Need quotes on what people think of atheists

Perfect! Thank you, yes, the misconceptions are what stand out the most. I think I will address those, and focus on the postives from this thread too. Great food for thought.

Thank you for all your help so far everybody!
 
Gang-prayed. How horrible.

I so like the Wiccan take (generally) - there are many paths to the Divine; each is allowed to follow his/her own path. No proselytizing.
 
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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I've created my own, utterly bankrupt philosophy to deal with that one, actually.

I conform to society's moral norms because it is easier than doing elsewise, and for no other reason.

NPR, I'm ready for my "This I Believe" statement now.
 
Z, you made my day with your post. Why does it seem so rare for non-atheists to be so... nice to non-theists? EDIT: I mean, by that, running into non-atheists on the net who are so nice to non-theists. It doesn't seem to happen often enough.

Teeking, my response to that question is one that forces them to deal with the real reasons for their beliefs, as well as joining us at the hip (which confuses them even more so):
"The same place you do: from the heart."

Fowlsound's "This would be why no one is stoned for blaspheming anymore" covers why I think mine is pretty good.
 
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I've been told that I worship Satan when I said I was an atheist in front of a religious crowd.

I've had some interesting convos with non-fundie Christians, though... some good apples amongst the bad, at the least.

I want to get into more conversations with religious officials, though, regarding religion. The ones that actually want to talk to atheists, of course.
 
fowlsound said:
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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This was the funniest post ever! gang prayed hahahahaha. thx man.
 
The most common response I get from people who I view as intelligent non-fundamentalist religious people when they ask what my religion is and I say I'm atheist is "So, you believe in nothing?" They view people who identify themselves as atheist negatively because from their perspective it looks like the place is empty where typically people have beliefs, meaning, spiritual feelings, complex emotions, philosophies, something they view as sacred. When they ask you for your religion they're really asking for those things. That's why I often just say "I'm half a buddhist" to avoid their language and to avoid them thinking that I lack the spiritual part of the brain.

People hate the idea of someone who's god part of the brain isn't on and who argue that it's right for it not to be on, they're better for it, and you're making a mistake for having it on. They hate people they wrongly percieve that way, for the same reason they'd hate people who'd form logical arguements that puppies aren't cute or why crime should be legal. If you tell people you believe in nothing in response to a question about your religioin they assume there's something innately fundamentally lacking in your brain that's part of what makes you human and makes you a foriegner to them, like someone with a severe mental illness or someone with no empathy. That's why the term atheist itself is a slur and a false diochotomy because it defines you by not believing in one claim. It's a language problem that people like Carl Sagan avoid who convey what they do believe/makes them feel 'spiritual' and who don't talk in ancient terms of atheism or theism, religion or non-religion.
 
Looking at the top 100 list (http://fstdt.com/top100.asp) I found this.

Athiests as a Majority

This is what it would be like, if the majority of people were athiests.
ATHIEST KID: Mom, I'm going to go **** a hooker.
ATHIEST MOM: Okay, son.
ATHIEST KID: Afterwards, I'm going to go smoke pot with my friends, since it's "not addictive."
ATHIEST MOM: Okay, come home soon!

The athiest kid leaves the room. The father comes home from work several minutes later.

ATHIEST DAD: Hey!
ATHIEST MOM: Hi, honey! I'm pregnant again. I guess I'll just get another abortion, since "fetuses don't count as human life."
ATHIEST DAD: Okay, get as many abortions as you want!
ATHIEST MOM: Oh, and don't go in the bedroom.
ATHIEST DAD: Why not?
ATHIEST MOM: There are two gay men ****ing eachother in there.
ATHIEST DAD: Why are they here?
ATHIEST MOM: I wanted to watch them do it for awhile. They just aren't finished yet.
ATHIEST DAD: Okay, that's fine with me!

Suddenly, their neighbor runs into the house.

