So, Matt put out a video, I’ll include it below the fold, where he talks about what atheists are supposedly fighting for. In theory, that’s not a bad topic and he does say some decent things about it that I’m perfectly fine with.

Then, he gets into things that are a bit problematic, as much as I personally detest that word. So let’s talk about it.

First, here’s the video if you want to take a look at it. A lot of it is fine, but there’s a point that he gets to, especially when he’s talking about the ACA, where I’ve got a lot of issues.

Here’s the issue. I’m going to talk about it generically because the ACA is one specific atheist group and there are tons of them floating around out there. These are supposed to be, at least in the ACA’s case, 501c3 charitable organizations that can’t talk about politics or promote political parties and positions. Except, that’s mostly what they do and Matt spends a long time here promoting that.

He says this is what a lot of atheists want. No, it’s what a lot of very liberal atheists want and are looking to pursue their liberal ideas under the guise of atheism. I’ve talked about this in the past so I’m going to do it again in the most roundabout way possible.

I’m a stamp collector, as some might know. That means that I belong to a number of organizations dedicated to promoting philately. That’s all that they do. They don’t have a political agenda, they don’t talk about the environment, they do nothing except what they are there to do. If you want to talk about the environment or animal husbandry or any other number of issues, then you go and join a group dedicated to that. That’s not what these specific organizations exist to do.

This is why, when you go to look at the official ACA mission statement, it reads “promoting positive atheism and the separation of religion and government.” That’s what they’re there to do. They don’t exist to tackle trans rights. They don’t exist to fight for equality. They are there to promote positive atheism and the separation of church and state. Now I’m very much in favor of trans rights and equality, but if I want to do those things, I’ll go join a group dedicated to doing those things.

The ACA isn’t it.

I’ve noticed, especially lately, that a lot of people seem to want to roll all of their social, political and hobby interests under a single umbrella. They want a one-stop-shop for everything that they are and that’s not realistic. In fact, sticking with the ACA, they used to advertise an “atheist game night”. Well what does playing games have to do with atheism? Absolutely nothing, but it’s a bunch of people who want to make all of their interests the exact same thing. What I’m seeing with groups like the ACA, which is trying to do exactly that, is that they are violating their own mission statement. Instead of promoting positive atheism, like it says, they’re actually promoting “atheism, but only so long as it includes a specific type of liberal political thought”. It’s not about atheism anymore, it’s political activism hiding behind a thin veneer of atheism.

He says a lot of people had problems with it when he was president of the ACA. I would have too. It’s not following the stated purpose of the group. I know that they at least used to have a booth or something at the local gay pride parade. That’s fine, but my question is, why are they there? Are they there to promote positive atheism or are they there  to make a political statement about gay rights? Pick one. I suspect it’s more the latter than the former and that’s where it gets into trouble.

Believe it or not, people can join more than one  group. If you want to fight for trans rights, an admirable goal, join a group for that. If you want to collect stamps, join a group for that. If you want to play Magic the Gathering, join a group for that if you wish. Don’t expect every single one of them to actively appeal to every area of your belief system. That’s not how reality works! You don’t need to insist that your group for Magic the Gathering only caters to trans-rights stamp collectors as well!

To head off a potential disagreement here, atheism isn’t the sole object of your life. I know that there are people like Matt who have turned advocacy for secularism into his day job and that’s fine, but for most people who aren’t up to their eyeballs in this, atheism is a very minor part of their day. In fact, if I’m not writing about religion on my blog or making videos for YouTube, I don’t think about religion at all and certainly, atheism doesn’t interfere with my day in any way. Atheism is the response to theism, it isn’t something that exists on its own. Therefore, saying “I only want to play games with atheists” is kind of ridiculous. Who cares? So long as your opponent isn’t trying to preach at you in the middle of Monopoly, what difference does it make? You’re there to play a game, not debate theology anyhow!

If you go through their position statements, on their website, it becomes clear that their mission statement doesn’t tell the whole story. What does human rights and non-discrimination have to do with promoting positive atheism?  What does reproductive rights and trans rights have to do with anything? That is entirely secondary to what they purport to exist for, isn’t it? What about LGBT equality? It’s one thing to insist on fair and equal treatment at ACA events, it’s another to take what appears to be an entirely political position on your group’s website.

If you go over to the American Philatelic Society, they don’t even have a statement of positions. They exist for one and only one thing. They’re there to promote stamp collecting. The board of directors would laugh at anyone trying to insert their political positions into their group.

Just like the ACA should, if they were, as they say, a secular advocacy group. It’s just that they’re not and they haven’t been for a very long time, if ever. They’re a far-left political group playing make believe under the  guise of atheism because they wouldn’t be tax-exempt if they were honest. This isn’t about honesty, it never is. It’s just about coddling fee-fees and that’s just pathetically sad.