Need quotes on what people think of atheists

Eos of the Eons said:
Hi everybody,

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

Eos
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I think Atheists' pants don't wear out as quickly around the knee as Theists' pants tend to.

I think Atheists are people.

I therefore conclude:

There are no Atheists in beehives.

DR
 
Oh please! It would actually go more like this:

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. Wear a rubber.
ATHIEST KID: Afterwards, I'm going to go smoke pot with my friends, since it's "not addictive."
ATHIEST MOM: Okay, come home soon! And don't Bogart that fatty young man!
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Darth Rotor said:
I think Atheists' pants don't wear out as quickly around the knee as Theists' pants tend to.

I think Atheists are people.

I therefore conclude:

There are no Atheists in beehives.

DR
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Oh man, I am so going to find a picture of an atheist in a beehive hairdo and prove you wrong.
 
Eos of the Eons said:
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!
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The thing you need to be careful of (and I mean no disrespect to Z here) is that Z isn't necessarily reflective of theists as a whole-or at least the ones you're likely to meet in your class. Firstly, he's a Pagan (unless I read your post wrong, in which case, I apologize, Z). Pagans, as a whole, are more religiously tolerant than their monotheistic counterparts.

Secondly, people who regularly post to forums like this in general, aren't necessarily representative of mainstream society. Saying "I'm an atheist" here (and on religious forums as well) is common. In mainstream society, people are less likely to admit it for many of the reasons that've already been written.

I wish you luck on your report, though. Tell us how it goes :)

Marc
 
In a country whose institutions are so deeply influenced by the political philosophy of John Locke, it's perhaps not surprising that Americans still tend, by and large, to be Lockeans at heart on the subject of atheists:

Lastly, those are not at all to be tolerated who deny the being of a God. Promises, covenants, and oaths, which are the bonds of human society, can have no hold upon an atheist. The taking away of God, though but even in thought, dissolves all; besides also, those that by their atheism undermine and destroy all religion, can have no pretence of religion whereupon to challenge the privilege of a toleration.

- John Locke, A Letter Concerning Toleration
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RenaissanceBiker said:
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.
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3point14 wasn't making that post him (or her)self. He (or she) was posting it from another source as an example of stuff that fundies say about atheists.
 
Eos of the Eons said:
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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Remember that you're in Canada, not the US. We do have a constitutionally protected separation of church and state (in theory, at least). We're not allowed to have religious stuff in public schools. Most schools here have things like Fall Festivals instead of Halloween Parties, or Holiday Concerts instead of Christmas Plays, or Spring Pageants instead of Easter Parades, etc.

That's what upsets the fundies the most, that they can't force their religion on everyone else's kids.
 
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wolfgirl said:
Remember that you're in Canada, not the US. We do have a constitutionally protected separation of church and state (in theory, at least). They are not allowed to have religious stuff in public schools. Most schools here have things like Fall Festivals instead of Halloween Parties, or Holiday Concerts instead of Christmas Plays, or Spring Pageants instead of Easter Parades, etc. That's what upsets the fundies the most, that they can't force their religion on everyone else's kids.
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But you have to remember christians are the most easily oppressed people in the world. It oppressing them if you prevent them from oppressing others, you can even oppress them if you are not there, see the case where the vice principal did that even though she was not in that day.
 
Eos of the Eons said:
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?
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I wouldn't go so far as to say we're getting to be accepted. It really depends quite a bit on where you are, for one thing. Again, you're in Canada, where it's not so fundy-heavy. (I'm from Canada originally, so I've experienced the difference personally.) I live in the Midwest US now, where it's pretty Bible-belt-ish. I'm open about my atheism, and my friends accept it, but still most people think of atheists as either evil and immoral or as devil-worshippers. I have family in England, where nobody's particularly religious, and atheism there is very much accepted. Conversely, in the deep south of the US, Mississippi or Alabama for example, it's probably downright dangerous to admit to atheism.

What you find here, on a forum such as this, should not be taken as representative of society as a whole, as I think most people here are going to be more open-minded.
 
The first time I admitted being an atheist, a guy I know said that I would eventually die:
a) by killing myself, or
b) in bed, begging for divine forgiveness
 
wolfgirl said:
Remember that you're in Canada, not the US. We do have a constitutionally protected separation of church and state (in theory, at least). We're not allowed to have religious stuff in public schools.
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Having "religious stuff" in public schools doesn't necessarily violate the constitutionally protected separation of church and state. It depends on the particular stuff and the particular circumstances.

Under the Constitution, the government may, by statute or other action, may validly accord special recognition to religion in general or to one faith, provided that the legislation or conduct in question does not tend to establish a religion or religious faith.

wolfgirl said:
Most schools here have things like Fall Festivals instead of Halloween Parties, or Holiday Concerts instead of Christmas Plays, or Spring Pageants instead of Easter Parades, etc.
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I'm not sure if that's true of most schools throughout the United States, but since the explicit recognition of Christmas, Easter and Halloween by public schools has been held not to violate any provision of the Constitution, a school's decision not to do so would be motivated by concerns other than constitutional ones (unless the school were simply not clear about what the Constitution permits and proscribes in this area).
 
Rcintron said:
The first time I admitted being an atheist, a guy I know said that I would eventually die:
a) by killing myself, or
b) in bed, begging for divine forgiveness
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It is this type of nasty insult designed to make the believer feel better about their faith at the expense of someone who believes differently that bothers me so much.
 
"I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints, the sinners are much more fun...Only the good die young!" -Billy Joel (Atheist)
 
Z said:
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

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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I like how Halloween and St. Patrick's Day are suddenly not "Christian-based."
 
ponderingturtle said:
Well halloween was never entirely christian, no matter how much they tried to co-opt it.
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As for St. Patrick's day, at least American-style, how many fundies do you think are really going to claim a day where a major part of the festivities is getting drunk?

Marc
 
Foster Zygote said:
Oh man, I am so going to find a picture of an atheist in a beehive hairdo and prove you wrong.
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It's funny, but as I wrote that line, I had a picture in my head of an early 1960's beach party movie, and I wondered "were any of those gals atheists?" Hard to say.

Great minds think alike. :)

DR
 
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