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WHAT IS MILITANT ATHEISM? Militant atheism is an extreme form of atheism. Its two main characteristics are that it is hostile to religion and it is bent on destroying any vestiges of God and religion. The following quote, by Julian Baggini, a committed atheist author, summarizes militant atheism very clearly. Although …atheism I not necessarily hostile to religion, there are, of course some atheists who are hostile to religion, and not just fundamentalist religions….Atheism which is actively hostile to religion I would call militant. To be hostile in this sense requires more than just strong disagreement with religion—it requires something verging on hatred and is characterized by a desire to wipe out all forms of religious beliefs. Militant atheists tend to make one or both of two claims that atheists do not. The first is that religion is demonstrably false or nonsense, and the second is that it is usually or always harmful. (1) Thus, militant atheism is driven by a hatred and hostility toward any kind of religion, without distinction. This high level of enmity blinds them to the good religion has done, or is doing and fails to acknowledge the possibility that there might be a wide variety of religious expressions ranging from extremist groups, on one side of the belief continuum, to very sincere, loving and service-oriented groups, on the other side. Unfortunately, it is this kind of rage that has led to extreme forms of militant atheism in the past that led to the persecution of religions and the killing of a great many, as it has occurred in many Communist countries. This site is concerned about their fanaticism and growth and takes a stand against them by spotlighting their extremism, their lies, their agenda and much more. ___________________ (1) Baggini, Julian, Atheism a Very Short Introduction. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2003), 101. RELATED WEB SITES
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