Atheists have long been looked down upon and criticised for their beliefs. While open debate as to whether God exists is widespread, so are prejudiced views that paint atheists as lesser people. These views lead to insulting comments and occasionally downright hateful attacks aimed at atheists, the majority of whom are happy to live alongside religious peoples.

What Is Atheophobia?

Atheophobia is an irrational fear or hatred of atheists that manifests as a strong prejudice against those who do not believe in a God. Put short, it leads to anti-atheist bigotry.

This bigotry includes claims that atheists:

- are morally inferior
- are a cause of evil
- have rejected God and embraced sin
- intend to destroy religion and religious holidays
- have meaningless or decadent lives
- should not be allowed to express their beliefs
- are unsuitable for positions of responsibility

Read here for more

Eh, victimhood is now the way to go?

davidylan:

Eh, victimhood is now the way to go?

Sure most especially those of us that are living in Nigeria. No body takes us or our opinion seriously the be[b]lie[/b]vers(according to the master of word play kuns) think we are the d[b]evil[/b](enemy of their gods) himself.

bindex:

Sure most especially those of us that are living in Nigeria. No body takes us or our opinion seriously the be[b]lie[/b]vers(according to the master of word play kuns) think we are the d[b]evil[/b](enemy of their gods) himself.

eeyah pele, drink some cool-aid. u'll soon feel beter.

huxley:

Atheists have long been looked down upon and criticised for their beliefs. While open debate as to whether God exists is widespread, so are prejudiced views that paint atheists as lesser people. These views lead to insulting comments and occasionally downright hateful attacks aimed at atheists, the majority of whom are happy to live alongside religious peoples.

What Is Atheophobia?

Atheophobia is an irrational fear or hatred of atheists that manifests as a strong prejudice against those who do not believe in a God. Put short, it leads to anti-atheist bigotry.

This bigotry includes claims that atheists:

- are morally inferior
- are a cause of evil
- have rejected God and embraced sin
- intend to destroy religion and religious holidays
- have meaningless or decadent lives
- should not be allowed to express their beliefs
- are unsuitable for positions of responsibility

Read here for more

I am reading of this word "atheophobia" for the first time. A true believer in God has no fear or phobia and neither does such a person express bigotry to anyone including those who share convictions different from his. However one must remember that what you openly or surrepticiously wish for your fellowmen comes back to you in multiples. You sow wind and you reap a whirlwind. Thus if you look down on others whose convictions are different from yours, you will certainly be looked down on, if you trample or mock the convictions of others, then the same will happen to your convictions etc. Our compalints about others are in all cases a reflection of what we do to other people, that is, you can accurately predict your character or that of you neighbour by the very things that drives you or them crazy . People who critisize others justifable or unjustifiably go into frenzy when critisized. Love is the fundamental basis of any genuine worship of God,and he who has this love of God loves all human beings irrespective of their beliefs, status, sex etc.

truthfully huxley is right!

With intolerant christians like Davidylan and busybein, its difficult not be discriminated against especially when they hold the power of persuasion over their fellow christian folks to hate and segregate other atheists!

Adam Brody:

truthfully huxley is right!

With intolerant christians like Davidylan and busybein, its difficult not be discriminated against especially when they hold the power of persuasion over their fellow christian folks to hate and segregate other atheists!

Adam, your own attitude alienates you. nothing to do with ur religious inclination.

Hmmm true

1 I have never heard of atheophobia
2 Your post is quite ridiculous
3 When Religious fight you, we fight for our own right, and natural law also. Most atheists want morality to go down the drain, some may not even recognise that they do, we don't want our earth to become ruined by lawless people. example of this is the fight for gay marriage and acceptance of homosexuality in society, and abortion rights. sorry but homosexuality in the human species in unnatural and i haven't been informed when life begins if not at conception.

