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| Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by Nobody: 9:56pm On Sep 17, 2014 |
A few years ago if you told me I'll start this thread I'll laugh because it'd sound like the biggest joke of the century. I practically hated any one with the balls to call himself an atheist and I had a very negative opinion about Atheists. Today, as far as disbelief in an Allah or Yahweh or a Zeus God goes I'm an atheist. And the following are some of the most misconceived assumptions about Atheists, debunked. The following points are from an article by Amanda Morcott. 1) There are no atheists in foxholes. There are many variations on this myth, but the basic idea behind it is that atheism is a luxury of the problem-free, and as soon as they feel fear or weakness, atheists will run straight into the arms of religion. This myth irritates atheists, because it tries to make a virtue out of preying on people’s weaknesses in order to sell them a lie. If you heard a marketer brag that he targets people who’ve been diagnosed with terminal illnesses because they’re easier targets, or a guy say he likes to cruise funerals because grieving women are easier to pick up, you’d think that person had no morals at all. But targeting people in moments of weakness to sell them religion is regarded as a normal and even virtuous strategy for proselytizing. Beyond concerns about manipulation are the concerns about accuracy. Believers argue religion offers unique comforts to people in fear or pain, but what many atheists realize is that religion often provokes more anxiety and fear than it soothes. If we accept that God is all-powerful, as many religions claim, then it’s like being in an abusive relationship that can’t be escaped for eternity; a relationship with a God who will throw us into hell for not fearing him and who allows horrors like the Holocaust to happen. Many religious teachings aren’t actually that soothing at all if you take a step back and look at them clearly. For atheists, believing that evil is more an accident of nature than something imposed on us by an inscrutable supernatural being is the far greater comfort than any prayer could be. 2) Atheists are just angry with God. Atheists often point out the logical inconsistencies of many religious beliefs---such as the belief both that God is all-good and all-powerful, but he somehow also allows evil to exist---and believers use that to conclude that atheists are angry with God. We aren’t. You can’t be angry with a being that you don’t believe exists. I’m no angrier with God than I am angry with Zeus or the aliens that keep kidnapping drunks sleeping in their cars. Anger with religions for promoting false beliefs isn’t the same thing as being angry at the being that believers invented. But I also have to quarrel with the very notion that a person’s arguments can be dismissed because of anger. Smugly accusing someone of anger doesn’t do anything to discount the content of the argument. I’d argue that people who see vile behavior in the name of religion and don’t get angry are the ones who have something wrong with them. 3) Atheists are aggressive and rude . This myth has been around in various forms for a long time, but it really took off after the rise of “New Atheism,” which focuses its energy on disproving religious claims instead of merely pleading for tolerance of atheists. This myth only persists because belief is unconsciously privileged over atheism, causing people to believe it’s somehow ruder for an atheist to say, “I don’t believe in God and here’s why” than for a believer to intrude in your personal space with pamphlets, attack people when they’re feeling low with religious claims, knock on your door to proselytize, or force your children to recite religious language in school. Objectively speaking, believers commit transgressions against good manners far more than atheists. But atheist arguments tend to disturb believers more than arguments for God disturb atheists, so atheists get an unfair reputation for being rude, even when they are merely outspoken or unapologetic. 4) Atheism is a white dude thing. It’s easy if atheism makes you uncomfortable to write off atheism as the hobbyhorse of a tiny minority of men with overly high opinions of their own intelligence. That men such as Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins get most of the media attention devoted to atheism only reinforces this myth. If you scratch the surface, however, you’ll see that [...] there are atheists from very race and gender. 