The Responsibility of Atheists

[EducationIsCool]

The Responsibility of Atheists
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TKBLL3WpMk

 

[Prolescum]

Atheists have no responsibility to do anything "as atheists". As citizens of secular countries they have a duty support and maintain secular values, but that has nothing to do with not believing in gods. The "secular" banner is adequate for the task.

I am generally wary of any grouping that purports to speak for a selection of people without their consent, and particularly something as non-defining as atheism; it's why I don't support atheism+.

Of course, I'm speaking as a non-American so my view of the atheist "movement" is significantly different to many American atheists I've discussed it with. I don't have dozens of creationist legislators for example. But I feel that these groups (such as American Atheists) are going about it all wrong; they're playing into the hands of these fundies by aligning together, giving the impression of a voting bloc, a creed, a comparable grouping to their own - which opens up an attack vector ("atheism is a religion/group just like mine", "all atheists believe [insert whatever here]" etc). This is also why I dislike it when people (particularly atheists) write atheist or atheism with a capital letter, giving the reader the impression that, being a proper noun, it is an actual entity and therefore has a system of behaviour, a dogma, or a set of beliefs to promulgate.

 

[Mugnuts]

I'm Canadian and it should really effect me that much, but it's kind of hard to ignore when political parties of your superpower neighbor are lobbying for the things they do. "Tea Party". nuff said.