Comment by Mabel on January 14, 2012 at 12:55pm

I agree with Nelson. I would also like to point out there are Wiccans fighting for more official recognition as a religion and many Christians do not like it lol. 

Link:  Regarding Wicca Brewing Up Trouble:  Wicca and the US Military

http://home.comcast.net/~robertmag73/Brewing_Up_Trouble_WICCA_and_t...

Comment by Unseen on January 14, 2012 at 3:09pm

What other theistic religions did you have in mind? How many people do you run into who are Zoroastrian, for example? You are aware that a "theistic" religion believes that some dude is in charge? Wicca, while a religion, doesn't have such a dude, isn't theistic, and thus isn't subject to atheism, though it's still nonsense like the theistic religions. Buddhism in its original form, most closely approximated by contemporary hinayana Buddhism, has no dude in control. Mahayana Buddhism what happened when Buddhism spread, and as often happens when a religion spreads, it blends in with existing local beliefs and religions. This is why Tibetan Buddhism has a pantheon. Hinduism isn't taken seriously by many well-educated Indians. There's also the fact that Hinduism isn't evangelical: they aren't always trying to make converts (the Hare Krishna cult aside). Militant atheism grows up in the face of the evangelical face of Christianity and Islam primarily. Judaism isn't evangelical. Does this help to answer your question?

Comment by Doug Reardon on January 14, 2012 at 3:12pm

because, push comes to shove?

Comment by Bob MacVay on January 14, 2012 at 5:56pm

In other words, atheism is a rejection of a belief in the existence of deities and the supernatural,  while secular humanism (or Humanism -designated with a capital H) involves atheists who have adopted a moral code based on human values and needs. Therefore, all atheists are not Humanists but all Humanists are atheists.

Comment by Nelson on January 14, 2012 at 5:59pm

But the author of the post IS an atheist who apparently thinks that the sentence "She thinks I'm an atheist but I'm actually a secular humanist" makes any sense. I of course recognize that there are some people who call themselves humanists but who aren't atheists, but this isn't the case here.

Comment by Bob MacVay on January 14, 2012 at 6:30pm

I agree Nelson.I think some people find it easier to avoid the atheism label and the questioning surrounding the "how can you have morals without a god" thing. By saying you are a Humanist you can put the morals question to bed, but shouldn't be ashamed to say by definition, you are also an atheist.

Comment by Nelson on January 14, 2012 at 6:31pm

Yeah, surely there are some people that feel that way. I agree.

Comment by James on January 14, 2012 at 7:44pm

It is true that we focus on the Abrahamic religions, but I'd say that it's more a product of the fact that they're the ones that are front and center, highly visible and trying to control, and we see it almost every day. In America, we focus of Christianity because they are the ones in the majority and are frankly inescapable.  When it comes to other religions, we'll typically agree that we don't believe other religions either. But the thing is that they are largely passive, whereas the big ones are loud and proud. My wife is actually a Wiccan. I don't believe in her god or goddess, and don't think she can do any magic. She knows this and we respect what each other believe and are open an honest. Quite frankly, it has never been a conflict. I feel that a big part of it is that while I think it may be silly, Wicca and Wiccans aren't trying to make laws on their religion, use their religion to control what others can and can't do, don't proselytize, etc. So while we aren't vocal about the smaller religions, it's not that we're giving them a free pass. It's just that they aren't the ones that are relevant in our daily lives.

Comment by Barry Eckert on January 14, 2012 at 9:51pm

It's a cultural thing. The Abramic religions are the most common in western cultures, so they get the most heat. I live in the Bible Belt (Nashville TN) but rest assured that if I lived in Mumbai instead, I'd be saying a lot more about Shiva than I do.

Comment by Alice Browne on January 14, 2012 at 11:35pm

I find religions as a whole damaging because they discourage critical thinking, promote an us vs. them mentality, and enjoy a privileged status that they do not deserve. I think others have covered the topic of why the Abrahamic religions are especially focused upon.

In my opinion Wicca, Paganism, New Age, and that ilk do just as much damage in the form of encouraging fuzzy thinking. Since they are so grassroots and nicey-nice, though, they don't get as much attention. There are relatively benign forms of this harm, such as bilking someone out of money for pretty rocks and scented candles, but then you get down to the "natural is GOOD!" crowd and you get homeopathy and anti-vaxxers. That's probably another discussion, though.

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