5) Atheism is just a faith like any other . You occasionally see agnostics trot this one out, as well. The idea is that arguments for and against the existence of any gods have equal value, but it’s simply not true. The logical position toward an extraordinary, supernatural claim is skepticism until proof is offered, and so far none of the thousands of gods that have been claimed to exist throughout history have lifted a finger to prove themselves. In fact, most believers grasp this for themselves; they automatically disbelieve all religious claims except their own, barring actual proof that never produces itself. Atheists just do religious people one better, and make no exceptions for a religion because it happens to be the one we were raised in or convinced by friends to convert to. I always flinch in embarrassment for the believer who trots out, “Atheism is just another kind of faith,” because it’s a tacit admission that taking claims on faith is a silly thing to do. When you’ve succumbed to arguing that the opposition is just as misguided as you are, it’s time to take a step back and rethink your attitudes. 6) Atheists don’t have a moral code . Atheist are routinely asked how people will know not to rape and murder without religion telling them not to do it, especially a religion that backs up the orders with threats of hell. Believers, listen to me carefully when I say this: When you use this argument, you terrify atheists. We hear you saying that the only thing standing between you and Ted Bundy is a flimsy belief in a supernatural being made up by pre-literate people trying to figure out where the rain came from. This is not very reassuring if you’re trying to argue from a position of moral superiority. If anything, atheism correlates to better behavior on average. Atheists are under-represented in prison, for instance, and more religious nations have higher rates of violent crime , teen pregnancy, early adult mortality and even abortion . But setting the numbers aside, we can see that even religious people generally believe that morality exists outside of religion. After all, most religious people condemn people who commit acts of evil in the name of religion. If religiosity were the measure of morality, terrorists who murder in the name of God would be more moral than atheists who pay their taxes and give to charity. You’ll find few believers agreeing that a murderous terrorist for God is a better person than a nonviolent atheist, showing that believers grasp that morality doesn’t come from religion, but that we can measure religious claims against our pre-existing understanding of morality. 7) Atheist lives are bleak and lack meaning . Those in the atheist activist community find this one particularly insipid, because we so often deal with people who suffered religious abuse and were only able to find peace by abandoning religion. There’s really no reason to believe that happiness and fulfillment come from a supernatural place, or else believers would have no need for fulfilling work, loving families, friends, and hobbies, since their spiritual beliefs would suffice. Most atheists actually find our lack of belief in a supernatural being makes it easier to fill our lives with meaning and joy. Since we don’t believe in an afterlife, many of us find ourselves more motivated to make the most out of the time we do have instead of looking to the next life to make us happy.  Atheists are hedonists who don’t understand the true meaning of love . As an open reproductive rights supporter, I’ve certainly faced my share of believers accusing me of being an atheist so I can simply indulge my sexual appetites and avoid some abstract true meaning of love. It is true that one of the benefits of being an atheist is that you’re no longer crippled by religious phobias that assume that sexual fulfillment and real love are mutually exclusive, but that certainly doesn’t mean atheists don’t feel genuine love. I suspect some Christians enjoy making high-minded claims about feeling deeper love because they know there’s no way to measure their claims. But the higher divorce rates in more religious states don’t bode well for claims that sexual purity and Christianity make love deeper and truer. 9) Atheists have no way to cope after losing loved ones without the belief in an afterlife . The belief that religion has sole ownership over death is so ingrained that it often causes believers to behave in inappropriate ways toward grieving atheists, using the occasion of a loved one’s death to try to coax us into taking up religion. Some believers who do this are openly predatory, but some mean well, and simply can’t imagine how atheists cope without telling ourselves pretty stories about an afterlife. Atheists have every right to be skeptical of the argument that belief in the afterlife quiets the pain of grief. After all, many religions teach that the dead person could be burning forever in hell, which can cause far more anxiety than relief. I imagine the nothingness of death is much