Organized religion is often such a dualistic concept: childish and dominant, strong convictions but easy to offend, in love (they say) but still so hateful, a message of truth born out of contradictions, the word of God but always promoted by self selected chieftains, a belief but still the truth.

But most importantly, a great force, a political and moral player but a spoiled child when criticized. Always proclaiming itself to be a exception, a dog under the dinner table, eyes wide and damp, the other second a wolf crying from the altar, claiming the earth as it’s own - We the selected few, we the righteous!

- To say, take it easy, let’s be friends, is the attitude that never worked with religion. It say whatever it wants to from under the dinner table, words like “love, honesty, openness and respect”, never out of nice ways to humble around. The next second they rally the congregation from the pulpit, talking of “Damnation, punishment, sin, love and at the same time fear of the great God the enlighten preacher only know how to interpret”.

Religion, the self righteous and self pitying brake block of humanity…

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The problem with religion, as alabasterocean pointed out, is their infinite ability and willingness to be offended. There is no way to say that you don’t believe in god and not offend a believer. And if we believe in reason and intellectual honesty, then there can be no coalition between atheists and moderate believers, even if it would help subdue radical religion, which I honestly doubt. If we believe that there is no god, then we cannot say that radical religion is more wrong than moderate religion because if you peel the onion of religion it comes down to intolerance, bigotry and willful abandonment of reason.

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I find protests, such as this, counterproductive to our efforts.

A “schism”, if you will, is not unique to the secular movement. Many of his fellow countrymen disagreed with Ghandi’s ahimsa approach to protesting as did some members of the civil rights movement with Martin Luther King, Jr. The level of aggression will continually be up for debate.

However, this type of protesting is juvenile. A movement of reason must be projected reasonably. Do we feel the opinions of the indoctrinated religious masses will be swayed with hairdryers? This type of activity is simply designed to make Atheists feel better about uniting over insults of the opposition. If atheists are to unite it should not be over insults to our opponents. Uniting against something is simple. Uniting for something is difficult. Atheists are too often dismissed as “smug” and “arrogant’. Such labels continue turn away our targeted audience with disgust. This does not help to improve the image.

Some see a protest. I see the Atheist equivalent of a book burning.

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Wow, freethinkers don’t completely agree. Quite a schism you’ve discovered there.

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Reason alone leads to senseless dogma. Sense alone leads to reasonless faith. Reason should be balanced with sense to really flow with change so that feeling and meaning can start to inspire peace.

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Not all atheists think alike.  This is not a good idea, in my opinion.  A “Blasphemy Day” seems like a replacement for something.  I don’t feel like I need a holiday or day to profess my lack of belief in a god or gods.  I do this through civil conversation.  Stopping theism is a daunting task and I do not feel like outright hateful degradation of “potential fellow atheists” is the correct approach .  We have a long way to go and the peace needs to be kept.

I will say that the threat of eternal hellfire is much worse than anything that likely happened on “Blasphemy Day”.

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Is it really this hard for some people to comprehend that disagreeing with each other isn’t necessarily the beginning of a soap opera or the Jerry Springer show?

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I do think moderate religious are as counterproductive to mankind development as these kind of ‘atheist’ initiatives. If this is the best we can do to change this world, in which we have to live with religious bullying, we really need to practice our ‘reason’ marketing strategy. Sorry for being so blunt, but this kind of thing just brings animosity against us and definitely wont help whatever we are trying to do.

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Its easy for you moderate atheists to sit down in your cozy little corners of the earth and speak about the need to treat religious people nicely when you don’t have to witness the unspeakable horrors committed against children in certain parts of the world all in the name of religious belief guided by literal interpretation of the bible. Its time the gloves came off in our dealings with every form of religious belief no matter how innocuous they project themselves to be.

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I think it is safe to assume others will agree with me when I say that I didn’t have a choice to be belitted, chastized, insulted and discouraged as a child raised in a religion.  The way they treated me in my youth while forever altering my life and taking from me wha I cannever get back, I think the portraits of ‘jesus’ and whatever else went on there was quite polite compared to what they deserve.

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Modalov,
I’m not a moderate atheist. I’m quite active thank you. but my point is; we are not going to get anywhere by offending people that we want to talk to. unless you think this kind of initiative will make some religious people start to think rationally? is that is? or do you think this kind of thing makes atheists come out of the closet? i think the opposite might happen. no one wants to be associated with bad taste.
and by the way, i do think the hair dryer kind of joke is funny. but as a joke. no way we’ll get anywhere with this. don’t take your gloves off. for a movement that wants to be considered as rational, i think being violent might give the wrong perspective for the ones in doubt.

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Adversary,
I’m not trying to say that religious people don’t make us suffer. that would be ridiculous. i just think this doesn’t promote a change. I think you have the right to be angry with what happened to you as everyone that felt something similar around the world. but my question is, is this kind of thing honestly going to help us stopping that?

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Siroilas,
I’m sure you understand that “It’s time the gloves came off” means we should be more critical of religion and the religious. It has nothing to do with violence in any form. And for your suggestion that it could turn people off, well tats a gamble I’m willing to take. It’s not like there’s any precedence for what we’re doing now which suggests to you and others that our message could backfire. Backfire against what I might add? They would try becoming more vocal with their own side of the story? By all means let them bring it on! That’s exactly the point where we want them, debating with us in public were we can put both views side by side. it’s an opportunity we’ve never really had, so why shy away from it? Part of the problem is that the majority of their adherents have never heard another side of the story. Maybe its time they did!

