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Why are atheists so strident?

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CaptainTrips222
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09 Jun 2010, 12:59 pm

countzarroff wrote:
I think some atheists hate religious people for the same reason some religious people hate atheists. People still want to try and mix science and faith when they really aren't alike at all. People want their world to make sense and when someone else's way of life interferes with it, they get aggravated. I personally just accepted a long time ago that faith isn't science and that science just can't replace faith. I believe in God. Why? I have been asking myself that question for many years. It makes no logical sense whatsoever and history shows a lot of loopholes in God's existance. One of my closest friends is a staunch atheist and he gave me everything he needed to disprove God. And I listened, and it made sense. So why do I believe in God? Are you ready for the answer (drumroll please)

I don't know.

I have no idea why I believe in God but it is something that is just buried so deep in my mind that it just won't leave, it feels natural to me even though I know that it doesn't make any scientific sense. So for all you raging atheists out there, when you call faith and religion stupid, you're absolutely right. There is no intelligent study or knowledge behind it at all. Its instinct. Is there a flying spaghetti monster? Someone might believe so but he won't be able to tell you why. I'm sorry but faith just doesn't work like that.


If it's instinct, I don't think it's really stupid. It's when people think that "if everybody were my religion, the economy would be good and we'd get along" that it gets moronic. But if you believe deep down, and admit you don't know why, you're just being human. And not everyone has that mind set, but that doesn't make those who have it wrong.



NobelCynic
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18 May 2011, 6:36 am

This seems like a good time to bump this thread.


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Moog
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18 May 2011, 6:41 am

Pants are too tight?


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pandabear
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18 May 2011, 11:40 am

Probably a wedgie.



iamnotaparakeet
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18 May 2011, 11:58 am

Constipation.



kladky
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18 May 2011, 12:32 pm

NobelCynic wrote:
Exclavius wrote:
There are also other posts you have made that suggest that your opposition to the divine is based on religion:
In another thread Exclavius wrote:
I was a christian for a lot of years, if you call catholic christian :lol:

Since then though, i have decided that my life is mine, and not some god's, even if he/she exists. In fact, there is a LOT in that one line about how and why i decided to discard christianity.

I am also an ex-catholic so I know where you are coming from. They do discourage people from thinking about the doctrine they teach and the accusation of intellectual laziness does apply to many (and many of other dominations) but not all. When I rejected the picture of God that was painted for me, I rejected just that, their image of God. I was an agnostic for about a decade but never an atheist.

I do not believe that God wants your life or your will. I have heard the opinion that it was a left-handed offer (we were supposed to say “no, thank you") but I reject it. Any god who created man and did not want him to have a life and will of his own would be pretty stupid to give them to him.

Believe it or not, I put a lot of thought into developing my own personal image and I rarely share it; I use it to guide my own choices but never to influence anyone else's. How is that a threat?


Good for you. As an ex-Catholic and ex-agnostic myself, I can understand exactly what you mean. Rejecting Catholicism's god does not mean rejecting God. Especially since much of their dogma is a far cry from what Jesus wanted his followers to do anyway.

Personally, I believe that God created us with free will but hopes that we will use it in a way that pleases Him. After all, if you have children, you raise them hoping they will turn out a certain way.



AceOfSpades
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18 May 2011, 1:33 pm

I think religion is fundamentally flawed cuz of how it is designed as a system, but I mostly don't give a s**t about going out of my way to argue with theists. I have no interest in getting myself involved in pissing contests and trying to prove my superiority. If you wanna challenge theists, that's fine but there's no need to go about it condescendingly since it is just plain petty and unproductive to holding a mature debate.



ryan93
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18 May 2011, 4:01 pm

Quote:
Why are atheists so strident?


Because people are trying to push their Bugaboo's into Politics and Science.

edit; to clear up any possible confusion, "Bugaboo's" are Gods, fairies, demons, etc.


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Last edited by ryan93 on 18 May 2011, 4:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

iamnotaparakeet
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18 May 2011, 4:44 pm

ryan93 wrote:
Quote:
Why are atheists so strident?


Because people are trying to push their Bugaboo's into Politics and Science.


Only theists do this, applying their ideology to other systems of thought?



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18 May 2011, 4:47 pm

Quote:
Only theists do this, applying their ideology to other systems of thought?


If people impose their beliefs upon me, I will b***h. Theists do that in my country (blasphemy laws, catholic run education). So I b***h.


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18 May 2011, 4:49 pm

ryan93 wrote:
Quote:
Why are atheists so strident?


