Atheist Are So God Forsaken Smug im totally serious

[mr ? impressive 0]

Why are atheists so god-darn smug? They always complain about Christians preaching to them (in which I believe they exaggerate) and then they go around preaching every chance they get. It's always "God isn't real" this and "I am right, you are wrong" that. I don't care! I could not care less about your opinion, and you shouldn't care about mine. Just because I mention God in a conversation doesn't mean I'm preaching to you. I am not a freakin' Pat-Robertson-psycho-crazy-lobotomy-needing Christian preacher. I'm just a kid who goes to church and believes Jesus is his savior. Give me a break. Just because I am a creationist doesn't make me retarded. Stop acting like you know everything because that's just it, you don't. So for the love of god please just shut up atheists.[/endrant]

[BooZker 0]

OK first off we were cool in the shout box right? ok just my opinions remember![startrant] Who goes door to door selling their religion? Not only does that beat out every Atheist rant, but it's just plain rude and intrusive. Who THREATENS non believes, wether they be Atheists or another religion, that they will go to hell? Who makes posts about Atheist to shut up? haha. Honestly though go on this board and look at the topics based upon believers who start it and Atheists? Look at the Atheist topics and how they start. Most say somewhere in there "I dont care just wondering" Rather then "You will go to hell..."?Plus this is not the main reason. President Bush (the old one haha) once said "I do not believe Atheist should be counted as citizens" Now i am not just saying that he is the only one like this. Do you know how we feel? If you believe in Jesus, in person, we DARE not say how stupid or how we dont believe it. We will be attacked with threats of hell and, yes, violence. When was the last time you heard a Atheist going and setting fire to a Christians home? What about shooting them? Not as much as the other way around. We as Atheists feel alone. Just as gay kids do growing up (in my opinion growing up). How black kids felt left out years ago in America. Did you know more people would vote for every type of religion, race, and sexual orientation BEFORE an Atheist? This has been concluded in many studies. We feel as though we are hated. So yes, we do get a bit edgey when you talk about your God repeatly and everyone respects you so much more then if you say i dont believe in a god or even worse, ATHEIST DUN DUN DUN! It is true. Don't believe me? Try this. The next time your with someone you dont know to well and have not yet told them what your religious beliefs are say this "I am an Atheist" simply say that. Look at how they look at you. Listen to the completely just flat out rude questions they ask. They look as though your a complete moron. Then do the same thing and say about your current religion. People will respect you.Atheist want respect is all. That's it. We have none. No Atheist campaign as that. It's litteraly called suicide. The president doesnt want to call us citizens even? The worst part about it is you are made felt ashamed of it.[/endrant]

[glenstein 0]

According to a recent poll, Americans said they would vote for a president who was Christian by 96% (about, rough memory), 96% for a Jewish president, 76% would vote for a Mormon. But for an atheist? Around 49% would vote for an otherwise qualified atheist for president.Now, if you stood face to face with a person who said they wouldn't vote for a qualified candidate because they were Christian, or Jewish, there is a good chance that you would call them intolerant, or even bigoted. Yet millions upon millions in our country express that exact kind of intolerance for atheism, indeed complaints about atheism are much larger, louder, and easier to ignite for what feeble in the moment argument they might happen to be offering.

[salamangkero 0]

I do remember one time in my life when I thought I was atheist, when I thought science had all the answers. I am agnostic now.Anyway, that was not the point. I do remember, though, that a lot of people, upon discovering my "religion", instantly began preaching to me. Now, I know it is their moral duty and all but what really pissed me was that they assumed that just because I don't believe in their god, I go against all their doctrines. They keep conjuring slippery-slope propaganda, say, "You don't believe in god now, what next? You're gonna steal? Then you're gonna kill someone?" I believe I had a "What the fv(<?!?" expression on my face but thankfully, I didn't speak it then.It is kinda strange and ironic that these very people support the idea of tolerance. In the Catholic school I went to, these people were the ones who were teaching "respect for other religions", "good manners and right conduct" and even "don't force a Moslem to eat pork". Heck, they even used textbook pictures to teach us at a very young age that you shouldn't make fun of people simply because their religion is different. Now I get this?It's all in the past, though. BooZker is right, it is a lot like being gay. You get point-blank rude questions like:"So since when did you discover you're gay/atheist?" (Duh, as if those moments are so spectacularly sudden?)"You do know that's against the will of God, right?" (If I believed in your god's will, would I be gay/atheist now?)"So, what do you plan to do, knowing you'd spend the eternity in hell?" (O, gee, I'm fully booked in my afterlife, sorry)"It's not yet too late, you know? We have programs that could cure your... condition." (I need a cure?!?)"Y'know what, I think you should read this book/join this program..." *searches bag for a religious organization's book, magazine or pamphlet* "There, you'd find it really helpful." (I'd like a porn mag better, thanks)Okay, I know the sarcasm was uncalled for, I'm sorry. I am aware, though, that every side's done a very hasty generalization. Not all Atheists are so god-damned smug with an I-am-better-than-you-stupid-worshipers air just like not every religious person walks around with I-am-god-damned-holier-than-god-damned-you,-you-god-damned-heretic-pagan-harlot.I suppose it's all about tolerance. If you meet people with low tolerance like those smug atheists and preaching jerks, just don't be one of them and you'll be doing the world one favor by promoting world peace. Yeah, I know world peace is pretty much still far off but we all gotta start somewhere, right?

