10 ms·
Since when is "atheist" an inflammatory term?
by time_management 18y ago
Since when is "atheist" an inflammatory term?
- kaens 18y agoI don't consider it to be, but it certainly is for a large portion of the USAs population, mainly due to differing interpretations of what the word means, and the common perception (at least in small-town USA) of atheists being amoral as well.
- pchristensen 18y agoIt's kind of like "socialist" - many people think of it as inherently bad, instead of just a different set of relative values. I've lived in Sweden and can say that atheism, agnosticism, and socialism aren't bad, just different.
- kaens 18y agoExactly. It has a lot to do with the ambiguity of language, particularly english.
- netcan 18y agoIt is inflammatory. Not only to the religious but also to the very large percentage of people who see it as a strident position. For something to be inflammatory it only needs to inflame.