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Why do some atheists seem to be so obsessed with being atheist?

Hotale.com

Firstly, I simply don't care for religion, if you believe in it fine, if you don't fine, just don't try to sway me in either direction.

I've known numerous atheists in my life who get incredibly annoyed by people who are devoutly religious, giving out about how religion manages to take over their lives. Yet they seem to obsess over religion just as much as the most religious people I've met in my life. I've a friend who's into all this "militant atheism" crap, his Facebook page has essentially turned into an atheism blog and he regularly speaks of "how sad religious people are" and how they should "get a life". It's extremely hypocritical. (In fairness I think they're just as sad as each other but each to their own...)

In my opinion religion is fine on a personal level, it keeps people sane in their latter years and must soften the blow when death finally comes knocking, yet I do have some qualms against organised religion but I really do think it's harmless in the vast majority of cases (please don't turn this into a child abuse scandal thread, most priests are genuine).

Anyway AH, discuss, chat, riot, whatever.

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Dan_Solo

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

You see a lot of atheists slapping each other on the back about how liberated, enlightened and free-thinking they are, and then they turn around and point at religion as the source of all the worlds ills. That's not free thinking, it's moronic.

Is it more or less moronic than thanking religion for all the world's good?

Ghost Buster

CrazyRabbit wrote: »

I think it's because Atheists see religion as a serious form of ignorance and get upset when they see it being preached to others...especially the young. They feel the need to counter this spread of ignorance.
Many Atheists also see religion as one of the main driving forces behind violence, oppression & war.

So, while I don't like being preached to by anyone, I can understand why they feel so strongly against religion and feel obligated to spread their beliefs.

Just look at The USA with a near 50/50 split in the acceptance of Evolution and the moronic subject of Creationism being taught in schools. Give Iona and Pure at Heart a chance and Ireland will be heading down that route.

iDave

This isn't the first thread we've had here about atheists, with the aim of dismissing them as smug, full of themselves and being 'obsessed' with themselves.
Atheists are a growing minority and it seems the knives are well and truly out for us.

Legs.Eleven

Tbh, I see these kinds of posts crop up but I've never met the kinds described outside of the internet. However, every single day I leave my house and I've some person trying to stop me on the street to tell me I'm a sinner and their religion is the path to true righteousness, I have people shouting at me on pedestals with megaphones as I try to shop in the centre of the city in peace and I live in a country where political decisions are still dictated by one church in a supposedly secular country (Spain).

That's not on.

Dan_Solo

Hotale.com wrote: »

I've actually met more atheists who've tried to convert me than believers, resorting to insults such as "stupid" and "ignorant" when I tell them I keep an open mind. You never learn without an open mind, they are the ones being ignorant.

I am an equally open minded atheist. If I see any evidence to support a god I will believe one exists.
In the absence of such evidence, back to ignoring the whole thing.

Red Nissan

I believe that the child should be free to grow to maturity before being exposed to any religion.

Dan_Solo

iDave wrote: »

This isn't the first thread we've had here about atheists, with the aim of dismissing them as smug, full of themselves and being 'obsessed' with themselves.
Atheists are a growing minority and it seems the knives are well and truly out for us.

Which is a little ironic in itself yes?
I'd never do it myself but I want to tell you all about how that other crowd are always telling me what to believe in...

Donkey Oaty

Artful_Badger wrote: »

So if you were an asshole that would imply you went to asshole meetings to do asshole stuff ?

Book early to avoid disappointment!

http://www.escp.eu.com/conference-and-events

[Deleted User]

Hotale.com wrote: »

I've actually met more atheists who've tried to convert me than believers, resorting to insults such as "stupid" and "ignorant" when I tell them I keep an open mind. You never learn without an open mind, they are the ones being ignorant.

Convert you to what exactly?

Drakares

xxmeabhxx wrote: »

I think militant atheists take it so seriously because a lot of them are atheist because they've researched or reflected on various aspects of Christianity considerably

Comment of the day :pac:

newport2

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

The vast majority of religious people out there are quietly going about their lives drawing comfort or happiness from their own faith, hurting nobody, and more power to them. Why should you or I care what beliefs they hold in their heads? It's none of our business, it's inconsequential.

The vast majority of atheists go quietly about their own lives too.

There are far more religious people sticking their noses into other peoples affairs and telling them how to live their lives than there are atheists.

I also suspect that if atheism was being pushed onto children in schools as the unquestionable truth (like religion has been for so long), there might be a few more religious people speaking out in protest.

kowloon

Legs.Eleven wrote: »

...I live in a country where political decisions are still dictated by one church in a supposedly secular country (Spain).

How do you find it compared to Ireland?

seamus

It's a bit of a modern hypocrisy that if you pass by a church or a billboard with a sign up talking about "repent!" or with some bible (or Koran) quote about belief, we just roll our eyes and think, "Pah, religious zealots".

