[I have been rather busy and fighting off what I believe to be my yearly lung infection (stupid cigarettes). Reading like crazy though. Did Oliver Twist, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, and The High Crusade in the last two weeks. Not sure what to do about Moby Dick. Story is really good when he is not off yammering away putting me to sleep (note: I am not one of those that believe because something is classic I must praise it or love it!). Started Non-Stop by Brian W. Aldiss tonight. So what? Oh, just dropping a line on why posts have been scant.]
But here is a little rant. I have been following the discussions over at Strange Notions for the last couple of months. But I think I am done with it. I hear the atheists (a group that is largely making a worse and worse impression on me) wail foul when the slightest critical crack is made about atheists in an article (the articles are largely by Catholics). These can be of the smallest slight. I never, in all my card carrying atheist days, would have even noticed such small slights. But these people are like the politically correctoid police howling foul at everything that isn’t sanitized to their pale shade.
The reason for this is simple. Christopher Hitchens some years ago proposed to break the supposed “taboo” that one’s religious views should be respected. People didn’t used to comment, sneer or get in your face if you were religious. No more, declared Hitchens (and probably Dawkins too) get in their face, go on the offensive. That is fair enough, one could never say religion had never been on the offensive.
I see, however, an implicit second side to this. Atheism is now supposedly sacrosanct, and the way to achieve that is to be offended at everything that is not flattery to your side. Wail, cry, moan and complain – cry wolf – then attack, then wail, cry, moan and complain – cry wolf.
But in the comments section they, the atheists, snark away left and right. Highly non-intellectual. And they spout the stupidest assertions as if they already know the subject thereby revealing they do not. I have antennae for such things having spent 20 plus years in Objectivist circles. I think I met two or three non-Objectivists who knew squat about Objectivism. Not, mind you, that this fact of ignorance would stop them. No, the greater the ignorance, the mightier the flow of thy mouth.
Here is a piece of advice – to anyone – don’t know something? Go ask.
This would go against the pride, nay, the vainglory of the typical atheists, especially the type that spends their time arguing about their non-belief online to strangers. And I know of the pride, oh yes, brother, I know it very well. I exalted in it, bathed like the devil himself. And I recognize I may have been an extreme case, but that is only a question of degree, I know the nature.
I also speak as someone who has committed this action of walking in ignorance.
I came across this some time ago, about two years. I was commenting on a blog. I, in a single post, complained that my adversary did not know anything about one of the subjects under discussion (Objectivism), I then proceeded to write voluminously against Christianity. I, who had never read the Bible nor any religious material whatsoever save what may be garnered from certain philosophers. And of these philosophers I ignored most. Augustine? Mystical garbage, fantasy, into the fire with it. Of Catholicism in particular, if it wasn’t in The Exorcist or the Godfather, I knew nothing about it outside of general history texts (which is not the same thing).
So I shut up and hit some books.
Now for the subject of which this post is titled. Here is a comment exchange Continue reading
R.J. Wizard 