Although Parker and Stone say they are not atheists themselves, I didn’t see the show as anti-atheism. I saw it more as a jab at public atheists such as Richard Dawkins (who was satrized in the episode) who believe that atheism is the solution to all the problems in the world. (Dawkins has a printable poster of a picture of the World Trade Center with the Lennon-penned line “Imagine no religion” above it, apparently implying that if there was no religion and thus no radical Muslims, the WTC would still be standing.)
This thread is an Abomonation unto Nuggan 
(sorry, couldn’t resist)
Well, it is in the sense that no atheist I’ve ever known has cared enough about it to threaten violence over the issue. Sectarian disputes in religions tend to be critical issues of theology which are often considered to be of the upmost life or death moral or immoral importance, but among non-believers, at best the debates are over semantics or sometimes tactics. Most non-believers I’ve known in the end don’t really care that much about what to call things in the final analysis anyway The reason “atheism” is a bone of contention has less to do with the ultimate importance of using that particular word, and more because all the different terms used are generally elements of a lot of grand confusion, obfuscation, and often just a means for theists to equivocate when they label us.
South Park generally strives for a false equivalence out of, basically, laziness.
Which, of course, is a quite bold lie about his position.
Yeah, what a totally crazy idea THAT is.
You’re right- those are my words. Instead of saying Dawkins belives that “atheism is the solution to all the problems in the world,” I should have said he believes that the world would be better off as a whole without religion. What I am trying to say is that the beliefs of Dawkins are different of the beliefs of, say, the late Madeline Murray O’Hair, just as the beliefs of Billy Graham are different of those of Pat Robertson. They’re both members of the same religion (or lack thereof, in the case of Dawkins and O’Hair), but both believe the same things differently. The good thing about America and most western countries is that, unlike the Middle East, differing opinions don’t go to war. They use words. But if everyone was an athiest, they would not agree on everything either. As Apos says, the warring atheists would probably not fight on the battlefield, but with words, just as fundamentalists Christians believe any form of Christianity other than their own is an abomination towards God.
I have the perfect solution for you, Slithy
A good friend of mine, when I asked if he was religious, said a few years ago “I’m an Apathetic.”
I thought it was great and even used it on some Jehovah’s Witnesses when they asked my religion. The woman said “I don’t think I know that one…”
Sweet vindication!
“A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything” I hear that one a lot.
But how can I fall if I’m not standing? Actually, I sit a lot. Am I still in danger? “Oh, he’ll slump for anything.”
I see bumper stickers “Real Men Love Jesus,” and “My Karma ran over your Dogma.” I have no such messages, but only my ad-valorem tax tags, which proclaim “I would rather spend $220 a year on extra ice cream, but you guys have the guns and radios”
You think it’s bad being an atheist, try being a theist.
It works well for me. Around here I’ll usually say I’m an atheist, but IRL I usually just say I don’t have any religious inclinations or something like that. If someone is really interested, I don’t have any problem saying I’m an atheist, but I don’t feel any need to challenge the religious beliefs of my friends. Most people are religious. I’m not. What’s the next question?
The first rule of the EAC …
I see your point, John, but I also see your location: South Bay (um, Boston, San Francisco?) well, either way - now look at mine.
Sure, we all hate the pseudo intellectual* anti-religion bore who ruins every cocktail party. But down here, any atheist who isn’t heavily in the closet, to the extent of church attendance (with the customary 10% tithe) for appearance sake, is seen as being the same level of incivility. “Oh he’s just rude to get attention - couldn’t he just keep it to himself?”
*not that I’m knocking pseudo-intellectualism in and of itself. Give us pseudo intellectuals credit: unlike you natural intellectuals to whom it comes so effortlessly, we phonies have to put in an honest days work.
Or don’t believe in the same things the same. :rolleyes:
If everyone were atheists, I’m sure that they’d find lots of things to kill each other about - but none of them would have anything to do with supernatural deities. if by some chance, however, everyone was an atheist through the exercise of reason, not because of social pressure or because their parents were, then we might have a better society. But that would come from having a population who was skeptical about everything, not because of atheism.
Do I believe that will ever happen? Nope.
Ah, so it is a conscious choice, then.
Slithy Tove, you are my kind of atheist!
I tried praying for you once, but God kept interrupting my train of thought with
Slithy WHO?..I don’t know anybody named ‘Slithy’!..What kind of name is that for a human being?..A lizard, maybe…Come back when you have the right name.
Pax
And a good thing they’re not! We don’t want the hateful bastards. Problem with being an atheist, we can’t chuck people out on their ears.
As, indeed, it bloody well would.
You loved them when they were making fun of everyone else. To me that says “what they’re saying has always been hateful, but I never cared until it applied to me”, and it says it pretty thinly veiled. Do you always have to be so vocal about it?
See? You did find one useful thing from religion: excommunication!! 
San Fran.
But I’ve lived all over, some in the south. I guess is just depends on how confrontational you want to get. Perhaps it might be best in your case to say you just don’t talk about religion.
Just like Bill Donohue and L. Brent Bozell! (I bet they laughed their asses off at that Mormon one, dum dum dum dum dum)
Whenever the subject comes up I just say quite firmly and in a level tone of voice, “I’m not a Christian” and leave it at that. Very few people dare to ask me “well, what are you then?” I think they just assume I’m some kind of very reformed Jew or something like–it’s the fact that I’m willing to be very distinct about not belonging to the Church Of Your Choice that makes most people figure they ought to just leave me alone. I’ve considered telling people that I’m a devotee of Ba’al or Marduk, or perhaps a Zoroastrian, but then I’d have to tell them all about the baby sacrifices and such–I’m just too lazy to be that creative for such an uncritical audience.