'Arrogance' is the new buzz word for the anti-secularists now. Dawkins is arrogant, atheism is arrogant, secularism is arrogant.
The arrogance of the certainties of religions, in particular prosletysing religions, the arrogance of the certainties that they assert, the arrogance with which they hate and demonise non believers, the arrogance of their truth claims, the arrogance of their literalisms, the arrogance of their greed for influence and power, the arrogance of their treatment of apostates (yes this applies more to Islam than Christianity), the arrogance of their lack of introspection, the arrogance of their treatment of women.........the list is endless.
Yes of course this is their projection of their qualities onto those who point out the naked emperor of their claims, but its indicative of their arrogance that they seek arrogance where there is doubt, scepticism and humility.
Note how parts of the right and left congregate here together in their reaction to the 'arrogance' of secularism and atheism - one for old Christian ascendancy reasons, the other for new skool 'multiculturalism means deferring to Islam' reasons.
I somewhat agree with this. Militant as a phrase is very much to stir peoples emotions up and not get people to think in a rational way. There are no Atheists holding a gun up for Atheism, not even in China where they have at least the decency to have a Christian church that has been ticked off by the state (at least some allowance there). There are however plenty of godly ones holding up guns for their faiths. It just smacks of a lack of clear vision, either that or severe arrogance allowing for this to be happening in their groups as it is for Allah or the Christian god (attacking abortion clinics in S USA) therefore it is all hunky dory. I would really like to see Warsi being as successful under a sharia law country as she is in the UK.
On a side note - I despise people who think that Atheism is all about belief in evolution, it makes me roll my eyes when I hear stuff about that (see some of the comments in the articles linked).
Anyway, glad to see my thread has been a success debate wise. Please carry on an link anything else you view of relevance into this thread, might make a change of titles dependant on the success of it to Militant Atheism resources and debate.