There you go again lady, we have been through this before the bible is the last place to run to when we are looking for morality, the laws of any nation should not be based on any religion whatsoever so what are you saying?
Its good you say you have not been informed about when life begins and what can constitue murder, there is an abortion right or crime thread here that deals with the issue maybe you should read it.
As for people being gay we have gone through this countless times, maybe you have better supports for your claim this time around other than it is unnatural because that has been debunked, we all know it happens in nature. Where are the supports for your claims? Bring it forward because laws cannot be made or repealed because of what you feel or because of what some men who knew nothing of how the human body works wrote. No more assertions we need supports for those claims that homosexuality is not natural.
This is the reason why we cannot leave society in your hands, I am sure you will scream foul play if the sharia law became the supreme law in the US. Religious people will destroy this earth.

I don't care what anyone thinks about what I believe or don't believe. We all have opinions and that's fine as long as you don't try to shove yours down my throat. Christians do that a lot. I had to put one in his place a couple of weeks ago when he became a co-worker and just started running his mouth, he was told not talk to me about religion, the self righteous bastard tried it anyway, talking about god this, god that. Needless to say I put his old a$$ in his place real quick.

I'm a God to myself.

m_nwankwo:

I am reading of this word "atheophobia" for the first time. A true believer in God has no fear or phobia and neither does such a person express bigotry to anyone including those who share convictions different from his. However one must remember that what you openly or surrepticiously wish for your fellowmen comes back to you in multiples. You sow wind and you reap a whirlwind. Thus if you look down on others whose convictions are different from yours, you will certainly be looked down on, if you trample or mock the convictions of others, then the same will happen to your convictions etc. Our compalints about others are in all cases a reflection of what we do to other people, that is, you can accurately predict your character or that of you neighbour by the very things that drives you or them crazy . People who critisize others justifable or unjustifiably go into frenzy when critisized. Love is the fundamental basis of any genuine worship of God,and he who has this love of God loves all human beings irrespective of their beliefs, status, sex etc.  

M_ Nwankwo, i agree with you almost totally.

m_nwankwo:

I am reading of this word "atheophobia" for the first time. A true believer in God has no fear or phobia and neither does such a person express bigotry to anyone including those who share convictions different from his. [/b]However one must remember that what you openly or surrepticiously wish for your fellowmen comes back to you in multiples. You sow wind and you reap a whirlwind. Thus if you look down on others whose convictions are different from yours, you will certainly be looked down on, if you trample or mock the convictions of others, then the same will happen to your convictions etc. [b]Our compalints about others are in all cases a reflection of what we do to other people, that is, you can accurately predict your character or that of you neighbour by the very things that drives you or them crazy . People who critisize others justifable or unjustifiably go into frenzy when critisized. Love is the fundamental basis of any genuine worship of God,and he who has this love of God loves all human beings irrespective of their beliefs, status, sex etc.  

I beg to differ. I suppose you are a Christian and believe the bible is the written word of God. If so, can you demonstrate using the bible that those true believers in God do not bear ill thoughts or hatred towards non-believers

On the contrary, there are dozens of places in the bible where the non-believers in the Jewish God are victimized and killed specifically because the worship other gods.

On a more recent note, the history of the spread of Christianity is littered with hatred, bijotry, violence and war in the name of the Christian god. Now you could argue that those who persecuted these violent campaigns were not true Christians. If so, in what way are they different for the belligerent god-inspired warriors of the Old Testament, the likes of David, Joshua, Moses, Ezekiel, etc, etc?

In what ways were Constantine's , Charlemagne's or the Crusaders' campaigns to spread Christianity different from those of David, Moses, Joshua? Were these people not true believers?

davidylan:

eeyah pele, drink some cool-aid. u'll soon feel beter.

see this militant imaginary son of jehova. bindex no mind am. aks am btw the 2 of you who is drinking the cool-aid?

I keep reading kool aid this and kool aid that. I am presuming it is a diss, but what does it mean exactly?

@Huxley

You are very right, infact this led to a UK politician (forgotten his name) having to claim agnosticsm when the pressure on him became so much and his political future was threatened by his atheist beliefs.

~Lady~:

1 I have never heard of atheophobia
2 Your post is quite ridiculous
3 When Religious fight you, we fight for our own right, and natural law also. Most atheists want morality to go down the drain, some may not even recognise that they do, we don't want our earth to become ruined by lawless people. example of this is the fight for gay marriage and acceptance of homosexuality in society, and abortion rights. sorry but homosexuality in the human species in unnatural and i haven't been informed when life begins if not at conception.

