Pop-Atheism and Atheism+

[friedenswacht]

It is difficult to deny that pop-atheism (or 'new atheism') is an identifiable social movement within Anglophone society. More than just mere disbelief, more than just mere non-belief, pop-atheism was about giving expression to ideas which were becoming particularly common within popular culture about religion and its place in society

Comments

[tcpip]

Yes, and yes.

[samus_aran]

debate: agreed, although every part of the outcome was inevitable, including the rejection of discourse, and I don't think it's heading towards heat-death so much as the long, painful process of maturation that every newly-popular idea has to go through. It's clearly entering or deeply embedded in its tweens

[meus_ovatio]

Yes, atheism is the new white male religion by which to civilize the barbarians and drag out little brothers along with us into the future of mankind, where we are the heirs and princes to the throne, of course.

[mybodymycoffin]

Yes, yes. Reddit, the chans, tumblr, facebook, livejournal (as we know) all have done well acting as the echo-chambers of the New-Atheists. I don't expect anyone to 'represent their demographic', so to speak, but how are atheists to turn back the clock on atheism? There are plenty of progressive atheists on the web (including on the named sites) and in the public, surely; do they simply need a public champion that can bring atheism back to the social project, just as the New-Atheists Dawkins, Hitchens, etc., made atheism into a petty neo-conservative politic for secularists?

[madscience]

Atheism+ is the internalization of racism and sexism within pop-atheism. Atheism+ is an irrational belief system based on pop-sociology. In other words, it is a religion. It exhibits many classic features of a cult. Jen McCreight is one of its high priestesses, and PZ Myers is its pope.

[yes_justice]

And the webs are its church. LOL.