"Atheists challenge the religious right"

[Eric J in MN]

By Jane Lampman | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
For some time, the religious right has decried "secular humanism," a philosophy that rejects the supernatural or spiritual as a basis for moral decisionmaking. But now, nonbelievers are vigorously fighting back.

Only a small percentage of Americans admit to being nontheists (between 2 and 9 percent, depending on the poll), but that equates to many millions. And religionists' role in debates over stem-cell research and evolution vs. intelligent design - as well as radical religion in world conflicts - have galvanized some atheists to mount a counteroffensive.

In bestselling books, on websites, and with a national lobbying effort, atheists and other nontheists are challenging the growing religious influence in government and public life. Some are attacking the foundations of religion itself.

Two particularly provocative books, in fact, hit the top of Publishers Weekly's religion bestseller list in December. No. 1, "The God Delusion," by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, and No. 2, "Letter to a Christian Nation," by writer Sam Harris, are no-holds-barred, antireligion polemics that call for the eradication of all manifestations of faith.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0104/p13s01-lire.html

[Az]

1. I like to point out

Assuming 10% of the population is nontheistic that means 5 stars on the flag are atheist. 5 states. So remember we are a vital part of the nation. Unless you want to rip five stars from the flag.

[YOY]

2. Nontheist can mean agnostic as well

n/t

[A HERETIC I AM]

3. It can and does include many Buddhists

Many sects of Buddhism are atheistic.

[kevinbgoode]

5. Add to that about 20 million gay Americans

who are fed up with the constant demonization of our citizenship and the constant demands to remove our human and constitutional rights, and you've got another couple of stars there. . .if 10% is openly atheist, and we remove 20 percent from the gay population total of those are also atheist, we are talking about some 45-50 million Americans.

[TechBear_Seattle]

8. The actual number is about 14%

That's closer to six stars than five.

American Religious Identification Survey of 2001

[JNelson6563]

4. Ah, excellent news.

And I really need to get my hands on both of those books cited in article you posted.

Thanks. :toast:

Julie

[NoodleyAppendage]

6. Damn Straight! It's high time for a push back against DARK AGES THINKING.

If our species is to survive, we MUST rid ourselves of the notion that "things will be better in the afterlife," as it is this sort of delusional wishing that prevents us from doing the things necessary for our civilization's survival.

We should hold no quarter for ignorance and superstitious delusion.

[baldguy]

7. Dogmatic totalitarian theocrats are about 5% too.

Why are there never corporate media stories about how few, extreme, and unAmerican those people are?

[valerief]

9. There are the atheists who aren't afraid to admit to being atheists

and then there are the atheists who say they're of the religion they were raised with, because they don't want theists barking at them. It's easier to throw out a religion bone and the mad dog theists leave you alone. (Not all theists are mad dogs, but the few that are can be unbearable.)

So I think the number of *real* atheists is much, much higher.

Think of it like this. When the Iraq war began, many Americans didn't know what to believe. Was the war "right?" Or "wrong?" I think most people thought it was probably "wrong" since most people didn't trust Bush and didn't vote for him and many figured he'd do something like take us to war for profit. Well, the noisemakers with their "Why do you hate America?" rhetoric got people to say that the war was "right" in conversations even though most people knew they didn't have enough information at the time to have a good opinion on it (most people get their info from the Corporate MSM, after all).

Theism/atheism works the same way.