Quote:
Originally Posted by DubStyle311
Why do I get the impression that some atheists, specifically those who feel the need to consistently attack any sort of religious belief, have made it their job to belittle, criticize, and "prove wrong" people that do have religion in their lives?
It seems rather odd to me. Some of their biggest points seem to be that religion is the the biggest evil on the planet and that religious type seek to impose their will on everyone else. The later complaint seems especially odd to me given that these same people generally do their best to tell you that your religion is nothing more than a creation of you weak mind and that you need to "wake up".
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sounds like you've just talked to a few atheists who happened to be assholes as well. if atheists are consistently attacking, belittling, and criticizing religion, it's likely a reaction to the overwhelming influence that religion(s) has in our civilization.
i got a lot of shit about not believing in god throughout k-12, from classmates, coaches, and even teachers sometimes. various people have tried to 'save' me, beyond the door-to-door folks. on tv, we're exposed to televangelists saving people by dousing them in holy water or striking them down with coats in front of 5,000 people in a megachurch. religious groups often pressure censorship in the media. religious groups often trounce around campuses with giant billboards showing aborted fetuses. there are radical evangelists that stand on streetcorners and spew hellfire and curse the passerbys. wars aside, certain religions are partly responsible for some major global problems, including abstinence-only education. copies of the new testament were given to all students several times throughout my (public!) elementary and middle school years.
there are societal stigmas about atheists that, like it or not, have propagated through the generations and are still opressive to this day. if you're an atheist, forget a career in politics. recent polls have shown atheists as one of the most distrusted demographics in the nation.
overall, i don't think atheists are anywhere near as pushy about their lack of religion than religious people are about theirs.
i've never belittled or criticized religion or tried to convince religious folks that they're wasting their time, except in defense of my own lack of beliefs. i may make fun of religion with atheist friends, i may chuckle to myself when i see the televangelists, i may even laugh out loud at a shitty car laden with religious bumper-stickers, but i don't go out of my way to tell religious folks that they're wasting their time.