This post is not intended to be inflammatory or to single out individual persons here at Dailykos. These are my thoughts based on my experiences as lurker, commenter and poster over the years (there was a ravagerofworlds profile, but I forgot the password). One of the things I've noticed- is how formulaic (ridicule + self identification = ad hominem to poster) and inflammatory comments by evangelistic atheists towards self identified believers are treated at Dkos. : / (like Madlibs which could easily be mistaken for Westboro Baptists screaming at a funeral)
Here is Merriam-Webster on Evangelism.
evan·ge·lism
noun i-ˈvan-jə-ˌli-zəm\
Definition of EVANGELISM
1
: the winning or revival of personal commitments to Christ
2
: militant or crusading zeal
Note definition 2. "Evangelistic Atheist" is not an oxymoron. This sort of behavior is foolish and distracts from our purpose as Progressives. This is the sort of behavior cherished by our political enemies.
General Examples include;
1) ad hominems (attacking the character of the speaker while ignoring the argument).
2) blanket generalizations
3) blanket ridicule
If you want specific examples- simply pay attention to comments in any religiously oriented threads. They pop out of the woodwork
More after the fold.
Socrates, Plato and Aristotle were not believers, and still, they were appreciated enough by Thomas Aquinas to associate them with Pre-Christ Jews. Even Dante Alighieri in his poem The Inferno put these three in Hell's lobby, and not actually in any of the Circles of Torment… Why? Because these great Grecian philosophers came to Christian positions on ethics, charity and providing for the general welfare simply by using philosophy (the Church often gave a shrug when it came to enlightened persons that were not Jewish and Pre-Christ who live exceptional lives of grace and personal ethics).
Belief systems codify morality through oral tradition and written texts. Universal morality, such as Charity (helping others for no personal benefit) is practiced by many people of many belief systems. Selflessness is a virtue honored and praised not only in Christianity, but also Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and many other religions and philosophies. Living a good life is indeed possible without adhering to any particular belief system. Charity and being virtuous, is not tied any belief system or anti-belief practice.
The following is a story I've told before, but I think it is worth retelling in this Post.
My grandfather never declared a preference for religion, one way or another. But he lived a righteous life. Case in point; my grandfather in the 1940s was part of a highway construction outfit working on federally funded highways in Nebraska and Kansas. One of the new workers was an African American man, who, like all the other workers, had a family in some hometown to provide for (the workers moved with the construction projects, but their families usually did not travel with them). This man sent money home every payday, keeping only enough for his own food and rent. He had children and a wife to provide for. My grandfather was not this man's friend, but when some of the other workers stole the African American man's check, my grandfather split his own paycheck 50-50 with him so the man's family could eat.
This episode incensed Grandma, because Grandpa had literally given the shirt off his back to a Hispanic man whose laundry was stolen the previous month by those same type of people. My grandfather reported that the Hispanic man and the African American man never suffered a similar incident of theft, although most certainly they continued to suffer verbal abuse. In my family, tales of Grandpa's generosity to others are well cherished, and show us how ethical people act in an unethical world. Grandpa's example was foundational for my mother, who grew up as a Boomer, to support Civil Rights, Women's Rights and social equality to this day.
My concern is that many threads and comments seem intentionally tilled as fertile ground for a pie fight between Atheists and Believers : / This behavior is not a "both sides are doing it" sort of canard. One side, just like the Republicans being obstructive, are doing it. Am I saying that all Atheists are like this? Of course not! Just like not all Christians think like the Westboro Baptist Church. But from my experience, which is anecdotal, there seems to be a permissiveness on this website about ignoring attacks on religious persons.
The most vocal of our opponents (wrongly) use religion as a shield for their hatred of gays, the poor and the continued abuse of society's weakest groups (socially, economically, legally, etc.). There are many Christian Progressives, who follow Progressive missives, because these people (myself included) know how Scripture tells us to act to our neighbors. We realize and cherish the roots of social justice in our sacred texts. But do not conflate all Christians as enemies to Progressivism; in point of fact, Progressivism flourished in the 19th and 20th century because of religious sentiment among members.
Our ideological opponents, include televangelists like Pat Robertson to atheists like Ayn Rand. Their statements on policy are antithetical to Progressive values of helping our neighbors, protecting our environment, equality under the law, fighting against plutocratic forces, and fighting against fascism (the marriage of corporations and the state).
Rather than dividing Progressives based on religious/atheist grounds- why not focus on what unites us against the 1% hellbent on destroying democracy, unions and the middle class? Atheist vs. Christian pie fights just seem... not in keeping with the focus of Dailykos. : /
In sum- do not make the mistake of alienating religious persons. Are you here at Dailykos to attack Christians, or to advocate and discuss Progressive policies? Frankly, losing the voice of progressive believers (jews, muslims, christians, buddhists) is lose-lose for this website. Maybe, Dailykos should create another spinoff (similar to Street Prophets) for the atheists who can't keep their evangelism to themselves.