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I think showing religion to be as ludicrous as it actually is can only be a good thing. Superstition deserves to be mocked into oblivion. Evidence cannot be mocked because it will still be there standing strong.  Demonstrating that you have no fear of imaginary gods, demons, devils, heavens or hells inspires young people to stand up against the indoctrinating bullies all around them knowing that they are not alone.

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Modalov,
I do agree with you that we should be more critical about all the crazy beliefs surrounding us. I do think atheists should be more active. I don’t even think 5% of the atheists do as little as they could. I think we disagree only in how are we going to be active.
I go once a week, to a church and I sit down with some christians and we have a discussion about why they think god is real and why we (the atheists) don’t agree with their (ridiculous) claims. everyone tells their own experiences and views. I’m not going to lie and say that some of them abandoned their religious beliefs, but I can guarantee you that some already started to question them. Now imagine that one of these guys with which I sit down with,is exposed to the kind of atheist initiative that doesn’t do more than make fun of their faith. For this people it’s their life that is at stake. I’m not talking about the Institutions, I’m talking about the individuals.
Now, I know that the world is not all so dandy, but I do think that there is no ‘them’ or ‘us’. I think we’re all a bunch of people that really have to solve this problem, and that we can only do it if we respect each other in order for us to get to an understanding.
but then again, this is just what I think. maybe I’m wrong. thanks for your answer.

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A Bitter Rift Divides Atheists, an article meant to cause a rift where none exists.
I would like to see a better name for those who don’t and cannot admit to the existence of a superior being and universe creator,  We, the human race, create those mental images.  They exist only in our brains but have morphed into huge institutions of power and corruption. 
Meyers made the statement , “Edgy is what young people like.”  i think that young people like is the truth. Everyone wants the truth, but whose?
“The argument for god is not compelling.” paraphrasing Sam Harris.  Since early research is showing that god believers and no-god believers really do believe their beliefs, no-godders must promote reason and thoughtful inquiry, but give the god believers hell for not being able to substantiate their claims.  Challenge the Mormons for their belief in an unknown civilization in the Americas, challenge the actions of religions which cause unnecessary suffering from disease.  The absurdities abound so hit them where it hurts.
Whenever is see pictures of religions hierarchies (the robbed masses in the Vatican for example) I wonder what those people would be doing if they had a real job.  No-godders might do well to consider what social structures might replace those huge organizations of Christianity and Islam.
Humans need a proper education and it starts at a young age. Again to paraphrase Mr. Harris, “This could be turned around in a generation if only parents would tell their children the truth.”

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Religion should be put in the same place as geocentrism or flat earth teachings. Its ridiculous that people still rely on such archaic relics of our pre-science civilization. Its destructive, too, that we allow such teachings to persist in our midst. At the same time its tough to ridicule those you love and that’s where the tough part comes in—balancing the deliver.

But deliver we must.

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siroilas,
  It might help us, it might not.  It depends on the person encountering it.  One might think it tasteless and/or immature to act in such a manner, another might realize that acting out in opposition isn’t going to get him struck with leprosy or lightening ( though it may get him burned at the steak).  It might also show people that it is indeed NOT something deserving of respect or asylum.  Are you telling me that it would be out of taste for people to be dliberately distasteful (but not ujustly) in opposing the ideas of people who raise ther children under strict disciplenary guidance of Harry Potter, Santa or Satan?  Even to the point of drowning to avoid sin, body mutilation, on and on and on?

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I think the atheist ‘rift’ is not unlike the atheist ‘militant’. Very different from it’s religious counterpart.  As others have posted “people who value independent thought coming up with different ideas” doesn’t seem like much of a headline.  I don’t see either ‘side’ making absolute claims to truth or ‘right’

I don’t see Micheal Shermer and Hitchens getting into a cage match anytime soon smile Or the Richard Dawkins Foundation launching a frontal attack the Center For Inquiry lol.

There are arguments for both approaches and everything in-between.  I try to be respectful and listen to folks to the extent possible but by the same token I question my need to ‘respect’ the demonstrably perposterous.  It’s one thing to have friendly debate over a drink with a theologian, but quite another when someone is suggesting that my daughter should learn about the evolution ‘controversy’ or discussing the dead daughter of the faith-healing Neumann family.

The arguments regarding our respect of assertions about fairies and spaghetti monsters vs God(s)  are compelling, I think.  If I am not necessarily required to be that circumspect when discussing one, why then, the other?

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adversary,
maybe I’m giving here a wrong image of my views. I don’t believe in only talking. things like what happens to ‘Jewish’ baby’s, that kind of mutilation, should be exposed and fought on the street (if necessary) and on the media. those kind of atrocities shouldn’t be allowed nowadays and I am all for us to go out there and find a way to stop it. (actually I think that is the main problem of atheists is that they are not half as organized and focused as the religious people).
but my point is that these kind of atheist display of mockery don’t have any effect towards the real problems, and also turn away the religious moderates that may listen to us if we approach them in a different way. if this group wants to be active, why don’t they just get some photos of babies being circumcised and distribute them in the subway or wherever instead of playing around with hairdryers? I mean, I found the joke funny but it is from atheists to atheists, and nothing more. at least with the photos someone would see the real problem we want to fight.
that’s why I didn’t found anything to be happy about in this news. atheists decide to organize and what do they do? tell me you would ever listen to someone who approaches you telling you that you are stupid. i don’t think so.
anyway, this is just my opinion of how we could try to change this world. thanks for your answer. I’m glad we can talk about this stuff and I would like to see more people interested in what’s happening around us.

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