Hardcore Atheists

Why is it that hardcore, Militant Atheists are so offended and disgusted by New agers? From my observations Atheists tend to dislike the New age movement even more than organised religion.

I think you may be confusing athiests with nihalists. Niahlists being people with NO beliefs, rather that we live to die, thats it.

Atheism, in its original form was anything other then the current norm in terms of religion, now its more used in reference to not believing in God (as in monotheism), but still may have an open mind to something other then science.

Originally Posted by Greg

Why is it that hardcore, Militant Atheists are so offended and disgusted by New agers? From my observations Atheists tend to dislike the New age movement even more than organised religion.

My guess would be that it's due in part to many New Agers tendency to use a lot of pseudoscience to justify their beliefs.

Originally Posted by Time

I think you may be confusing athiests with nihalists. Niahlists being people with NO beliefs, rather that we live to die, thats it.

Atheism, in its original form was anything other then the current norm in terms of religion, now its more used in reference to not believing in God (as in monotheism), but still may have an open mind to something other then science.

Actually, Nihilism is the philosophy that everything has no inherent worth or value, and all meanings, morality and purpose are human ascribed. If I understand the term correctly - I tend to get Existentialism and Nihilism mixed up

Originally Posted by Greg

Why is it that hardcore, Militant Atheists are so offended and disgusted by New agers? From my observations Atheists tend to dislike the New age movement even more than organised religion.

IMO - because most Militant Atheists are pseudoSkeptics .
Their mindset being just another type of religious fundamentalism.

[psychoslice]

Anyone who has a belief system, be it atheism, religion or whatever, will always believe they hold the truth, the religious are as bad as the Atheists, but those who simply don't care to believe in any of this ****, are just happy being themselves.

Originally Posted by Greg

Why is it that hardcore, Militant Atheists are so offended and disgusted by New agers? From my observations Atheists tend to dislike the New age movement even more than organised religion.

The militant atheists I've known seem like people with a grudge against God. It's not enough that they don't believe - they've got to put down and humiliate by argument anyone who does. It's like they are peed off and want to take it out on somebody. As to why new agers in particular infuriate them...I agree with a poster above the pseudoscience provides a good point for argument and maybe there's a feeling it is easier for them to "poke holes" in a new agers belief because it isn't part of a well established institution, there's less authority and tradition behind it.

Originally Posted by Greg

Why is it that hardcore, Militant Atheists are so offended and disgusted by New agers? From my observations Atheists tend to dislike the New age movement even more than organised religion.

Atheists come in many varieties. The type you mean are not only "atheists", they are skeptics of a scientific and critical-thinking sort.

The reason they look down on New Agers is that they believe that New Agers have poor mental filters for sifting out pseudo-science. IOWs, New Agers come across as gullible. Since atheists of this sort came to atheism by being skeptical of theistic claims, it should be no surprise that New Age beliefs would come under the gun as well.

What you need to understand here is that for these people skepticism is a virtue. It is something to be praised in someone, and it is shameful if it is lacking.

Also, keep in mind that New Agers do their fair share of atheist and skeptic-bashing. So, it's not like it's not mutual.

Anyway, here is a video that may help explain the attitude of skepticism better. It deals with the subject of just what it means to be open or close-minded.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T69TOuqaqXI


eudaimonia,

Mark

[psychoslice]

Good point Eudaimonist.

Their hostility to new agers may be because some new age beliefs have moved past God to the energies we call God being the integrated Universe. This concept is of Oneness w/o the traditional separate deity of God is hard for them to ague against as it also dispenses w/ organized religion’s view of God, but is usually very spiritual nevertheless.

They may prefer a black & white highly polarized choice of organized religion or disbelieving in God. The new agers view is neither of these. The new agers view of Oneness w/ a high degree of spirituality w/o organized religion’s God discards both views & likely moves them out of their comfort zone. They then display hostility towards those who've disrupted their comfort zone. LOL.