Atheist arrogance

Valmont

faceman wrote: »

I watched an interview with the director (an atheist) and both him and the interviewer (an atheist) took a very elitist view to their beliefs mocking anyone who had any faith whatsoever.

It was quite partronising to anyone religious. It feels sometimes very hypocritical when atheist celebrate their atheism. Particular those that are anti religion. Celebrating atheism is no different than celebrating religious beliefs when carried out in the same fashion! In my view of course.

I completely agree faceman. While I am a devout atheist, I'm always conscious to respect that people put their faith in the divine for a variety of reasons, some obviously silly but some of which I may not understand. Hence I think an arrogant, elitist approach to atheism is just plain ignorance. So, while I'm all for bashing religious institutions, I try to tread a lot more carefully with individuals as I cannot (nor can anyone else) trounce upon their subjective beliefs. I mean this in the sense that 'I just believe in God, I can't explain why he exists or how, but I strongly feel that he does' sort of statement. Not all people are relentlessly rational automatons like some athiests!;)

Sangre

What in uhura's name is a 'devout atheist'?

Dades

I quite like that term.

Zillah

One does not hear Uhura invoked as an expletive very often.

Goduznt Xzst

reminds me of this comic strip. Frankly I grow weary of showing respect for peoples farcical beliefs. I have only one life, and I'd rather people know I think what they believe is a joke and not that there is any logical reason for me to respect it.

faceman

Goduznt Xzst wrote: »

reminds me of this comic strip. Frankly I grow weary of showing respect for peoples farcical beliefs. I have only one life, and I'd rather people know I think what they believe is a joke and not that there is any logical reason for me to respect it.

You sound more like a satanist rather than an atheist so.

ChocolateSauce

CDfm wrote: »

You are also expected to understand their in-jokes and SOH- say on the thread about the Italian comedienne and the pope - many atheist posters dont want to accept that others dont find it funny and view their humour as highly offensive and ugly.

I fully accept that many jokes I make are highly offensive and "ugly". It's one of the reasons they're funny (to the target crowd).

Luckily, most athiests I know are not like that.

In real life.

Most atheists, imo, do actually think they know better, but just don't say it because they are humble enough to accept that they might not, and also because they don't like being inflammatory. On the internet it is a different story. It seems to me that a person who doesn't actively think they are right in their beliefs is an agnostic.

In fact, I think that wheather or not they like to admit it, anyone who isn't at least partially agnostic thinks they know better than people who do not hold their view.

there are a number of reasons why Atheists have no belief, one of which is the dislike for organised religions

That has nothing to do with it. I disbelieved in god long before I was old enough (or knew enough) to grasp why organised religion is....distasteful. It doesn't matter how much I like or dislike organised religion, because god would make such temporal matters irrelevant.

Devout atheist is a term I've used for ages...but only around other atheists. The last thing I have time for is to debate semantics with a nit-picker who tries to insist it is a religion....:P

pH

ChocolateSauce wrote: »

CDfm wrote:

there are a number of reasons why Atheists have no belief, one of which is the dislike for organised religions

That has nothing to do with it. I disbelieved in god long before I was old enough (or knew enough) to grasp why organised religion is....distasteful. It doesn't matter how much I like or dislike organised religion, because god would make such temporal matters irrelevant.

This has come up a few times (CDfm's point), it's one I really can't understand. For example I really dislike the Nazis, yet that dislike (and the dislike of millions of others like me) never leads to "disbelief".

It really is bizarre to claim that people stop believing in things they dislike, how many people don't "believe in" the Nazis? I'm trying really hard not to believe in George Bush ... it ain't working!

Sangre

Seems to work for holocaust revisionists pH

Zillah

You can't dig yourself out of a belief by disliking it unless you got started out believing it because you do like it.

Hence why a Christian can go "My wife just died, there is no God!!!" whereas an atheist can't really go "Third Reich? I don't know what you're talking about".

Tar.Aldarion

Well since I am arrogant it is not a problem if I come across arrogant. Excuse me if I don't mark a reminder on my calendar.

Crumble Froo

personally, am an atheist, but quite apathetic about the whole thing. if people want to believe in gods or whatever, cool. can have interesting discussions with people and retain as much respect for them as if they were atheist too.

my fella on the other hand, is what i'd call a "militant atheist". as far as he's concerned, he is better than everyone who believes in any god, or religion, full stop. which is just plain arrogance, imo, and drives me nuts.

Mal-Adjusted

ah, the ol' mllitant atheist! scourge of both believers and liberal atheists!:D

ChocolateSauce

Mal-Adjusted wrote: »

ah, the ol' mllitant atheist! scourge of both believers and liberal atheists!:D

Interesting, I've never heard militant atheists referred to as conservative, which is what I can only infer from calling non-militant ones liberal. How do you come to the conclusion that militant ones are illiberal?

EamonnKeane

I think what doesn't help is Catholic authoritarianism and its intellectual shallowness; it's a distant man in robes telling you what is correct belief. Can you imagine a person standing up during the sermon and saying "Excuse me, father, but I think your interpretation of that parable missed the point. I think what he was really saying was ..." The priest is right and that's that. Sit down and be quiet, eat your magic bread and go home.

condra

EamonnKeane wrote: »

The priest is right and that's that. Sit down and be quiet, eat your magic bread and go home.

Thanks for cheering me up. Very funny. That is my new signature.