This is not totally true Lady, not all atheists support all those things you stand against; in fact some christians support these things.

I also don't beleive most people (athests and christians) who are pro-choice are foetus murderers like most of you religious folks make them out to be, there was a case in Ireland some years back that didn't make much sense where a foetus was diagnosed with a medical condition (didn't have a head) and the doctors couldn't abort the foetus becos the "Catholic" laws of the country prohibited it. The poor girl wanted to go abort the foetus in the UK and her passport was siezed.

duduspace:

@Huxley

You are very right, infact this led to a UK politician (forgotten his name) having to claim agnosticsm when the pressure on him became so much and his political future was threatened by his atheist beliefs.

This is not totally true Lady, not all atheists support all those things you stand against; in fact some christians support these things.

I also don't beleive most people (athests and christians) who are pro-choice are foetus murderers like most of you religious folks make them out to be, there was a case in Ireland some years back that didn't make much sense where a foetus was diagnosed with a medical condition (didn't have a head) and the doctors couldn't abort the foetus because the "Catholic" laws of the country prohibited it. The poor girl wanted to go abort the foetus in the UK and her passport was siezed.

I think that was Nick Clegg, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats.

There you go again lady, we have been through this before the bible is the last place to run to when we are looking for morality, the laws of any nation should not be based on any religion whatsoever so what are you saying?

Where did I say that we have to go to the Bible? Please stop making assumptions as usual.
No the Bible isn't the last place you run to. It may be for you, but not for me. If you have truly read the Bible, you will see that the many problems we face today are nothing new. There is nothing new under the sun. We run to many books written by men and some tactics have been proven wrong, but if someone mentions something religious, you jump up and say they are written by men and can't be trusted. This sounds like you have a phobia towards religious people, instead of the other way around. Did it ever occur to you that you are victimizing us too?

Its good you say you have not been informed about when life begins and what can constitue murder, there is an abortion right or crime thread here that deals with the issue maybe you should read it.

Post the link for me pls.
I seriously want someone to define when life begins and if it's not conception, what is it at conception? A chair, a desk? which one?

As for people being gay we have gone through this countless times, maybe you have better supports for your claim this time around other than it is unnatural because that has been debunked, we all know it happens in nature

You never debunked it, you still haven't shown me how it is natural within the human species, as that is what I've been talking about.

Where are the supports for your claims? Bring it forward because laws cannot be made or repealed because of what you feel or because of what some men who knew nothing of how the human body works wrote. No more assertions we need supports for those claims that homosexuality is not natural.
This is the reason why we cannot leave society in your hands, I am sure you will scream foul play if the sharia law became the supreme law in the US. Religious people will destroy this earth

If you seriously want to have this discussion again, I will oblige you. It's high time you stop screaming foul. Society will be down the drain without laws. Everyone will do what they want and the earth will be destroyed.

How does the Chritian law support the jailing of women when they are raped? Have you forgotten that the U.S. laws are based on Judeo-Christian principles? How many people are oppressed by it? Are you oppressed by the laws? The laws are geared towards justice. And sorry my dear homosexuality is not natural and therefore will be an injustice to us all, yes including you. And that it allows freedom for all. Seriously how does the sharia law compare to the U.S. law, it is not governed by the Church, the U.S. law is not a christian or jewish law, it is a people law and the people believe in the judeo-christian prinicples.

Our society has completely forgotten the appropriate functions of sex and that's why we are having this problem with homosexuality. Sorry but they are not oppressed people, the Christians who are called bigots for standing up for what they believe are the oppressed people. How is it that homosexuals can stand up for what they believe and we can't? How is that justice?
They stand up for something without proof, and unless you are willing to show me the proof, please don't start screaming foul.

@lady
Here is what you said in your initial post

Most atheists want morality to go down the drain, some may not even recognise that they do, we don't want our earth to become ruined by lawless people. example of this is the fight for gay marriage and acceptance of homosexuality in society, and abortion rights. sorry but homosexuality in the human species in unnatural and i haven't been informed when life begins if not at conception.

