Deva Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 I haven't yet met a Christian who allows that Hindus may be "right" and Christians wrong, or that Pagan gods may be the "true" gods" or that Buddhists have a valid belief system. Isn't that the truth. Some Christians would prefer just plain non-belief to adopting another religion. I am probably going to have hell to pay when my folks come to visit one day and see my Buddhist shrine. I have a Christian friend who told me that god sat alongside him in his truck. I asked "Which god?" and he said that there is only one god, to which I replied that there are thousands of gods, so which one was it? I asked how he knew it wasn't Wicca or Vishnu? That gave me a chuckle. I can very seldom come up with clever quick responses to foolishness. I think I could make a good case for Kali. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vomit Comet Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Isn't that the truth. Some Christians would prefer just plain non-belief to adopting another religion. 1. The sentiment I used to adhere to is "either Christianity is the one true religion, or NONE of them are true at all." Classic black-and-white one-way-or-no-way thinking. 2. When I was a Christian, I figured that atheists were better off than pagans or Buddhists or whatever. Pagans and Hindus or whatever were worshiping demons and as such gave the demons quite a bit of license to come into their lives and fuck them up the ass. Whereas atheists do much more to preclude such inviting-the-demons-in religious error. So, according to my old belief system, it was safer to be an atheist than a pagan, aside from the fact that both were going to go to Hell when they died. Fucked up logic, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Isn't that the truth. Some Christians would prefer just plain non-belief to adopting another religion. 1. The sentiment I used to adhere to is "either Christianity is the one true religion, or NONE of them are true at all." Classic black-and-white one-way-or-no-way thinking. 2. When I was a Christian, I figured that atheists were better off than pagans or Buddhists or whatever. Pagans and Hindus or whatever were worshiping demons and as such gave the demons quite a bit of license to come into their lives and fuck them up the ass. Whereas atheists do much more to preclude such inviting-the-demons-in religious error. So, according to my old belief system, it was safer to be an atheist than a pagan, aside from the fact that both were going to go to Hell when they died. Fucked up logic, eh? Yes, that is the way I was brought up too, VC. A person opened themselves up to demonic influences by worshipping other Gods, even reading about other religions was suspect. There is some talk in the Bible about levels of punishment in hell. Something about how some people will be beaten fewer times than others. It was never worked out in detail, like Dante's Inferno where there are multiple layers of hell, but the idea does exist. The pagans are really going to get it. I think most Christians think they have the one true religion and no other religions have anything of value in them except as a road to hell. It took me many years to escape from these ideas and be free enough to pursue my own way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 I think the idea behind the xtian reasoning is you can't have a moral compass without the threat of eternal damnation. Apparently, they reguard their own code of conduct as so undesirable that they can't imagine anyone following it unless they were certain they'd go to hell if they didn't. Since atheists don't worry about going to hell, why the hell would they conduct themselves as decent human beings? I need to go puke now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Genesis Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 This thread reminds me of the Family Guy episode where Brian comes out as an atheist and everyone in town is freaking out and one citizen says "I'd almost prefer a terrorist. At least they believe in God." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsmoke Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Atheists are mistrusted because we are feared. Feared because we question authority and the status quo. We have independent thoughts. We are different, and little to no effort is spent to understand us. Also, we eat babies. Hey, if they didn't want to be eaten, they'd stop being so damn tasty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 The strange thing is the only place I've ever encountered or heard of fear of atheists is here on this board. I grew up in an overwhelmingly religious community and I don't recall anyone having much of an opinion about atheists. When I first got on the internet back in the early 90s or maybe late 80s I recall seeing an atheist on an xian AOL forum and found him to be just a curiosity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsmoke Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 As I understand it, we have a pretty laissez faire attitude here in the mountain west which doesn't necessarily extend to other parts of the country. Has its roots in the Wild West culture the region was built upon, in which a man's business was exactly that. The population is predominantly religious, to be sure, but (as you know) it's not really something we wear on our sleeves. Whether