my thoughts on the record, I'm fine with a little blowing off of steam. Even you understand that this thread is likely just flamebait. So what would you rather have? This thread get significantly worse or allow some blowing off of steam in A/A?

 

hrmjustin

(71,265 posts)
92. Some people just can't help themselves.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 04:26 PM
Feb 2015

They have to mock or make fun of someone to make themselves look better.

Don't you hate that Warren?

 

Warren Stupidity

(48,181 posts)
97. I like mocking.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 04:59 PM
Feb 2015

I'm sorry if you can't enjoy it, although I suspect you actually do. If there is drama going down in a thread here, there you are.

 

hrmjustin

(71,265 posts)
98. Good natured mocking is perfectly fine but mean spirited mocking is hurtful.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 05:02 PM
Feb 2015

I may comment on drama but I am rarely the cause of it.

 

Warren Stupidity

(48,181 posts)
100. oh now you've done it!
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 05:09 PM
Feb 2015

it is the hurtzful means sprited mcokings that are badz!

Personally I think my jihadist atheist op was goofy and light hearted, but then again I think anything with a goat gif is just jolly.




How can you not smile when there are goats?

I didn't say you caused the drama justin, I said that you love it.

 

mr blur

(7,753 posts)
169. So, do you post something in the echo chamber and then rush over to see
Sun Feb 22, 2015, 10:41 AM
Feb 2015

if you've been noticed?

That's very sad, you know, not to mention rather needy.

Still, there's one thing worse than being talked about, isn't there Justin?

 

hrmjustin

(71,265 posts)
170. No actually mocking threads of other members are not allowed in Interfaith.
Sun Feb 22, 2015, 11:24 AM
Feb 2015

We enforce that rule Mr. Blur. We don't feel the need to mock other members beliefs here.

Sad that adults members of other groups feel the need to mock others faith here.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
86. You need to provide a precise and concise definition.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 03:56 PM
Feb 2015

You continue to call yourself this, but I don't really know what you mean. I think you are using the word differently than other people do.

So, please provide a definition, otherwise this just feels like baiting.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
99. I read the whole thread before I asked and I am still not getting
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 05:06 PM
Feb 2015

any clarity of what this means.

I know that some atheists that post here have stridently objected to the use of this term and that many have responded to that and quit using it.

So I am doubly at a loss why someone would self-identify with this term.

Agreement on a definition might be very helpful.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
125. In case you don't see it below, I think I understand.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 07:06 PM
Feb 2015

He is militant about some things. He is an atheist.

The word militant does not describe his atheism, it describes his approach to certain causes.

Combining the two into one phrase is misleading at best.

Rainforestgoddess

(436 posts)
131. I did see that exchange, yes
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 08:31 PM
Feb 2015

But I felt the need to respond in kind with completely off topic and ridiculous accusations.

Still not sure if you've got to the bottom of it.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
111. You once self-identified as a militant.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 05:59 PM
Feb 2015
So I am doubly at a loss why someone would self-identify with this term.


Why do you find it surprising that others would do likewise?

Perhaps we define the term differently.

Back in the day, when I was marching in protests with signs and costumes, I considered myself and my colleagues pretty militant.

We were proud of it. We were making a statement and putting our cause out there in ways that were hard to ignore.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/121812151#post23

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
114. I was actively involved in the anti-war movement. We had a cause. I am at a
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 06:09 PM
Feb 2015

loss to understand what your cause is.

Is your cause atheism? If so, what is the statement you are trying to make?

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
118. What is your cause that would warrant calling yourself a militant atheist?
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 06:20 PM
Feb 2015

Perhaps this is the problem. You are an atheist and you also are militant about certain topics. The problem is that the two appear entirely unrelated and when you call yourself a "militant atheist", it really just looks like you are itching for a fight.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
120. I can give you an example if you want, but...
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 06:39 PM
Feb 2015

...I can't narrow it down to a single "cause".

I don't even remember them all. I'm old as dirt. I've probably been busted somewhere between 30 or 40 times, for various things.

Individual examples are easy if you want them, but it's hard to narrow it down the way you seem to want me to.

when you call yourself a "militant atheist", it really just looks like you are itching for a fight.


Well, militant anything does indicate a willingness to engage in struggle, I suppose, but don't see why folks should get upset at people just because of who they are.

Folks certainly shouldn't be accusing us of burning churches.



cbayer

(146,218 posts)
121. OK, I'm getting the picture. You are these two things but they are not related to
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 06:52 PM
Feb 2015

one another in any way except that you wear them both.