Can you tell me what atheism has to do with being lawless? Are you saying we need some supreme being to tell us what to do?
You went further to assert that an example of this "lawlessness" is the gay rights and that it is unnatural.
There is something in arguments known as burden of proof, you first of all said that it is unnatural, I said give me supports for your claim that it is, how hard can that be?
The burden of proof is on you, because they are so many people who have so much to loose for declaring that they are gay. Lady show the whole nairaland proof that being gay is not natural.
If you are screaming justice then we have to allow them get married, who did they harm?
No more assertions give us something to hold on to, like someone here on nairaland said, uncertainty is a very honest state of the mind.

@huxley
You have been posting Theophobic messages on this forum for a very long time. What do you have to say about that?

Can you tell me what atheism has to do with being lawless? Are you saying we need some supreme being to tell us what to do?

that wasn't about atheists, you don't have to believe in a supreme being, but please stop allowing ridiculousness_{is that even a word?} and immorality and unnatural things in our society.

There is something in arguments known as burden of proof, you first of all said that it is unnatural, I said give me supports for your claim that it is, how hard can that be?

The human genetics shows us that male and male doesn't match, female and female doesn't match. In nature we are to reproduce, and we cannot reproduce with same sex. Even if sexual intercourse doesn't take place the specimen (male) and egg (female) have to come together. The human sexual organ was made for a purpose and that is procreation, if it is not we wouldn't take great precautions to stop the process of procreation. Since same sex cannot procreate, it is unnnatural.

By the way . . .
None of the atheists on this forum have been able to provide A TANGIBLE PROOF for the non-existence of God.

Its absurd, how can they NOT believe in a God whose existence they CANNOT disprove?

They post arguments here and there, which fall like a pack of cards at the slightest probing.

Lady
Like I told you earlier if you have no concrete proof of what you are saying at least admit that it is a hunch.
First of all what do you have a problem with?
Homosexuality as a sexual orientation?
Homosexuality as a sexual behavior?
Or
Homosexuality as a sexual identity?
Your knowledge of sexual issues is wish washy . Its a shame biology bores me, so I will not be going into some long assed explanation of those terms. But I am sure anyone reading can easily google up those terms and see the distinct differences, I am just tired of repeating them.
Finally your kindergarten genetics might work for the brain washed christians, but if you had taken the time out to at least google your claim before you made it you would have realised it was very ludicrous.

Functions of sex beyond reproduction
Sex as exercise burns calories to produce health benefits. Sex relieves stress, boosts the immune system with higher levels of immunoglobulin A, improves cardiovascular health, increases self-esteem, improves intimacy, reduces pain by production of the hormoneoxytocin, reduces the risk of prostate cancer, strengthens pelvic muscles, and promotes good sleep. [20] In addition, sex improves the sense of smell and urinary bladder control.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_intercourse
So you see lady, sex is a lot more complicated than having kids, you can find loads of info on just that page alone.
You seriously need to brush up on the subject before making claims.

Imhotep
How does one prove a negative? You say there is a God we say show us.

Chrisbenogor:

Imhotep
How does one prove a negative? You say there is a God we say show us.

chris read your bible.

Lol mazaje abi holy spirit don arrest you too, I talk am say busybein wan use love convert you
Happy new year brother

Chrisbenogor:

Lady
Like I told you earlier if you have no concrete proof of what you are saying at least admit that it is a hunch.
First of all what do you have a problem with?
Homosexuality as a sexual orientation?
Homosexuality as a sexual behavior?
Or
Homosexuality as a sexual identity?
Your knowledge of sexual issues is wish washy . Its a shame biology bores me, so I will not be going into some long assed explanation of those terms. But I am sure anyone reading can easily google up those terms and see the distinct differences, I am just tired of repeating them.
Finally your kindergarten genetics might work for the brain washed christians, but if you had taken the time out to at least google your claim before you made it you would have realised it was very ludicrous.Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_intercourse
So you see lady, sex is a lot more complicated than having kids, you can find loads of info on just that page alone.
You seriously need to brush up on the subject before making claims.

