The Oatmeal Explains Different Types of Extremists

[keen23]

The Oatmeal is a pretty popular website with various cartoons and whatnot. Today, he's taking time to explain extremists of various religious ilks- http://theoatmeal.com/comics/extremists . So, it might be slightly offensive to some, but it's a satire people.

[Minerva]

The Oatmeal is a pretty popular website with various cartoons and whatnot. Today, he's taking time to explain extremists of various religious ilks- http://theoatmeal.com/comics/extremists . So, it might be slightly offensive to some, but it's a satire people.

I'm now racking my brains trying to think of the most extremist thing atheists have done. Are they really one of the only faith-related groups that haven't done anything violent?

[B5SnowDog]

James Jay Lee, the man who took hostages at Discovery Channel back in 2010, was an atheist. While he didn't kill anyone, he did have an explosive device.

[Conuly]

James Jay Lee, the man who took hostages at Discovery Channel back in 2010, was an atheist. While he didn't kill anyone, he did have an explosive device.

If Christians get to say that various extremists weren't "really" Christians and therefore don't count, so do we! He wasn't really an atheist, he was just pretending.

[B5SnowDog]

I know I never saw him at the meetings. :-P

[bananacat]

To be fair, atheists are a much a smaller group and "out" atheist haven't been around for nearly as long.

[Noon]

Various regimes have persecuted religious persons/groups they perceived to be threats to their power, so yeah...atheists can be dicks too. Think Soviet Russia, etc.

[tropaka]

Let's not forget China too,,,,

[mrs]

I'm now racking my brains trying to think of the most extremist thing atheists have done., Are they really one of the only faith-related groups that haven't done anything violent?

I think PETA has done some pretty extreme things. ( not criticizing PETA, but I think they may be full of atheists).

[fluttershies]

And the Khmer Rouge, and North Korea.

[JesusFightClub]

To be fair though (and I am digging a pit for myself here, I know) the likes of the Khmer Rouge weren't doing their thing in the name of atheism. It's a different scenario.

I'm not too sure about the blokes in the first picture. To properly bomb an embassy, more than a suicide vest is required. Think on, chaps. ;)

[bubbabearzle]

I think PETA has done some pretty extreme things. ( not criticizing PETA, but I think they may be full of atheists).

Assume much? The two things (lack of belief in a supernatural being and militant defense of animal rights) have no connections whatsoever. I'm an atheist. I'm also a vegeterian, and I refuse to use cosmetics and such that were tested on animals - BUT I wholeheartedly do NOT support PETA, because that organization is completely insane.

[ladypuglover]

Assume much? The two things (lack of belief in a supernatural being and militant defense of animal rights) have no connections whatsoever. I'm an atheist. I'm also a vegeterian, and I refuse to use cosmetics and such that were tested on animals - BUT I wholeheartedly do NOT support PETA, because that organization is completely insane.

I think that is why most people do not support PETA. I think they are more anti-animal than pro-animal. :snooty:

[JesusFightClub]

PETA are fairly misunderstood. People assume they are an animal welfare group that's gone wrong in its tactics. They are not. They are AR. That is a different thing awthegither.

Between "animal rights" and "animal welfare" is a great gulf fixed. PETA is on the AR side of the gap. That means they are looking at things in a completely different way to how a conventional animal welfare group would look at them.

And is there some crossover with ALF/ELF? I dunno, is water wet? ;)

[margiebargie]

Various regimes have persecuted religious persons/groups they perceived to be threats to their power, so yeah...atheists can be dicks too. Think Soviet Russia, etc.

Well, there's no doubt that atheists can be dicks. Anyone can be a dick. It's worth noting that the Russian Orthodox Church was backed by and given special privileges by the Tsarist government. The church was heavily involved in Tsarist politics-oppression and all. When the tsar went down the church went down with him. One could argue that the church was being punished for it's political affiliation rather than for religion per se. It could be that the populace saw the church and the state as one entity.

There was a similar dynamic at work in the French revolution, but people don't like to mention that one for some reason.

So I guess the moral of the story is that the church should stay out of politics if only for it's own sake.

Btw, it's interesting that no one mentioned the Nazis. Usually people try to paint Nazis as atheists when these discussions come up. I guess most people here already know that Hitler was a catholic and about half of Germans were Lutherans.

[BelieveinScience]

Assume much? The two things (lack of belief in a supernatural being and militant defense of animal rights) have no connections whatsoever. I'm an atheist. I'm also a vegeterian, and I refuse to use cosmetics and such that were tested on animals - BUT I wholeheartedly do NOT support PETA, because that organization is completely insane.

PETA is insane!

