Unapologetic atheists

Wonderist
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Unapologetic atheists

I was reading some of the great articles at atheism.about.com (like this one about 'new atheists') and one word in particular jumped out at me in a couple of the articles: Unapologetic atheists. Atheists who aren't ashamed of the label and aren't ashamed to defend the position. Atheists who stand up and point out the problems with theism/religion. For some reason, this really clicks with the idea of the RRS. Are we not 'un-apologists'? Do we not tear down the apologetics of religion? Do we not actively confront the religious apologists like Kent Hovind and Ray and Kirk?

The next time someone calls us 'militant' or 'aggressive' or 'fundamentalist atheists', a good retort would be, "I'm an unapologetic atheist." We need make no apologies for our position, we do not hold the burden of proof. We do not deserve the blame and shame we get, the disrespect and intolerance. We have nothing to hide and nothing to back down for. We are unapologetic atheists.

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JohnBTY
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Isn't throwing

Isn't throwing "unapologetic" in front of "Atheist" a bit ridiculous in and of itself, though? It seems to me to actually be playing into the hands of the Fox News-heads and Right-wing points-talkers of the world; consider that Atheist means "lacking belief in a god or gods," and try to put "unapologetic" in front of any other term for someone lacking a belief in nonrational concepts. "Unapologetic Unicorn disbeliever" or "Unapologetic Round-Earther"....I dunno. It just seems like extra baggage, and the more labels they have for us, the more the antagonists in question will have fodder to pound into the heads of their dronelike viewers and readers. See Bill O'Reilly and the "Secular Progressive" label he's been vigorously promoting the past couple years. I still think it's pretty ridiculous we need to be called Atheists in the first place....defining yourself by the lack of belief in something seems to implicitly concede some degree of legitimacy to that belief that it most assuredly does not merit.

The lesson of history is that we do not learn the lessons of history.