It would be like saying "I wear a red hat" when you are wearing a hat and your sweater is red.

You are a militant. You are an atheist. The mistake you are making is clear. You are combining the two things in a way that would indicate that your were describing your atheism as militant.

No one is upset with you because of who you are and no one has accused you of burning churches. You are truly manufacturing outrage, perhaps because your basic personality is militant and you are more than just willing to engage in a struggle.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
124. This bears no resemblance at all to psychoanalysis, but I am beginning
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 07:01 PM
Feb 2015

to understand that your definitions leave something to be desired.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
135. I'm sure that we disagree...
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 09:10 PM
Feb 2015

...on lots of things, including definitions.

Maybe we even have disagreements on the nature of the struggle between Church and State.

Who knows?



But the demonization of Militants that goes on here in this forum needs to stop.

GODS OF METAL PLOWSHARES

On May 17, 1998, the 30th anniversary of the Catonsville Nine action, Sr. Carol Gilbert, OP, and Sr. Ardeth Platte, OP., previous plowshares participants from Jonah House; Fr. Larry Morlan of the Silo Plowshares; Fr. Frank Cordaro, from Des Moines, Iowa; and Kathy Boylan, past plowshares participant, disarmed a nuclear-capable B-52 bombers during the Department of Defense Open House at Andrews Air Force Base. As hundreds of spectators looked on, the five poured blood and hammered on the inside and outside of the bomb bay missile hatches and doors of the plane. Ardeth was temporarily restrained by a spectator but was able to rejoin the others. As the group began their action, Fr. Cordaro shouted: “Sisters and Brothers, let us disarm these gods of metal.” The group then unfurled their banner, prayed, passed out leaflets to those nearby and explained to onlookers the meaning of their action. They were then arrested and placed under arrest by base security. They were charged with depredation of government property and released.

On September 22, they were tried by a judge in US Federal Court in Greenbelt, MD. Their two-day trial included moving testimony from each defendant, and International law expert, Francis Boyle, was allowed to testify. Following their conviction they requested immediate sentencing. When they were denied this request, they informed the court they could not promise to return for sentencing. They remained in jail until January 4, their sentencing date. Frank, Carol and Ardeth were sentenced to six months in jail while Larry was sentenced to four months imprisonment. Due to her previous record, Kathy was given a 10-month prison sentence.

http://www.jonahhouse.org/archive/godsofmetal.htm

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
149. I doubt that we disagree on all that much really, but
Sat Feb 21, 2015, 10:14 AM
Feb 2015

on this I think we are going to disagree.

I am not opposed to the word militant when used in many ways. Militancy can be a very good thing, particularly early in a movement or when a movement has stalled.

However, the term "militant atheist" has a rather distinct definition and defines ones atheism as militant. I don't think that describes you and I think that those that object to the term have a good argument for doing so.

There is no demonization of militants going on, it is only that you have personally rubbed some people the wrong way.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
110. Active, confrontational nonviolent action/resistance.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 05:54 PM
Feb 2015

I use it pretty much the same way as the Militant Christian MLK uses it in the quote in my sigfile.

That's how everybody who I know uses it.

I'm not sure why some folks here at DU accuse me of burning churches and stuff just because of who I am.

It's not baiting to be yourself when others are attempting to shove you in the closet.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
113. MLK used it in describing his civil rights work. What are you
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 06:06 PM
Feb 2015

actively confronting and where are you employing nonviolent action/resistance? What exactly is the cause for which you display militancy?

In general parlance and in regards to religion, militant is used to describe radical islamists and fundamental christians that kill abortion providers.

Because of the negative connotations, some atheists who post here regularly have strongly objected to use of the term when describing atheists who are merely vocal or provocative.

I don't think anyone wants to shove you in a closet, they just have no idea what you mean.

Since you are not only insisting on embracing the term but are now using it as a way to call out and attack others, it looks very much like baiting.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
115. Calling out bigotry is not baiting.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 06:13 PM
Feb 2015
Since you are not only insisting on embracing the term but are now using it as a way to call out and attack others, it looks very much like baiting.


I'm being accused of burning churches simply because of who I am.



cbayer

(146,218 posts)
117. You are not calling out bigotry at all. You are fabricating an argument.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 06:18 PM
Feb 2015

You are creating outrage because people don't agree with your definition.

