Dear Banjo,
"militant atheism" is just an inflammatory phrase religious interests use. Dawkins isn't "militant", and I don't know of any who are.

I agree with nearly everything you say; the one point of difference I have is that our rich western cultures are untenable and unconscionable, and this is what religion functions to maintain.

Judging by your other comments, you ought to look at the work of Takis Fotopoulis, who has some excellent ideas for "inclusive" civic democracy. He's also a rarity in that he's one of the few thinkers who conceives a sustainable new order without Marx's thought.
Here's the Wiki link, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takis_Fotopoulos but there are journal articles and books that shouldn't be hard to find online.
Dear George,
I don't see atheism as merely "lack of belief", suggesting an impoverished world-view, and I doubt Dawkins does. Atheist simply means "not theistic", which means a nearly infinite intellectual/philosophical vista is on offer. The impoverished view of the theist has no such horizon. You must see that a caring atheist "will reason and warn against this lack" of perspective?

Belief is "mental starch".

Dear Poirot,

Thanks for the quote confirming that the Pope related Nazism (not to atheism in general but) to “atheist extremism”. Most decent people disapprove of any extremism, whether associated with atheism, Christianity, Islam or what you have.

There are good, very good, bad and very bad people among those who believe there IS NO God they are responsible to, as there are good, very good, bad and very bad people among those who believe there IS such a God. Extremists are usually of the “very bad” kind in both cases.

I would not have objected had you written that you “reflected on the sobering lessons of Christian extremism“.

>>How would you …, know what drove Hitler <<
I could not know that, only conclude from what he wrote and said that he did expect neither a reward in “heaven“, nor punishment in “hell“ for what he caused, hence “lacked (religious) belief”.

Dear Banjo,

There have been movements, religious or not, throughout history that had “universal ambitions”. Today some people associate such ambitions with exporting democracy. As for Lenin, Castro and Allende we would have to leave it to historians to decide the thoughts and actions of which one of them was more influential in dividing the world into political East and West during the Cold War, that I was originally referring to.

>>parents, school and church should refrain from dispensing any form of religious or atheistic education. <<

If atheism is simply “lack of belief (in God)” how could an education be atheistic, i.e. built on this lack? It can only prevent a child from gaining an inside knowledge of any religious (there are many of them) way of looking at life.

You can educate a child in mathematics, a foreign language, music etc. or you can prevent a child from receiving such education, leaving it to him/her to find out when he/she grows up whether he/she can make use of these insights or skills. I am certainly glad I learned to understand mathematics, listen to classical music, or speak foreign languages, when I was young enough to learn easily.

There are those who acquired these skills in their adult age. Similarly, there are adult converts. These are often more convincing (to both fellow believers as well as to unbelievers), but sometimes also more intolerant, than those who managed to preserve and adjust their childhood-acquired faith to an adult level.

Of course, there are many people who received their RE from overburdened parents or incompetent teachers (or both), leading to the “loss of their faith”.

>>The State's action could consist in passing legislation to outlaw such education<<
As I said, I grew up in a Stalinist country, so I experienced not atheistic, but explicitly anti-theistic education, but even there the Authorities would not have dared to “outlaw“ education by e.g. Christian parents, only discriminate against it.

Dear Squeers,
Atheism defined as “lack (or absence) of belief” is not my invention, I have learned it on this OLO. Sometimes to clarify it (for myself) I add “religious“ in parethhesses, since I agree that e.g. Dawkins believes many things, he actually states it explicitly. In http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=10496#175543 I wrote:

I was just trying to avoid the word “beliefs” because some atheists do not like it. Not so e.g. Richard Dawkins: “An atheist ... is somebody who believes there is nothing beyond the natural, physical world, no supernatural creative intelligence ... no soul that outlasts the body and no miracles...” (The God Delusion).

I don’t think you would want to continue a debate if somebody called your world-view:

an “impoverished view (that) has no … horizon“ of “nearly infinite intellectual/philosophical vista on offer“ as had by those with alternate views,

or that you must see that a “caring“ Christian "will reason and warn against (your) lack of perspective“,

or that the assumptions on which you build your world-view are a "mental starch".

Like Poirote I was horrified at the Pope's recent lecture where in a desperate attempt to admonish atheism he stooped to a comparison with Hitler.

Why are so many theists prepared to condone such an analogy no matter how the defence is phrased; and why are people unwilling to understand that a non-belief in the supernatural does not mean a disbelief in morals and values based on a common human connection and a natural desire to do good.

If you truly believe man was made in God's image why is that image so negative and disdainful that would lead one to believe that humans are incapable of human compassion and feeling.

Dear George,

"Thanks for the quote confirming that the Pope related Nazism (not to atheism in general but) to 'atheist extremism'."

Really....I believe the Pope deliberately inserted the term "atheist", connecting it quite snugly to the word "extremism" to give it added impetus. why couldn't he just have said "extremism" - most people would have drawn their own conclusions on his sentiments.