Something I've noticed about most Atheists that I personally know

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ramblin_ag02
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You are noticing this for probably two reasons. First, Christianity is biggest and most influential religion in America, so its the most relevant. Second, Christianity in general is more tolerant of criticism than some others faiths
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Beer Baron
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When you see this happen does it just happen randomly, like a sudden Tourette's-like outburst of "CHRISTIANITY IS DUMB!!," or is it generally precipitated by something that brings the topic up? I'd wager it's generally the latter. As you said, that's the one that's most often in the American atheist's field of vision. I've heard atheists (and Christians for that matter) make all kinds of jokes and comments about Muslims, Mormons, Scientologists, Hindus - but only when the topic is already there being discussed. Those just don't come up as often.

If you're partially basing your question on the comments you've seen here, I think that plays out. I can't imagine any atheist here saying any of those religions is any less ridiculous than we think Christianity is; but most of the topics center on Christianity to some degree or another.

Also, most atheists in this country were raised in some form of Christianity or at least very exposed to it growing up, so it's easier to poke fun at because you understand the basics even if you don't participate in it. This makes it easier to know which buttons to push, and easier to point out perceived inconsistencies and inaccuracies. Kind of like how everyone here could come up with a solid joke about Tech or tu or even A&M if we needed to, but would any of us have the first clue how to make fun of the University of Delaware in anything other than broad, general terms? Similarly, if you held a gun to my head and told me to make fun of the Baha'i faith, I wouldn't know where to begin.

Also, maybe you're just hanging out with jerks?
one MEEN Ag
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BusterAg
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My take:

People don't like to be told how to behave by other people. Most religions in this country keep a low profile and don't evangelize. However, many of the moral codes that are espoused by conservatives have a basis in millennia of Christian practice. So, many political conversations have, in some respect, a religious undertone.

Sexuality is of course front and center.
Quad Dog
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Quote:

but would any of us have the first clue how to make fun of the University of Delaware in anything other than broad, general terms?
It's in Delaware, isn't that enough?
permabull
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Macarthur
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FAT SEXY said:

Many will go out of their way to try and bring down Christianity.. but they never really do the same to other religions. Why do you think this is?

This is just my personal viewpoint and it could be because I live in the US where Christianity is still the main religion, but I'll post the question anyways.

Also, for reference, I'm agnostic. No dogs in the fight, just something I've noticed.

As others have pointed out, you kinda answered your own question.

I also subscribe to the comment above that you don't 'notice' them 'attacking' mormonism because you're laughing along...
schmendeler
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Don't get me started on those Zoroastrians!
AggieRain
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Most atheists I have encountered have been on this board. I've come to respect most of them. Good people I'd drink a beer with.
kurt vonnegut
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AggieRain said:

Most atheists I have encountered have been on this board. I've come to respect most of them. Good people I'd drink a beer with.

I'd rather drink scotch.
dermdoc
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AggieRain said:

Most atheists I have encountered have been on this board. I've come to respect most of them. Good people I'd drink a beer with.
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AggieRain
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kurt vonnegut said:

AggieRain said:

Most atheists I have encountered have been on this board. I've come to respect most of them. Good people I'd drink a beer with.

I'd rather drink scotch.


I'll drink whatever you're buyin', you godless heathen.
kurt vonnegut
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PacifistAg
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AggieRain said:

Most atheists I have encountered have been on this board. I've come to respect most of them. Good people I'd drink a beer with.
Agreed. I've found the ones here to be far more respectful in how they communicate than the politically obsessed and partisan Christians.
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Fireman
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I'm always curious how someone who is agnostic differentiates themselves from being an atheist? I see it as a binary question, you either believe there is a God/Creator or you don't.

Does agnostic mean you don't know whether there is a God or not? And if that's your definition that the question is unknown, would you then say there is a 50% chance there is a God and 50% chance there is not?
If you feel useless, remember it took 20 years, trillions of dollars and 4 US Presidents to replace the Taliban with the Taliban.
AggieRain
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AstroAg17 said:

You'll drink a beer from Brash Brewing Co.?


You got me...I have to draw the line at black mass.
hph6203
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Agnostics believe that you cannot prove the existence or lack of existence of a god, whereas atheists believe that there definitively isn't a god, that the is merely materialistic and there's nothing beyond that.

It's sort of on a spectrum that goes like this:

Theist-Spiritual-Agnostic-Atheist

A theist believes in a god or gods, a person who is spiritual believes that there is something beyond the material, an agnostic believes you cannot know whether or not there is and the only thing we can definitively say exists/is observable is the material, and the atheist says there is nothing beyond the material.

Put another way:
Theist: God made me do it
Spiritual: The ether made me do it
Agnostic: Something made me do it
Atheist: I did it because of the chemical make up of my brain made me do it, and that chemical make up occurred because of evolution.
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Beer Baron
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Fireman said:

I'm always curious how someone who is agnostic differentiates themselves from being an atheist? I see it as a binary question, you either believe there is a God/Creator or you don't.

