Evangelical Atheism

As more people access social bookmarking websites (such as Digg.com), a new form of evangelicalism flourishes. Clutching pictures of the stars--proof our vast universe is far too complex to be designed by any being, sentient or otherwise--Evangelical Atheists demand the realization philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche is right, "God is dead". Atheism 2.0--named after Web 2.0, the next generation of web design--seeks to confront the existence of religion head on.

In recent years, Christianity has been branded offensive because its followers are perceived as judgemental, irrational, closed-minded, and forcefully evangelical bullies. I argue Atheists associated with Atheism 2.0 may be similar to the Christian groups they despise.

Atheism claims no dogma, for this is a religious designation. Atheism is a philosophical and personal choice which denounces the existence of any and all deities. The New Atheists press the "good news" upon everyone with a web browser.

Evangelical Atheism seeks to "save" believers from their spirituality, with "brutal" force if necessary. At Digg.com, users have an option to "digg down" a comment; a tactic sometimes bullyingly used to discredit Christian and religious comments--even if the comment is relevant to the topic. Brilliant, spiritual intellectuals are commonly and stereotypically ridiculed as babbling mystics in 2.0 circles.

In 1843, Karl Marx wrote "Religion is the opium of the people"; and indeed, evangelicals in the 2.0 movement want to eradicate the drug. With the resources of Internet in hand, the debate has a new edge. Who's the bully now?

Reference: Wikipedia