Extremism image - The Debating Society

My belief is that it's all part of the mind-set of an individual. An extremist will always be an extremist unless they get help for it. I've seen people drop out of religion/politics claiming it made them "extreme" only for them to still hold extremist views.

And yes I think anyone can be extremists and that includes atheists. I think I remember a debate here a while back saying that atheists can't be extremists but an extremist is simply someone who holds extreme views. So if you're intolerant to others (no matter your religion or lack of) and have bigoted extreme views then you're an extremist.

I don't think you have to be violent to just be an extremist. Your views, themselves, can reflect an extreme ideology.

It's the mind-set that can make an extremist person, who goes into religion, do terrible things in its name but without religion they'd just find something else to fight for and they'd still be extremists with intolerant views.

Unfortunately no "side" or group is free of these type of people.

I will also admit here that religious extremists are actually worst than atheist extremists. In the end though, I say "a plague on both your houses!" to them. Any extremist is closed-minded, that's their common problem.