Does agnostic mean you don't know whether there is a God or not? And if that's your definition that the question is unknown, would you then say there is a 50% chance there is a God and 50% chance there is not?
I think the mistake you're making is thinking of agnostic and atheist as being two different beliefs along a spectrum. One term refers to a person's level of knowledge about something (agnostic/gnostic), the other refers to their beliefs (atheist/theist). You can be any of four different combinations of those terms:

  • Agnostic Atheist - I don't believe in a god (belief), but I can't be certain whether one exists (knowledge). I'd wager that the vast majority of people who just get the blanket "atheist" label would actually fit here. I haven't ever met one who would claim to know that there isn't a god or gods out there. "Atheist" is just a convenient shorthand.
  • Gnostic Atheist - I don't believe in a god, and I'm certain no gods exist.

  • Agnostic Theist - I believe in a god, but I can't be certain whether it exists.
  • Gnostic Theist - I believe in a god, and I'm certain it exists.

"Agnostic" isn't just a noncommittal, watered-down version of "atheist," though it's often used that way even by people claiming that label for themselves. There's a stigma attached to "atheist" that "agnostic" doesn't get as much. What they likely mean when they say they're agnostic is that they lean toward being an agnostic atheist.

To answer your second question, within the gnostic/agnostic scale I'd say different people with atheist belieufs would have different levels of certainty/uncertainty. Same would go for believers, though I think within religious circles there are often social stigmas and pressures that would lead people toward claiming the gnostic, more certain label regardless of any doubts they may have. At least that was my experience growing up.
Fireman
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Appreciate the detailed replies from hph6203 and Beer Baron. More than I expected really, but good learning, and it makes since that there is both what you know and what you believe.
If you feel useless, remember it took 20 years, trillions of dollars and 4 US Presidents to replace the Taliban with the Taliban.
DevilDriver
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Beer Baron has it correct. These four labels aren't nt some sort of spectrum of belief, but specific stances on knowledge and belief. In addition, your description of atheism implies that atheists believe in evolution. While that may be true, atheism is simply a rejection of theism, and nothing more.
hph6203
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Fair enough, but y'all are talking definitions and the poster was asking practically what a person that self defines as agnostic believes. In practice, at least in my experience, a person that self defines as agnostic is more often than not an agnostic atheist with the atheist part supposed rather than stated, because atheism, as people self define, has become a religion of its own.

As an example, I don't know any Christians that don't definitively claim to know that there's a god that would call themselves agnostic.

I didn't mean for my post to be all encompassing just as an illustration of what someone that describes themselves that way might say.
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schmendeler
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"As an example, I don't know any Christians that don't definitively claim to know that there's a god that would call themselves agnostic."

Come again?
BusterAg
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kurt vonnegut said:

AggieRain said:

Most atheists I have encountered have been on this board. I've come to respect most of them. Good people I'd drink a beer with.

I'd rather drink scotch.
I would totally take you up on that. I wish you had some stars.
P.C. Principal
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I've heard atheists be pretty hard on Islam. See Bill Maher, Sam Harris, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali. For Ali it's personal because she went through some serious oppression growing up in the faith. But people tread very lightly so they aren't called Islamophobic. I think the line they draw is they say Islam is an evil and oppressive religion, but that doesn't mean we hate Muslim people.
oldarmy1
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Have you heard what the Mortician said about the athiest after preparing him for burial???

All dressed up and no place to go...
ro828
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Interesting topic. Reading the posts on this, I reflected that I know one agnostic. I'm acquainted with one atheist who has been described by a third party as pretty hardcore on the subject but who has never discussed the subject with me one way or another. Otherwise, the hundreds of people I know through work and family members all come under the "?" category.

The thing is, I don't ask people I've just met about the state of their soul. I'll ask what a person does for a living, where their family is from, maybe something about their tastes in books and movies. But a question like "Where will you spend eternity?" just doesn't fit into a conversation during a fifteen minute break at work.
Hyacinth
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I was listening to the radio this afternoon and I think it was Bishop Barron discussing a closely related topic that made me think of this post. He said something along the lines of when a person refers to themselves as being an atheist, they generally don't believe there is a god.

However, in today's society, if a person refers to themselves as being Christian. They intellectually believe in God, but fundamentally have no faith and essentially live out their lives as atheists.

He went on to reason that if they believed in God, then a relationship with him and the want to get to know him rather than just checking the box saying you went to church that week would be at the forefront of everything they do. This lead into a discussion of the sacraments in the Catholic Church and how they aren't works to get to heaven, but ways in which we can deepen that relationship. Food for thought.

(This may have been two different radio shows that my brain is combining together, but I still found it interesting)
Macarthur
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Seems to be pretty presumptuous of him to make such a claim about a wide swath of people.
Hyacinth
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Sorry, I should have worded that better, but it was 1:30 in the morning.

He was referring to a large swath of people who claim to be Christian, but don't live out their faith. However, he did not say everyone that refers to themselves as Christian aren't living out their faith. My apologies.
Macarthur
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I hear ya.

I don't doubt that there's a lot of truth is what he's saying. I guess it just goes back to who gets to say who is a real Christian and who isn't....That's been going on for millennia.
dermdoc
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Macarthur said:

I hear ya.

I don't doubt that there's a lot of truth is what he's saying. I guess it just goes back to who gets to say who is a real Christian and who isn't....That's been going on for millennia.


Yep. And it ticks me off. We are supposed to all be on the same team.

Fortunately judgemental people have no effect on me. Only Christ does. And He does not judge. He saves.
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