like the nothingness that existed before birth. Believing in the afterlife seems to have more to do with the egos of the living than concerns about the dead, and by letting go of the need to make the end of someone else’s life about your own fears of death, many atheists can focus on working through the grief in a healthy way. So please, believers, don’t use the death of loved ones as an opportunity to proselytize. Debunking these myths about atheists in print can only do so much to quell believer fears about the supposed atheist menace. Even better would be for believers to find themselves an atheist, and instead of simply attacking them with these myths in an effort to frustrate them into submission, instead get to know them better. You might find they’re basically like everyone else, except more rested on Sundays and less afraid that invisible beings are judging them for masturbating. www.alternet.org/story/152395/10_myths_many_religious_people_hold_about_atheists%2C_debunked?paging=off¤t_page=1#bookmark |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by MizMyColi(f): 10:06pm On Sep 17, 2014 |
| I was here. Oh! Just remembered, I was listening to a song today and a part of the lyrics was irksome. Please, people should stop insinuating, either directly or indirectly that Atheists are: FOOLS: because they say there is no God MAD: because they say God doesn't exist. It's their path, leave them to walk and work it. While they're at it, SHOW LOVE  In words, In deeds. |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by MizMyColi(f): 10:13pm On Sep 17, 2014 |
Besides  I needn't become an atheist to know that those descriptions by the highly religious are blatant lies. I have proof! |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by Infomizer(m): 10:23pm On Sep 17, 2014 |
MizMyColi: Are you referring to the song "same love" by Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, and Mary Lambert? #JustCurious |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by abdulwastecx(m): 10:51pm On Sep 17, 2014 |
I hate religion but I live in a part of the world I must pray... I keep.asking so many questions. 1. why do I need to pray five times a day to a highly superior God that have no use for my prayers. 2if God is so powerful why the need for ISIS to help God established an islamic caliph 5 Likes |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by Nobody: 11:25pm On Sep 17, 2014 |
abdulwastecx: I hate religion but I live in a part of the world I must pray... Abdul, what I've noticed is that we atheists may all come from different religions but one way we're all alike is our questioning mind. Religion's 1+1=5, we see it and we ask why, we receive no satisfactory answer, we say we don't believe it's logic because it is provably wrong and that turns us into the bad guys. For me, I saw the all too numerous inconsistencies in the bible and asked why a prefect, all knowing God would choose such a sloppy device to communicate his ultimate will to mankind. Plus how will a loving God have such vile moral ethics. My journey of unbelief started from that point. I have a question for you though, why is it harder for a Muslim to lose his faith than someone from another religion? 1 Like |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by abdulwastecx(m): 11:35pm On Sep 17, 2014 |
Xcapist: great talk bro. Islamic fate work on thr principle of string indoctrination and central authority. majority of muslim are born into the religion with strong core family ethics and alot of fanatics in thesame family. one find things too dificult to talk openly against the fate, criticized the holy book, prophet, ideology etc. For example, I got into a heated debate with my uncle some weeks ago, while explaining how Quran was wrong with cosmology, creationist theorem and so many absurdity I had noticed. his responds was shocking to because he was an educated individual with a master degree in statistics ( as a moderate). we muslim live in a house, family, society where living the religion is no go area because of the pressure you get from them 4 Likes |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by MizMyColi(f): 9:44am On Sep 18, 2014 |
Infomizer: Uhn Uhn. Never heard their music. I just wrote as I was inspired. |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by Nobody: 5:23am On Sep 23, 2014 |
Xcapist: I read this at least three times, notice how the author makes zero attempt to answer the question - is atheism also a faith? all he does is run circles talking about how calling atheism a faith means tacit admission that religions are faiths... err we knew that 3000 yrs ago! |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by logicboy01: 5:28am On Sep 23, 2014 |
