Atheism is Dead: Hey Atheists, Leave Those Kids Alone (and parents such as myself, while you are at it), part 3

2/15/10

Hey Atheists, Leave Those Kids Alone (and parents such as myself, while you are at it), part 3

This post has been moved to True Freethinker were it resides at this link

2 comments:

AnonymousFebruary 15, 2010 at 9:23 AM
Atheists are relativists who claim there's no objective truth?

Uh, teach the controversy? Tell the kids both sides of the story?

The whole "New Atheist" movement is about their -rejection- of relativism of any form, no tolerance for false beliefs whatsoever regardless of how much a part they play in culture or traditions.

And the immediate defence people like PZ Myers and Dawkins give for teaching kids to be secular isn't some crap about how everyones entitled to their beliefs, it's that secularism actually is correct, and thus should be taught to kids, whereas creationism and literalism is patently false.
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Arizona AtheistFebruary 15, 2010 at 9:45 PM
Mariano, if, as you say, all these atheists want children to grow up atheist why is there such a lack of evidence supporting it? In fact, the evidence supports the opposite! Consider a study done in 2002 by Bruce E. Hunsberger and Bob Altemeyer:

The researchers asked three questions to each group of theists and atheists. The first, if a teen would come to you about advice on religion, what would you say to him or her? Of the two American atheist groups 62% (San Francisco atheists) and 63% (Alabama/Idaho atheists) would have "said something to the troubled teen that would have promoted apostasy." While 86% the Canadian atheists would simply tell the teen to do some searching and then decide what to believe themselves.

The atheists were then asked whether or not they would want the teen to end up becoming an atheist, either through the atheists' influence or their personal search. 53% of the San Francisco atheists, as well as 48% of the Alabama and Idaho atheists answered "yes" they would like to see the teen choose their way of thinking. However, regarding the question of whether or not they would attempt to lead the teen in the direction of their own beliefs 42% of the San Francisco atheists and 38% of the Alabama/Idaho atheists answered yes. Only 16% of the Canadian atheists said yes to the same question.

However, when the theists were asked the same question, 88% said they would tell the teen they were wrong and should become more religious, while only 12% said they would advice the teen to "search and decide."

On the second question asked, whether or not they would try to convince the teen to adopt their beliefs, 96% of the theists answered yes, and 98% said they would try to lead the teen in that direction.

So, given these facts which group would most like to impose their beliefs upon a child??? Yes, the theists. In fact, nearly all the theists wish this, while less than half of the atheists wished the same.

Like most of the quotes you cite you're simply taking people out of context but lack solid data, such as what I've presented here.
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