Agnosticism / Atheism: What's Hot Now: Imposing Secular Religion

Agnosticism / Atheism: What's Hot Now These articles that had the largest increase in popularity over the last week // via fulltextrssfeed.com

Imposing Secular Religion Oct 13th 2011, 10:02 Do Atheists Want to Impose their Secular Religion on America & Christians?: There is a popular belief with America's Christian Right that secularism is really an atheistic conspiracy and, in essence, an attempt by atheists to impose a secular religion on America. This would undermine Christians' religious liberty and force them to conform to atheists' secular, possibly communist, vision for America. None of this is even remotely true: most atheists are not religious, secularism by definition cannot be a religion, atheists are not interested in undermining religious liberty, and secularism protects Americans' religious liberty more than anything else - including Christians' religious liberty. Is Secularism a Religion?: Calling secularism (the insistence on separation of church and state) a religion should be instantly recognized as an oxymoron, analogous to claiming that bachelors can be married. Sadly this is not the case, and it has become far too common for critics of secularism to claim that it's a religion which is being improperly supported by the government. Examining the characteristics which define religions as distinct from other types of belief systems reveals just how wrong such claims are. Secularism Is Not a Religion Is Godless Liberalism a Religion?: Calling "Godless Liberalism" a religion should be instantly recognized as an ideological attack rather than a neutral observation of facts. Sadly this is not the case and it has become far too common for critics of liberalism to claim that it's inherently godless and religious, thus hoping to discredit liberal policies before they are even considered. Examining the characteristics which define religions as distinct from other types of belief systems reveals just how wrong such claims are. Godless Liberalism Is Not a Religion Secularism 101: What is Secularism?: Secularism is one of the most important movements of the modern West. The influence and power of secularism differentiate the modern West from the Middle Ages and from other regions around the world. Secularism defines the modern West; for some, that is a reason to cheer secularism on, but for others it is a reason to mourn. Secularism preserves the religious neutrality of government and culture, but critics contend that it is an atheistic conspiracy against religion and Christianity. What is Secularism Does Secular Fundamentalism Exist? Do Secular Fundamentalists Exist?: Some Christians say they are in conflict with "secular fundamentalism," but what is this and does it even exist? The most basic characteristics of Christian fundamentalism can't apply to secularism of any sort: virgin birth & deity of Jesus, substitutionary death & physical resurrection of Jesus, and a literal heaven/hell. These aren't the limits of the concept, since the label applies to other religions, but even the characteristics which apply most broadly can't be applied to secularism. Secular Fundamentalism Freedom of Religion Requires Freedom From Religion: Conservatives insist that the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, not freedom from religion, and argue against strict separation of church and state. Too often, though, conservatives seem to have a flawed understanding of what freedom from religion really entails and fail to realize that freedom from religion is crucial to religious liberty in general. Freedom From Religion Militant Atheists are Atheist Fundamentalists, a New Atheism: There seems to be an increasing number of people responding to atheist critiques of religion or theism by labeling the person a "fundamentalist" atheist. The label is problematic because there are no essential or "fundamental" beliefs for an atheist to be "fundamentalist" about. So why do people use the label? Why do so many people feel that the label is appropriate? This seems to be mostly due to misunderstandings about and prejudice against fundamentalism and the label cannot be applied to atheists. Fundamentalist Atheism / Atheistic Fundamentalism Does Not Exist Do Atheists Interfere with Theists' Religious Expression, Free Exercise?: There's nothing about religious theism that would cause a person to imagine that they are being persecuted, but it is something common to Christians. Christianity has taught from the very beginning that adherents would be persecuted for their faith, and the assumption that this is what must happen continues through today, even among Christians who are well-off and suffer from no oppression. In such cases they have to manufacture sources of persecution, and atheists are usually high on the list. Atheists Don't Try to Suppress Religion Why Atheists Care About Secularism? Atheists, Secularism, Secular Government: There is nothing about atheism which absolutely requires that one care about secularism. In practice, however, secularism and secular government are the primary foundations for religious liberty in society. This protects irreligious atheists who dissent from the dominant cultural expressions of religion from being forced into supporting, expressing, and helping religious beliefs and institutions in any way. Secularism benefits everyone, religious theists as well, but it helps remove the presumption of religious belief from public institutions. Atheists, Secularism, Secular Government Godless American Institutions: America's Godless Government Many claim that America is a Christian Nation, but a better argument can be made for the idea that America's government is and should be godless. American government is godless because gods have no role in creating, executing, enforcing, or deciding the constitutionality of laws. Gods have no role in the structure of government, who serves in the government, or how it operates. Despite some references to a god, the simple fact is that gods are fundamentally irrelevant and should remain so. Godless Government America's Godless Constitution The Christian Right regularly claims that America is a "Christian Nation" and was founded on Christian principles. If this is the case, then those principles should be identifiable in America's founding legal document, the Constitution. If the Constitution explicitly reflects Christian principles and doctrines, then the Christian Right is correct that America was founded on Christianity; otherwise, their claims are wishful thinking at best. So where are God and religion in the Constitution? Godless Constitution America's Godless Public Square A common complaint from the Christian Right is that strict separation of church and state threatens to create a "godless" or naked public square and that the goal of secularists, godless atheists, and godless liberals is to do just that. A godless public square appears to be the worst nightmare for the Christian Right, and even some liberal Christians have bought into the idea that there is something wrong with this. They don't realize that the public square is already godless - as it should be. Godless Public Square

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