davidylan: ^^^ What is this guy saying?  Atheism is not a faith. End of story |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by BossTtdiamonds(m): 7:18am On Sep 23, 2014 |
logicboy01: We know.. Yet you troll this section more than you chew food... It's funny how those who so not believe in God are the first to start layin' assertions 'bout why God does not exist... If you believe it to be true God does not exist..?? Why bother anywayz...?? |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by logicboy01: 8:36am On Sep 23, 2014 |
BossTtdiamonds: Calm down on your ignorance, please. First off calling me a troll does not bolster your argument. Secondly, you might want to think about why atheists talk about God in this section. I hope you realise that it is because your bigoted christian and muslim brethren keep discriminating and forcing your ridiculous "Godly" values on us atheists. Atheism is not a faith. End of story 2 Likes |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by Oduduwaboy(m): 10:05am On Sep 23, 2014 |
Just brilliant ! Great post! coming back here. 1 Like |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by Oduduwaboy(m): 10:06am On Sep 23, 2014 |
BossTtdiamonds:This sounds so dumb. What was your last IQ score? |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by logicboy01: 10:17am On Sep 23, 2014 |
Oduduwaboy:  his score is probably on the single digit |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by Pr0ton: 1:10pm On Sep 23, 2014 |
MizMyColi: Or could it be that sick guy who sang something like-- Only a fool will look at the sky and say there's no God. Only a mad man will look at the sea and say the fishes are by mistake... Could it be that mental-ill guy? |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by Pr0ton: 1:19pm On Sep 23, 2014 |
abdulwastecx: I hate religion but I live in a part of the world I must pray... I also wonder why I must go up to mountains before the Omnipresent can hear me. I wonder why I must fast for 21days before a Loving Father can answer I wonder why He teaches me to forgive when He, who oughta be a good example, finds it hard to forgive Satan etc...inf |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by asalimpo(m): 1:25pm On Sep 23, 2014 |
How would atheists know propriety without religion? Without Christian tenets all models for right swing towards perversion. How does atheism explain amoral matter (man) burning with anger ,subconsciously, against evil/wrong? E.g lynch mobs taking matters into their hands against social evils like kidnapping,armed robbery. How come the bible tenets and moral codes are always spot on generation after generation without requiring philosophical updating - how can this b a work of man when the best of human philosophies expire quickly and need to be changed? How come the most successful philosophies approximate the bible dictates on those issues ? E.g A person may pay an expensive therapist to help him in anger/worry management issues or get the sound instruction for free from the bible. |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by asalimpo(m): 1:31pm On Sep 23, 2014 |
Pr0ton:did satan ask for forgiveness and God rejected him? Does satan look repentant to you? Which verse of d bible says except you fast x days your prayer wont b heard? You just wanna accuse. |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by MizMyColi(f): 1:35pm On Sep 23, 2014 |
Pr0ton: Yes he is. But Hey!  He's neither sick nor mentally ill. Stop! That's just where he's at in his journey. |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by Emmalot121(m): 2:04pm On Sep 23, 2014 |
asalimpo:Why do you like wasting time on people like protOn, they have made up their minds, they are everywhere (atheists) trying as much as possible to argue with people like you, just to keep their hearts in peaceful state.Pray for them, if they wish to argue, pass them bible verses that tally and let them argue with God.Remember Jesus said(Abraham in parable)..............And he said unto him,If they hear not Moses and the prophets,neither will they be persuaded,though one rose from the dead. |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by Emmalot121(m): 2:09pm On Sep 23, 2014 |
asalimpo: How would atheists know propriety without religion?The answer is in the bible ..............And he said unto him,If they hear not Moses and the prophets,neither will they be persuaded,though one rose from the dead. Just pray for them.The fact is all atheists will panic if they are sure of dying tomorrow. |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by Pr0ton: 2:10pm On Sep 23, 2014 |
^^^^
