Need quotes on what people think of atheists

Eos of the Eons

Mad Scientist
Eos of the Eons
Joined
Jul 23, 2003
Messages
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Hi everybody,

by tomorrow, I need honest answers to the question "what do you think of atheists?".

If anyone can ask their friends, or post the question to a religious board, whatever.

I just need honest gut reactions to the term "atheist".

I've been asked why "humanism" is a sensitive subject. I feel it is because humanists are essentially atheists, and atheists are viewed as "evil" for whatever reasons.

I'm hoping most reactions aren't extreme, but at least obvious. I need to know why they feel the way they do about atheists as well.

I don't need names, just honest opinions!

Thank you for your help,

Eos
 
"Atheists are good for nothing." - KittyNH (which, despite many people missing the pun in there, is a positive statement.)
 
No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God."

George Herbert Walker Bush, 1987
 
That is cute and funny, but I need serious answers here :p

The reactions I've gotten for asking for books on the Yule at the library have been very "obvious", but I never asked people who view atheists negatively what they really think and why. I'm too scared to ask in person!

Now I've been asked why this is a sensitive subject, and I need real reactions to the term "atheist".

I can guess, but real reactions would be great! And I don't have time to sign onto a religious board just to ask that question (just to get banned as a troll right off)!


Thank you thank you! Any help would be great.
 
I think the problem isn't Athiests so much as it is the Athiest's movement forcing there opinion down everybody's throat. I'll use God and Christmas as examples. Because of the Athiest's movement it is now illegal to even mention the name of God or celebrate Christmas in public schools or institutions in America. Halloween's fine; The Devil's OK; St. Patric day's; Spirits; Homosexuality; etc. etc. etc. But any mention of a Christian based belief is strictly forbidden. Now, does that make Athiests evil? I don't know. As a Christian all I can say is they're going to hell for there non-belief. Oh, that isn't my opinion; it's what God has to say about it in the Bible.
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from http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Since_atheists_aren't_evil_why_do_they_have_a_bad_reputation

A couple of other interesting answers there, too.
 
Z said:
from http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Since_atheists_aren't_evil_why_do_they_have_a_bad_reputation

A couple of other interesting answers there, too.
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Wow, bad grammar, logical fallacies...yep looks like a fundy strawman to me.
 
fowlsound said:
Wow, bad grammar, logical fallacies...yep looks like a fundy strawman to me.
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Yeah, I know. It's what some people think, sadly.

MY opinion - not being an atheist myself, understand - is that you guys are OK. But you don't burn nearly as long as a nice, fat, hypocritical Christian.

I mean, they even burn into the NEXT life.
 
Hmm,

I've found it is the Jehovas that don't want any mention of christmas at school. A Jehova kid I knew couldn't color a picture at school with anything xmassy on it.

My kids still have xmas concerts at their schools. And trees. The songs mention the birth of christ and everything.

Easter is highly celebrated too.
...Don't know what the wiki author is going on about, but that is what he believes, and THAT is what I'd like to see.

I'll check out the link!

Drat, not enough there! Need more...
 
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Z said:
Yeah, I know. It's what some people think, sadly.

MY opinion - not being an atheist myself, understand - is that you guys are OK. But you don't burn nearly as long as a nice, fat, hypocritical Christian.

I mean, they even burn into the NEXT life.
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Your answer seems to indicate that "atheism" is generally accepted as okay.... for you at least.

can you say why?
 
Eos of the Eons said:
Your answer seems to indicate that "atheism" is generally accepted as okay.... for you at least.

can you say why?
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Sure. Atheists don't have an afterlife to fall back on, so I don't have to worry about atheist suicide bombings for their future glory or whatever. Atheists don't have a sky daddy to forgive them, so there's no 'sin now, repent later' attitudes. Atheists aren't counting on the world to end soon, so they're more environmentally conscious than most theists I know. Atheists aren't expecting some spiritual entity to protect them while they risk their own and everyone else's life and limb on stupid stunts. I want to hurt every idiot on the interstate with a 'god as my co-pilot' bumper sticker.

Atheists don't have such a severe 'us/them' attitude that they'd happily hurt, mutilate, insult, and otherwise inconvenience 'the other side' on the grounds of moral superiority. Atheists don't have a set of rules granted by invisible sky daddies requiring them to stone gays, witches, or purveyors of fine, battery-powered toys and goods. Atheists aren't seeing the REST of the world as 'pretty much damned no matter what'. Atheists generally do not look at scientific advancement as being a bad thing - unlike many theists, who think we're trying to 'play God' or that 'there are some things man is not meant to know'.