Because people are trying to push their Bugaboo's into Politics and Science.

edit; to clear up any possible confusion, "Bugaboo's" are Gods, fairies, demons, etc.


I put a fairy in a proton decelerating matrix, and it turned into a cat.

Poor holy science and politics.


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iamnotaparakeet
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18 May 2011, 4:55 pm

ryan93 wrote:
Quote:
Only theists do this, applying their ideology to other systems of thought?


If people impose their beliefs upon me, I will b***h. Theists do that in my country (blasphemy laws, catholic run education). So I b***h.


And here in America various laws had been passed in the 1990's denying the ability of either teachers or students to pray in public school - if they were Christian that is. Also, "offense" is one sided by default here, such as being offended about not being completely accepted when somebody flaunts their lifestyle around is fine, but Christians cannot be offended about anything because we are, by default, considered to be the offending party.



ryan93
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18 May 2011, 5:09 pm

Quote:
And here in America various laws had been passed in the 1990's denying the ability of either teachers or students to pray in public school - if they were Christian that is. Also, "offense" is one sided by default here, such as being offended about not being completely accepted when somebody flaunts their lifestyle around is fine, but Christians cannot be offended about anything because we are, by default, considered to be the offending party.


Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that legislation just outlaw teacher-led prayer? Private prayer (i.e at lunch) is kosher.

I think Christians would be infuriated by a morning, imam-lead prayer in schools, so there should be no hypocrisy on their parts about having their brand of religion pushed.

it's not about "flaunting lifestyles", it's about Christianity being pushed on kids in schools. Individuals can be as theistic or atheistic as they wish, so long as they don't compel you to believe what they do.


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18 May 2011, 5:14 pm

For me, discussion and debate are means by which to challenge my thinking and introduce new lines of thought.

The radicals of either side hinder that; the godmoding Christians who can't apply reason or logic to their claims, and the stridently* atheist who make statements like, "stupid thoughts are stupid and people addicted to these silly things have exaggerated emotional reactions". Neither promote discussion.

I have read statements like, "you don't have to prove a negative claim", and to be honest I think it's ridiculous that either side would say, "Prove it!", because there is absolutely no proof either way. However, if you feel a claim is stupid, simply show why you believe the claim to be stupid. If you want to base an opinion on "Because the Bible says so", expect people to challenge the validity of your source.

There are only two logical reasons for debate; 1) to challenge your own thinking, or 2) to challenge another's thinking.
Anything else is just mudslinging and provocation.


* Not referring to SA's per se, but the definition of strident as being:
–adjective
1. making or having a harsh sound; grating; creaking: strident insects; strident hinges.
2. having a shrill, irritating quality or character: a strident tone in his writings.
3. Linguistics . (in distinctive feature analysis) characterized acoustically by noise of relatively high intensity, as sibilants, labiodental and uvular fricatives, and most affricates.



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18 May 2011, 5:18 pm

donnie_darko wrote:
It's strange why they care so much. Surely if God isn't real, why must they be so anti-God?


Atheists aren't (generally) anti-God. That would be stupid - there is no God.
Atheists are anti-religion. That definitely exists, and is designed to control how people act and think. One of the major problems is that religions are supposed to be the perfect word of a deity and don't adapt - so Christians, for instance, are still operating with "laws" that are two thousand years old and take no account of technology, democracy, modern medicine, multiculturalism, the environment, space travel, global economy, the internet...



iamnotaparakeet
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18 May 2011, 5:28 pm

ryan93 wrote:
Quote:
And here in America various laws had been passed in the 1990's denying the ability of either teachers or students to pray in public school - if they were Christian that is. Also, "offense" is one sided by default here, such as being offended about not being completely accepted when somebody flaunts their lifestyle around is fine, but Christians cannot be offended about anything because we are, by default, considered to be the offending party.


Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that legislation just outlaw teacher-led prayer? Private prayer (i.e at lunch) is kosher.

I think Christians would be infuriated by a morning, imam-lead prayer in schools, so there should be no hypocrisy on their parts about having their brand of religion pushed.

it's not about "flaunting lifestyles", it's about Christianity being pushed on kids in schools. Individuals can be as theistic or atheistic as they wish, so long as they don't compel you to believe what they do.


Private, silent, and individual, in other words, only in one's mind can one pray at a government run schools. However, exceptions can be made for "cultural minorities". Catholicism may be annoying, especially when Catholics or their clone of Anglicans have control of governments, but I doubt a Catholic or Anglican state can be any worse than a secular state.