What do you *REALLY* think of Atheists?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So when a topic is asking opinions about a certain type of person, that type of person is not allowed to post and explain their views?

You are so disengenuous your head must hurt.

And you are a hypocrite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So when a topic is asking opinions about a certain type of person, that type of person is not allowed to post and explain their views?

You are so disengenuous your head must hurt.

And you are a hypocrite.

And a troll

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The OP’s question has been answered. What do you really think of atheists? You think that because we don’t believe in the Christian god, nor gods from other cultures, we are bashing religion.

I think OP's answer is that there are several perceptions of atheists - some negative, some positive; some adamant, some neutral; some baiting, some simple; some well informed, some ill-informed.

Thus, people's views are similar to views on other subjects -- all over the place.

OP, what do you think?

OP here. Yes, basically this is true, and I suppose I knew it before posting - that there would be a range of views. I'm a bit disheartened to see that the judgement I wondered about is so prevalent and vicious for some. Makes me glad that when these conversations come up in person, most (though not all) people are too polite to spew the hatred that has been spewed here. And I've seen it coming from both sides so this is not only a criticism of the religious people who were really the target audience of my question (what do YOU think... You = religious folks). I'm glad other Atheists have chimed in. I know there are many out there, but of course we don't gather on Sundays so it's hard to count us and sometimes we only find each other in the world by chance.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:God is a man made story to give humans an understanding of the meaning of life. That’s why there are different religions with different deities. All made up stories. Sorry.

Q:How did this thread go from op asking what people think of Atheists to Atheists bashing God and the beliefs of Christians?

A:all threads here end up bashing Christians

Sorry - the above is not atheists bashing God -- just someone expressing their very cogent views. You don't believe it? fine.

Sadly , some Christians react badly to having their beliefs challenged.

Nope. PP raised a very good question about why the atheist above went off-topic to bash faith instead of answering OP's question. Your attacks on Christians are simply new ad hominems. You guys need to stop the gish-gallopping and stick to the thread topic.

You need to stop misrepresenting what PP said. PP said “atheists bashing God”. No one is bashing any gods. Facts.

Anybody can go to the top of this exchange and read where an atheist wrote “God is a man made story …. Sorry.”

That is the Fact, and anybody can see it. And that’s why pp asked why atheists always go straight to bashing religion.

That you try to pretend this never happened is just one more example of dishonestly from an atheist. And then you wonder why some of you have such a bad rep.

Again, that is completely misrepresenting what the PP wrote.

“God is a man made story” is NOT “bashing god”.

Stop lying.

You know very well to come on a thread about perceptions of atheists and say religion is “wishful thinking” or “man made” is baiting and trolling at best.

You either have zero self-awareness or you’re a troll.

Either way you make atheists look bad. It’s exactly the same as OP wondering about her father-in-law‘s opinions based on the actions of a few believers. We wonder if all atheists are this rude, untruthful, and hostile.

OP here. They aren't. Thankfully.

I think the comment from a PP asserting that "God is a man made story" is fine if that is what he/she believes. It's the "Sorry" part at the end that makes the statement condescending. I think this is how these conversations get off the rails. People feel very triggered when someone doesn't believe what they believe and feel that every statement representing an opposing view is an attack.

Maybe I'm able to say this because I'm an Atheist and ergo, religious discussions are less personal for me, but even when I feel a bit attacked (by someone I know is trying to be snide or condescending....like my FIL) I don't care that much. I just think "sounds like your beliefs are working great for you, you should stick with it" but you don't need to spend so much energy telling me how wrong I am. For what?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Real question - what about all the other gods from other religions and from ancient religions (Egyptian, Greek, Roman)? Humans have/had the same faith and beliefs in these gods. How is the current Christian god any different? For me as an atheist there is no difference. I do not believe in the gods of any organized religions.

It’s not anyone’s job to figure out your personal thoughts about the Christian God and Egyptian, Greek, and Roman gods.

You don’t believe in any gods- why do you feel you must ask others to justify their beliefs while you don’t believe in any of it? Don’t you have things to do that are productive and bring you joy?