ATHIEST NEIGHBOR: Come quick, there's a Christian outside!
ATHIEST MOM: We'll be right there!

The athiest couple quickly put on a pair of black robes and hoods. They then exit the house, and run into the street, where a Christian is nailed to a large, wooden X. He is being burned alive. A crowd of athiests stand around him, all wearing black robes and hoods.

RANDOM ATHIEST: Damn you, Christian! We hate you! We claim to be tolerant of all religions. But we really hate your's! That's because we athiests are hypocritical like that! Die, Christian!

THE END

Scary, isn't it?"

The Prince of Pain, GameTalk [Comments (183)] [2007-Jan-01]
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I really don't know weather to be amused or afraid.
 
3point14, you obviously aren't an atheist. We don't waste a fetus. We let them go well into the second trimester so there will be enough to make a stew. And we don't burn christians in the street, there's a place in the public square for that so it doesn't disrupt traffic.
 
"The main reason that so many atheists are criminals is that they reject the presence of a higher power that is a source of absolute morality. They do not believe that there will be any final consequences for their actions. After all, when they die, they die. End of story. So why not shoplift, and use drugs, and go on a killing spree, and read Harry Potter books, and rape as many people (of arbitrary gender and age) as possible? After all, in the end, it isn't going to matter, is it? This sick worldview is one of the biggest problems with society today.

[Emphasis added]"

seventypercent, Adequacy.org [Comments (54)] [2006-Dec-08]
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I know these have been done to death, but I love this one. (emphasis added)
 
My absolute favorite from Fundies Say the Darndest Things, and rightfully in the #1 spot...

"No, everyone is born Christian. Only later in life do people choose to stray from Jesus and worship satan instead. Atheists have the greatest "cover" of all, they insist they believe in no god yet most polls done and the latest research indicates that they are actually a different sect of Muslims."
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I don't think that the English language can fully describe how idiotic and wrong this is.
 
3point14 said:
Looking at the top 100 list (http://fstdt.com/top100.asp) I found this.

Athiests as a Majority

This is what it would be like, if the majority of people were athiests.
ATHIEST KID: Mom, I'm going to go **** a hooker.
ATHIEST MOM: Okay, son.
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It warms my heart to see a mom and son have such an open relationship they can talk about these things.

ATHIEST KID: Afterwards, I'm going to go smoke pot with my friends, since it's "not addictive."
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I was unaware the Bible said it was addictive. Doesn't the Bible say to use all the plants and animals of the Earth? Didn't God design pot for the purpose of being smoked?
 
RenaissanceBiker said:
In a college dorm room: "Put down your beer and leave. I won't drink with a f__kin' atheist."
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What a superb example of "witnessing for Christ".

You should have pointed out that his behavior, as a Christian, reflects badly on Christianity. This makes you hate Jesus. For this, you are certainly going to Hell. However, he is also going to Hell for driving you from Christ.
 
ATHIEST KID: Afterwards, I'm going to go smoke pot with my friends, since it's "not addictive."
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RELIGIOUS KID: Afterwards, I'm going to go kill gays, since "you shall kill a man who lieth with another man as with a woman."


ATHIEST MOM: There are two gay men ****ing eachother in there.
ATHIEST DAD: Why are they here?
ATHIEST MOM: I wanted to watch them do it for awhile. They just aren't finished yet.
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RELIGIOUS DAD: Much like I love downloading lesbian porn! A woman might always be faking it with a man, but if two women are going at it, they're doing it for pure carnal pleasure, so you know it's real!

ATHIEST MOM: You know it! (High-5's him.)
 
"No, everyone is born Christian. Only later in life do people choose to stray from Jesus and worship satan instead. Atheists have the greatest "cover" of all, they insist they believe in no god yet most polls done and the latest research indicates that they are actually a different sect of Muslims."
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That'd be The Annals Of Brain-Damaged Wishful Thinking And Pulling Things Out Of One's Ass.
 
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