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Another problem the atheist community faces in terms of its public perception is its intellectual cowardice that first became noticeable within the [[Western World]] since the 1980s and has continued to the present (see: [[Atheism and cowardice]] and [[Creation scientists tend to win the creation vs. evolution debates]]).

Another problem the atheist community faces in terms of its public perception is its intellectual cowardice that first became noticeable within the [[Western World]] since the 1980s and has continued to the present (see: [[Atheism and cowardice]] and [[Creation scientists tend to win the creation vs. evolution debates]]).

== American woman Natalie Rothschild irritated by atheist whining ==

== American reporter Natalie Rothschild irritated by atheist whining ==

[[File:Fra Angelico Lamentacion por la muerte de Cristo.jpg|thumbnail|right|300px|The [[War on Christmas]] refers to the controversy surrounding the celebration or acknowledgment of the [[Christmas]] [[holiday]] in government, media, advertising and other [[atheist| secular]] environments.]]

[[File:Fra Angelico Lamentacion por la muerte de Cristo.jpg|thumbnail|right|300px|The [[War on Christmas]] refers to the controversy surrounding the celebration or acknowledgment of the [[Christmas]] [[holiday]] in government, media, advertising and other [[atheist| secular]] environments.]]

In an March 6, 2012 Belief.net article entitled ''[[God]] save us from atheist whining'', Natalie Rothschild wrote:

In an March 6, 2012 Belief.net article entitled ''[[God]] save us from atheist whining'', the reporter Natalie Rothschild wrote:

{{cquote|This idea that closet atheists need to be coaxed out into the open, and that they need to claim the right to rally together as proud non-believers, has become a central tenet of the ‘[[New Atheism|new atheist]]’ movement. The approach comes across as a curious blend of therapeutic thinking and fearmongering, and it is expressed with a kind of fervour that would not be altogether alien to the deeply devout. [[David Silverman|Silverman]], for instance, believes that the Christian right ‘has unleashed an unparalleled slew of efforts aimed at [[American atheism|Christianising the country’]]. The same kind of shrillness is heard among those religious people who imagine that atheists are tearing down the social fabric of America and are conducting a ‘war on religion’.

{{cquote|This idea that closet atheists need to be coaxed out into the open, and that they need to claim the right to rally together as proud non-believers, has become a central tenet of the ‘[[New Atheism|new atheist]]’ movement. The approach comes across as a curious blend of therapeutic thinking and fearmongering, and it is expressed with a kind of fervour that would not be altogether alien to the deeply devout. [[David Silverman|Silverman]], for instance, believes that the Christian right ‘has unleashed an unparalleled slew of efforts aimed at [[American atheism|Christianising the country’]]. The same kind of shrillness is heard among those religious people who imagine that atheists are tearing down the social fabric of America and are conducting a ‘war on religion’.