It’s a discussion. If you are not interested or capable of discussing these topics no one is forcing you to respond. DP.

It’s a discussion forum with rules. One rule is that each thread should have a topic. Your question about the difference between the Christian God and Roman and Greek and Egyptian gods is extremely off topic. This topic of this thread is in the title- What do people think about Atheists?

Your question should have it’s own separate thread.

You should respect forum rules.

I’m a different poster.

So there are two posters defending the off topic posts. Why not create a new thread, as manners and forum rules dictate?

There are many people posting about many various topics related to the OP but perhaps not explicitly answering OP’s question. This is common on DCUM. You seem new here.

This thread is completely off topic, and op is not actively replying or responding or commenting.

OP here. I've read every single post. I don't reply to each because I don't think that is required or productive. I had some family things to do today so I haven't been online all day, but I'm engaged as I am able to get online. I'm not sure whether your comment about my absence was meant to be critical, but I've been reading all along. I'm not looking for a fight so I'm not going to jump in to defend rude Atheists or bash those with strong religious beliefs who are asserting their views and answering my question (what they really think of Atheists). I'm grateful for the honesty and the constructive contributions to the conversation.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:It’s not off topic for an atheist to come on and explain their non beliefs. You just don’t want to hear it. And that actually answers the OP question.

No. op asked what people who are not atheist think of atheists.

Atheists took it upon themselves to post pages and pages of off topic comments.

Oh right. How dare an atheist show up to explain themselves in a thread ABOUT THEM. Again, you are answering the OP.

You can’t answer op’s question because she asked for answers from non-Atheists.

OP again. Yes. This is true. I respectfully ask that my fellow Atheists see my intent, which is to learn from people of faith what they really think, but may be too polite to say. I don't want to change their minds; just understand a bit better.

I realize you will engage as you see fit, but please know that I'm not seeking to put anyone on the defensive. I'm not defending my own Atheist views. I've explained a bit, but I haven't felt at all defensive so I hope nobody still reading along is detecting something else.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Real question - what about all the other gods from other religions and from ancient religions (Egyptian, Greek, Roman)? Humans have/had the same faith and beliefs in these gods. How is the current Christian god any different? For me as an atheist there is no difference. I do not believe in the gods of any organized religions.

^^^ atheist troll trying hard to derail from the thread topic

Not a troll. I’m just an atheist trying to help you understand why I do t believe in your Christian god. I’m sorry if that offends you and you don’t think I belong in this discussion.

You’re derailing to talk about your own pet issues on a thread with a totally different subject. And you’re flattering yourself if you think anybody cares about your “help”/arguments.

+1

op asked about views non-atheists held about atheists.

Some people responded as asked. But then the atheists decided to brigade the thread helpfully.

The atheist that posts about religious people being the biggest pedophiles in the United States and how maga is coming for everyone is truly fascinating and awful. Imagine posting a blanket condemnation of atheists and getting away with it here? The outrage would be off the charts.

I maintain that the thread is compromised with off topic comments to the extreme and should be disregarded and left to wither. Not helpful at all. I don’t know what could be learned from this thread. The minority of comments about what op asked in the original post are lost within a sea of atheist snark and answers nobody asked for. The fake helpful posts are just atheists trying to bait Christians. Ho hum, what’s new?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:It’s not off topic for an atheist to come on and explain their non beliefs. You just don’t want to hear it. And that actually answers the OP question.

No. op asked what people who are not atheist think of atheists.

Atheists took it upon themselves to post pages and pages of off topic comments.

Oh right. How dare an atheist show up to explain themselves in a thread ABOUT THEM. Again, you are answering the OP.

You can’t answer op’s question because she asked for answers from non-Atheists.

OP again. Yes. This is true. I respectfully ask that my fellow Atheists see my intent, which is to learn from people of faith what they really think, but may be too polite to say. I don't want to change their minds; just understand a bit better.

