Angry Atheist 101

We, The Super mighty Team Atheist, often times get asked something to the extent "WTF," "Why do you even care," "Why not just live and let live?" Well kind gentle and very good looking readers, I'll tell ya why...and how. Just like there are two kinds of people, there are two kinds of religion: good and bad, liberal v extreme, symbolic v. literal.

If someone has a liberal belief system and doesn't read the bible as the literal word of God, if someone wants/needs to use the metaphor of a Christ-man-god as something that mere humans can strive to emulate, to better ourselves, as a ladder to reach for God, or as a "something something" to aspire to to reach heights above and beyond humanity (if such a thing even exists), then I'm cool with that. But...

If the person, group or community believes that the bible is the literal word of God and it must be followed no matter what and that belief system preaches and teaches hate of certain other groups (GLBT, women, other religions, no religion etc...), that belief teaches that they must dominate others, then my friend...the shit is on.

There are two very important terms to know, if ya want to be an outraged angry atheist, dominionism and American exceptionalism.

Dominionism is just as it sounds, dominate. Not all Christians are dominionist, but the ones that are, are very powerful and influential. Their mission is to infiltrate every sector of society, public schools, government, military, movie houses, bakery's, every and anything in secular society they want to control it. It is not enuff to share the good news with you, a dominionist wants total control, a total takeover of what should be a secular and religion free public square.

American exceptionalism is the theory that God loves America better than everyone else (really) and that if we become the house on the hill, then God will favor us and shower us with, err...Godly stuffs. Any who, God has chosen America as his favorite and that is why "we" can stick our noses in other countries business, we can invade other countries (to spread Christianity of course) and basically, we can dominate-hence dominionism.

What makes us better than anyone else. An interpretation from that bronze age book that those atheist keep talking about and the revelation that God has spoken and it is "our" duty, our mission to make this so. In reality, those that subscribe to these two terms are no better than their Islamic counterparts that claim Allah wants them to spread and takeover. I haven't seen it in the media lately, but don't forget the American Taliban. Taliban is Taliban is Taliban someone used to say. Religious extremism is bad all the way around, no matter who or what side is practicing it.

GW Bush infamously filled cabinet posts, government positions with evangelical peeps that also believed as he did, that God hearts America better and that it is the American duty to spread that specific form of Christianity. Like I have said many times, they have entire universities, TV and radio stations, they already dominate the landscape; but they want more.

That is angry atheist 101, folks.

* The idiocy of American exceptionalism, from DFCW

* Denial of Dominionism from Religion Dispatches.

* I forgot an important term, The New Apostolic Reformation.