An ideology is a system of ideas or ideals that often have economic or political goals. For example, the gay rights movement is an ideology based on the idea of sexual union between people of the same gender. The recent votes in California, Arizona, and Florida to define marriage and the subsequent backlash show that the ideology is politically active. Many, but not all, of those against gay marriage are driven by religious ideologies.
In my previous posts, I've addressed the duplicity of those who claim an ideology of fairness and inclusiveness, then turn around to exclude other groups. This duplicity is at the heart of some of my posts. (See Holidays Are Against My Religion or Go Away So We Can Be Inclusive.)
I have been emailing back and forth with one of my oldest, and dearest of friends. He has done his job well to poke holes in my arguments. Ever on the search to do better in explaining my position, I visited several websites created by and for atheists. I wanted a clear, concise explanation of what ideologies atheists hold. What I found surprised me. Despite the claims that atheists do not subscribe to any particular ideology, I found the same ideological duplicity and exclusiveness in much of their writing.
On the American Atheists website the folks there relate atheism as an endangered group and coming under fire from Christianity, taking up the civil rights argument. In an article by Dave Silverman, he states:
“Coming out of the closet” is a term most associated with gays and lesbians announcing to the world that they are homosexual. Few regret it, having found their way toward a more open and satisfying life.
But there is another closet which is hiding a different minority: atheists. Many of us, like many gays of previous decades, hide in the shadows due to fear of hostility and aversion to confrontations....
Atheists are vilified as anarchistic and evil anti-religionists, who want nothing more than to rob other people of their right to practice their beliefs. Only a small portion of atheists are open (out of the closet) about their atheism, and as a result we are viewed as a much smaller percentage of the population than we really are. In other words, the legislators are paying less attention to us than they should. In still other words, the Christian Right are winning.
Contrast this with the exclusivity of the unsigned article on the website talking about religion. Here's a sample:
Religion spreads like disease through societies, rarely coexisting with pre-existing mythologies, rather preferring to conquer or be conquered. Religion is anything but tolerant.
American Atheists is not afraid to point out that which is true: religion is ridiculous. Mythology and religion are synonymous, and none is better than another. Religion is malicious, malevolent, and unworthy of respect.
Now, I'm not saying that all atheists are intolerant and duplicitous. What I am saying is that within the ideological systems of atheism, there exists those who cannot see the duplicity in their own system. On the one hand, they hold to the ideals of the oppressed. On the other hand they vilify religion as an absolute evil.
And just to be fair, in my next article, I'll point out the duplicity of the religious right.
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