Atheists/agnostics

[HEyHEY]

Poll question: Atheists/agnostics

How adamant are you in your belief?

[lancemurdoch]

1. I preach atheism

I go into Christian chat rooms and preach atheism. When they ask me why I am coming onto a Christian chat room if I'm not a Christian, I say "I'm an evangelical atheist, I seek out Christians and tell them the good news - God doesn't exist!"

I do this so as to counteract their evangelizing. It can get depressing though as people privately message me and then start telling me about their lives, and how they feel stuck where they are, it's depressing.

[HEyHEY]

2. They're that easy to sway?

So much for faith

[SOteric]

6. That isn't "Atheism"

It's 'Anti-Theism.' And it's equally as egregious as is fundamentalism.

[TXlib]

10. Amen, sister!

BTW, did you get that term, 'anti-theism' from me, or did I get it from you?

[Bossy Monkey]

11. I'm anti-THEist: I don't like definite articles n/t

[izzie]

7. So you are the one I am fighting with!

Fooling aside I think one should live and let live. I really do not like the Bible readers to get into my space.In the south once they opened the door and walked in and sat down and pulled out the Bible. I will often talk to the Watch tower people as they do not bother me.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

3. I don't get very vocal except

someone is insisting that I 'must' believe in 'something'. :eyes:

[Kenneth ken]

4. I don't know

so I'm not adamant at all. When others push religion at me, I push back. Mostly, I am indifferent to the whole thing.

I don't like the hostility some people on this board show to others, based on religious differences.

No one here (that I have seen) has actually tried to convert anyone else to their religion, so I am dismayed that the non-religious push their point of view so hard.

[xJlM]

5. My problem is with organised religion

I try not to offend people, because a lot of religious folks are really good people. And I don't have a problem with the idea of a supreme being, I just don't think he needs my money, or for me to read some book he wrote, a thousand years ago.

George Carlin has an interesting take on it: http://www.objectivethought.com/atheism/carlin.html

But I want you to know something, this is sincere, I want you to know, when it comes to believing in God, I really tried. I really, really tried. I tried to believe that there is a God, who created each of us in His own image and likeness, loves us very much, and keeps a close eye on things. I really tried to believe that, but I gotta tell you, the longer you live, the more you look around, the more you realize, something is fucked up.

Something is wrong here. War, disease, death, destruction, hunger, filth, poverty, torture, crime, corruption, and the Ice Capades. Something is definitely wrong. This is not good work. If this is the best God can do, I am not impressed. Results like these do not belong on the résumé of a Supreme Being. This is the kind of shit you'd expect from an office temp with a bad attitude. And just between you and me, in any decently-run universe, this guy would've been out on his all-powerful ass a long time ago. And by the way, I say "this guy", because I firmly believe, looking at these results, that if there is a God, it has to be a man.

No woman could or would ever fuck things up like this. So, if there is a God, I think most reasonable people might agree that he's at least incompetent, and maybe, just maybe, doesn't give a shit. Doesn't give a shit, which I admire in a person, and which would explain a lot of these bad results.

[HEyHEY]

8. Yeah I went through a bit of a exploration phase once too

I've still only been to church once in my life. But that was the end point, it seemed so....cultish to me..kinda freaky.

[VermontDem2004]

20. Yes cultish is the word

I went to "The Door" church for about 3-4 months in my life, it was good at first because I liked traveling and hanging out with other people but after awhile I went through so many emotional knots and lost track of who I was. I never went through an experience like that in my life, I gave religion several chances, I seen preachers try to perform miracles. Nothing happened in my eyes. I just realized in my view that life is too simple for a 'higher being' or I don't know, it's hard to explain. It was against god to cuss, smoke, drink, smoke weed, be room mates with another woman before you got married, don't kiss or have sex before you marry, and I can go on to the list of things that would get god mad.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

13. Organized religion sucks

I was brought up Southern-Baptist–in a very moderate church. My beloved father was a deacon. I used to get into arguements with him all the time. I left the church when I was in my early teens.
This is the deal: I don't like emotional manipulation and can spot it easily when I see it. STRIKE ONE.
I disagree with the whole concept of God becoming human and dying for humanity: that's so pagan (I don't mean to offend pagans out there). A "sacrificial" entity; a blood sacrifice to appease the great war god. Big problems with that one. STRIKE TWO.
If the Bible is the end all/be all to Protestants, how can they accept the contradicitons:
War God vs. Loving, kind, forgiving GOD. As Mark Twain used to ask about: What about the Midianites??? STRIKE THREE.
Behind all of this, I see a craving for power and control. The entire history of the Church is based on a faulty, wounded foundation.
Funny, all this and I still believe in a God/Goddess out there somewhere because mankind has the power to reason. What does that make me? Anyone?

