Comments on: The Distrusted Minority… Increasing in Number? http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/03/04/the-distrusted-minority-increasing-in-number/ by Hemant Mehta Sun, 27 May 2012 14:33:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Karen http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/03/04/the-distrusted-minority-increasing-in-number/#comment-136855 Karen Wed, 05 Mar 2008 18:37:09 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/03/04/the-distrusted-minority-increasing-in-number/#comment-136855 I agree with his analysis. A majority of non-believers shy away from the still-toxic A word, and prefer to call themselves unaffiliated or just say they are not church-goers. It's easier socially and - while they may be skeptical about god's existence - they haven't thought deeply about it. The perceived anger of the new atheists is also a turnoff to a lot of ordinary folks who don't want to be lumped into that camp. <blockquote>Moreover, I think a more fruitful distinction than the one between atheists and theists is the one between those who acknowledge that there are no compelling logical arguments for believing in God (even if they choose to believe anyway) and those who are sure of their God and the literal truth of their particular holy book.</blockquote> This, I think, is the basic dichotomy between liberal and fundamentalist believers. Most moderates and liberals will agree they can't prove god's existence, while most fundies will insist that they can - by all sorts of bogus means (creation, personal experience, the "historicity" of the bible). I agree with his analysis. A majority of non-believers shy away from the still-toxic A word, and prefer to call themselves unaffiliated or just say they are not church-goers. It’s easier socially and – while they may be skeptical about god’s existence – they haven’t thought deeply about it. The perceived anger of the new atheists is also a turnoff to a lot of ordinary folks who don’t want to be lumped into that camp.

Moreover, I think a more fruitful distinction than the one between atheists and theists is the one between those who acknowledge that there are no compelling logical arguments for believing in God (even if they choose to believe anyway) and those who are sure of their God and the literal truth of their particular holy book.

This, I think, is the basic dichotomy between liberal and fundamentalist believers. Most moderates and liberals will agree they can’t prove god’s existence, while most fundies will insist that they can – by all sorts of bogus means (creation, personal experience, the “historicity” of the bible).

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