What are the most common assumptions that you, as an Atheist, receive from people of other faiths? Today I was speaking to a crowd about being Atheist and a man had asked me a number of questions and eventually asked me the question I knew I would receive, "Since you believe that there is no one behind the creation of the Earth then don't you feel empty inside?"
I was very calm when I responded saying that since I had become atheist my mind had been opened up so much more to science and other faiths that I felt more fulfilled with the knowledge I obtained and friendships I made. I was able to step outside of the boundary that had been placed around me when I was religious and I felt overjoyed and limitless because of that. He sat back with a nod, hehe.
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The most common one in my opinon is that they think you are heartless and evil. That you have no sense of direction at all. It's hard for shepish people not to envy the religious independence that other individuals have.
I mostly run into people who consider me close minded because I refuse to believe in their god. Although, I have been accused of being a satanist, a pagan, or a believer who just doesn't realize it.
Don't you find it ironically funny when someone calls you closed-minded because you believe differently than they do? It is like they don't even know the definition of closed-minded.
I just think it's ironic because they're closing their minds to the fact that everything is because of one thing, yet in atheism we have a lot of different possibilities to the life questions that are asked
they seem to assume you have no moral values or goodness, that you lost your way. A lot of uninformed people seem to think atheism is a hateful cult of some sort...
Hey I just wrote a blog about this
http://www.atheistrepublic.com/blog/lee-myers/ten-common-myths-about-ath...
That article is right on Lee! I totally agree with "Atheists just hate God." I find that when I speak to Christians they will ask me about where I think I'll be after death (referencing to heaven or hell) and I never have anything to say because I just do not believe in it yet they act like I secretly do. I don't and I could care less. It is unfortunate to see them wriggle in frustration because I do not go along with their beliefs.
Also... "Atheists are rational and logical." lol I can say I have met my share of Atheists whom have made me cringe because of their ideologies.
Atheism can also be taken to extremes. I know a few "atheists" who are just brats that have not placed their feet on the ground yet and are always thinking about their needs above anything else. If these kind of people became a majority, we would self destruct as a species because no one would ever care to sacrifice anything for the good of society, always with the lame excuse that "the world is too fucked up anyways".
That attitude has little by little taken the world to the place it is now. Always closer to complete destruction. The problem is that those people start to make asumptions that everyone else is also as selfish as they are, but there are good people in the world and if you dont know that many, it's probably because you are not the kind of person they want to associate with.
So yeah, even atheism can have worthless people.
You are mixing two groups, atheists and selfish people. Let's not go, yet again, down the path of "atheists have no morals".
worthless people are everywhere they lack empathy, love and compassion towards fellow men, greedy people is the worst!
I completely agree that selfish behaviour is one of the most devastating evils for humanity. Humans are socialble creatures that depend on each other for companion and comfort. There is no place in a social formation of any kind for selfishness. Imagine what ants would do if any of them decided to just not give a damn anymore and be lazy.
Ants for example, act on the most basic instinct and they know that team work allows them to be safer because they build huge structures for their relative safety. It would only make sense that humans do the same thing to be safe.
I would say the most common assumption I run into is that because I am an atheist I hate or am against God or somehow a worshiper of Satin and this makes me an evil person. They don't get that I don't believe in Satan either, if they get enough exposure to me they begin to realize I am actually a very good guy. Though I am an atheist I help out at church functions from time to time because some things churches do I feel are good things to do and therefore I have no problem helping out in such situations like feeding the poor ect. ect.. I just wont partake in activities like I have seen in the past where they offer food to people but make them pray and try to control the lives of these disadvantaged people in other ways. When you use good deeds to attain power or influence then the good is lost to me.
That I am making an assertion that god does not exist. The inability do differentiate between belief and knowledge.
Good point Melvin! I hate that, "Prove he doesn't exist then?" I did not say he does not I just said I don't believe he does so how about you prove he does exist!
I agree Zaphod in people thinking Atheists worshiping Satan since we do not worship God. It's so bizarre how people cannot grasp there being a void of no god and no satan, just existence. At times Satan is brought up and I say I have no idea what you're getting at because I DO NOT BELIEVE IN IT.
The ones that hurt the most are when you're called "idiot, stupid, scum, piece of shit" - based on what? only their fairytale knows.
Being called a "satanist" is probably the biggest mistake they could make. The concept of Satan and Hell are all made up in the bible, their preciuous thing, the religion is based on satanism since you will be send to hell if you miss your prayer and they can't keep you in if they didn't scare you with something. Let's not forget that "Lucifer" was simply created to battle against the scientists, beggining with G. Galilei, inventing various stories that "Lucifer" means satan and "those damn scientists work with the devil. Eww, scrience." and making up the satanist rituals about the goats and so on. In the end, the modern day ideology of satanism basically supports the human rights, atheist ideolgies and various normal morals and so, basically, belivers call atheists atheists. No harm there.
To be a bit rude, a lot of religious people are a bit "dumb" in some ways. This kind of thinking can only result to anger and therefore they are judging us with greed, swearing and even beating us. They are too primitive to accept that human rights exists, that liberty exists, that no one is forced to belive or think like them.
I think something that irritates me the worst is when your good friends with someone until they find out your atheist. Then it's like your a different person.. If you enjoyed hanging out with them before you knew why does that change now that you do?? They are the same person either way but you want to ignore them now because in your mind you could not possibly be friends with someone who doesn't believe the way you do. The assumption that a person goes from a good person to a bad person just because of their way of thinking about religion is close minded.