My sentiments exactly, Tombee.

<<But please don't fiddle with its meaning in order to make inaccurate generalisations.>>

All too often, in my travels here on OLO, I come across theists adding more than is necessary to what it means to be an atheist - implying that it is a belief system in itself (as was implied in the article) - and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s only ever done out of envy of those who are freethinkers not bound by a rigid dogma. They can’t stand it, so they need to drag those who disagree with them down to their own dogmatic level by re-defining atheism.

This is why I encourage all who aren’t religious to use the term to describe themselves rather than shying away with terms like “sceptic” or “agnostic”. Because if we don’t take ownership of the word, they’ll succeed is changing its meaning and we all know how bad they are at defining it.

What theists fail to realise, though, is that even if they do succeed in re-defining atheism, all it means is that we are no longer “atheists” and that we then need to select a different term to describe ourselves. Changing the definition of a word doesn’t change who people are. It just means they’ll use a different word to describe themselves in future.

The English language has enough illogical rules and exceptions for us to want to screw around with it any more than what already occurs naturally - just for our own little agendas.

Yes what is this rant about?
It is a typical example of Ben's smarmy adolescent ignorance, while pretending to be insightful.

Ben is of course OLO's resident comedian - except that he aint at all funny.
Plus there has never been one iota of evidence of a religiously informed consciousness in anything that Ben has ever written on OLO or on his appalling adolescent blog.
And why has Sam Harris become the target of both right-wing religionists and (now) pseudo-religious hacks like Ben.

Sam's superb Letter to Christian America should be compulsory reading for everyone, especially all of the right-wing religionists with their inherently intolerant "only-we-possess-the-truth" mind-set.

Notice too that Ben takes a swipe at Harris's use of Zen terminology.
Sam is quite sympathetic to the Buddhist understanding of Reality, so why not use Zen terminology.
Never mind that we have NO living Spiritual Tradition, and thus even the language with which to attempt to communicate a Spiritual and therefore subtle and paradoxical understanding of Reality.

“Climate change is not a religious belief.” I agree Pericles – but hiding preindustrial climate changes and claiming that men are gods who can change the climate is cultic. Banning debates is cultic. Not being able to question Al Gore’s Gaia theology is cultic.

No educated skeptic has said climate change is not real – they have said that apocalyptic manmade “global warming” is a con. But perhaps your faith allows you to erase history. I note that green Leftists don’t talk about “global warming” as much now after Climategate.

I get very tired of people trotting out the phrase "there are no atheists in fox holes".
Where is the evidence to support this? Just because someone said it and it sounds clever does not make it true.

I agree Rhys. My mother, who recently passed away from a slow debilitating illness, came from a Baptist background - did not fear death. In one of our final conversations, she recounted to me a visit from some of her Christian friends - while she appreciated their company, she said to me "I am an atheist, I am still an atheist, I love my friends and family but I am still an atheist." With over half her lung capacity gone and every word an effort, she wanted to make very clear that she had accepted her fate and did not need to pray to anything or anyone.

When I was informed of her death, the nurse remarked upon how extraordinarily peaceful she looked. My mother died with a smile on her face - I can only hope to be as brave and accepting.

All that the author has done is confirm what we already know: religion
is based on hope and fear.

David Brooks has published an interesting new book called " The
Social Animal" I downloaded it onto the Ipad and its worth
a read.

A couple of quotes:

"You are the spiritual entity that emerges out of the material
networks in your head"

"A brain is the record of a life"

No need for souls or gods in there.