I didn’t know there was a giant rift among atheists over Christmas, but apparently there is because CNN is writing about it:
CNN Blog — The Christmas season is revealing a growing rift among American atheists when it comes to the question of how to deal with religion.
Some atheist activists are trying to seize the holidays as a time to build bridges with faith groups, while other active unbelievers increasingly see Christmas as a central front in the war on religious faith. With the dramatic growth of the nonreligious in the last few decades, more atheist leaders are emerging as spokespeople for atheism, but the Christmas rift speaks to growing disagreement over how atheists should treat religion.
Hmm. I find myself in the veritable control room of the League of Mad-scientist Atheist plotters and I’ve seen no discussion between these two factions to speak of on this matter. Maybe I’m being protected or something, dunno.
But on a broader note, there is some value in having a contingent of so-called “militants” in the house. In the sense the so-called moderates can point to them and say to the oppositions’ leaders “I’d like to compromise with you on this, but I have to keep these crazy bastards happy.” See Cliff, Fiscal.
Then again, maybe the rift is already so big that you can’t talk across it anymore?
Why only two factions?
It’s true; my secret cohort of the EAC splintered over the question of whether we should be nailing kittens or puppies to church doors.
NAILING? That’s what the enemy is EXPECTING! They’ve been expecting us to use nails for nearly 2000 years!
I believe there is also a deep rift between the supporters of six- as opposed to three-inch nails, and as for those irretrievably lost heretics who use steel rather than plain iron …
Stedman and Silverman could be the poster boys for the two factions I guess.
Classic divide and conquer tactics 101.
There is no rift as far as I am aware…never has been!
And who are the atheist warriors waging unrelenting and bloody war on the front-line at xmas?…that was not really clear!
This is a sop and dog whistle to xtian troops feeling groggy after Romney got shafted, every enemy divided against itself is grist for their mill and helps keep their peckers up, like not all is bad news!
And it is a tactic probably invented by the xtians many moons ago, although they probably knicked it from the military, and employed at global, country, state, region, enclave!
They find it handy that it is multi-use. from governmental to those ‘hellbound atheists down the block’, next village, next town, next city over!
When debate and argument are not convincing enough and lack certain qualities like ‘reality’ then the plan B is to try and get the enemy scrapping b’twixt ‘n’ b’tween themselves!
Surprised that CNN has fallen for it though…maybe they have a jeebus drooler on staff!
Or one paying their wages!
Personally, I think having a few up front, in your face, downright rude people in a movement is a big help to whatever the mainstream for that movement is.
In my 70s feminist life, I and many other people in pearls, business suits and wedding rings had a much easier time of it (for given values of easier) because of the shaved heads, overalls and safety pin earrings of other more vocal and visible parts of the movement. And didn’t Stokely Carmichael (or someone similar) suggest that it was easier for MLK to get through doors because people were afraid that if he was turned away, then the black power folks would turn up instead.
@4. Randomfactor :
Well I did hear they worked pretty well once around that time .. right?
Would perhaps glue or sticky tape or really strong bluetack work better now tho?
*Deeeeeeeeeep Riiiifts! * (Or, y’know, not.)