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Celebrity atheists (view source)
Revision as of 22:24, September 19, 2019
, 22:24, September 19, 2019no edit summary
Charles Louis Richter declared in his interview with the International Society for Historians of Atheism, Secularism, and Humanism (ISHASH) about [[atheism and anarchism]] and [[American atheism|America and atheism]]:
Charles Louis Richter declared in his interview with the International Society for Historians of Atheism, Secularism, and Humanism (ISHASH) about [[atheism and anarchism]] and [[American atheism|America and atheism]]:
{{Cquote|The turn of the century ended the [[Golden Age of Freethought|golden age of nineteenth century freethought]] with two events: the death of [[Robert G. Ingersoll|Robert Ingersoll]] in 1899, and the assassination of President [[William McKinley]] in 1901. The lack of a widely popular voice for irreligion, combined with the murder of the president by an anarchist, led to a backlash against not only anarchism but also atheism. From that point, Americans tended to see irreligion in terms of whatever ostensibly foreign ideology seemed most threatening. So for the rest of the century, we see atheism and atheists associated with anarchism, [[fascism]], [[socialism]], and of course [[Soviet Union|Soviet]]-style communism. By the late seventies, [[secular humanism]] became the buzzword for a whole suite of threats not only to religion, but to Americanism. It’s important to note that this phenomenon is not limited to the political or [[religious right]]; [[liberal]]s also framed irreligion as un-American.<ref>[https://atheismsecularismhumanism.wordpress.com/ ISHASH MEMBER INTERVIEW: CHARLES LOUIS RICHTER], International Society for Historians of Atheism, Secularism, and Humanism</ref>}}
{{Cquote|The turn of the century ended the [[Golden Age of Freethought|golden age of nineteenth century freethought]] with two events: the death of [[Robert G. Ingersoll|Robert Ingersoll]] in 1899, and the assassination of President [[William McKinley]] in 1901. The lack of a widely popular voice for irreligion, combined with the murder of the president by an anarchist, led to a backlash against not only anarchism but also atheism. From that point, Americans tended to see irreligion in terms of whatever ostensibly foreign ideology seemed most threatening. So for the rest of the century, we see atheism and atheists associated with anarchism, [[fascism]], [[socialism]], and of course [[Soviet Union|Soviet]]-style communism. By the late seventies, [[secular humanism]] became the buzzword for a whole suite of threats not only to religion, but to Americanism. It’s important to note that this phenomenon is not limited to the political or [[religious right]]; [[liberal]]s also framed irreligion as un-American.<ref>[https://atheismsecularismhumanism.wordpress.com/ ISHASH MEMBER INTERVIEW: CHARLES LOUIS RICHTER], International Society for Historians of Atheism, Secularism, and Humanism</ref>}}
[[File:Temple of Reason.jpg|thumbnail|200px|The Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg was turned into a Temple of Reason by the [[Cult of Reason]]. See: [[Atheist cults]] ]]
Concerning '''atheism and groupthink''', research indicates that [[atheism|atheists]] are less open-minded (see: [[Atheism and open-mindedness]]).
[[Groupthink]] is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of individuals in which the quest for harmony/conformity within the group results in irrational and/or poor decision-making.
The [[Atheism|atheist]] website ''Atheist Revolution'' declared about segments of the [[atheist population]]:
{{Cquote|We've seen various cliques emerge, some of which have largely abandoned critical thinking for dogma. This mutual admiration society strikes me as being [http://www.atheistrev.com/2012/04/cohesion-comes-at-price.html antithetical to free thought], as similar ideas are rewarded through promotion while diverse perspectives receive less attention. This sets the stage for a type of groupthink that runs counter to [http://www.atheistrev.com/2012/04/big-tent-atheism.html big tent atheism]...
By elevating some in our movement to the level of celebrities, I fear we have cheapened it through irrational hero worship.<ref>[http://www.atheistrev.com/2012/10/feeling-disillusioned-with-atheist.html ''Feeling Disillusioned With the Atheist Movement''], Atheist Revolution</ref>}}
In 2018, the atheist [[PZ Myers]] wrote:
{{Cquote|I noticed the “troubling turn” about 8 years ago, as more and more atheists began to rally around two themes: the [[Atheism and leadership|Glorious Leaders]] who were fonts of inarguable Reason & Logic, and a [[definition of atheism]] that exempted them from all social responsibility or ethical obligation.<ref>[https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2018/05/22/get-out-of-my-head-eiynah/ Get out of my head, Eiynah!] by PZ Myers</ref><ref>[https://www.mercatornet.com/features/view/a-shambolic-atheist-community-faces-some-tough-choices/21401 A shambolic atheist community faces some tough choices] by [[Denyse O'Leary]]</ref>}}
==References==
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{reflist|2}}
[[Category:Atheism]]
[[Category:Atheism]]