Why is it that the very same individuals who can't be bothered to take the time to look up a basic definition or conduct the slightest fact checking feel free to expound on the traits/qualities of various topics, concepts, and groups of people? The Republican Party's hostility to both atheists and secularist is not news. It is a long standing trait of the party. However, CJ Werleman's piece in Salon, Atheists can’t be Republicans, is pretty damn foolish. I may not understand why any self respecting atheist chooses to belong to the Republican Party but the fact remains that there are both atheists and secularist in the Grand Old Party. Atheists can be Republicans. It seems just as idiotic as homosexuals and women choosing to join a group that is drenched in homophobia and misogyny, but they join and remain in the party all the same. It is an interesting title anyway given that Werleman does point out how diverse atheists are as a whole.
It also escapes me how CJ can make such blatant calls for us to "grow up." What are we being immature about? Because we don't find the need to brow-beat each other into conformity with a specific set of political norms? I'd also appreciate more clarity on the "image problem" he imagines we have when it comes to Islamophobia. It is a common enough charge but has little validity. Sure, some atheists have said some stupid things but I have yet to see how it rises to the level of controversy the media keeps insisting on. If any such critics ever took the time to look beyond sound bites and attempt to put things in context they'd discover that most of the atheist, though not all, have well thought out arguments regarding not only Islam but religion in general.
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