Religion
In reply to the discussion: Richard Dawkins to atheist rally: 'Show contempt' for faith [View all]LeftishBrit
(41,175 posts)is that they did support the ruling party in advocating repression, torture and mass murder! Rather a serious reason.
But there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING wrong with advocating absolute separation of church and state! One could perhaps argue that the formal, official separation is less important than the de facto separation, and that emphasizing the former may distract from the latter. E.g. the UK is more secular than the USA, although we don't have formal state-church separation and you do. But there is NOTHING wrong with the desire to keep religion out of state law!!!!
And what is wrong with advertisements, publishing literature, association with other free-thought and atheist groups??? Do you think that atheists should be denied freedom of speech and expression and association?????? What about your First Amendment? It is the hostility to political rights for atheists that CREATES outspoken atheism! There weren't so many 'militant atheists' 20 years ago, because there wasn't the same vicious anti-secularism in mainstream politics!
The Soviets were anti-monarchist - do you think that the Americans are just like the Soviets philosophically because you rejected monarchy? The Soviet Union emphasized the role of trade unions - do you think (as some right-wingers undoubtedly do) that the right of trade unions to organize is the first step to totalitarian communist dictatorship? Why should atheist rights be the only thing that it is permissible to engage in these near-McCarthyite allegations about?