Are we becoming Evangelical? Only if we have "good news" about this man who was killed for us so that we might believe in him and live forever. What "message" does an atheist evangelist have?
My message is that gods are imaginary. Fux News might tell you anything.

The inherent trap with atheism right now is that it has become synonymous with liberalism, a belief system with its ideological roots in New Testament Christianity. Secular Humanism -- especially -- is simply a secular version of New Testament Christianity. All the same values. There are other much older and more natural and time-tested ways of approaching life than liberalism.

Two examples. First present-day Judaism. Most contemporary Jews no longer hold a literal belief in their tribal god, Yawheh. They understand that 3,000 years ago they did need such a God to be their nanny through life, but since then they have grown up. Now they can take care of themselves. They have shelved their tribal god without rejecting tribalism itself. Hence the name Judaism. Jews essentially focus on themselves. The religion is now a nexus for their survival and advancement in this life. Although they maintain their older traditions and stories, the purpose of all this is to teach them lessons in tribal survival. Group cohesion and loyalty.

The second example is the African American Christian church. From slavery times right up through the Civil Rights struggle, the black church was always the nexus for black resistance to an oppressive system. Black preachers functioned as political leaders and even revolutionaries. The stories from the Bible were always interpreted in a way to provide support, guidance and encouragement to black people dealing with harsh environments. The black church didn't just preach stupid bullshit to its people. It was vital to their existence and eventual triumph over slavery and racism.

This brings us to today's typical atheist: He or she is typically a white person with well-above-average intellect. This person also needs a life with meaning and purpose. The purpose of all life is to bring forth more life, and hopefully over time this new life will become more intelligent an more highly evolved. So your typical white atheist needs a religion, like Judaism, which will help him or her find a good mate and bring good children into life and educate them. Of necessity this means a return to tribalism. Unitarian Universalism or Secular Humanism just doesn't cut the mustard here. The problem is that anytime whites start thinking tribally the people who already think that way start yelling "racist." Therein lies the challenge.

We didn't start this shit. And in responding, we are NOT in anyway becoming them, regardless of apparent similarities.

I hope most anti-theists become less tolerant of the stupidity being forced upon us, all children, and consequently our future's: text books bereft of science, prayer classes in public schools, anti-gay, anti-reason, child abuse, and lies lies lies about non-believers.

The spread of islamist fascism is real and intends to push us into another feudal dark period.

Just for myself, I don't feel "evangelical" in my atheism. It's simply a total lack of belief in gods and religion.
However, being an anti-theist is totally different. It actually requires an almost evangelical devotion to
tearing down all religious influences on the lives of all people.
It's much easier to be an atheist, in my opinion. Being an anti-theist is what requires much more
effort.

Oops as correctly pointed out my blog contained two separate issues with only a tenuous relationship between them. Learnt my lesson, never write a blog after 5 glasses of red wine which in fact has got me thinking after the aspririn kidded in.
Now Australia is largely a secular society (except for recent Middle East imports) and we never really cared if someone had a religion or was atheist. I don't believe we ever had that divide. It sort of never entered the conversations and if you did somehow mention you were an atheist we'd think you come from a country called Atheiasia which sounds a bit like Australia - well they start with "A'. You'd be greeted with open arms.
Sure some people go to church but I think it may be for the social interaction. We don't wear t-shirts advertising out religious or lack off beliefs.
You guys live in an interesting country which I can't quite make sense of. You have so many extremes so I can feel your frustration.
Anyway come for a holiday in OZ. I'll show you around but please don't wear a back t-shirt with imprinted in white 'I'm An Atheist' . We'd think you got some medical condition that needs serious antibiotics. You'd be hospitialised before you got off the plane.

Atheists should be "evangelical". The religious right is actively imposing their religion on everyone. You can't be passive with an aggressor and expect to win.

I try to avoid the confrontational thing that some other atheists have going on. I know we have a bad rep for getting into fights because we try to assert ourselves as better and smarter that theists, which isn't always the case, generally speaking. As an agnostic, I respect other beliefs while maintaining faith in my own. I'm pretty sure that many theists don't really understand agnosticism and just put us in the same category as those who are merely atheist. We should all just try to respect each other.

Yes, evolution is painfully slow isn't it.
It will be hundreds, thousands, of years before we might achieve what we can already conceive of. Spans of time indifferent to our paltry eighty or so years.
But that's what makes it great - we think beyond our time, as will they then.

I never go to any person and tell them to lose their religion. I did not want other people to try to convert me. If a person comes to me and tries, I give them the reasons, why I reject their position.

As far as other intelligent life forms out there,forty lights years, is is not that far. There might be some form of life that has not invented the radio as of yet, or maybe so advanced they stopped using radios eons ago.

Let's look at the last part first. The first signals we sent out that were powerful enough to be sifted out of the background noise beamed out into space some 74 years ago when WJZ went to 50Kw on 660 kHz. Now, those signals that managed to escape Earth (a small portion of the station's power) were scattered all over the sky and mixed in with all the cosmic noise, so even though they were out there it is highly doubtful that anyone would have heard them anyway. We now know that the sweet spot in the cosmos, known as the waterhole, is the range from 1420 to 1720 MHz. Outside that narrow spread, there is emf chaos. Any civilization as advanced as we are would know that and would have concentrated their listening in that range on the assumption that anyone broadcasting with the intent of being heard would know that too. This is not an anthropomorphization. It is merely based on the idea that science and the knowledge thereof will not be any different anywhere else.

Now, the first part. Atheists are people and as such are prone to the same foibles as religious people. In an ideal state we would have dropped all connection with anything irrational other than basic human emotions. Supernatural would not be in our lexicon. The reality is, we know better than that. I hope that we will eventually ascend to that level of thinking and that we'll have enough of an effect on the populations of the world that many of them will be dragged along in our wake. At the moment, that is not how things work and we need to accept the fact that it takes all kinds to make a society. In other words, accept the reality around you and relax. All in good time. All in good time.

I just try to keep doing good and treating other people well. I want to break the stigma that after m atheists and agnostics are"bad" people. I want to be better than them, outdo them at their own moral game.