Changes

The atheist Neil Carter wrote: "Friends of mine have noted lately how biting and critical the atheist community can be, not only toward outsiders, but even toward its own members. Has there ever been a subculture more prone to eating its own than this one? I really don’t know."<ref>[http://www.patheos.com/blogs/godlessindixie/2016/06/12/its-past-time-for-atheism-to-grow-up/ It’s Past Time for Atheism to Grow Up] by Neil Carter</ref>

The atheist Neil Carter wrote: "Friends of mine have noted lately how biting and critical the atheist community can be, not only toward outsiders, but even toward its own members. Has there ever been a subculture more prone to eating its own than this one? I really don’t know."<ref>[http://www.patheos.com/blogs/godlessindixie/2016/06/12/its-past-time-for-atheism-to-grow-up/ It’s Past Time for Atheism to Grow Up] by Neil Carter</ref>

[[Blair Scott]]  served on the [[American Atheists]] board of directors. Mr. Scott formerly served as a State Director for the [[American Atheists]] organization in the state of [[Alabama]]. On December 1, 2012 he quit his post as a director of outreach for the American Atheist due to infighting within the American [[atheist movement]].<ref name="An Open Letter from Blair Scott">Former 2012 web page at Atheist.org website entitled "An Open Letter from Blair Scott"</ref>  

[[Blair Scott]]  served on the [[American Atheists]] board of directors. Mr. Scott formerly served as a State Director for the [[American Atheists]] organization in the state of [[Alabama]]. On December 1, 2012, he quit his post as a director of outreach for the American Atheist due to infighting within the American [[atheist movement]].<ref name="An Open Letter from Blair Scott">Former 2012 web page at Atheist.org website entitled "An Open Letter from Blair Scott"</ref>  

Mr. Blair wrote: "I have spent the last week mulling over what I want to do at this point in the movement. I’m tired of the in-fighting: at every level. I am especially tired of allowing myself to get sucked into it and engaging in the very behavior that is irritating..me."<ref name="An Open Letter from Blair Scott">Former 2012 web page at Atheist.org website entitled "An Open Letter from Blair Scott"</ref>

Mr. Blair wrote: "I have spent the last week mulling over what I want to do at this point in the movement. I’m tired of the in-fighting: at every level. I am especially tired of allowing myself to get sucked into it and engaging in the very behavior that is irritating..me."<ref name="An Open Letter from Blair Scott">Former 2012 web page at Atheist.org website entitled "An Open Letter from Blair Scott"</ref>

Using special text analysis software, the social psychologist Jonathan Haidt found that new atheists very often wrote in dogmatic terms in their major works using words such as  “always,” “never,” “certainly,” “every,” and “undeniable.”<ref>[http://www.thisviewoflife.com/index.php/magazine/articles/why-sam-harris-is-unlikely-to-change-his-mind10 Why Sam Harris is Unlikely to Change his Mind] by JONATHAN HAIDT, February 3, 2014 8:36 pm</ref>  Of the 75,000 words in new atheist [[Sam Harris]]' ''The End of Faith'', 2.24% of them connote or are associated with certainty.<ref>[http://www.thisviewoflife.com/index.php/magazine/articles/why-sam-harris-is-unlikely-to-change-his-mind10 Why Sam Harris is Unlikely to Change his Mind] by JONATHAN HAIDT, February 3, 2014 8:36 pm</ref>   

Using special text analysis software, the social psychologist Jonathan Haidt found that new atheists very often wrote in dogmatic terms in their major works using words such as  “always,” “never,” “certainly,” “every,” and “undeniable.”<ref>[http://www.thisviewoflife.com/index.php/magazine/articles/why-sam-harris-is-unlikely-to-change-his-mind10 Why Sam Harris is Unlikely to Change his Mind] by JONATHAN HAIDT, February 3, 2014 8:36 pm</ref>  Of the 75,000 words in new atheist [[Sam Harris]]' ''The End of Faith'', 2.24% of them connote or are associated with certainty.<ref>[http://www.thisviewoflife.com/index.php/magazine/articles/why-sam-harris-is-unlikely-to-change-his-mind10 Why Sam Harris is Unlikely to Change his Mind] by JONATHAN HAIDT, February 3, 2014 8:36 pm</ref>   

Springerlink indicates in the abstract for ''New Atheism, Open-Mindedness, and Critical Thinking'' by Christopher R. Cotter (first presented at the ''(New) Atheism, Scientism, and Open-Mindedness'' Conference, Lancaster University, April 3, 2012 and the Workshop for the Interdisciplinary Study of Religion and Culture, University of Edinburgh, April 25, 2012):