You still haven't told me what your cause is. I really think you need to do that if we are going to continue this.

trotsky

(49,533 posts)
102. Indeed.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 05:11 PM
Feb 2015

While we can all agree the use of "militant" w.r.t. terms like "pacifist" or "vegetarian" or "feminist" is clearly tongue-in-cheek and not intended to imply real physical violence, when it comes to religion the connotation is clear.

EvolveOrConvolve

(6,452 posts)
128. A couple of things
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 07:55 PM
Feb 2015

First, "militant atheist" is often used as a pejorative by religious believers that want to marginalize atheists. It provides an easy way for them to explain away a topic that makes them uncomfortable. You may self-identify as a "militant atheist", but the atheists I know don't like the term for the reasons I pointed out in this post, and in the Atheists and Agnostics group, its usage is seen as an accusation and is verboten. The term is also used by actual militant atheists who advocate violence against the religious. Based on those two usages, I have no fucking clue why you would try to identify as such.

Second, you weren't blocked from A&A to "silence you" but because you don't play well with others, you can't seem to go a day without being insulting, and you can't follow the rules. It has nothing to do with fear as your OP suggests, and everything to do with the fact that you're a jerk to almost every atheist that interacts with you.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
129. I will not be pushed into the closet.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 08:22 PM
Feb 2015

I may very well stop posting here at DU, since my mere existence seems to disturb some folks here so deeply, but I most certainly will not be pushed into the closet.

I've fought too damn long to eliminate closets to even think of doing that.

EvolveOrConvolve

(6,452 posts)
130. If you self identify with a term that's insulting to atheists and is used by violent atheists
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 08:31 PM
Feb 2015

Then yes, your existence probably does disturb some folks here at DU. It's like the difference between being an environmentalist and being an E.L.F. terrorist. If someone self-identified themselves at DU with E.L.F., they wouldn't last long.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Liberation_Front

I think it's frustrating to some that you can't make this distinction. You certainly seem intelligent enough to understand it, but seem stubbornly resistant to admit you are wrong. And yep, that's going to piss people off.

EvolveOrConvolve

(6,452 posts)
133. I didn't say you were
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 08:46 PM
Feb 2015

I said you self identified using a phrase that's insulting to many atheists here at DU, and that it was also a term used by a group of atheists that argue for violent acts of terrorism to achieve their aims. I didn't accuse you of being a terrorist but rather questioned why you would self identify with a term that has terrorist connotations.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
134. This is McCarthyism, plain and simple.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 08:55 PM
Feb 2015
why you would self identify with a term that has terrorist connotations.


And this time you're doing it to your fellow atheists.

EvolveOrConvolve

(6,452 posts)
137. Amazing
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 09:15 PM
Feb 2015

It's like you didn't read the post at all and instead responded to some caricature you've drawn up out of whole cloth. I can almost see your teeth-grinding, fist-clenching, eye-popping anger through your posts, and I think you need to chill out before you lose it and earn another time-out.

Let me reiterate the points I was trying to make: you're absolutely welcome to define yourself anyway you'd like, even if the term you use has violent connotations and is considered insulting by many of your fellow atheists. Just don't expect us to either condone it or to put up with you trying to apply that term to us.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
168. What does this even mean?
Sun Feb 22, 2015, 09:07 AM
Feb 2015
or to put up with you trying to apply that term to us.


Have I ever said you are a militant atheist?

Not sure if this is a walkback or an overactive imagination.

Do you commonly warn Christians not to call you a Christian, also?

Do you commonly warn gay folks not to call you gay?


EvolveOrConvolve

(6,452 posts)
171. I'd believed for a time that you were being purposefully obtuse
Sun Feb 22, 2015, 12:45 PM
Feb 2015

Like some sort of weird and obscure performance art. Now I'm not so sure. I think you may actually not get it.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
142. Gay rights stuff. I'm a militant atheist, remember?
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 09:26 PM
Feb 2015

Or are you one of those who think we burn churches?





Act_of_Reparation

(9,116 posts)
143. Oh, I get it. You're comparing your experiences here to stigmatization homosexuals face.
Fri Feb 20, 2015, 09:28 PM
Feb 2015

You have an awfully high opinion of yourself.

 

NYC_SKP

(68,644 posts)
166. An absurd and self-indulgent thread, moderators would have removed it back in the day.
Sat Feb 21, 2015, 11:16 PM
Feb 2015

It doesn't fit the SOP, it's a form of a callout, and just unproductive twaddle.

There are such thinks as militant atheists, none of them post on this board, IMO.

But in any event, precise definitions are needed.

Perhaps the murderer of those poor people, Craig Hicks, would be better defined as an murderous atheist.

But then I never met the dude.

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