Theories on Why Atheists are met with Hostility

[Quantum Windbag]

Yes, and that is why you don't see atheist signs in school that say god is made up, a joke or not real.

Wrong.

I don't see them because the Establishment Clause cuts both ways.

 

[Manonthestreet]

Are you sure the hate doesnt flow the other way?

Did you see the nice sweet cute high school girl who is an atheist and she sued and won to have the school take down a prayer they have up on the wall that says something about god?

She doesn't hate anyone. She simply felt it didn't belong. What was written in that prayer, she didn't agree with and was offensive to her.

You have to realize, if someone doesn't believe in god, to us it is an idiotic concept and it should not be assumed everyone believes in these god(s).

Anyways, you should have seen the town hall meetings. If those people could have they would have taken her out and crucified her. They were the ones that were showing evil.

“Men never commit evil so fully and joyfully as when they do it for religious convictions.” – Blaise Pascal

“With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.” – Steven Weinberg

Prayer for injured teen sparks atheist outrage Prayer for injured teen sparks atheist outrage Fox News See 2 can play............

Do you not understand why?

Allowing an adult pastor to act as a ‘volunteer chaplain’ for the football team is not cool. The school cannot “allow a non-school adult pastor access to the children seeking to organize prayer for the students.”

Did you read the entire article?

The school district said the prayer was instigated by students and denied that a chaplain prayed with the team. So at least they understand that if they did that it would be wrong. Instead what they are doing is denying the coach had anything to do with it. Had he organized the prayer they'd be guilty. The school is saying the kids did it themselves. If that's the case no harm no foul.

Keep in mind in the past you guys argued that team chaplain's should be allowed. You lost that argument. Do you at least today understand why you lost and do you agree/understand why a team chaplain doesn't have a place at the school? You didn't before. My hunch is that if you could wave a magic wand and put a chaplain back into our schools, you would. So you probably do not understand.

The atheists said in a written statement that they were satisfied with the school’s response – and they now consider the matter closed.

“FFRF is very pleased with central Florida's new-found commitment to upholding the First Amendment and protecting the rights of all students, not just Christians,”

Parents, meanwhile, are a bit perturbed with the atheist bullying.

Yes I know why, they hate and are not secure in their belief so it must be imposed.
There was no Chaplain ....the atheist group accomplished nothing but wasting time and energy of those they hate

You are ignorant.

We are not trying to impose our beliefs. We are trying to make sure you don't impose yours. Doesn't matter if the majority believes in god. Sometimes laws are passed to protect the minority.

The only thing we HATE is you imposing your god(s) on us. It is unconstitutional and unAmerican.

Theists often say atheist nations are bad but fact is, America is an atheist nation. We were smart to take god out of our politics. The opposite would be to be like ISIS in Iraq. They want their country to be a religious one. Do you?

Just the facts...inconvenient as usual

Are you the Christian version of ISIS? Do you want America to be officially a "Christian" nation?

Another atheist tactic ..you must be ISIS if you disagree and point out their shallowness

Few politicians have been willing to identify as non-theists, since such revelations have been considered "political suicide". In 2009, City CouncilmanCecil Bothwellof North Carolina was called "unworthy of his seat" because of his open atheism. I think people who believe in an invisible man are unworthy. Several polls have shown that over 50 percent of Americans would not vote for a qualified atheist for president. Many of the respondents associated atheism with immorality, including criminal behavior, which is funny since atheists only make up about 1% of the American prison population.

Atheist parents have been discriminated against. Aschild custody laws in the United Statesare often based on the "best interests of the child" principle, they leave family court judges ample room to consider a parent's ideology when settling a custody case. Atheism, lack of religious observation and regular church attendance, and the inability to prove one's willingness and capacity to attend to religion with his children, have been used to deny custody to non-religious parents.

Prominent atheists and atheist groups have said that discrimination against atheists is illustrated by a statement reportedly made byGeorge H. W. Bushduring a public press conference just after announcing his candidacy for the presidency in 1987. When asked about the equal citizenship and patriotism of American atheists, Bush answered, "No, I don't know that atheists should be regarded as citizens, nor should they be regarded as patriotic. This is one nation under God.

Heres a news flash for ya christians get discriminated against too........

How? Where? Examples?

Really going to stake out that position...........you sound brainwashed.