Whereas if an atheist sticks their head above the parapet (pun intended) and says something innocuous like, "It's all make believe anyway", people lose their **** and get all offended about intolerance and zealous atheists.

I've also seen more threads complaining about zealous atheists than I've ever seen any threads started by zealous atheists. It seems to me that some people find atheism really really threatening and find themselves obsessed with trying to attack atheists wherever they can.

The question really is why do some religious people seem so obsessed with atheists? If they are secure in their religious beliefs, atheists pose no threat to them.

OldNotWIse

toastedpickles wrote: »

Because they want to rob your nuts and sh1t on your doors and windows :pac:

The JW's did that to us last week

[Deleted User]

OldNotWIse wrote: »

The JW's did that to us last week

I got invited to the resurrection last week by local friendly christian nuts!

Red Pepper

RobbieTheRobber wrote: »

I got invited to the resurrection last week by local friendly christian nuts!

I think you'll find they are 2000 years late.

Dan_Solo

When there's a minute long segment on national TV every day for atheists to rebut Christian ideology I'll accept that atheists are the mouthy end of this argument.

endacl

Red Pepper wrote: »

I think you'll find they are 2000 years late.

It's the re-resurrection they're talking about. Never as meaningful the second time around. It has something to do with Sellotape, if I understand it correctly.

Davarus Walrus

seamus wrote: »

It's a bit of a modern hypocrisy that if you pass by a church or a billboard with a sign up talking about "repent!" or with some bible (or Koran) quote about belief, we just roll our eyes and think, "Pah, religious zealots".

Whereas if an atheist sticks their head above the parapet (pun intended) and says something innocuous like, "It's all make believe anyway", people lose their **** and get all offended about intolerance and zealous atheists.

I've also seen more threads complaining about zealous atheists than I've ever seen any threads started by zealous atheists. It seems to me that some people find atheism really really threatening and find themselves obsessed with trying to attack atheists wherever they can.

The question really is why do some religious people seem so obsessed with atheists? If they are secure in their religious beliefs, atheists pose no threat to them.

As an impartial observer I don't think there is that much of an issue with atheists amongst religious posters on boards. In fact many of those who complain about the online atheist proclaim that they either don't believe or don't care themselves.

It's the unrelenting smugness and 'arseholedness' of many of the online atheists that gets on peoples' wick. Some student wanker know-it-all summarily dismissing thousands of years of philosophy with a post that reads like it came from a facebook page.

anncoates

Czarcasm wrote: »

Atheists do not concern themselves with proving or disproving something they know doesn't exist, doesn't exist. They have better things to be doing.

This.

Before we know it, there will probably even be a boards forum where people endlessly discuss different variations about something they don't believe in.

[Deleted User]

Red Pepper wrote: »

I think you'll find they are 2000 years late.

I think you'll find it never happened.

Red Pepper

RobbieTheRobber wrote: »

I think you'll find it never happened.

What? He never died? :eek:

Legs.Eleven

Davarus Walrus wrote: »

As an impartial observer I don't think there is that much of an issue with atheists amongst religious posters on boards. In fact many of those who complain about the online atheist proclaim that they either don't believe or don't care themselves.

It's the unrelenting smugness and 'arseholedness' of many of the online atheists that gets on peoples' wick. Some student wanker know-it-all summarily dismissing thousands of years of philosophy with a post that reads like it came from a facebook page.

Impartial observer? Are you totally blind to the amount of these kinds of threads that come up in AH?

Edit: I do agree that are a lot of smug atheist posters on the internet but you can't be totally oblivious to the "other side".

Dan_Solo

Davarus Walrus wrote: »

It's the unrelenting smugness and 'arseholedness' of many of the online atheists that gets on peoples' wick. Some student wanker know-it-all summarily dismissing thousands of years of philosophy with a post that reads like it came from a facebook page.

Philosophy? LULZ ROTLFMAOCOPTER FTW.

Ghost Buster

Davarus Walrus wrote: »

As an impartial observer I don't think there is that much of an issue with atheists amongst religious posters on boards. In fact many of those who complain about the online atheist proclaim that they either don't believe or don't care themselves.

It's the unrelenting smugness and 'arseholedness' of many of the online atheists that gets on peoples' wick. Some student wanker know-it-all summarily dismissing thousands of years of philosophy with a post that reads like it came from a facebook page.

Link me to one example of this. Betcha cant because this wheel keeps turning and a link is never given.
'Smug arrogant atheist' is simply the stick reached for for absolutely any argument made against religion and its always assumed that the points are being made by a student.
Im a 43 year old father with no third level education. You really really don't need higher education to realise a book written by simple folk in ancient times based upon talking snakes and dead people coming back to life and then edited and twisted by Popes and Kings over centuries is not a sound basis for states, Government or education systems to work by.

whatdoicare

Being Atheist never came up with anyone at any time and I assumed that people who became outraged about religion were making a big fuss about nothing. ...that is until I got engaged.

