In which way are you doing something similar?

* Do you go out on the streets preaching to anyone within earshot? Do you do anything and everything you can to get communication going with politicians and try to influence their views, upcoming laws etc based on your beliefs? Do you make yourself known to the media and try to influence them based on your beliefs? Do you try to affect worldviews and anyone with power based on your beliefs? If so, you're on par with the extreme fundamentalist and extreme evangelical christians.
* Do you go out doorknocking to try and spread the fallacies of religion? Do you set up stalls with Atheist propaganda or do letterbox runs with such items? Do you speak in public, but only at occasions where people are only there because they are interested in your views and what you have to say? If so, you're on par with moderate evangelical christians.
* Do you try to bring it up in general conversations with people? If so, you're on par with the more vocal and outgoing moderate christians.
* Do you only speak your mind when others bring up the topic? Do you only defend your views if others approach you to do so? If so, you're on par with the moderate christians.
* Do you hide away and try to not let others know your real views? If so, you're on par with (unfortunately) the majority of Atheists.


One thing many "typical" or "moderate" atheists accuse the Rational Response Squad of is being fundamentalist, evangelical, and sometimes even extremist. The most I have seen is action on par with the moderate evangelical christians from my questions above, and even then it is not as regular active or loud. The majority of us on the boards I hazard to say are actually only on par with moderate christians, yet we get labelled as fundamentalist or evangelical.

You must remember when it comes to theism and atheism that a label applied to theists is VERY different to that same label applied to atheists.


As to your question on how you should act, there's a number of different ways you can look at this. The majority of Atheists see the way evangelical christians and up act and they are embarrased by it. They dislike when these types of christians spread their ignorance. These atheists don't want other atheists to be seen in the same light and try to keep the rest of us a few steps below it, sometimes to our detriment. They think along the lines "don't sink to their level, or we will be seen as being no different".

This passiveness won't work, we'll keep hiding away until there's nothing left.

Another way to think of it is the golden rule. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". Well, lets turn that statement around. "Others want done unto them as they do unto you". Logically (and I use this word regrettably as logic and religion very rarely if ever co-exist) if a theist was to believe in this teaching and evangelised to you, knocked on your door, tried to force their religion on you ... then they want you to knock on their door, they want you to evangelise to them and try to break them from their religion.

This is where I personally see the RRS as fitting in. The RRS are doing unto the theists as the theists do to us but our efforts are more reactive where the theists are proactive. We react to what they do, and give them the same.

They use strong phrases like "homosexuality is the devil", so we react in like with "religion is a mind virus". They come off with an air of mightier than thou due saying they are chosen and will definitely go to heaven while everyone else is damned to hell, we come off with an air of mightier than though because we actually understand the concepts of science and logic.

Moderate evangelical christians and lower are along those lines, I'm yet to hear of an atheist who isn't like that as well. There may not be agreements with views and beliefs but unlike evangelical and above, we don't refuse contact or technology/knowledge on those who do not share our beliefs.



Yep, the fact that if given enough proof and evidence, we will accept new things. If everything these theists profess was to be proven tomorrow with undisputable evidence, we would believe in creationism, a 6000 year old world, Jesus and even God. In the meantime, we believe that which has has the proof and that which has the evidence.




Disclaimer: These are purely my own personal views of where the RRS stands. I may be completely incorrect and would appreciate being corrected. At this stage I myself am at the "moderate christian" level, but until the last few months was on the "majority of atheists". I would like to take the next step up.

P.S. Fuck me, I was expecting this reply to be a few paragraphs at most. How the hell can I crap on that much?

If you're going to stand on a crate beside a flaming garbage can and start screaming scientific theories then yeah, I'd say you're going too far. But calm rational discourse? Nothing wrong with that. Don't make it the only thing you talk about, but don't be afraid to talk about it either.

Constructive actions, like the Atheist blood drive, speak for themselves. If the topic of religion is brought up, the best thing is to speak plainly and calmly in address of whatever comes up. If you're asked whether you believe in “god,” tell the truth. It's impossible to persuade a person with sheer insistence. In the moment there will always be an impasse. An intelligent person is helpless when their own questions are brought to the fore and given a voice, and eventually their doubts will be too much to bear. That's my view.