Can you justify the anti-theist goal?
this is a conversation I began with somebody on another adjacently related thread that got locked, and I received multiple replies and downvotes so surely there are a lot of people here that have a strong opinion on the matter.
now to be clear, I'm not claiming I know for sure that the goal is ultimately unachievable in a realistic, feasible way that is not more detrimental than the existence of religion today, but I am very skeptical that this can actually be achieved in this way.
people had big problems with the notion that religion requires an adequate secular replacement in order for religious people to fall in line, not become martyrs and just generally accept the harsh reality of religions being erased forever and forbidden.
I realize that an option is that we just say screw 'em, let them complain, revolt and however society comes out on the other side of this all will be better, the ends justify the means. but can we say it's feasible that this outcome would be less harmful than religions are today? people can be extremists and act in extreme ways exclusive of religions.
my view is certainly not that I like religions, but I see their utility and see in my personal life how they help people, creates community and support systems and the like. I know these things can be created secularly. but will that happen in a way that religious people can accept? what makes you sure that this shift will happen in any way that can resemble a smooth enough transition?
if we could Thanos snap the world into a state where religion and supernatural woo beliefs never existed because of a rigorous standard of evidence adopted by our species 100 million years ago, then absolutely I think that would probably be fine. but that's just not the world of possibility that we live in...
is the ultimate antitheist goal, then, not to abolish religions but just to support secular societies and hope and wish that religion goes away? can we realistically expect religion to go away on its own, by supporting secular societies?
and finally, if such an ultimate antitheistic goal is not actually feasible, is it really sensible to awkwardly hold this position in an activist way? like protesting the existence of viruses, even though they will not ever be realistically going away without extreme measures like living in hyper sanitized domes? somebody might say, become a virologist... become an epidemiologist... that's fine, but the analog already exists for religion... support inoculation to religions, support rational thought, become a teacher of these values. these are clearly quite different positions and yet seem to have similar, more achievable goals.
ultimately, tell me your beliefs, expectations and what, personally, your ultimate antitheist goal is, as I imagine it will differ from person to person at least a little. is "I would prefer religions never existed but I guess they can exist" an antitheist position? I want to hear your own opinions.