Religious family drove me bonkers. It started with the wedding. We didnt want a church. My mam tried to tell me it was my (athiest) dads dream to see me walk down the aisle of a particular church. Relatives friends and neighbours refused to even rsvp. Having to answer constant ****ing questions over and over and over about our beliefs, why, when, how, who was marrying us, we werent really married etc etc why were we being so difficult, we were called attention seekers, my mam to this day still calls me by my maiden name.

Grand. All over back to normal or so I thought !! Had our first child last year. All of a sudden neighbours, friends and family need her to be christened. People constantly asking us not to leave it much later. When? When? When?? Arrrgh! Priest from local primary gets wind we have a child. Constantly at my door for a chat.

School. We had to put her down for educate together when she was a week old. Shes already number 25 on the list for her year for both schools. Now I will have to pass four local schools driving half an hour to get her to school. Neighbours asking what am I thinking?? Neighbour kids shes pals with will be telling her how great itll be theyll all be in school together! No they wont. Theres going to be tantrums. My mam is already talking about the primary near her. My brain is already melted from it.

No communions... her cousin of the same age will be making hers so shell see that. More stress. More stupid questions. More tantrums.

So, yeah. It interferes with my life now all the time. Im talking about it so much from people constantly assuming or questioning that it probably does seem like im an anti religious zealot but im not, im just trying to get on with my life. Im worn down from it all.

Ive actually considered just christening her for a quiet life.

[Deleted User]

FTA69 wrote: »

At the end of the day people are also entitled to debate and criticise the root belief of religion in general without being called bastards for it. If someone came to me and told me they have a strong belief in homeopathy, kinesiology and tarot cards I'd opine they are deluded; it's hard to see a big difference between that and religion.

That very true, however there is a big difference between saying I think its rubbish and I disagree with you and constant blogging, talking about and thinking that religion is the devils work

The ones that really wind my annoyance meter up are the ones who believer that there is a big right wing religious element in Irish public life who are influential and are waiting there time to turn Ireland back to a catholic country. They are stuck in the cultural wars of the 1970 and 1980 obsessively checking the back ground of every one in politics and in the media in Ireland.

mrsbyrne

tMost atheist are just going about their business, like most religious people, doing their atheist/ religious thing and not being dickheads.
But some atheists feel the desperate overwhelming need to share their feelings of intellectual superiority with the world, and this they do by deriding and insulting religious.
Likewise there will always be a certain section of religious keen to tell the nonbeliever that they are going to hell..
Where the atheist start getting bothersome is when they start to opine that religious practice should be against the law.
I think that these are the atheists that are not entirely sure of the totalitarian of their position and resent the religious who everyone will admit appear very happy most of the time.

Red Pepper

whatdoicare wrote: »

Being Atheist never came up with anyone at any time and I assumed that people who became outraged about religion were making a big fuss about nothing. ...that is until I got engaged.

Religious family drove me bonkers. It started with the wedding. We didnt want a church. My mam tried to tell me it was my (athiest) dads dream to see me walk down the aisle of a particular church. Relatives friends and neighbours refused to even rsvp. Having to answer constant ****ing questions over and over and over about our beliefs, why, when, how, who was marrying us, we werent really married etc etc why were we being so difficult, we were called attention seekers, my mam to this day still calls me by my maiden name.

Grand. All over back to normal or so I thought !! Had our first child last year. All of a sudden neighbours, friends and family need her to be christened. People constantly asking us not to leave it much later. When? When? When?? Arrrgh! Priest from local primary gets wind we have a child. Constantly at my door for a chat.

School. We had to put her down for educate together when she was a week old. Shes already number 25 on the list for her year for both schools. Now I will have to pass four local schools driving half an hour to get her to school. Neighbours asking what am I thinking?? Neighbour kids shes pals with will be telling her how great itll be theyll all be in school together! No they wont. Theres going to be tantrums. My mam is already talking about the primary near her. My brain is already melted from it.

No communions... her cousin of the same age will be making hers so shell see that. More stress. More stupid questions. More tantrums.

So, yeah. It interferes with my life now all the time. Im talking about it so much from people constantly assuming or questioning that it probably does seem like im an anti religious zealot but im not, im just trying to get on with my life. Im worn down from it all.
Ive actually considered just christening her for a quiet life.

Stick with it. It is tough but she will thank and admire you for it some day.
And it is better than being a hypocrite.

Davarus Walrus

Ghost Buster wrote: »

Link me to one example of this. Betcha cant because this wheel keeps turning and a link is never given.

I'd refer you to the funny side of religion thread over in the A&A forum. The bang of fart-sniffing smugness off that thread is amazing. Some people have posted thousands of times about something they don't believe in. It's a tremendous waste of time.