Atheist double standards. - Page 3

sunnyside · #21 (**permalink**) 04-03-2008, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanishDynamite

Any belief in the unsubstantiated is pure idiocy. This is true in all subcategories of life.

Some people manage to express this nicely to those thus deluded. Others don't.

Again, to a degree this is might be what I'm talking about. Do you not think that the religious fell Atheist and other religious are deluded?

However they are criticized when they don't act nicely. If you want to not be nice yourself but feel it is wrong should the person on the other side do the same to you than you're a hypocrite.

JeffLV · #22 (**permalink**) 04-04-2008, 02:01 AM

Personally, I don't care what point of view someone comes from when they say something. If they say it in an "I'm right, you're wrong, that's that, and this is the truth" fashion, I have little respect for them. This includes all religious and "non-religious" people. While I don't want to cast judgment on all religious people, I will say that a lot of discussions get reduced to this when religion is brought up because the person bringing it up plays it like a infallible trump card. I'm right, you're wrong, and here's the line from the bible to prove it. This kind of comment gives no respect to the beliefs or religious understandings of others, and thus I don't believe they deserve any respect in return.

That being said, there are certainly some "non-religious" folk equally as closed to discussion who fall into the same boat as far as I'm concerned.

Sickntiredofliblies · #23 (**permalink**) 04-16-2008, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunnyside

Bear with me a moment. It is commonly held by atheist that it is a "bad" thing to do to "shove your belief down someones throat" It is also generally considered "bad" to show intolerance towards atheists/people of other religions/really anybody.

And at the surface that seems reasonable. There is a general movement towards respect and tolerance in the country.

However it seems on any board I'm on political or not you can't have a discussion where religion comes up in any form and not eventually get something like this out of the blue:

(That's from these boards).

And that is a double standard. Of course it isn't a double standard if you have a "bring it on" attitude, and, while you wouldn't agree with them, you'd consider it fair play if some people disregarded your opinions and called you a heathen etc etc.

However I think the people posting stuff like that feel it would be unfair if anyone ever treated them that way. And that makes them a hypocrite.

My theory is that they feel this is OK because they feel that they are right and everyone else is wrong. However, obviously, members of every faith believe they are right.

On a side note I'm sure there are people who do treat atheists like that. However. 1. They tend to have a "bring it on" attitude and would feel that turnabout is fair play. 2. Even if someone else does something, if you believe it's wrong and you do it yourself you're still a hypocrite. It would be like saying violence is never the answer, but then when you get punched you come back later and beat them into a pulp with a bat.

First, I would say that the way people act online in message boards in most cases is not how they act in real life. I don't really discuss politics or religion with people very much at all. The anonymity of being online and using a surname gives us the courage to say things for a more instant gratification than we could bring ourselves to do in real life.

I have never had an atheist come knocking on my door with a handful of pamphlets. I've never been approached by atheists asking me if I suscribe to their beliefs. I've never been approached in a bar by atheists and been called a sinner that should repent. I have experienced the exact opposite when it comes to christians. They have done all of the above to me.

My own family acts the same way. I am perfectly fine with them having their own beliefs and will even attend mass on special occasions that they ask me to. They however cannot return the favor and let me be with my own opinions. They constantly feel the need to shove their beliefs in my face.

If you find atheists online to generally have an aggressive attitude, I do believe it is a defense mechanism. Imagine.... if we had a presidential candidate today that was admittedly atheist; how much support do you think they would get? Not much at all! Society requires them to mention their faith in god. If they do not, they don't stand a chance.

TheKentuckian · #24 (**permalink**) 04-16-2008, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sickntiredofliblies

First, I would say that the way people act online in message boards in most cases is not how they act in real life. I don't really discuss politics or religion with people very much at all. The anonymity of being online and using a surname gives us the courage to say things for a more instant gratification than we could bring ourselves to do in real life.

I have never had an atheist come knocking on my door with a handful of pamphlets. I've never been approached by atheists asking me if I suscribe to their beliefs. I've never been approached in a bar by atheists and been called a sinner that should repent. I have experienced the exact opposite when it comes to christians. They have done all of the above to me.

My own family acts the same way. I am perfectly fine with them having their own beliefs and will even attend mass on special occasions that they ask me to. They however cannot return the favor and let me be with my own opinions. They constantly feel the need to shove their beliefs in my face.

If you find atheists online to generally have an aggressive attitude, I do believe it is a defense mechanism. Imagine.... if we had a presidential candidate today that was admittedly atheist; how much support do you think they would get? Not much at all! Society requires them to mention their faith in god. If they do not, they don't stand a chance.

To be fair any religion besides being pretty genericley protestant pretty much puts you behind the 8 ball to varying degrees. Romney was probably hamstringed by being morman. Being Catholic is dicey and certainly you're done if you believe in anything outside of Christianity.

An athiest has no less chance than a buddist. I'm a Christian but were I to go too in depth on my particular beliefs, it would be over for me also.

To be honest though, I'd probably consider casting my vote for even a pagan but never an avowed athiest. I simply don't trust people with power that don't believe in something greater than themselves. An Agnostic doesn't bother me but Athiests strike me as being fundementiist nilist more than anything.

My belief in an all encompassing God puts me into a viewpoint that logically no one belief can be the whole truth. God to me is literally to big to be wholly defined by any one book or even my own understanding. This results in me being a Christian that is against organized religion on the principle that you just can't box in the infinate.

Okamifujutsu · #25 (**permalink**) 04-17-2008, 11:08 PM

I'd just like to say, on the matter of treating evolution as an absolute, I've never seen it done. If you have a plausible theory with evidence that explains how man came to be because of a higher power, I'd be happy to take it seriously. So far, though, I've never seen one. So far, all I've seen is "God made everything and the fossils are there to confuse us" and "Everything happened exactly like evolution predicts it would, but god was watching so it's different". I can't speak for all atheists, but I weigh every theory on its own merits.

stekim · #26 (**permalink**) 04-18-2008, 04:34 AM

I think part of the issue here is that in a fit of intellectual laziness some believers lump together all atheists and assume a common set of traits to them. The only common trait is that atheists don't believe there is a God. Outside of that there is no common trait.

Quote:

I'd probably consider casting my vote for even a pagan but never an avowed athiest. I simply don't trust people with power that don't believe in something greater than themselves.

This is an example. Atheists simply don't believe said greater power is God. But that does not mean they think there is nothing greater than themselves.

JeffLV · #27 (**permalink**) 04-18-2008, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stekim

This is an example. Atheists simply don't believe said greater power is God. But that does not mean they think there is nothing greater than themselves.

But it helps to think your leader does fear God. One who doesnt fear a greater power is more likely to do bad things... yes, I think that's the logic... not saying I agree with it, but this seems to be what they are saying.

catalinacat · #28 (**permalink**) 04-18-2008, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunnyside

The post I quoted was just an example. It's been my experience for some time that you can't even discuss something like Star Trek online without something like that creeping in.

And of course you get obnoxious people in any issue. However they tend to not endorse a similar double standard. For example people on either side of the abortion issue will vote based on it, maybe picket, call names etc, but they wouldn't call it unfair if the people on the other side did the same thing.

I'm sure there are some people here and there who do.

However I feel like it's a commonly held opinion amongst atheists that it's fundamentally wrong for everybody else to put someone down for their beliefs or lack thereof, vote based on it, evangalize about it etc, but it is perfectly fine for them to do so.

You need to see the movie "Expelled" Scientists and biologists that believe in a designer are being shunned and ridiculed by other scientists, particularly biologists, that believe otherwise.

This film By Ben Stein, who is neither christian or atheist, is pointing out that freedom of speech does not apply in the scientific community.

JeffLV · #29 (**permalink**) 04-18-2008, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catalinacat

You need to see the movie "Expelled" Scientists and biologists that believe in a designer are being shunned and ridiculed by other scientists, particularly biologists, that believe otherwise.

This film By Ben Stein, who is neither christian or atheist, is pointing out that freedom of speech does not apply in the scientific community.

I have no problem with people bringing up the possibility of intelligent design in class or otherwise... When they start talking like a preacher or saying that there IS an intelligent designer, then this is bias. Just like saying evolution without a god IS the way we got here, this is also bias. We should teach, not make bias.

sunnyside · #30 (**permalink**) 04-18-2008, 07:47 PM

The trouble, in this case, is the bias has nothing to do with their work neccesarily. If someone is researching macular degeneration the question of how eyes came aobut is irrelevant.

However, being in academia, I can confirm this is the case. I've seen speakers on podiums trashing religion in front of the audience. I've yet to see any scientist start preaching halfway through a talk.

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