Christians Picketing
Matthew Shepherd's Funeral
Holly
From: "Holly"
To: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
Subject: Positive_Atheism_Letters_Section
Date: Sunday, January 07, 2001 9:15 PM
Christians have some nerve.
I was just thinking about Matthew Shepard, the young gay man who was beaten and tied to a post and later died. At his funeral were several Christians smiling, and bearing signs reading things like: "That fag Michael is burning in Hell now." How nice for the young man's parents to have to see that.
Have you ever heard of any atheists showing up at a Christian's funeral holding signs saying, "The bitch is dead, gone, rotting; she can't see you now."
I've never heard of atheists doing such acts, only good Christians.
Holly
From: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
To: "Holly"
Subject: Re: Positive_Atheism_Letters_Section
Date: Monday, January 08, 2001 1:16 AM
Some ideologies are conducive to exclusivism, fundamentalism, and dogmatism, an extreme form of which we witnessed at Matthew's funeral. Just because a viewpoint lends itself to an exclusivistic approach doesn't mean that all who hold that viewpoint will practice that ideology exclusivisticly. Some forms of atheism (specifically, "No gods exist") can likewise lend themselves to exclusivism. Even science has been known to get out of hand, particularly when forced to fight what many call "pseudoscience." I don't think any ideology is immune to fundamentalism, although some belief systems lend themselves more readily to these abuses while others tend to resist this tendency.
If I were predisposed to being spiteful and vindictive, I could probably justify acting this way from almost any viewpoint (though, again, some viewpoints would make it easier to justify being this way). It is not which ideology (theism or atheism) that concerns me as much as how a perticular belief system is practiced by particular individuals and groups. Thus, I oppose fundamentalism and dogmatism, both within theism and within atheism, but I do not spend much effort opposing theism itself. I wrote about fundamentalism within organized atheism in my December, 1999, column, "Atheism & Fundamentalism."
I spent the afternoon with a gentleman who assures me that I am on the right track when I oppose fundamentalism wherever I find it, while practicing a live-and-let-live attitude when it comes to the question of theism versus atheism.
Cliff Walker
"Positive Atheism" Magazine
Five years of service to
people with no reason to believe
P.O. Box 16811
Portland, OR 97292
http://www.PositiveAtheism.org/
editor@positiveatheism.org
"My conclusion is that there is no reason to
believe any of the dogmas of traditional
theology and, further, that there is no
reason to wish that they were true. Man,
in so far as he is not subject to natural
forces, is free to work out his own destiny.
The responsibility is his, and so is the
opportunity."
-- Bertrand Russell (1872-1970),
"Is There a God?" (1952)
"The legitimate powers of government extend
to such acts only as are injurious to others.
-- Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
"Statute for Religious Freedom"
From: "Holly"
To: "Positive Atheism Magazine" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
Subject: Re: Positive_Atheism_Letters_Section
Date: Monday, January 08, 2001 3:13 AM
Thanks for the response and I do understand about the fundamentalism. It's very easy to get an "us against them" attitude once in a while, particularly when you were first trained to be that way as a Christian!
Keep the articles coming.
Sincerely,
Holly
Material by Cliff Walker (including unsigned editorial commentary) is copyright ©1995-2006 by Cliff Walker. Each submission is copyrighted by its writer, who retains control of the work except that by submitting it to Positive Atheism, permission has been granted to use the material or an edited version: (1) on the Positive Atheism web site; (2) in Positive Atheism Magazine; (3) in subsequent works controlled by Cliff Walker or Positive Atheism Magazine (including published or posted compilations). Excerpts not exceeding 500 words are allowed provided the proper copyright notice is affixed. Other use requires permission; Positive Atheism will work to protect the rights of all who submit their writings to us.