par4dcourse Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 Read this morning over at atheism central ( http://atheism.about.com/) that atheists are the most feared and despised minority in America. WTF? Most all the people I've met here (and there) seem boringly average aside from their lack of religious beliefs. Austin Cline is astute and quite civil. We discuss mundane events here and express normal fears. We are feared? Surely their omnipotent gawd could just flick us out of existence like an annoying booger. Where's this fear from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warrior_of_god Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 Heh, good. Can we get some respect then if we're so evil? Answer: No. Religious people will just find some excuse to hate us even more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hereticzero Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 Lack of control over what we do, say and write. christians are too worried about going to hell for insulting the church. atheists are the only thing that stands between fascists neoconservatives and total dominion over the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 It is better to be feared than loved Live it up guys... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophronia Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 This surprises me. I would have figured that witches, Wiccans, Pagans, and the like would be more feared. Damnit, I guess we should work harder at being scarier than the atheists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warrior_of_god Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 This surprises me. I would have figured that witches, Wiccans, Pagans, and the like would be more feared. This means im scarier than my girlfriend? Thats...interesting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted January 26, 2008 Super Moderator Share Posted January 26, 2008 I think we represent a personal threat to believers. Most atheists they meet, and certainly the high-profile atheists, are rational, educated people. They probably secretly respect intelligence and rational thought but fear it might be contagious. They have too much invested in their superstitious little world, with most having a lifelong involvement. They already have doubts, but constantly suppress them. We don't. There is likely also some jealousy in the true freedom of non-belief that we enjoy. Just my thoughts on it. - Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellsybop Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 Maybe they are scared because it might cause them to see the truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWIM Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 They fear us, because deep down inside they know it's all bullshit too. Just because they cannot face truth, does not mean their subconscious cannot. Somewhere deep inside every believer, imo, is a little voice going (wtf?...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammurabi Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Most all the people I've met here (and there) seem boringly average aside from their lack of religious beliefs That hurts, par4... that really hurts... Seriously though, people fear or mistrust athiests for the same reason I used to when I was a christian, they are fed a steady diet of misinformation about us from the pulpit. I literally didn't know there was a difference between a pagan, a satanist, and an atheist until I left the church. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Most all the people I've met here (and there) seem boringly average aside from their lack of religious beliefs That hurts, par4... that really hurts... "Hurts" my entire English arse... it's insulting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandatory Chaos Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 This surprises me. I would have figured that witches, Wiccans, Pagans, and the like would be more feared. That's because reason is scarier than evil. Christians know they can overcome evil through christ, but to overcome reason would be to become unreasonable. Christians believe they are the most reasonable people on the planet for believing in christ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Valid point... other religions have some common points... complete, out and out atheism is a greased pig of a problem... or rather a shaved, greased, pissed off, wild boar of a problem... there's not a single place to for them to grip it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thurisaz Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 It is better to be feared than loved Live it up guys... "Oderint dum metuant!" Translation: "Let them hate so long as they fear" (A favorite saying of Roman emperor Caligula) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decafaholic Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 I think it's because people fear what they do not understand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 I fear Christians ratherlike I fear any organised mob... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 THe guy standing slightly behind and to the left of the 'Glorious Leader' usually dies of old age in his own bed... Nicolo was a master of that. Be out of the room when the Briefcase explodes is my motto... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sojourner Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 I think what hammurarbi said is so true. Its just ignorance in that most of them dont know athiests at all or not very well because of what they are taught. Ignorance breeds fear. If they would just get out and get to know people all that would disappear. sojourner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophronia Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 This surprises me. I would have figured that witches, Wiccans, Pagans, and the like would be more feared. That's because reason is scarier than evil. Christians know they can overcome evil through christ, but to overcome reason would be to become unreasonable. Christians believe they are the most reasonable people on the planet for believing in christ. Oh, get off your high horse; you are Evil too and you know it. Disbelief in the LAAAAAAAWD is definitely evil! Perhaps we Goddess-worshippers are less feared because at least we have some kind of deity, even if it is The Wrong One. To convert a Pagan might be seen more like getting someone to change sides. As atheists you're not a member of any "team" on the field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 As a pagan, there's more in common with Christianity than many would care to admit... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Broke Free Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 People's whose faith is hanging by a thread have good reason to FEAR the man running around with a shap pair of scissors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Any one running with scissors worries me, but that was because Stephen S managed to pop his glass eye out with some... could ahve been worse... it could have been his real eye (we were 7 at the time...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
par4dcourse Posted January 27, 2008 Author Share Posted January 27, 2008 Now Gramps, in my few months here on the boards I've always found your responses to be either relevant or witty, and sometimes both. Either way, no one recieves a proper thrashing without just cause. Usually. Depending on the arse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Who have I bitch slapped back to the stone age now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Kitty Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 I think atheists are feared because we're the "wild cards" of society. The Average Joe just doesn't know what to expect from us. If we don't believe in god, what Hallowed Institution will be on the chopping block next? If we refuse to submit to god's authority, what's to stop us from refusing to support our leaders and/or the government? Damn, I never felt so dangerous before... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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