Lol I know we have attached several purposes for sex, but oga abeg be truthful with yourself and others, what is the main purpose for sex and the sexual organs. If you want to enhance your immune system does the doctor prescribe sex? If you want to reduce prostrate cancer does the doctor prescribe sex?

Abeg be truthful with yourself, what is the purpose of sex and the sexual organs, the reproductive system? Can you procreate without these? Can you procreate by taking immune system enhancing pills?

Seriously the benefits of sex has become the function of sexual organs? For real? Please kindly explain this.

I would love for you to bring in the biology.

Chrisbenogor:

Imhotep
How does one prove a negative? You say there is a God we say show us.

And you say there is no God, we say show us. Abi u no dey make claim as if na fact? so show us.

~Lady~:

And you say there is no God, we say show us. Abi u no dey make claim as if na fact? so show us.

You can't prove the existence of your god. That's all the evidence people who don't believe in your god need.
The absence of evidence is the evidence of absence.

Martian:

You can't prove the existence of your god. That's all the evidence people who don't believe in your god need.
The absence of evidence is the evidence of absence.

Really? In law absence of forensic evidence against an accused person does not always exonerate him. He could still be convicted on circumstancial evidence.

Even if you dont have hard proof that God does not exist, do you have circumstancial evidence?
Perhaps i might be tempted to join the atheist gang since i've been considering it . . . i want to have a brain like that of duduspace. Very intelligent, that boy!

Aunty lady,
Yet again kindergarten biology has failed us.
You did not read that link abi? You are making me teach biology and its not fair oh
Anyway lets address your concerns,

~Lady~:

Lol I know we have attached several purposes for sex, but oga abeg be truthful with yourself and others, what is the main purpose for sex and the sexual organs.

"We" did not attach several purposes for sex, we evolved to what we are now and thus sex plays a lot more complex role than just procreation.
Ovulation, a point in a females reproductive cycle when it is suitable to be impregnated is concealed in humans and bonobos( you should read more about these they display homosexual behaviour too). So both partners do not if the female is fertile or not. A possible reason for this distinct biological feature may be formation of strong emotional bonds between sexual partners important for social interactions and, in the case of humans, long-term partnership rather than immediate sexual reproductionHumans, bonobos and dolphins are all intelligent social animals, whose cooperative behavior proves far more successful than that of any individual alone. In these animals, the use of sex has evolved beyond reproduction apparently to serve additional social functions. Sex reinforces intimate social bonds between individuals to form larger social structures. The resulting cooperation encourages collective tasks that promote the survival of each member of the group.

Wikipedia:
posit three potential advantages of intercourse in humans, which are not mutually exclusive: reproductive, relational, and recreational. While the development of the Pill and other highly effective forms of contraception in the mid- and late 20th century increased people's ability to segregate these three functions, they still overlap a great deal and in complex patterns. For example: A fertile couple may have intercourse while contracepting not only to experience sexual pleasure (recreational), but also as a means of emotional intimacy (relational), thus deepening their bonding, making their relationship more stable and more capable of sustaining children in the future (deferred reproductive). This same couple may emphasize different aspects of intercourse on different occasions, being playful during one episode of intercourse (recreational), experiencing deep emotional connection on another occasion (relational), and later, after discontinuing contraception, seeking to achieve pregnancy (reproductive, or more likely reproductive and relational).

The way you see sex is what you get when issues are judged on religious and not intellectual basis.
I take it that you were either too lazy to read up about sexual identity , orientation and all that or you just don't want to test your belief. Well I am tired of copying and pasting, especially since I use a pda.

Martian:
The absence of evidence is the evidence of absence.

Making too much sense

davidylan:
In law absence of forensic evidence against an accused person does not always exonerate him. He could still be convicted on circumstancial evidence.
Even if you don't have hard proof that God does not exist, do you have circumstancial evidence?

Lol barrister david, abeg no defend innocent man for court oh, the judge fit vex hang am.
For evidence to be circumstantial it has to be based on a group of facts, it is usually a theory that is supported by a corroborating evidence. Corroborating evidence is produced by expert witnesses who provide forensic evidence
Burden of proof is on you guys.