The "new atheists" have directed their campaign against a narrow segment of religion while failing to understand even that small part. Seeing religion as a system of beliefs, they have attacked it as if it was no more than an obsolete scientific theory. The idea that religion consists of a bunch of discredited theories is itself a discredited theory – a relic of the nineteenth-century philosophy of Positivism. The new atheists are unwitting disciples of Comte’s Positivist philosophy. It seems self-evident to them that religion is a primitive sort of science.
(from: John Gray: "Seven types of atheism" )
John Gray sounds like a very perceptive person. I’ll try to get that book.
The irony is that many or most atheists describe themselves as simply withholding belief in God. The “burden of proof” is supposed to be on the other side. Then they proceed with a slurring, hateful campaign against their opponents, setting forth numerous faulty arguments in a condescending manner, claiming openly that they themselves are superior in intelligence, courage, morality, mental health and just about everything else. I expect to read next that atheists are better looking than religious folks.
I can understand a degree of anger toward certain religious organizations, but attacking the people who belong to those organizations does nothing to address the God question.