 

[sealybobo]

My atheist friend who converted me had to tell me my belief was stupid, and he really hurt my feelings. It took a weekend for it to sink in. He wasn't trying to hurt my feelings. He was simply pointing out how stupid my belief was. Think about it. I realized years ago that all organized religions are complete bullshit, but I still had a personal relationship with god.

The more I learned the more realized how stupid my imaginary friend was.

Without him being brutally honest and hurting my feelings, I thought it was completely rational believing in my imaginary friend. It wasn't until he made me realize it was all in my head and he was right. Believing in god(s) is stupid.

He did not have to tell you any such thing, he chose to be an asshole, just like you do. Then you cry because other people react negatively to your negativity.

That is your problem, not mine, or anyone else's.

I’m sorry if my insensitivity towards your beliefs offends you. But guess what – your religious wars, jihads, crusades, inquisitions, censoring of free speech, brainwashing of children, forcing girls into underage marriages, female genital mutilation, stoning, pederasty, homophobia and rejection of science and reason offend me. So I guess we’re even.

And it isn't negative to explain to someone that they've been lied to.

When I became convinced that the universe was natural, that all the ghosts and gods were myths, there entered into my brain, into my soul, into every drop of my blood, the sense, the feeling, the joy of freedom. The walls of my prison crumbled and fell. The dungeon was flooded with light and all the bolts and bars and manacles turned to dust. I was no longer a servant, a serf, or a slave. There was for me no master in all the wide world, not even in infinite space.

I was free to think. Free to express my thoughts, free to live in my own ideal. Free to live for myself and those I loved. Free to use all my faculties, all my senses. Free to spread imagination’s wings, free to investigate, to guess, and dream and hope. Free to judge and determine for myself. Free to reject all ignorant and cruel creeds, all the inspired books that savages have produced, and the barbarous legends of the past. Free from sanctified mistakes and “holy” lies. Free from the fear of eternal pain, free from the winged monsters of the night. Free from devils, ghosts and gods. For the first time I was free.

There were no prohibited places in all of the realm of thought. No error, no space where fancy could not spread her painted wings. No chains for my limbs. No lashes for my back. No flames for my flesh. No Master’s frown or threat, no following in another’s steps. No need to bow or cringe or crawl, or utter lying words. I was free; I stood erect and fearlessly, joyously faced all worlds.

My heart was filled with gratitude, with thankfulness, and went out in love to all the heros, the thinkers who gave their lives for liberty of hand and brain, for the freedom of labor and thought to those who fell on the fierce fields of war. To those who died in dungeons, bound in chains, to those by fire consumed, to all the wise, the good, the brave of every land whose thoughts and deeds have given freedom to the sons of men. And then, I vowed to grasp the torch that they held, and hold it high, That light might conquer darkness still.

-Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899)

 

[sealybobo]

Yes, and that is why you don't see atheist signs in school that say god is made up, a joke or not real.

Wrong.

I don't see them because the Establishment Clause cuts both ways.

Did you ever see them? Because before the Establishment Clause, theists had god up on the walls but I don't think atheists were represented at all.

 

[Malamute]

Atheists that proselytize....

That's exactly it. It seems to bother some atheists that other people believe in something outside the merely physical world. If someone believes there is purpose in life, it makes some people pretty angry.

I'm thinking about my really stupid christian cousin and the attitude he has when he tells you that you won't go to heaven if you don't believe or you'll go to hell if you don't believe. He is so sure of himself and so cocky and arrogant about how we're going to hell and he's going to heaven.

And in reality he looks and sounds like a god damn fool if you ask me. What a dope. Ever notice the lower the IQ the more belief people have in god? Go down south to the bible belt and see if those people will even let you suggest that god is fake.

Why would that bother you? If you don't believe in heaven or hell or anything beyond the world made of atoms and molecules, why would it bother you if he thinks you'll end up in hell?

You just believe there is nothing and when you die it's just lights out and there was nothing to this life but a big series of random events. So really -- so what if he thinks there is more to it all?

 

[Malamute]

Certainly we want to keep it out of our government. And you really should keep that shit to yourself. If you want to think about god all day and go to church on Sunday, cool. If you don't like gays, that's your choice.

We just want your god out of our government. It doesn't belong. Not to us it doesn't.

If that was all you "just" wanted there would be no issue with me. But that's obviously not all you want is it?

(Why the comment about gay people? Are you showing your ignorance again?)

What justification do you use to discriminate against gays? YOUR RELIGION! If it weren't for god(s), what other reason could you have for discriminating against gay people?