[truefusion 3]

All i have to say is: Good thing you can't judge religion by its followers! Who says atheists and theists can't be friends? Who says there's no such thing as an atheist that prays to God? But i must say, mr ? impressive, your feeling of being "attacked" is nothing. And i also must say that this post of yours contradicts your own religion.

[TypoMage 0]

Ok first of all not all Atheists are like that. In my opinion christians are like that. I do believe that evolution makes a whole lot more sense then some big guy in the sky with a beard! It makes no sense! So there!

[JasperIk 0]

Why are atheists so god-darn smug? They always complain about Christians preaching to them (in which I believe they exaggerate) and then they go around preaching every chance they get. It's always "God isn't real" this and "I am right, you are wrong" that. I don't care! I could not care less about your opinion, and you shouldn't care about mine. Just because I mention God in a conversation doesn't mean I'm preaching to you. I am not a freakin' Pat-Robertson-psycho-crazy-lobotomy-needing Christian preacher. I'm just a kid who goes to church and believes Jesus is his savior. Give me a break. Just because I am a creationist doesn't make me retarded. Stop acting like you know everything because that's just it, you don't. So for the love of god please just shut up atheists.
[/endrant]

To be honest it sounds as if you are describing more christians then Atheists, i have a thread in the vent that is much like yours only the opposite. I think you are describings people who question god, more then Atheists. Like i often question god, and i think i get more upset when people talk about him, then an Atheist would. I have never met an Atheist who tried to push their beliefs on people, but i've met MANY christians who do. Why do you think its okay for Christians to do it, but if Atheists do it's so HORRIBLE? Why do you and many people feel like this? You are the one who seems smug, many christians in general are quite smug. Non believers just want you to back off, and i guess as a result they/we just become as smug as you all.

[coolduck123456 0]

Everybody who is very religious, has preached their religion some time in their life. Christians do it, Atheists do it, we all do it, but we all deny preaching it, or hate when others preach it because we do not want other's religious beliefs swarming us. I do not mind people explaining their religion or showing us what they believe in, but dislike people trying to show that one belief is better than another.And you also cannot be making generalizations like that. Not all atheists are like that, and you know it.

Edited February 26, 2007 by coolduck123456 (see edit history)

[BooZker 0]

I think most people, Atheist or not, agree with me. No one is in general are that smug. I believe certain Christians are more smug, but that's an opinion and seems more people agree with me. I am sure there are Atheist that are smug as well as every religion. I do not believe in being Agnostic even though i used to say i was. You can't really be Agnostic. 98% of those who are Agnostic believe there is no God and never will be. The fact that we will ever see a God is so unlikely anyways, so you will never have the proof.

Edited February 26, 2007 by BooZker (see edit history)

[zyzzyvette 0]

I do not believe in being Agnostic even though i used to say i was. You can't really be Agnostic. 98% of those who are Agnostic believe there is no God and never will be. The fact that we will ever see a God is so unlikely anyways, so you will never have the proof.

Then they aren't agnostic, they're atheist. :/ It's impossible to be an agnostic that outright denies existence of a god, that's like being a Christian who doesn't believe in Jesus. I consider myself agnostic because I don't know, and frankly don't care, if there's a god or not. If there isn't a god, it's just a huge waste of time for me to go around worshipping it, and if there is, how would I ever know in my lifetime? I'd feel sort of arrogant assuming to know whether or not a supreme being exists, and it doesn't affect my day-to-day life, so why bother, really.

 

As for the OP- you seem a bit intolerant of other religions. If you don't like religious stereotyping, perhaps a good place to start would be with your own attitudes? Making assumptions about entire religious groups (or non-religious groups) based on a few people isn't much different than someone making assumptions about Christianity based on Pat Robertson.

[Yratorm, LightMage 0]

So for the love of god please just shut up atheists.

Hmmm - asking someone who doesn't believe in god to do anything for the love of god is rather misguided, to say the least. No, just kidding.

 

 

All I've got to say on this subject is that if you believe in god, that's perfectly fine.

 

However, many atheists are a good deal older and more experienced, and they've seen more of the s**t around them, and some have studied science and feel it makes more sense than creationism. SO they decide they don't believe in god. Well, that's good. A being with a mind unclouded by religious belief has much to offer science and learning - and the human race needs science to survive.

 

However, with many believers in god, hardship, experience and adversity actually STRENGTHENS their belief in god. Well, that's good too. A person with a balanced, benign and true belief in god can do a LOT of good.

 

My point: The world needs both atheists and believers.

 

What the world DOESN'T need is people going around telling people who believe in something else to shut up. Oh, we don't need that, certainly. That's what causes wars, you know.

 

 

You are young. You think you believe in something, but as you grow, that belief will either grow stronger, or it will change.

 

I do not believe that many atheists are fanatics, just as many who believe in god are not fanatics. Don't generalize. Fanatics exist, but they are a minority, and they give both religion and any other kind of belief (or non-belief) a bad name. But fanatics are the exception, not the rule.

[thejestergl 0]

I tend to feel that a lot of atheists are quite rude at times. However I don't feel that atheists should be looked down upon. It was their choice to not believe in a supreme being, and there is no reasons to down them for it. I know there are exceptions, there always are, but for the most part I find atheists to poke fun (jokingly of course) at other religions, or people, just because. I would think it is because they don't believe in the concept of a hell, or any other sort of punishment after death but that is just an educated guess. I do know a lot of atheists though that are NOT like this. They are nice, and they understand that they can't just go around poking fun at everyone.

Who goes door to door selling their religion? Not only does that beat out every Atheist rant, but it's just plain rude and intrusive. Who THREATENS non believes, wether they be Atheists or another religion, that they will go to hell? Who makes posts about Atheist to shut up?

Yes I find this extremely annoying that people who are extremely religious try to convert you into their religion. It is an annoyance and should be illegal, but this is what happens when you have anyone who is over fascinated by a topic. You can't say this only happens with religion alone. Any person you find who believes so much in something, will probably try to get other to see their way. My religion does not do this, nor do we do any other kind of ... public display to try and convert people. Threatening first off is a crime, and threating someone that they will go to hell isn't something that should be taken lightly. I would think that a person who wishes to convert someone by striking fear is doing wrong, and that they will probably go to hell. I'm not saying that if you really believe in your belief that you shouldn't try to let others know your ways, but that doesn't mean go around threatening or yelling at people.

[BooZker 0]

You can not be Agnostic

 

You either kind of believe there is or is not a god. Be honest with your self people. I have read many many books on this subject. For one, if i said there is a green monster in your closet, but he is invisible and doesn't make any noise would you believe me or not? You would be an Atheist on that matter. Although you can not prove it, you personaly believe there is no way a green monster is in the closet. Maybe you do, but even just a tiny tiny eenie bit. Then you are NOT agnostic about the green monster. zyzzyvette, you ARE indeed an Athiest. You believe there is NO god unless proven right? Has it been proven? No. Can it be proven with science? No. Then you are an Atheist. Even the most Theist people can not PROVE there is a god, but, they do not call themselves agnostic. Because there is no proof technically, EVERYONE is an agnostic. I dont know how else to explain this. Look up Richard Dawkins if you dont, but you can not be an agnostic. You can say you are, but your just hiding from calling yourself Atheist. You really are and it's sad that people are scared to call them selves that.

[salamangkero 0]

I might use strong language. This is very much similar to someone stamping on my foot.

 

You can not be Agnostic

A very hasty generalization, but that's just my observation.

 

You either kind of believe there is or is not a god. Be honest with your self people. I have read many many books on this subject.

I am honest with myself. Books do not always accurately define people, especially those of other cultures.

 

zyzzyvette, you ARE indeed an Athiest. You believe there is NO god unless proven right? Has it been proven? No. Can it be proven with science? No. Then you are an Atheist. Even the most Theist people can not PROVE there is a god, but, they do not call themselves agnostic. Because there is no proof technically, EVERYONE is an agnostic.

In my opinion, it's not all about proof but about belief. After all, a lot of devotees do not need proof to believe. A lot of Atheists, on the other hand, stubbornly refuse to accept proofs, often attempting to disprove them in far-fetched ways. Agnostics, on the other hand, believe in the existence of a god, but not in the same way theists do. You could say that an agnostic's god is "malleable" in that the agnostic can accept valid proofs and dis-proofs as they come by. The god (or non-god) of theists and atheists, on the other hand, is immutable. He/she/it/they are just there. It is they who shape the environment, the world does not define them; they define the world.

 

You can say you are, but your just hiding from calling yourself Atheist. You really are and it's sad that people are scared to call them selves that.

One should not foolishly confuse caution with fear. I would be first to admit that I am only human, far from immutable. As such, my philosophies could change. Right now, I could very well believe in a silent, invisible green god in my closet. Moments later, after puncturing the closet with millions of searing lead, I could say, "Oh dear. There is no god here. There may some elsewhere, they could be green, I have no idea but I'm not discounting the possibility."

 

We, agnostics, do not fear being called Atheists. Hell, we've been called a lot worse, sinner, heretic, satan-lover and such. We are just being cautious in misrepresenting ourselves. Suppose we, indeed, accepted the label "atheist", we'd be bombarded by questions like, "So why do you kneel down every morning? Why are you entering that church? Why do you mumble a silent prayer before the exam?"

 

Suppose, on the other hand, we said we're theists. Things would only get complicated. "So you do believe in the Trinity? No? Allah? Buddha? Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva? No? You are an atheist, you know?"

 

Really, I don't see why it should even matter. They are just labels. Words, mere words. So maybe explaining the concept of agnosticism to some people is as futile as explaining the concept of sadness to the old Tahitians. (Tahitians have no word for sadness, as well as some tribes in Africa)

 

I think I'll leave with an analogy.

 

Suppose there is this guy named John Smith who had and enjoyed sexual contact with other guys. He also had a fair share of sexual contact with women, which he also enjoyed. Now, he was asked about his sexuality. Here, Smith says, "I am bisexual."

 

"Eeeh?" the inquirer makes a face. "Have you had sex with a guy before?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"Ah, you're gay then. There's no such thing as bisexuality."

 

"But I had had sex with women too."

 

"It doesn't matter. You've had sex with a guy. You're gay. You're just scared to admit it, that's why you're calling yourself bi."

 

See where the problem is?

 

Lastly, a friend told me this in a phone call: "When I graduated high school (we studied in a private Catholic school), I thought the world was black and white. Now that I met a lot of different people in college, I see that the world exists in shades of gray."

[glenstein 0]

You can not be Agnostic

 

You either kind of believe there is or is not a god. Be honest with your self people. I have read many many books on this subject. For one, if i said there is a green monster in your closet, but he is invisible and doesn't make any noise would you believe me or not? You would be an Atheist on that matter. Although you can not prove it, you personaly believe there is no way a green monster is in the closet. Maybe you do, but even just a tiny tiny eenie bit. Then you are NOT agnostic about the green monster. zyzzyvette, you ARE indeed an Athiest. You believe there is NO god unless proven right? Has it been proven? No. Can it be proven with science? No. Then you are an Atheist. Even the most Theist people can not PROVE there is a god, but, they do not call themselves agnostic. Because there is no proof technically, EVERYONE is an agnostic. I dont know how else to explain this. Look up Richard Dawkins if you dont, but you can not be an agnostic. You can say you are, but your just hiding from calling yourself Atheist. You really are and it's sad that people are scared to call them selves that.

I will respectfully submit a thing or two:

 

1. Once you've made up your mind, yes, you would probably be compelled to believe in one or the other. But you'd be amazed at the different variations and gradations of belief people have on this subject. It's very sensitive and so are people's ideas. There actually is some strange space between atheism and theism, and there are many to be found in that space.

 

2. You are assuming that everyone has to have their mind made up on the subject, which they don't. I really like the idea of agnosticism, and I think it is an amazingly honest and thoughtful position for a subject. If only people were careful and thoughtful enough to employ such a position in politics or science! We wouldn't have all these arguments between people so dead sure of their position that it forces all manner of clashes through culture and politics to occur.

 

 

It's fine to have agnostics, and there is plenty of logical, scientific, and argumentative room for them to be standing on firm ground, perhaps the firmest ground of all.