Your points are baseless. They are the products of the brain-washed. I just decided to cut out the ones that sound most ridiculous to me. Are you saying the Bible is the first moral book ever? You need to study history. Or that the rules by which morality is ensured in the Bible (OT) are applicable in this our age of civilization? And at bolded, you think codes don't change in the Bible? Then your yet to know your Bible. You think.. why do we have the OT and the NT? What do Heb 8:13, Heb 9:15, Rom 10:4, Matt 5, Jer 31, Jer 33, 2Cor 3 teach, isn't it new codes and changing of codes? And why does your Bible undergo lot of editions? Morality is NATURAL |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by Emmalot121(m): 2:19pm On Sep 23, 2014 |
MizMyColi:Mummy atheists, I would be duely glad if you explain to me using big bang how magic came into existence, how my delicate brain,eyes and ears were formed and how a female reproductive system sperm and DNA came into existence.Pls help a brother become free from a myth that won't leave him to enjoy his life.  1 Like |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by Emmalot121(m): 2:28pm On Sep 23, 2014 |
Pr0ton: ^^^^Moralty is not natural but divine. Egyptians sacrificed babies, Muslims stone adulterous women, Scotland and many western countries, Africa, Asia and America did human sacrifices prior to Christianity. It is a shame you don't know that New Testament is about Jesus and his disciples, which gave new and holy rules to mankind. King James bible is the standard bible. We have a lot of bibles including gay bible  ,this is to show you the work of the evil ones, but KJ is the standard for all Christians. |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by BossTtdiamonds(m): 2:43pm On Sep 23, 2014 |
logicboy01: Well I never called you a troll.. I said "you troll this section" see the bolded below for the difference.. I think there are lots of definitions about the word troll, but you chose the one that suits you best..  Funny how the "What you think; Is what you are" manifests itself here... BossTtdiamonds: Oduduwaboy: I never expected you to find wisdom in my words.. Only the special one's can find sense in it.. They say "Don't argue with ________ , they bring you to their level and beat you with experience" *Waving my white Flag", You win I bet you feel so smart right now.. logicboy01: How did you know?... Magic innit?? |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by MizMyColi(f): 2:43pm On Sep 23, 2014 |
Emmalot121: Mummy atheists, I would be duely glad if you explain to me using big bang how magic came into existence, how my delicate brain,eyes and ears were formed and how a female reproductive system sperm and DNA came into existence.Pls help a brother become free from a myth that won't leave him to enjoy his life. Apatheist, come and help me here o. |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by Pr0ton: 2:51pm On Sep 23, 2014 |
asalimpo:I take the Bible as myth. It must have a villain, too. True, I haven't read where Satan asked for forgiveness. But then, if Satan asked for it you think God would forgive him? Also, God's word says we should not be overcome by evil but to overcome evil with good Rom 12:21... Jesus also teaches us to pray for our enemies and also bless them. But I guess Satan's case is too hard for God Does satan look repentant to you?IF Satan exists, and he has a sense of reasoning and intelligence and is aware of the ETERNAL torment awaiting him, he'll surely repent else he doesnt have those qualifications. Which verse of d bible says except you fast x days your prayer wont b heard?Matt 17:20-21.. Pastors insert number of days You just wanna accuse.Nope.. Just facing facts |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by BossTtdiamonds(m): 2:56pm On Sep 23, 2014 |
Pr0ton: ^^^^ At the Bolded, is it really teaching new codes?? Read the precepts of those verses I'm sure you'll find the answer to your question there..?? MizMyColi: I am sure you will adapt well to the title should you choose to accept it.. |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by Pr0ton: 2:57pm On Sep 23, 2014 |
Emmalot121: Moralty is not natural but divine. Egyptians sacrificed babies, Muslims stone adulterous women, Scotland and many western countries, Africa, Asia and America did human sacrifices prior to Christianity. So codes haven't changed? |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by BossTtdiamonds(m): 3:02pm On Sep 23, 2014 |
Pr0ton: Your assertions are based on assumptions; You could ask God these questions.. But then it happens you don't believe he exist.. |
| Re: Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked. by Pr0ton: 3:06pm On Sep 23, 2014 |
BossTtdiamonds: What an advice...S*lly It was my inability to understand those verses that made me 'mistook' them as claims for my point. But since you can detect a flaw there and things I'm missing why not expatiate them yourself and correct my error? |
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