Atheists can be against homosexuals also. This Jewish guy was telling us why he's a homophobe and its because when he was 18, a couple of older homosexuals tried to get him to have sex with them. I know a non-believer who experienced the same thing and he is pretty homophobic.

 

[Manonthestreet]

Can ya feel the hostility as they whine about .....hostility

 

[Quantum Windbag]

I’m sorry if my insensitivity towards your beliefs offends you. But guess what – your religious wars, jihads, crusades, inquisitions, censoring of free speech, brainwashing of children, forcing girls into underage marriages, female genital mutilation, stoning, pederasty, homophobia and rejection of science and reason offend me. So I guess we’re even.

And it isn't negative to explain to someone that they've been lied to.

When I became convinced that the universe was natural, that all the ghosts and gods were myths, there entered into my brain, into my soul, into every drop of my blood, the sense, the feeling, the joy of freedom. The walls of my prison crumbled and fell. The dungeon was flooded with light and all the bolts and bars and manacles turned to dust. I was no longer a servant, a serf, or a slave. There was for me no master in all the wide world, not even in infinite space.

I was free to think. Free to express my thoughts, free to live in my own ideal. Free to live for myself and those I loved. Free to use all my faculties, all my senses. Free to spread imagination’s wings, free to investigate, to guess, and dream and hope. Free to judge and determine for myself. Free to reject all ignorant and cruel creeds, all the inspired books that savages have produced, and the barbarous legends of the past. Free from sanctified mistakes and “holy” lies. Free from the fear of eternal pain, free from the winged monsters of the night. Free from devils, ghosts and gods. For the first time I was free.

There were no prohibited places in all of the realm of thought. No error, no space where fancy could not spread her painted wings. No chains for my limbs. No lashes for my back. No flames for my flesh. No Master’s frown or threat, no following in another’s steps. No need to bow or cringe or crawl, or utter lying words. I was free; I stood erect and fearlessly, joyously faced all worlds.

My heart was filled with gratitude, with thankfulness, and went out in love to all the heros, the thinkers who gave their lives for liberty of hand and brain, for the freedom of labor and thought to those who fell on the fierce fields of war. To those who died in dungeons, bound in chains, to those by fire consumed, to all the wise, the good, the brave of every land whose thoughts and deeds have given freedom to the sons of men. And then, I vowed to grasp the torch that they held, and hold it high, That light might conquer darkness still.

-Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899)

I am not offended by your bigotry, I just mock it.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Did you ever see them? Because before the Establishment Clause, theists had god up on the walls but I don't think atheists were represented at all.

I didn't see signs talking about God either, but keep pretending you have a point.

 

[Malamute]

Did you ever see them? Because before the Establishment Clause, theists had god up on the walls but I don't think atheists were represented at all.

I didn't see signs talking about God either, but keep pretending you have a point.

It's funny. Atheists don't believe in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny either but you never see them objecting to pictures of those or displays with them. Atheists don't seem as against Hindus who have a number of gods, they just get mad at Christians.

 

[sealybobo]

Did you ever see them? Because before the Establishment Clause, theists had god up on the walls but I don't think atheists were represented at all.

I didn't see signs talking about God either, but keep pretending you have a point.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/27/u...chool-prayer-lawsuit.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

She is 16, the daughter of a firefighter and a nurse, a self-proclaimed nerd who loves Harry Potter and Facebook. But Jessica Ahlquist is also an outspoken atheist who has incensed this heavily Roman Catholic city with a successful lawsuit to get a prayer removed from the wall of her high school auditorium, where it has hung for 49 years.

A federal judge ruled this month that the prayer’s presence at Cranston High School West was unconstitutional, concluding that it violated the principle of government neutrality in religion. In the weeks since, residents have crowded school board meetings to demand an appeal, Jessica has received online threats and the police have escorted her at school, and Cranston, a dense city of 80,000 just south of Providence, has throbbed with raw emotion.

Keep in mind us atheists have not made any threats and no theists have had to to be escorted to school by police.

State Representative Peter G. Palumbo, a Democrat from Cranston, called Jessica “an evil little thing” on a popular talk radio show. Three separate florists refused to deliver her roses sent from a national atheist group. The group, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, has filed a complaint with the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights.

“We haven’t seen a case like this in a long time, with this level of revilement and ostracism and stigmatizing.”

“Our Heavenly Father,” the prayer begins, “grant us each day the desire to do our best, to grow mentally and morally as well as physically, to be kind and helpful.” It goes on for a few more lines before concluding with “Amen.”