Springerlink indicates in the abstract for ''New Atheism, Open-Mindedness, and Critical Thinking'' by Christopher R. Cotter (first presented at the ''(New) Atheism, Scientism, and Open-Mindedness'' Conference, Lancaster University, April 3, 2012, and the Workshop for the Interdisciplinary Study of Religion and Culture, University of Edinburgh, April 25, 2012):

{{Cquote|A common theme throughout the writings of [[Richard Dawkins]], [[Daniel Dennett]], Sam Harris, and the late [[Christopher Hitchens]] is the importance of ‘[[critical thinking]]’. Not only do these authors believe that they themselves are critical thinkers, they also advocate critical thinking as a key element in their idealized atheistic future. This chapter has been written to assess the veracity of their claims to critical thinking in their engagements with ‘religion’, via an engagement with related literature on ‘open-mindedness,’ particularly the work of William Hare and Harvey Siegel. An analysis of this nature is not merely of academic interest, but is of great importance given the popularity of their books both within and outside the atheistic milieu, the near-canonical status that they have achieved, and the effects of their rhetoric upon the beliefs and practices of individuals in the ‘real’ world. The argument in this chapter flows sequentially through delineations of the concepts of ‘open-mindedness’ and ‘critical thinking’, and a demonstration of the New Atheists’ valorization of critical thinking, before discussing open-mindedness as a constituent part of critical thinking, and then building a three stage argument to demonstrate that the New Atheists are not open-minded, and that therefore they are not critical thinkers (in the context of their most popular considerations of ‘religion’).<ref>[https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-54964-4_3 ''New Atheism, Open-Mindedness, and Critical Thinking]'' by Christopher R. Cotter</ref>}}

{{Cquote|A common theme throughout the writings of [[Richard Dawkins]], [[Daniel Dennett]], Sam Harris, and the late [[Christopher Hitchens]] is the importance of ‘[[critical thinking]]’. Not only do these authors believe that they themselves are critical thinkers, they also advocate critical thinking as a key element in their idealized atheistic future. This chapter has been written to assess the veracity of their claims to critical thinking in their engagements with ‘religion’, via an engagement with related literature on ‘open-mindedness,’ particularly the work of William Hare and Harvey Siegel. An analysis of this nature is not merely of academic interest, but is of great importance given the popularity of their books both within and outside the atheistic milieu, the near-canonical status that they have achieved, and the effects of their rhetoric upon the beliefs and practices of individuals in the ‘real’ world. The argument in this chapter flows sequentially through delineations of the concepts of ‘open-mindedness’ and ‘critical thinking’, and a demonstration of the New Atheists’ valorization of critical thinking, before discussing open-mindedness as a constituent part of critical thinking, and then building a three stage argument to demonstrate that the New Atheists are not open-minded, and that therefore they are not critical thinkers (in the context of their most popular considerations of ‘religion’).<ref>[https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-54964-4_3 ''New Atheism, Open-Mindedness, and Critical Thinking]'' by Christopher R. Cotter</ref>}}

The  [[Saint Paul|Apostle Paul]] declared about [[Christianity|Christians]] resolving disputes among themselves rather than using the civil courts: "When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?" (1 Corinthians 6:1).

The  [[Saint Paul|Apostle Paul]] declared about [[Christianity|Christians]] resolving disputes among themselves rather than using the civil courts: "When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?" (1 Corinthians 6:1).

Atheists have no authoritive source of information which discourages litigious behavior against fellow atheists. The only thing that mitigates the amount of atheist lawsuits is that most atheists tend to be apathetic regarding their atheism and thus atheists participation in [[atheist organizations]] is rather small and thus there is less conflict about property held by many atheists (see: [[Atheism and apathy]]). In addition, due to significant conflict among atheists, fundraising by atheist organizations is significantly down so the amount of wealth held by atheist organizations makes them less inviting in terms of potential lawsuits (See: [[Atheist organizations and fundraising]]).

Atheists have no authoritative source of information which discourages litigious behavior against fellow atheists. The only thing that mitigates the amount of atheist lawsuits is that most atheists tend to be apathetic regarding their atheism and thus atheists participation in [[atheist organizations]] is rather small and thus there is less conflict about property held by many atheists (see: [[Atheism and apathy]]). In addition, due to significant conflict among atheists, fundraising by atheist organizations is significantly down so the amount of wealth held by atheist organizations makes them less inviting in terms of potential lawsuits (See: [[Atheist organizations and fundraising]]).

In addition, not possessing a [[Religion and morality|religious basis for morality]], which can provide a basis for [[objective morality]], atheism is fundamentally [[Moral relativism|incapable]] of providing a coherent system of [[morality]].<ref>

In addition, not possessing a [[Religion and morality|religious basis for morality]], which can provide a basis for [[objective morality]], atheism is fundamentally [[Moral relativism|incapable]] of providing a coherent system of [[morality]].<ref>