Quick Rebuttal to One Part of Atheism Plus

This will be a quick rebuttal to one part of this whole Atheism+ thing that has been circulating the atheist community as of late.

A common thing to say with this new Atheism+ thing is, “I agree with the concept and goals, such as being anti-racism and anti-homophobia, but I just don’t want a creed or doctrine of atheism.” That is a very valid concern and true for a lot of people. It is not true for me.

I do not agree with the radical approach to feminism that this movement takes (or radical feminism in general), despite myself being for actual gender equality. I also may not agree with their definition of social justice, animal welfare, and others. I may not agree with their stances on several political issues (as I am against affirmative action and very hawkish in foreign policy, not very progressive stances). Libertarian atheists (despite my extreme distaste for libertarian philosophy) may be very active atheists, and may even be pro-gay and all, but not agree with the Atheist+ idea of progressivism or social justice either.

Just because you’re an atheist that is not progressive does not mean that you can’t be for the civil rights of atheists. Even if you are against the civil rights of others, such is the case with atheists who are anti-gay (yes, they do exist). It’s not a case of strange-bedfellows. We would still stand up for the rights of minorities, even though minorities (i.e. blacks, Hispanics, etc.) are statistically more likely to be homophobic and may even be actively anti-gay.

We can fight these different battles, as they are all different battles and different movements, even if they may fall under the very wide umbrella of the “progressive” movement. And really, at that point, you might as well just say you’re a progressive or liberal atheist. No need for this new term and label, that is already covered by several other terms (e.g. secular movement, secular humanist, progressive, etc.), that is only dividing atheists.