For Jessica, who was baptized in the Catholic Church but said she stopped believing in God at age 10, the prayer was an affront. “It seemed like it was saying, every time I saw it, ‘You don’t belong here,’ ” she said the other night during an interview at a Starbucks here.

In Cranston, the police said they would investigate some of the threatening comments posted on Twitter against Jessica, some of which came from students at the high school. Pat McAssey, a senior who is president of the student council, said the threats were “completely inexcusable” but added that Jessica had upset some of her classmates by mocking religion online.

“Their frustration kind of came from that,” he said.

We don't threaten you or get that angry because you believe in god. Why does your side get so angry at us?

 

[sealybobo]

Did you ever see them? Because before the Establishment Clause, theists had god up on the walls but I don't think atheists were represented at all.

I didn't see signs talking about God either, but keep pretending you have a point.

It's funny. Atheists don't believe in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny either but you never see them objecting to pictures of those or displays with them. Atheists don't seem as against Hindus who have a number of gods, they just get mad at Christians.

Militant atheists are just as bad as religious ones. No, they’renot. There are no calls forslavery,rapeormurderin the atheist holy book.

Atheists are most often called ‘militant’ when they passionately defend reason and advocate critical thinking. The bar theists set for perceived hostility appears to be any atheist simply voicing an opinion in dissent of religious belief. In contrast, the bar atheists set for perceived theistic hostility is any form of religiously motivated violence or oppression.

Atheism does not preclude someone from being argumentative or insensitive; those things are simply seen as being preferable to killing one another over an imaginary friend.

A ‘militant’ atheist will debate in a University theatre or appeal for the separation of religion and government. A militant theist willkill doctors,stone women to death,incite religious war, restrict sexual and gender equality and convince children they areflawed and worthless– all under the instruction of their imagined ‘god’ or holy book.

It can be argued that there isno such thingas a ‘militant’ atheist, that the term is itself a misnomer, because there is simply no ideology or philosophy in atheism to be militant about. If an atheist is someone who lacks belief in gods, then a ‘militant’ atheist is apparently someone who passionately lacks a belief in gods. All other possible beliefs and ideologies – including any desire tooppress theism– come from outside atheism. This is in contrast to religious belief, which often includes a set of laws and commandments purportedly derived from a supernatural source about which one can be ‘militant. I’m sorry if my insensitivity towards your beliefs offends you. But guess what – your religious wars, jihads, crusades, inquisitions, censoring of free speech, brainwashing of children, forcing girls into underage marriages, female genital mutilation, stoning, pederasty, homophobia and rejection of science and reason offend me. So I guess we’re even.

Want to see angry theists? http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/27/u...chool-prayer-lawsuit.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

 

[sealybobo]

Below, I have posted a link to a video I recently watched that I feel gives a good explanation for the hostility that many theists have towards atheists and why they often feel threatened by our nonbelief. My purpose for posting it here is to encourage others here to watch it and then post some of their own explanations of why they think atheists are so hated.

This is amazing. I finally watched it. I don't reject god. If I believed in god I wouldn't reject him. I am skeptical of your story that a god exists. Exactly!

 

[sealybobo]

Atheists that proselytize....

Exactly. If you don't believe in something - fine - more power to you. But you don't have to be a dick about it and go on rants about people who do.

A concept not mentioned in the video but happens to be the major source of hostility towards atheists.

Stop being one and people will like you. The best advice anyone can give an atheist.

Did you ever see them? Because before the Establishment Clause, theists had god up on the walls but I don't think atheists were represented at all.

I didn't see signs talking about God either, but keep pretending you have a point.

It's funny. Atheists don't believe in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny either but you never see them objecting to pictures of those or displays with them. Atheists don't seem as against Hindus who have a number of gods, they just get mad at Christians.

I graduated in 1988. I remember in school 6th grade we couldn't celebrate something because we had a Jehovas witness in our class or something like that.

As a child I didn't think we should have to miss out because their religion is different but I guess if its a public building we have to respect everyone's rights and keep anything religious out of the public square.

I don't know why theists care so much. I think politicians have made this an issue to rally their base.

Theists think the world is going to shit because people are turning away from god. I disagree. I think we have a greedy ignorant society from the top down and that is our problem. God(s) got nothing to do with it.

 

[Derideo_Te]

Stop being an asshole is the best advice you can give anyone.

To pretend that there are no theist assholes is BS.

