Sr. Zonules

I've often noticed a link between Atheists and authoritarianism or communism. My GF says that this is the main reason that she is not involved in Ath/Agn/Hum groups. How much truth is there in this?

-Z

HaysooChreesto!

Real quick. I'm an atheist and I'm very anti-communist. Tell your friend the two can be mutually exclusive. Gotta go.

seebs

There's a strong link from communism to atheism, but not necessarily the other way. In practice, this means that a number of people have been raised in anti-religious environments, and also pro-communist ones, but it hardly affects the political views of other atheists.

brighid

There are atheists who are communists, just as their are Christians who are communists. So what? There is no strong link between atheism and communism, although authoritarian individuals (such as Stalin) do not want religious devotion because it detracts from the devotion to the state. However, there are plenty of authoritarian, Christian leaders ... far more then in any present day atheistic community, certainly not here at iidb. Also once could acutally be an atheist, and a communist, but be totally against authoritarianism.

I think your GF needs to explore atheism in the real world a bit more before coming to conclusions about what a lack of belief in God entails and that is NOTHING other then a lack of belief in God(s.)

Brighid

Eudaimonist

I'm an atheist, and I'm anti-communist and anti-authoritarian. (I'm a libertarian capitalist.) There is no reason why being an atheist should compell one to adopt authoritarian political views. Some atheist and humanist groups lean to the left (typically not as far as communism), but there are those that lean in other directions.

Toto

Atheist groups tend to be split between Libertarians or libertarian leaning people, and leftist leaning people.

During the McCarthyite era in the US, there was a lot of hysteria about "godless communism", which is why we have "under God" in the Pledge and "In God We Trust" on our money. So communism and atheism are linked in some people's minds, including your GF's.

Yahzi

In the USA?

If there is any party that can claim to have a lot of atheists, it is the Libertarians, who are the virtual definition of anti-authoritarianism.

The notion that atheists, who think that each person must think for themselves, endorse authoritarianism, while Christians, who put bumper-stickers on their cars declaring that they have surrendered all control of their life to God as revealed by a book written by men, are the defenders of personal liberty, is just insane.

Perhaps in Russia you might notice that many, many people are both a) not outraged by communism, and b) atheist, but if you can't figure out why that would be the case...


Edit: I am an atheist, anti-communist, and anti-Libertarin too (I believe in positive rights). And I know of Republican atheists too. Tarring atheists with communism is so freaking old, dude, it's not even funny anymore.

rfwu

I'm not sure if I should or should not be surprised that Christians haven't been associated with Nazis. After all, the Nazis were predominately Catholic. Or were they? I'm not sure. Can anyone clarify this for me?

DoubleDutchy

Not much if any.

Oresta

Sr. Zonules:
I've often noticed a link between Atheists and authoritarianism or communism. My GF says that this is the main reason that she is not involved in Ath/Agn/Hum groups. How much truth is there in this?

How would your assumptions square with Nazism (the model for the authoritarian personality)? What could be more authoritarian than a Christian sect that forbids divorce, birth control, etc.; or a Judaic sect that dictates what one may not eat, may not wear, may not marry, etc.? Or an Islamic sect that.... Well, you get the idea.

Authoritarians believe life is ordered by a hierarchial system. The ideal world, then, is one in which one accepts his place and gives unquestioning obediance to those above him and expects the same from those below him.