[Vision2020] Say What? Everyone Deserves Death

[Donovan Arnold]

Chas,
   
  I agree there is nothing wrong with being a member of a "largish" (must be a Bush term) minority. Soon, we probably all will be.
   
  I think of extremist in a different way than you and Ted. I think of extremist as being a group that who has practices that are not held by a significant number of people or are dangerous to others that disagree with their political/religious view point. 
   
  Extremist can simply mean going to edge of human tolerance.  
   
  In all honestly, I believe Atheism is dangerous. A belief in God or supreme being I think is necessary for a healthy society. 
   
  In basic form, the Ten Commandants are crucial for any society to survive, and certainly a benefit to any society that follows them. 
   
  Best Regards,
   
  Donovan

Chasuk <chasuk at gmail.com> wrote:
  On Sat, May 31, 2008 at 2:40 PM, Donovan Arnold
wrote:

> If by your logic Christians are extremists because their view is not held by
> the majority of the Earth's inhabitants, then you must also by that
> definition accept that you are radical extremists because the majority of
> the world beliefs in one God, the same God, the God of David and Moses, not
> as you do. Only about 5-10% of the world is Atheist. So if Christians are
> extremists in their views, Atheists are the dangerous radical nut cases.

Your first assertion is correct. Ted and I are logically extremists,
as we are in the minority. Your second assertion is also correct,
but barely. There are now over 6.8 billion people in the world, of
which roughly 3.6 billion fall into the Islamo-Judeo-Christian
category.

However, our numbers aren't insignificant. Approximately 16% of the
world's population is non-religious, and 6% are Buddhist, who aren't
"religious" in the sense normally accepted in the West. This gives
nontheists and nontraditional theists a 22% wedge of the world pie.
Islam only possesses a 21% wedge.

Yes, we are extremists. I don't personally find extremism a useful
word. It is loaded with pejorative connotation that other, equally
suitable words, such as uncommon or rare, lack. Even "uncommon"
carries too much weight. Atheism, agnosticism, nontheism, and all
flavors of nonreligious theism are less common beliefs, but we still
consist of between 1,088,000,000 and 1,496,000,000 persons, which is a
surprisingly large number, considering our easy demonization and
dismissal.

To revise, then: Ted and I are members of a largish minority.

There isn't anything wrong with that.

Chas


       
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