[Fenris]

9. I've never bothered arguing with a theist

I usually just shrug off anything they say. It isn't worth fighting. You can't argue with someone who's completely convinced that they're right. I just listen to what they say and change the subject.

[Bossy Monkey]

12. Doesn't everybody throw pudding at people who pray in restaurants? n/t

[Exultant Democracy]

14. I preach the gospel of sleeping in on Sunday.

[athos1126]

15. I ID as a Secular Humanist

Xians assume all athiests are hateful, bitter people who would never extend a helping hand to anyone, when that simply isn't true. While I don't belive in the Christian God, I do feel that creative and destructive forces exsist. Also, because of ideas of social contract, karma and just plain manners, I try to extend any form of help I can to those in need, I feel it's my duty.

I got coherced into playing percussion in a church band once. It was awful! They yelled at me for playing the tambourine too loud. Too loud?! Have you ever heard any of those gospel tamb players? They smack the shit outta that thing! Lousy whities!

[Booberdawg]

16. I don't make an issue of it one way or the other.

I consider it rude to argue with people about their religious beliefs and I'm not interested in what they think of mine.

[0rganism]

17. I still find it hard to get "fired up" about not believing in a religion

Like it's some great achievement? C'mon, atheists only believe in ONE less god, total, than most of the Judeo-Xian-Muslim trippers, what's the big deal?

*shrug* Whatever.

[ulysses]

18. aside from finding

the bumpersticker "Militant agnostic: I don't know and you don't either" hysterically funny, I generally don't worry about it much.

[emad]

19. It's a god-given right to zealously espouse atheism

and act as agent provocatuer to out all theists for the cruds of humanity that they are

[BigMcLargehuge]

21. I'm a vocal atheist

but not obnoxious about it. One of the more endearing characteristics of the Protestant in my extended family is a deep belief that Catholics, Jews, and homosexuals are evil, that their (less than 200 year old) sect is "THE TRUTH", and that everything that happenens to them is the work of Jesus. And they don't mind giving me bibles, my son children's bibles and Christian music, gaudy Jesus clocks, and all manner of religion themed toys.

I donate them all and do not feel any guilt.

If asked about Atheism I always answer confidently, usually this leads to "if you don't believe in Jesus, you worship the devil... don't you?" I explains that Atheists don't worship anything good, bad, or indifferent. When we do good, bad, or indifferent things we do so because we want to or have to because the situation demands it. I explain that what separates us is that when we do things good, bad, or indifferent, we take responsibility for the results. When we do good, like volunteering in a soup kitchen, we do it not to spread a message of Atheism, we do it to feed hungry people because it makes us feel good, and it helps others. When we do bad it's because we're antisocial, rotten, stupid, or put in a bad situation.

We are neither made to act good, or bad, in response to some spiritual condition.


Don't get me wrong, I love my extended family, I think that in virtually every other way they are fantastic, loving, good people, but when it comes to articles of faith and their spiritual background they are perfectly comfortable making others in the family uncomfortable.

So I am proactive in my dealings with them. I excuse myself from pre-meal prayers, rarely if ever put God/Jesus in my conversation, even in exclamation when I, for example, whap my thumb with a hammer (I use a Portuguese curse-word instead), and gently and genially refute their arguments that I should join their sect/embrace faith in general.

What I don't do is refuse to participate in their lives. I cook in my mom-in-law's church soup kitchen because I like cooking and like helping people, but I excuse myself from their pre-opening prayers. My usual comment is "I don't partake in faith." They seem to accept that without comment and still allow me to cook, so it works out for everyone.

I am less tolerant of strangers who acost me in parking lots or who figure I want to talk to them at my kitchen door (I don't) or try to steer social legislation to fit their moral agenda. I argue with them, challenge them to defend their positions, and actively work against their political ends.

Anyway, that's my two cents.

[Boudicea]

22. I would never throw pudding. It's sacred to me.