I realize you will engage as you see fit, but please know that I'm not seeking to put anyone on the defensive. I'm not defending my own Atheist views. I've explained a bit, but I haven't felt at all defensive so I hope nobody still reading along is detecting something else.

Nobody here cares about atheists, except for atheists. It’s a religion forum and atheists reject religion. Anti-theist ls are hostile to religion and actively oppose religion, especially Christianity. The majority of atheists posting here are are anti-theists and who have no intention of peacefully co-existing with any religious people. Which sucks, because Americans deeply believe in religious freedom.

What did you learn about how non-atheists view atheists, op?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:It’s not off topic for an atheist to come on and explain their non beliefs. You just don’t want to hear it. And that actually answers the OP question.

No. op asked what people who are not atheist think of atheists.

Atheists took it upon themselves to post pages and pages of off topic comments.

Oh right. How dare an atheist show up to explain themselves in a thread ABOUT THEM. Again, you are answering the OP.

You can’t answer op’s question because she asked for answers from non-Atheists.

OP again. Yes. This is true. I respectfully ask that my fellow Atheists see my intent, which is to learn from people of faith what they really think, but may be too polite to say. I don't want to change their minds; just understand a bit better.

I realize you will engage as you see fit, but please know that I'm not seeking to put anyone on the defensive. I'm not defending my own Atheist views. I've explained a bit, but I haven't felt at all defensive so I hope nobody still reading along is detecting something else.

OP, in my opinion your've been a model questioner -- checking in and commenting/clarifying occasionally, and not steering the conversation. I'm glad you started this thread. I think it's been informative and productive, with a few exceptions, most of which involve a very active, supposedly Christian poster.

I've learned that some people sincerely don't care about whether or not a person is atheist and others are sympathetic. Some are misinformed and some are antagonistic. I hope the misinformed and antagonistic read through the comments and see that atheists as a group are not evil simply because we are godless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The OP’s question has been answered. What do you really think of atheists? You think that because we don’t believe in the Christian god, nor gods from other cultures, we are bashing religion.

Yup. And they lash out when you “threaten” them with facts or logic. (Or basic definitions of words)

I’m a DP and I have posted above. I responded to the OP’s question saying I have very neutral thoughts about atheists. You do you, and I’ll do me. I can respect you, and it would be nice if you can respect me.

I am not threatened by your facts or logic. I’d argue that you have no facts, however. You can’t prove there isn’t a God any more than I can prove there is one. We simply have two different beliefs.

Plus one

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:God is a man made story to give humans an understanding of the meaning of life. That’s why there are different religions with different deities. All made up stories. Sorry.

Q:How did this thread go from op asking what people think of Atheists to Atheists bashing God and the beliefs of Christians?

A:all threads here end up bashing Christians

Sorry - the above is not atheists bashing God -- just someone expressing their very cogent views. You don't believe it? fine.

Sadly , some Christians react badly to having their beliefs challenged.

DP. Oh for the love of God stop hate trolling with the twists of logic and ad hominems. You’re everything people think of when they say they don’t like dealing with atheists.

Tell me you don’t know logic or the meaning of ad hominems without telling me you don’t know logic or the meaning of ad hominems.

^^ non-answer to a completely accurate charge. This is an example of why DCUM's atheists have such a bad rap.

It’s completely INaccurate.

There were no twist of logic or ad hominens. PP should learn the meaning of words before trying to throw them out as insults.

PP had a good point: certain atheists in this forum create an unpleasant vibe in the religion forum and are unnecessarily defensive, patronizing and aggressive. They definitely do give atheists a bad rap.

I agree. Not all atheists here are hate trolling and aggressively defensive and patronizing, and not all gish gallop through threads deflecting and derailing.

But there are two, maybe more, atheists here who hate troll 24/7, basically all the time. They absolutely drown out the thoughtful, respectful atheists. It’s understandable that they color, negatively, the perception of DCUM’s atheists.

Very well said.

I welcome insights from thoughtful respectful atheists. No one has a monopoly on truth.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:God is a man made story to give humans an understanding of the meaning of life. That’s why there are different religions with different deities. All made up stories. Sorry.