because of an unspoken assumption everyone else shares a similar baseline of belief or because we genuinely don't care, we tend to size up people as, well.. people first, and everything else second. Whatever crazy beliefs they may have don't really factor into it unless they insist on making a big deal about 'em. My experience mirrors your own - big surprise there. I was absolutely flabbergasted when a girl I'd gone out with a couple times during my first semester actually stopped talking to me after she learned I'm not Mormon. I was sure that only happened in the really crazy, isolated, pseudo-fundamentalist areas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdp Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Why Are Atheists The Most Mistrusted Group In America? The extremists - Madalyn Murray O'Hair in her day, Michael Newdow today. Like any group, the wing nuts make all the rest look bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qec Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 mmmmm babies! I'll take the #5 quarter pounder with cheese at McAtheist, made from 100% Atheist Certified baby. What would you like? I can get you the baby fish sticks; they look like fish sticks but they're actually made from tasty baby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 The strange thing is the only place I've ever encountered or heard of fear of atheists is here on this board. I grew up in an overwhelmingly religious community and I don't recall anyone having much of an opinion about atheists. I do recall hearing a lot of animosity toward atheists and secular humanists when I was growing up in the Baptist church during the '70s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Non-Redneck Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Mistrusted by Americans? Or just American (right-wing) Christians? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shyone Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Mistrusted by Americans? Or just American (right-wing) Christians? Good question. I don't trust atheists, and I am one. Ok, just kidding, but even moderate or liberal Christians, Hindus, Muslims and any other religion or sect will put atheists at the top of the "Do Not Trust" list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qec Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Mistrusted by Americans? Or just American (right-wing) Christians? That's a good question really. I for one don't actually think we (atheists) are the most mistrusted group in America. Now, I don't know if it's mainly "just" right wing Christians that mistrust us the most, but I still don't think we are the most mistrusted group in America. I mean c'mon.. It just doesn't make sense really. Top 10 most mistrusted? Maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shyone Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Mistrusted by Americans? Or just American (right-wing) Christians? That's a good question really. I for one don't actually think we (atheists) are the most mistrusted group in America. Now, I don't know if it's mainly "just" right wing Christians that mistrust us the most, but I still don't think we are the most mistrusted group in America. I mean c'mon.. It just doesn't make sense really. Top 10 most mistrusted? Maybe. I'm afraid we are. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=1786422&page=1&page=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vomit Comet Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Like someone else said, atheists don't have the best P.R. It'll take some time for the nation to collectively forget the impact of Madalyn Murray O'Hare. Also, Richard Dawkins may have rapier-like wit and a profound mind in the eyes of his fans, but to the casual American viewer who doesn't have a dog in that fight (like my dad), he comes off as abrasive and smugly elitist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
★ Citsonga ★ Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Mistrusted by Americans? Or just American (right-wing) Christians? That's a good question really. I for one don't actually think we (atheists) are the most mistrusted group in America. Now, I don't know if it's mainly "just" right wing Christians that mistrust us the most, but I still don't think we are the most mistrusted group in America. I mean c'mon.. It just doesn't make sense really. Top 10 most mistrusted? Maybe. I'm afraid we are. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=1786422&page=1&page=1 I have to wonder if gangs and registered sex offenders were included in that survey. I have to think that even when I was a conservative believer I probably would have trusted an atheist over one of those (not counting the registered sex offender who was just an 18 year old who had a relationship with a 17 year old). In fact, one of my friends had a brother who was an atheist, and I never saw anything out of him that would cause me to distrust him (on a personal level, that is, since I didn't trust his rational judgment about god). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Well, here's your answer (from Shyone's link) When asked which groups did not share their vision of American society, 39.5 percent of those interviewed mentioned atheists. Asked the same question about Muslims and homosexuals, the figures dropped to a slightly less depressing 26.3 percent and 22.6 percent, respectively. For Hispanics, Jews, Asian-Americans and African-Americans, they fell further to 7.6 percent, 7.4 percent, 7.0 percent and 4.6 percent, respectively. And they are right. Atheists, in general, are more thoughtful and don't tend to run along with the crowd waving flags and getting teary eyed over 4th of July parades. We are, in a word, muckrakers. Personally I don't care what they think about me if they choose to evaluate me based on my beliefs alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Genesis Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Like someone else said, atheists don't have the best P.R. It'll take some time for the nation to collectively forget the impact of Madalyn Murray O'Hare. But then there are those believers who will always be offended by the mere existence of atheists. Even before Madaly Murray O'Hare, atheism was still mistrusted. If I'm remembering right, wasn't Socrates claimed to be an atheist and executed under the charge even though he did believe in God? And the early Christians were also accused of being atheists by the Romans because they didn't worship the pagan gods and even after that, Christians would accuse each other of being atheists because they didn't fall into the "orthodox" camps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
★ Citsonga ★ Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Well, here's your answer (from Shyone's link) When asked which groups did not share their vision of American society, 39.5 percent of those interviewed mentioned atheists. Asked the same question about Muslims and homosexuals, the figures dropped to a slightly less depressing 26.3 percent and 22.6 percent, respectively. For Hispanics, Jews, Asian-Americans and African-Americans, they fell further to 7.6 percent, 7.4 percent, 7.0 percent and 4.6 percent, respectively. And they are right. Atheists, in general, are more thoughtful and don't tend to run along with the crowd waving flags and getting teary eyed over 4th of July parades. We are, in a word, muckrakers. Personally I don't care what they think about me if they choose to evaluate me based on my beliefs alone. Thanks. I'm glad I didn't bother reading the article, since I kinda suspected that the survey data was misused. How does not sharing the same vision of America automatically translate into being mistrusted? Now, let's do a survey and ask who they would least trust as a babysitter, (1) an atheist, (2) a registered sex offender, or (3) a gang member. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Genesis Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Now, let's do a survey and ask who they would least trust as a babysitter, (1) an atheist, (2) a registered sex offender, or (3) a gang member. But wasn't there a survey done that showed more people were willing to vote for a gay president than an atheist president? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 The strange thing is the only place I've ever encountered or heard of fear of atheists is here on this board. Which reminds me of an incident that happened to me. We were invited to some new acquaintances for dinner. During the dinner the couple talked about the zone diet and how the PE teacher at their daughters high-school were teaching the kids about the diet. The only they they had against this teacher was that he was an atheist. They made a couple of comments about him and how they basically considered him a lesser being. I held my tongue. I didn't want to offend the hosts, even though they actually offended me. But they didn't know better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qec Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Mistrusted by Americans? Or just American (right-wing) Christians? That's a good question really. I for one don't actually think we (atheists) are the most mistrusted group in America. Now, I don't know if it's mainly "just" right wing Christians that mistrust us the most, but I still don't think we are the most mistrusted group in America. I mean c'mon.. It just doesn't make sense really. Top 10 most mistrusted? Maybe. I'm afraid we are. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=1786422&page=1&page=1 Ugh. Oh well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
★ Citsonga ★ Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 Now, let's do a survey and ask who they would least trust as a babysitter, (1) an atheist, (2) a registered sex offender, or (3) a gang member. But wasn't there a survey done that showed more people were willing to vote for a gay president than an atheist president? That wouldn't surprise me. I would be surprised, though, if more would vote for a convicted child molester than an atheist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shyone Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 Now, let's do a survey and ask who they would least trust as a babysitter, (1) an atheist, (2) a registered sex offender, or (3) a gang member. But wasn't there a survey done that showed more people were willing to vote for a gay president than an atheist president? That wouldn't surprise me. I would be surprised, though, if more would vote for a convicted child molester than an atheist. "What's the difference?" You're probably right, but I believe they assume the convicted child molesters are 1) in jail, 2) ineligible for office or 3) already in office. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts