When do you think people will finally start to understand atheism?
Alright, so a couple of days ago I was talking to a friend of mine in class. And we began to talk about religion. Now I'm far from the kind of person that likes to showcase my views on things, But I told him I was an Atheist. He Actually didn't believe me at first, and said that people have to take a oath to become an atheist. We literally argued about this for 5 whole minutes before I finally said lets go to an computer and get google the definition. after I showed him what atheism actually is, He still retained doubt. I just said forget it, and ended the conversation on it there.
What I'm asking is how long will people remain that ignorant on atheism. It's not like he's dumb when it comes to other topics. He says He's a christian and he never even read the bible. And when I told him and another friend I read it They Laughed. Oh yeah and I forgot to mention one of the guys laughing has a tattoo that says "blessed" on his chest. And he never read the bible. That's just stupid to me, But I kinda want to know what other people think about this.
Tags: Atheism, Christianity
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by cameron penney on -
I think it is how people were raised. My wife is very upset that I am Atheist but she will not listen to me when I try to explain what it means. I have a friend that views me in a totally different way since I told him I was Atheist. He said "I thought you were a good person". I think we will be viewed like this until we make people aware of what it means to be an Atheist.
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Permalink Reply by Pale BlueDotCitizen on -
"people have to take a oath to become an atheist"
Too funny. My daily facepalm!
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Permalink Reply by Kenny Howse on -
It's true! You have to swear by the Great Flying Spaghetti Monster! May you be touched by his noodly appendages.
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Permalink Reply by Ateo1979 on -
The ignorance surrounding atheism is due to the stigma attached to atheism. Declaring oneself as 'atheist' is akin to a white person running into an African-American majority neighborhood and spewing racist nonsense. Once you are outted as an atheist, you are no longer taken seriously with any thoughts to what you are saying. I think once people open their minds, whether they agree with it or not, and not toss atheism into a dustbin will people begin to understand atheism. It's up to us atheists to polish the image of atheism and offer it up as a truly healthy alternative to religion. It begins with us, not the non-atheists.
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Permalink Reply by Ryan Todd Robinson on -
People will only understand those things they are willing to learn. It's still going to take time, though. I've heard that the atheism movement is much like the LGBT movement 20-30 years ago, when people were starting to be more comfortable coming out. Even now, people are struggling with their sexuality despite decades of awareness, but it is getting better.
For me, I make it known, and have no issue with telling people, that I am an atheist. Some responses are surprise, many people are nonreactive. I think the stigma now is that many people think atheists are just angry bitter former believers that are angry at god; I like to think that I destroy that stereotype. The more atheists are outspoken and confident of their non-belief, the more people will become aware of what atheism is. I just hope it isn't going to take decades to get there.
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Permalink Reply by Jeremy Ditto on -
People sometimes are afraid to think outside of the box and can't understand why others do, I get into arguments all the time about how people must believe in something or their lives are empty. Following the social norms are placed into humans from the day they are born.It is when people go outside the norms is when people become uneasy and miss trusting of that individual. Those people can't comprehend why he/she thinks the way they do.
Atheists are a breed of their own and by thinking logically and not faith based will never be understood by the faithful unless they have an open mind. Unfortunately most are not very open minded and really don't see the point. Those who condemn you from expressing the thoughts and opinions are hypocrites and should be more educated
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Permalink Reply by Grady Jean on -
Look! It's Hypocrisy and Ignorance, those dastardly fiends! As I'm sure it's been mentioned before, Christianity is default for most Americans. They're born and raised into a Christian Faith, but really only know the basics: Worship God and Jesus, don't do bad things, and come to church every Sunday. A staggering number of people do not learn what it means to seriously accept a religion or ideology, mostly because these things are forced on them at an early age. They think they're doing it right, but they don't know for certain. Most religious people I've met never got serious about their faiths until they were adults, and even then they'd never read the Bible cover to cover, or try to implement the teachings of Christ into their daily lives; at least, none that were inconvenient.
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Permalink Reply by Karen Loethen on -
People will remain ignorant at long as they rely on religious exchanges to define the world around them.
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Permalink Reply by Pondering Atheist on -
I think that we are nearing the point where atheism will become... if not socially acceptable, then at least socially acknowledged. I think that a lot of people are ignorant about atheism... I don't mean ignorant in an insulting way, but in the true spirit of the word - that a lot of people truly don't understand what it means. You really hit the nail on the head when you said "It's not like he's dumb when it comes to other topics." I think that people who are generally well-informed, well-meaning people simply have never thought about atheism as a realistic or viable way of life. So good job for staying calm, explaining it to him, and using facts! He might have laughed now, but a day could very well come where he will think back on that conversation and realize that you were right. You may started the slow process of becoming an atheist. Kudos!
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Permalink Reply by Nicki Temple on
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A response to the article below named 'The Sterile Life of an Everyday Atheist' has kept me busy most of the day. I emailed the editor of the magazine as it just seemed so unreasonable that this could be published without rebuttal - even if just one voice.
http://thericatholic.com/opinion/detail.html?sub_id=4763
see what you think. Is this really how people see atheists?
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Permalink Reply by Nicki Temple on
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I eventually wrote a very detailed response to each point the Bish brought up but strangely haven't had a response!?!
I'd love to post it somewhere to get more opinions and then maybe continually lambast them with positive, happy atheistic responses which may either annoy them (win) or make them think a bit harder (win).
However, I will share a little bit of it as it also addresses another bug bear of mine and just fitted perfectly into one of the points the Bish made -
People who constantly moan about their awful existences and feel it neccesary to put #fml and such after every mundane occurrence they encounter such as having a cold, train being late, odd socks (you get the idea).
Bishop: "If you don’t believe in God, what is there to celebrate in life, beyond those things that are merely superficial and passing?"
Me: SO SO MUCH - HERES SOMETHING I WROTE BEFORE ABOUT THIS WITH REGARD TO PEOPLE MOANING ON FACEBOOK ABOUT WHAT A BAD DAY THEY WERE HAVING AND WHAT I AM GRATEFUL FOR
"The sound of my child breathing in and out
Locking the door to MY home
At no point today did I:
1. Fear for my life
2. Want for food or water
3. Get abused
4. Feel true pain
5. Watch my child die from lack of clean water
6. Become exploited
Today, I had freedom of speech, freedom of movement, expression and choice.
I was hugged and kissed and talked to and loved
I can pick up the phone and call someone I love, turn on the computer and find out information about anything I fancy.
My fridge has food in it and my cupboards aren't empty.
My children are happy and safe in school.
I can look up at the beautiful blue sky, feel the warmth of the sun through the window and hide in my furry coat from the icy fresh breeze.
All in all, how can I complain when I have so much to be grateful for.
I am blessed. I am lucky. I'm alive.
THATS A LIST I AM PROUD OF AND DOESNT AT ANY POINT NEED THE WORD 'GOD' INSERTED.
Anyway, thanks for the response.
Peace :)
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Permalink Reply by Tom Sarbeck on
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[Bishop: "If you don’t believe in God, what is there to celebrate in life, beyond those things that are merely superficial and passing?"]
What is there to celebrate in life beyond...?
I celebrate that I don't believe in gods, and that I have no relationships of any kind with bishops!
That said, life is passing; I'm going to grab a piece of it. You do the same. Enjoy. Bye.
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