Q:How did this thread go from op asking what people think of Atheists to Atheists bashing God and the beliefs of Christians?

A:all threads here end up bashing Christians

Sorry - the above is not atheists bashing God -- just someone expressing their very cogent views. You don't believe it? fine.

Sadly , some Christians react badly to having their beliefs challenged.

DP. Oh for the love of God stop hate trolling with the twists of logic and ad hominems. You’re everything people think of when they say they don’t like dealing with atheists.

Tell me you don’t know logic or the meaning of ad hominems without telling me you don’t know logic or the meaning of ad hominems.

^^ non-answer to a completely accurate charge. This is an example of why DCUM's atheists have such a bad rap.

It’s completely INaccurate.

There were no twist of logic or ad hominens. PP should learn the meaning of words before trying to throw them out as insults.

PP had a good point: certain atheists in this forum create an unpleasant vibe in the religion forum and are unnecessarily defensive, patronizing and aggressive. They definitely do give atheists a bad rap.

I agree. Not all atheists here are hate trolling and aggressively defensive and patronizing, and not all gish gallop through threads deflecting and derailing.

But there are two, maybe more, atheists here who hate troll 24/7, basically all the time. They absolutely drown out the thoughtful, respectful atheists. It’s understandable that they color, negatively, the perception of DCUM’s atheists.

Very well said.

I welcome insights from thoughtful respectful atheists. No one has a monopoly on truth.

Can you give some examples what you consider insights from "thoughtful, respectful atheists?" In your opinion, what would be a thoughtful or respectful insight about religion coming from an atheist?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Atheists that just claim they are without any thought or research? They're a joke.

Atheists that have done research and spent time investigating a higher power. Much more respect.

Atheists who are just going a long with what the left tells them to. No respect.

Atheists who are Atheists because they parents were and have never looked into anything else? Disappointing.

Does this mean believers in God should do deep research into the Loch Ness monster before declaring that they don't believe in him?

How about Santa Claus and fairies?

DP: people who use analogies like that fall into the first category. You don’t seem to understand what it is you claim not to believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Atheists that just claim they are without any thought or research? They're a joke.

Atheists that have done research and spent time investigating a higher power. Much more respect.

Atheists who are just going a long with what the left tells them to. No respect.

Atheists who are Atheists because they parents were and have never looked into anything else? Disappointing.

Does this mean believers in God should do deep research into the Loch Ness monster before declaring that they don't believe in him?

How about Santa Claus and fairies?

DP: people who use analogies like that fall into the first category. You don’t seem to understand what it is you claim not to believe.

DP- what is the difference between Santa Claus and a (generic) god?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:It’s not off topic for an atheist to come on and explain their non beliefs. You just don’t want to hear it. And that actually answers the OP question.

No. op asked what people who are not atheist think of atheists.

Atheists took it upon themselves to post pages and pages of off topic comments.

Oh right. How dare an atheist show up to explain themselves in a thread ABOUT THEM. Again, you are answering the OP.

You can’t answer op’s question because she asked for answers from non-Atheists.

OP again. Yes. This is true. I respectfully ask that my fellow Atheists see my intent, which is to learn from people of faith what they really think, but may be too polite to say. I don't want to change their minds; just understand a bit better.

I realize you will engage as you see fit, but please know that I'm not seeking to put anyone on the defensive. I'm not defending my own Atheist views. I've explained a bit, but I haven't felt at all defensive so I hope nobody still reading along is detecting something else.

OP, in my opinion your've been a model questioner -- checking in and commenting/clarifying occasionally, and not steering the conversation. I'm glad you started this thread. I think it's been informative and productive, with a few exceptions, most of which involve a very active, supposedly Christian poster.

I've learned that some people sincerely don't care about whether or not a person is atheist and others are sympathetic. Some are misinformed and some are antagonistic. I hope the misinformed and antagonistic read through the comments and see that atheists as a group are not evil simply because we are godless.

Lol, we see you. Imagine posting this after behaving like you did, and thinking this is remotely persuasive.