Letter to the editor

Apparently atheism has very strict rules

I was afforded the winter break to contemplate my response to Joe Hager’s column on so-called angry atheism, so I’ll try to make the most of this opportunity.

Hager complained of recent trends toward anti-religion among atheists. I prefer the term ‘antitheism,’ as was first presented to me by the brilliant author Christopher Hitchens. My frustration does not end on the level of organized religion, but the poisonous god belief itself.

Cowardly, apologetic, passive atheists like Hager are working to undermine the mounting progress of secularism in this country by embracing theism: by considering atheism and theism to be equal philosophical opposites.  He nonsensically defines atheism as a lack of belief. Any person who has been introduced to the concept of a god actively decides whether or not to accept that concept.

Hager claims to know the job of atheists, which involves living outside the realm of religion. We can not live outside the realm of religion in America today when more than 3,000 Americans were murdered by Muslim terrorists on 9/11. A more direct but less shocking example would be the fact that last semester I and dozens of other students in this very University were shown slides explaining the easily refuted intelligent design argument. This was not a Philosophy class, but a required course in the Business and Finance department. I suppose it needs to be pointed out that the arguments that refute intelligent design were not presented in any capacity by this professor.

You are not angry enough, Joe. I suggest you step back and let me and others who are fed up with deadly, sexually oppressive and obsolete beliefs continue to advocate atheism in all of its obvious intellectual and moral superiority.

Religion needs to be eradicated from the earth one de-conversion at a time.

Muriel Montgomery, Student