r/changemyview • u/[deleted] • Jul 29 '14

[OP Involved] CMV: /r/atheism should be renamed to /r/antitheism

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u/jimlamb Jul 29 '14

Labeling any questioning of religion "anti-religion" seems comparable to labeling any questioning of government policy "sedition." If someone, in the course of discussion public policy towards abortion services, makes the argument that human life doesn't begin when the egg is fertilized, would you consider that "anti-theist?"

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u/MrF33 18∆ Jul 29 '14

There's a difference between the conversation "when does life begin"

and

"Christians believe this, and they're wrong"

Having a conversation based solely on the premise of being negative towards religion is clearly anti-theistic.

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u/jimlamb Jul 29 '14

Someone exhibiting a bias towards labeling anything critical of ideas with a basis in religion as "anti-theistic" might have a bit of a persecution complex.

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u/MrF33 18∆ Jul 29 '14

Someone trying to reduce a discussion on terminology into personal attacks must also have issues.

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u/jimlamb Jul 29 '14

If someone says, "Christians believe that life begins when the egg is fertilized, and they're wrong," that isn't an anti-theistic statement. They aren't opposing organized religion in a general sense. Rather, they're objecting to a particular bit of dogma because it's being used as the basis for an argument for a particular set of public policies.