And the atheists here haven't banned me yet. That's a LOT better than the theists of other boards I've trolled... er, visited. One board banned me for a discussion in which I was attacking the REASON that another poster used the terms 'womyn' or 'wommon'. I had no problem with the use, as long as the reason wasn't based on fallacy. At any rate, even though I was respectful and courteous, I was banned for even discussing the topic.

Atheists appear more open-minded and in support of freedom of speech than theists.







... There's also the small, though as yet personally unverified, observation that atheist women appear to have less sexual hang-ups and inhibitions as their theistic counterparts. I hope to one day personally verify this information.
 
Z said:
... There's also the small, though as yet personally unverified, observation that atheist women appear to have less sexual hang-ups and inhibitions as their theistic counterparts. I hope to one day personally verify this information.
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Why do you think I married an atheist?
 
Thank you Z! I won't comment on the woman/hang up thing, but your post is helpful. It's good to know that some theists do see humanists in that light, and that is how I see myself as a humanist too!

This is great, and I was being sooo sure that all I'd get was mostly negative reactions to the term!

So, maybe the humanist "issue" is not as controversial as I thought, and humanists can start to look around and not feel they will be condemned by others so much for being a non-believer.

My fellow students haven't jumped on me, and they pretty much know my non-religious point of view.

So, are we getting to be accepted in society by most people?

I haven't seen too much condemning atheists. If the bible just says we need to worry about the afterlife (which I don't), then it's really not so bad.

Can I assert that most people are accepting us "heathens" for the most part?

Or am I getting too hopeful here?
 
Eos of the Eons said:
Or am I getting too hopeful here?
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Probably. Not to be negative, but I have had far more insulting or rude responses to finding out my atheist views than I have had positive ones.

ETA:

Especially when dealing with people my mother works with. However I don't know if it goes so far as to affect people's view of her.
 
Not to be negative, but I have had far more insulting or rude responses to finding out my atheist views than I have had positive ones.
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Can you elaborate on those reactions? Pretty please?
 
Eos of the Eons said:
Can you elaborate on those reactions? Pretty please?
Click to expand...

Ok off the top of my head:


"How can you be a moral person without god?" That one always bothered me. Then there's:

"But why would you not want to be in heaven with your family?" That's got so many leaps in logic it's not insulting anymore, it's just asenine.

but honestly, the insulting cattyness that comes along with someone tryiing to convert me on the spot gets to me. I don't try to make them an atheist, don't try to convert me. It's not like I'm clueless about Christianity. I was one.

however what takes the cake:

I was on a bus coming back from a friend's house, and this line ran past the XCEL Energy Center, where the Minnesota Wild play. That day, there apparantly was a convention for "Women of Faith" or some such, so needless to say I was on a bus with roughly 50 soccer moms from the suburbs all chatting and loud. One asked about my wedding ring, which is titanium with silver inlays, and I happily told her the story of why I chose titanium, and why my wife's rings match, and when we got married (it had only been a month or so since the wedding.) When she asked me what my priest thought of my non-traditional wedding band, I told her that we were married by a judge. When asked why, I replied that my wife and I are atheists.

At that point, she had the whole bus pray for me, not only for my cancer, but that Jesus would heal my soul so I could be saved.

A bus of 50 women did this.

I was gang-prayed. I got off at the nest stop.

So whatever vitriol is percieved by the religious from atheists is not because we want to stop their religion, or convert them or whatever, it's because we're sick of being condescended to from a point of ignorance such as theirs, and how pushy and irritating it is to be preached at whenever we admit to our views.



ETA:

Oh yeah, one last thing:

The bit about "the road less travelled" makes me laugh. Christians are not the road less travelled.


ETA2:

Now you can see why I might be hesitant to visit my mother at her campus.
 
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My friend Todd, upon discovering I'm an atheist, asked "but where do you get your morals from?"

I replied "I don't need morals, I have empathy".
 
tkingdoll said:
My friend Todd, upon discovering I'm an atheist, asked "but where do you get your morals from?"

I replied "I don't need morals, I have empathy".
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Yeah, and whether they say it is from God or not, empathy and reason is where they get their morals from too. This would be why no one is stoned for blaspheming anymore.
 
When my daughter told a friend she was an atheist, she was asked "what, you worship Satan?"

Sheesh.
 
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