Furthermore it is disingenuous to try to allege that atheists are assholes when all they are doing is exercising their FFR rights. Their rights are identical to yours. If you don't uphold their rights you will lose your own. That is why I uphold the rights of theists like you.

"FFR?" You mean "Freedom From Religion?" That is not a right that exists. You should read the Constitution again.

That said, the vast majority of atheists I know are quite decent people and they lament the extremely vocal minority of assholes that try to denigrate those who have faith in something they don't.

Without freedom FROM religion there can be no freedom OF religion. That you don't understand this fundamental concept means that you don't understand the 1st Amendment at all.

As far as lamenting goes I don't see lamenting the considerable number of vocal theist assholes that are doing more harm than good to your religion.

 

[sealybobo]

Stop being an asshole is the best advice you can give anyone.

To pretend that there are no theist assholes is BS.

Furthermore it is disingenuous to try to allege that atheists are assholes when all they are doing is exercising their FFR rights. Their rights are identical to yours. If you don't uphold their rights you will lose your own. That is why I uphold the rights of theists like you.

"FFR?" You mean "Freedom From Religion?" That is not a right that exists. You should read the Constitution again.

That said, the vast majority of atheists I know are quite decent people and they lament the extremely vocal minority of assholes that try to denigrate those who have faith in something they don't.

Without freedom FROM religion there can be no freedom OF religion. That you don't understand this fundamental concept means that you don't understand the 1st Amendment at all.

As far as lamenting goes I don't see lamenting the considerable number of vocal theist assholes that are doing more harm than good to your religion.

This girl was not being an asshole.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/27/u...chool-prayer-lawsuit.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

But the theists that were mad sure turned into raving assholes at the town meetings.

 

[Derideo_Te]

Atheists that proselytize....

That's exactly it. It seems to bother some atheists that other people believe in something outside the merely physical world. If someone believes there is purpose in life, it makes some people pretty angry.

What makes you believe that atheists don't have a purpose in life? Are you seriously that arrogant that you believe that only theists have a purpose to their lives?

 

[Derideo_Te]

Certainly we want to keep it out of our government. And you really should keep that shit to yourself. If you want to think about god all day and go to church on Sunday, cool. If you don't like gays, that's your choice.

We just want your god out of our government. It doesn't belong. Not to us it doesn't.

If that was all you "just" wanted there would be no issue with me. But that's obviously not all you want is it?

(Why the comment about gay people? Are you showing your ignorance again?)

What justification do you use to discriminate against gays? YOUR RELIGION! If it weren't for god(s), what other reason could you have for discriminating against gay people?

Atheists can be against homosexuals also. This Jewish guy was telling us why he's a homophobe and its because when he was 18, a couple of older homosexuals tried to get him to have sex with them. I know a non-believer who experienced the same thing and he is pretty homophobic.

Jews are not atheists!

Your anecdotes are meaningless.

 

[Derideo_Te]

Did you ever see them? Because before the Establishment Clause, theists had god up on the walls but I don't think atheists were represented at all.

I didn't see signs talking about God either, but keep pretending you have a point.

It's funny. Atheists don't believe in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny either but you never see them objecting to pictures of those or displays with them. Atheists don't seem as against Hindus who have a number of gods, they just get mad at Christians.

Please provide links to where Santa, the Easter Bunny or Hindu gods are on public land and buildings.

 

[Mojo2]

Below, I have posted a link to a video I recently watched that I feel gives a good explanation for the hostility that many theists have towards atheists and why they often feel threatened by our nonbelief. My purpose for posting it here is to encourage others here to watch it and then post some of their own explanations of why they think atheists are so hated.

Without benefit of having watched the video, my OWN sense of coolness toward atheists is not because they are choosing a belief system different from mine.

It's because I think this Country, culture, society suffers from a lack of Christianity/Judaism woven through the fabric of everyday American life.

Atheists either disagree with my thought, don't care about my concern, or don't believe their atheism is anything significant enough for anyone else to care or express any judgment about.

Their attitudes remind me, somewhat, (if you'll indulge me a bit of bigotry) of that of the legendary and infamous, Typhoid Mary. She continued to live and work as she insisted was her right, even though she was infecting unsuspecting, innocent people everywhere she went.

She was legally made to submit to quarantine, IIRC.

For the public's good.

I think a persuasive but ultimately, losing argument could be made that Judeo/Christianity religion is a necessary ingredient to a healthy America.

Atheists are just walking symptoms of America's woes.