Just curious, you're aware that the cosmetics/shampoos etc.. that say "not animal tested" is because that the formula or variation of it that is being used has already been tested on animals by others already? They can get away with saying they didn't use animal testing because they didn't directly do the testing themselves but rather indirectly did the testing. When a new ingredient or what not is added to a formula that has never been used in shampoos/cosmetics it has to undergo testing to make sure its safe for humans. The shampoo/cosmetic companies aren't doing to be mean to the animal the government pretty much requires it to be done.

[BelieveinScience]

PETA are fairly misunderstood. People assume they are an animal welfare group that's gone wrong in its tactics. They are not. They are AR. That is a different thing awthegither.

Between "animal rights" and "animal welfare" is a great gulf fixed. PETA is on the AR side of the gap. That means they are looking at things in a completely different way to how a conventional animal welfare group would look at them.

And is there some crossover with ALF/ELF? I dunno, is water wet? ;)

I really wish people would understand the difference between animal rights and animal welfare organizations.

[AtroposHeart]

On an related note

I WANT THAT TELSA > EDISON SHIRT BADLY!

[Kitty]

Well, there's no doubt that atheists can be dicks. Anyone can be a dick. It's worth noting that the Russian Orthodox Church was backed by and given special privileges by the Tsarist government. The church was heavily involved in Tsarist politics-oppression and all. When the tsar went down the church went down with him. One could argue that the church was being punished for it's political affiliation rather than for religion per se. It could be that the populace saw the church and the state as one entity.

There was a similar dynamic at work in the French revolution, but people don't like to mention that one for some reason.

So I guess the moral of the story is that the church should stay out of politics if only for it's own sake.

Btw, it's interesting that no one mentioned the Nazis. Usually people try to paint Nazis as atheists when these discussions come up. I guess most people here already know that Hitler was a catholic and about half of Germans were Lutherans.

I always thought that Hitler was a lukewarm/apathetic Catholic who didn't really care about religion, but played along with higher-ranking Nazis' strange mystical beliefs. That kind of bullshit gets spouted all the time.

[2xx1xy1JD]

I'd add:

Soviet-era atheists:

"Let's go throw a guy secretly practicing Judaism in the gulag!"

"Well, ok then!"

Chinese atheists:

"Let's torture and kill some Falun Gong leaders and harvest their organs!"

"Well, ok then!"

[Terrie]

I really wish people would understand the difference between animal rights and animal welfare organizations.

Sadly, many people who push the animal rights agenda will claim there is not much difference, that AR is simply AW+. (To be fair, this group is mainly stupid college students). The reality is that AR is often anti-AW, and visa-versa. As a hardcore AW person, I find many AR stances repulsive.

[chiccy]

Atheists have done their share. Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Kim Il Sung/Kim Jong Il. The extent to which their crimes against humanity were perpetrated "in the name of atheism" vary from not-at-all to not-really, but yes, they were atheists (or at least anti-religionists), and so were their governments. Most of their regimes ruthlessly punished any practice or confession of religion.

Genghis Khan, whose name seems like a joke now but who was definitely one of the cruelest people in history, was probably an animist/shaman. He was said to pray to a mountain. I know that this is different from atheism, but the point is that not all terrorists were from theistic (let alone Abrahamic) religions. Genghis, unlike the others I mentioned, was supposedly very tolerant of religion; nonetheless, he was unspeakably cruel and, yes, evil.

Ted Kaczynski is an atheist. Apart from being the Unabomber, there is some pretty well-thought-out speculation that he may also have been responsible for other crimes, including the Zodiac killings.

In modern America, it is true that atheists tend to be pretty peaceful and chill people. But historically that has not always been the case, especially when there were political motivations attached.

[BelieveinScience]

Sadly, many people who push the animal rights agenda will claim there is not much difference, that AR is simply AW+. (To be fair, this group is mainly stupid college students). The reality is that AR is often anti-AW, and visa-versa. As a hardcore AW person, I find many AR stances repulsive.

I've worked in the agriculture industry so it especially makes me mad when people don't get it. And yeah organizations like PETA repulse me PETA actually has caused more harm to animals with some of the stuff they've done but yeah.

[Terrie]

I've worked in the agriculture industry so it especially makes me mad when people don't get it. And yeah organizations like PETA repulse me PETA actually has caused more harm to animals with some of the stuff they've done but yeah.

the one that gets me super pissed off is the recent thing about the PETA's shelter kill numbers, which are well over 90%. They claim it's because they take the cases no one else will that need euthanasia, so the only reason the other shelters look so good is because they can turn away the cases PETA takes.Which is super insulting to all the hardworking volunteer-based organizations I know. I think about what those organizations could do with the kind of money PETA has, and I just want to cry.

A classic example of why AR is NOT AW is an incident near where I went to college. A mink farm was targeted and many of their animals released into the wild, where many of them were found hit by cars on a nearby highway. Several were not killed instantly, but suffered from their injuries before succumbing. :(