Can an atheist be "radicalized"? (Buddhists, Muslim, quote)
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It depends on the atheist. There is the kind who simply never gets to grips with religion. They are the kind who are wide open to conversion, but I imagine they are also open to some other kind of cause or cult - and it could be violent. There was an awful lot of revolutionary marxism around in my thirties and, as has been noted, one of its dogmas is atheism.
There was a shocking case back then of a group of young Marxist radicals who grabbed some Italian public figures, 'tried' and executed them.
However atheism of the more considered kind, I would hope would be too rational to fall into these extremes. But I imagine it is quite possible for some - perhaps those who deconverted from a religion - to pick up with other cause or cult, and it could be a radical one.
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Originally Posted by AREQUIPA
It depends on the atheist. There is the kind who simply never gets to grips with religion. They are the kind who are wide open to conversion, but I imagine they are also open to some other kind of cause or cult - and it could be violent. There was an awful lot of revolutionary marxism around in my thirties and, as has been noted, one of its dogmas is atheism.
There was a shocking case back then of a group of young Marxist radicals who grabbed some Italian public figures, 'tried' and executed them.
However atheism of the more considered kind, I would hope would be too rational to fall into these extremes. But I imagine it is quite possible for some - perhaps those who deconverted from a religion - to pick up with other cause or cult, and it could be a radical one.
I think AREQ touched it. I don't think athiesm would be the stand alone belief that could radicailze someone. It would probably require some type of political or social movement with athiesm included in it that movement.
I think AREQ touched it. I don't think athiesm would be the stand alone belief that could radicailze someone. It would probably require some type of political or social movement with athiesm included in it that movement.
Just so. I mean, who ever heard of a radical theist? I mean someone whose entire religious outlook was simply that a god exists, with no opinion on which one, how many, what they are like, or what they want. How do you radicalize something that vague? In the same way, how do you radicalize a lack of belief, unless you first add some other criteria?
Just like theism needs some definition, some structure to be something radicalizable, so too would atheism. but since you can't radicalize an atheist on doctrine, you have to use something else like politics or social issues.
It depends on the atheist. There is the kind who simply never gets to grips with religion. They are the kind who are wide open to conversion, but I imagine they are also open to some other kind of cause or cult - and it could be violent. There was an awful lot of revolutionary marxism around in my thirties and, as has been noted, one of its dogmas is atheism.
There was a shocking case back then of a group of young Marxist radicals who grabbed some Italian public figures, 'tried' and executed them.
Are you referring to the Red Brigade, the group that kidnapped and assassinated Aldo Moro? Their motivation was political: they wanted to destabilize Italy and force it to leave NATO. They terrorized and destroyed for political and social, not religious, reasons.
Last edited by DewDropInn; 02-15-2015 at 05:57 PM..
I think it would be much harder to radicalize an atheist compared to the religious.
The religious have already shown a propensity to be indoctrinated by the mere fact that they are religious, they have a need to belong, to be a part of something.
An atheist, on the other had, has already shown that they resist indoctrination by turning their back on the pressures society puts on them to join the herd.
David Koresh and proponents of the Inquisition were a amoral a-hole radicalized Christians. Osama bin Laden was a radicalized a-hole Muslim. Craig Stephen Hicks and Mao Zedong were radicalized a-hole atheists. Japanese war criminals were largely radicalized a-hole Shintoists. In Myanmar, a bunch of radicalized a-hole Buddhists continue to slaughter every non-Buddhist.
Members of any religion or nonreligion can be radicalized because the world is full of a-holes.
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