Ironic article in Awake! on atheism

MRC_Hans said:
I think you missed the point: It may be part of the JW's calling to try hard to spread their gospel, but then it is rather silly of them complaining if others, including atheists, do exactly the same.

Hans
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I complained about Sledge implying, that they are unfaithful. But Christianity has been since nearly 2000 years about converting people, so there is nothing unfaithful about JWs knocking on the door or standing somewhere in the street. And not knowing that, means one knows pratically nothing about christianity and that is for an atheists a breach of the rule "Know your enemy.".
 
Travis said:
So a couple of days ago some Jehovah Witnesses left some literature for me at my door when I wasn't home. I just now saw that one of them was on atheism and thought "this should be good."

Atheists On A Crusade

A new group of atheists has arisen in society. Called the "new atheists," they are not content to keep their views to themselves. Rather, they are on a crusade, "actively, angrily, passionately trying to persuade the religious from their view," wrote columnist Richard Bernstein.
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Remember this was in something they just gave out to try and get people to convert. :rolleyes:

I guess they're not content to keep their views to themselves either.
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wow that is funny as hell.
 
Carn said:
I complained about Sledge implying, that they are unfaithful.
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He didn't just imply it, he came right out and said it.

But Christianity has been since nearly 2000 years about converting people, so there is nothing unfaithful about JWs knocking on the door or standing somewhere in the street.
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I think he was just pointing out one of the many contradictions between scriptural and dogmatic exhortations (themselves contradictory) and the behaviour of modern adherents.

And not knowing that, means one knows pratically nothing about christianity
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I see you've mastered the non-sequitur :boggled:

and that is for an atheists a breach of the rule "Know your enemy.".
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You must have a different edition of 'The Atheists Rulebook' to mine :rolleyes:
 
Carn said:
I complained about Sledge implying, that they are unfaithful. But Christianity has been since nearly 2000 years about converting people, so there is nothing unfaithful about JWs knocking on the door or standing somewhere in the street. And not knowing that, means one knows pratically nothing about christianity and that is for an atheists a breach of the rule "Know your enemy.".
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Atheism has rules?

No, no, leave The Art of War out of it. Show me the Atheist Rulebook.
 
Hey, I'm quoting Jesus (or at least getting someone else to do it because I'm too lazy to look for the relevant chunk of nonsense). If supposed "Christians" aren't keeping to his words, then I don't see how it's wrong to call them unfaithful. They may have faith in something, but it isn't Jesus Christ.
 
Carn, I think in a contest to see which side knows the other better, the atheist team would win four out of five.
 
Vladd said:
I used to work with a JW and during a chat about the crusades he said it was terrible these people forcing their religion onto other people, he also claimed Evolution was just a theory that no one really believed in any more, and that cattle were never wild they were put on earth domesticated for man's use, and that animals like lions etc. were there to remove the unneeded, sick, and dead domesticated animals. I miss those conversations always brightened my day.
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If your JW coworker stopped where my highlighting stopped, I would have left it alone. Knocking on someone's door and attempting to engage in a conversation is a tad different than torturing "false practitioners" and non-believers to death. Evolution is a theory, a very well supported theory, but still a theory.
 
Travis said:
So a couple of days ago some Jehovah Witnesses left some literature for me at my door when I wasn't home. I just now saw that one of them was on atheism and thought "this should be good."

Atheists On A Crusade

A new group of atheists has arisen in society. Called the "new atheists," they are not content to keep their views to themselves. Rather, they are on a crusade, "actively, angrily, passionately trying to persuade the religious from their view," wrote columnist Richard Bernstein.
​

Remember this was in something they just gave out to try and get people to convert. :rolleyes:

I guess they're not content to keep their views to themselves either.
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That statement is spot on. However, it is hypocritical irony that a group doing basically the same thing is criticizing others for the same.
 
I'm not so much concerned with the hypocrisy (that, I expect) than I am with this privileged notion that atheists are for some reason socially required to "keep their views to themselves."
 
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jakesteele said:
That statement is spot on. However, it is hypocritical irony that a group doing basically the same thing is criticizing others for the same.
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So you agree with the contention that most atheists are not "content to keep it to themselves?" In what way? Off the cuff? When asked? Has one punched your doorbell and asked you to hear the good news of atheism?
 
Resume said:
So you agree with the contention that most atheists are not "content to keep it to themselves?" In what way? Off the cuff? When asked? Has one punched your doorbell and asked you to hear the good news of atheism?
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You haven't heard about the horrors of atheist bus ads and billboards?
 
They do get defensive.

Jesus! I smell a forty page, inconclusive thread which continues to repeat itself ad nauseum. What is it with aggressive atheism? Is it impossible to accept the beliefs of others or do you have some inner need to prove yourself correct? Anyone would think you are so worried you could be wrong you need to be showed you are right. Which you may or may not be indecently.
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Achán hiNidráne said:
I'm not so much concerned with the hypocrisy (that, I expect) than I am with this privileged notion that atheists are for some reason socially required to "keep their views to themselves."
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I was in barber shop once reading god is not Great and someone remarked how shameful it was that people like me just flaunt our lack of theism.

Yeah, reading a book on the subject is so "flaunting it." :rolleyes:
 
I've heard similar things about Muslims too. How it's terrible that they can build new mosques and stuff.
 
Carn said:
Did atheists never hear about Sun Tzu?
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Sure. I just never realised that The Art of War was considered Christian gospel that they were required to follow over that quote by Jesus that was posted in this thread.

Resume said:
So you agree with the contention that most atheists are not "content to keep it to themselves?" In what way? Off the cuff? When asked? Has one punched your doorbell and asked you to hear the good news of atheism?
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Technically the Awake! article was not talking about "most atheists". They were refering specifically to the so-called "new atheists" which is usually considered to be Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris, etc. In that sense the article is correct. Not that they should keep their views to themself.
 
Carn said:
I complained about Sledge implying, that they are unfaithful. But Christianity has been since nearly 2000 years about converting people, so there is nothing unfaithful about JWs knocking on the door or standing somewhere in the street. And not knowing that, means one knows pratically nothing about christianity and that is for an atheists a breach of the rule "Know your enemy.".
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1) Ahh, OK. I agree spreading the gospel is a basic Christian doctrine. So, unfaithful, no. Hypocrites, yes.

2) "Know your enemy" may be good advice, but I fail to see how it can be a 'rule' that 'atheists' are obliged to follow. An atheist is someone who has no belief in god(s); that does not in itself imply one must follow any specific rules (quite the opposite, actually). Some ahteists may regard religious people as enemies, and for them it is good advice, but still not a rule.

Hans
 
They leave that crap at the hospital all the time. Loose pamphlets and Awake! scattered everywhere, and I throw it in the trash where it belongs.

I did read the article for some reason (maybe a splash on the front about the article) until I got to the they are not content to keep their views to themselves line, whereupon I laughed and tossed it in the circular file.
 
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