Fundamentalist Atheism

Giles Fraser is critical of the high self-regard which some humanists have of themselves and their "creed". He does not appear to have been the first to have done so by any means as he himself acknowledges when he quotes Friedrich Nietzsche, who was not known for holding Christianity in high regard, as saying

"How much boundlessly stupid naivety is there in the scholar's belief in his superiority, in the good conscience of his tolerance, in the simple, unsuspecting certainty with which his instincts treat the religious man as inferior and a lower type which he has himself evolved above and beyond."

Statements from prominent atheists such as

"Total victory is the only acceptable goal in a mind-control war, because humanity is diminished so long as a single mind remains trapped in superstition."

ought to disquiet anyone who regards themselves as a free thinker. Yet it this very ability that atheists gift themselves as having in greater quantity than the "superstitious" religionists. He mocks those self-proclaimed free-thinkers who see themselves

"as agents of some subversive counterculturalism. This is ridiculous to Da Vinci Code proportions."

Why? Because as any fule kno,

"..atheism is about as alternative as Rod Stewart."

He goes on to make the distinction that exists between the ordinary and the born-again.

"While the ordinary atheist remains indifferent to religion and all its ways, the born-again atheist has adopted the worst arrogance of Christian fundamentalists - just in negative."

This is where my only criticism, slight as it is, stems from. In restricting his article to the debate between the dogmatic elements of Christianity and atheism, he misses out the even more radical fundamentalism hailing from Islam. However, almost as if to plug up the gap in this argument comes a piece from Bernard Crick in the very same paper which addresses the need for humanists to work with the religious moderates against the real "enemy", fundamentalism in any creed:

"If we humanists are fully secure in our non-belief, scepticism and secularism, we can work together with those of all beliefs who fight against new or born-again enemies to freedom. We should not confuse the pinpricks of religiosity (religious broadcasting on the BBC) or the specific body blows of even the modern Catholic church with the real threats to democracy, freedom and international law now posed by both Christian and Muslim fundamentalists."

Continuing on in a similar vein, my attention was drawn to this article on the strange fruits of multiculturalism via this blog entry from The Cabarfeidh Pages.