No one is an atheist

[Minimalist]

Going way back to the original post, mainly because I'm new here and just getting into the conversation, I really, really don't understand why it is that Christians feel it necessary to convince themselves that there really are no atheists at all. I've seen posts like that many, many times where they try to use twisted logic to "prove" that atheists don't exist.

Our existence terrifies them, my friend. We are proof that people can live without fairy tales and they find that very threatening.

[Doubting Thomas]

Yes, that explains their hatred of us. But I also wonder if a lot of it is something like, "Look at them, they get to sleep in on Sunday, don't have to tithe to the church, get to have sex out of wedlock, get to drink, and generally enjoy life, but I don't get to do any of that because I'm a fundie Christian who has to follow very strict rules in order to try not to offend God so I can get to heaven. It's not fair. Therefore, the only reason they claim to be atheists is so they can do all that stuff and not feel guilty."

[ilikeMe]

Not beleaving doesn't mean not to leave. it is possible leaving a rich life with no beleaves, finding logical reasons for ones behaviour and chossing ones actions acordingly. Why is it so hard for theistic people understand that faith isn't a necessity but a choice!

[thesummerqueen]

1) it allows them not to make choices - they can have "god" and their pastor make all of them for them

2) some like thinking that god "needs" them. It gives them comfort to know something's watching them and having some sort of interaction with them and the rest of the world. It takes the effort out of really interacting with the rest of us smelly ingrates.

3) being a grown up is scary - you're responsible for yourself and your progeny. God is the ultimate parent making sure YOU don't fuck up.

4) "faith is hard" and that satisfies some people's need to appear to put for effort into anything at all without actually having to put forth effort.

[Doubting Thomas]

And that's all fine if they think they need that belief to get through life. The part that pisses me off is when they think you need that belief to get through life, too, and then getting all upset when you tell them you don't. That, and the sheer hatred for anyone who doesn't feel the need to believe in a magical sky daddy.

[thesummerqueen]

It blows people's ever-loving minds that someone else doesn't think EXACTLY the way they do. A lot of people can't handle that.

[Watson]

And that's all fine if they think they need that belief to get through life. The part that pisses me off is when they think you need that belief to get through life, too, and then getting all upset when you tell them you don't. That, and the sheer hatred for anyone who doesn't feel the need to believe in a magical sky daddy.

I'm not particularly hateful towards atheists, and I don't go out of my way to be either. I hope at the very least that, if we met on the street by chance, we could be friends. Nothing pleases me more than meeting new people and making new friends.

[Cinjin]

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Then I feel sorry for you cinjin, you must have been hurt by theists a lot in the past. Perhaps one day you'll see there's a difference between standing up for what you believe in and beating people over the head with it. Honestly calling for an eradication of Christianity, and thus the connotatively condemning all Christians, is exactly the kind of things those "Christians" you seem to hate have been doing. How's that eye-for-an-eye working out for you?

Shouldn't that question be posed to you??? "Eye for an eye" comes out of YOUR bible pal. Not mine. Way to make no point at all. If anything, eye for an eye would make ME a better christian. Which makes the whole point even stupider since eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth was plagiarized from Hammurabi's Code (along with a multitude of other things). god, you're whole religion is just such a fucking joke. Study the history or your religion rather than the "revealed" doctrines and your eyes will be opened. Well, they would be if you weren't brainwashed.

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Your sweeping, hateful generalizations are truly a sad example of why poor Christians make angry atheists, and both, while more prevalent than we'd all like, suit stereotypes to tee. If you just want target practice go find some fundie somewhere other than here, because here we're about rational and productive discussion.

You've GOT to be kidding me right??? Sweeping generalizations?!? Let me tell you somethin Tack ... if you're not one of those stereotypical christians than good for you, but I hate to be the one to break this to you but - you're NOT the norm pal. The reason why its a generalization is because WAY more often than not, it's true. Telling me that "a few bad christians" hurt me - what a joke! It's not a few and its not a hundred, and its not a thousand. I spent time at Bob Jones University, smack-dab in the middle of the Bible Belt and I can tell you this FOR SURE: It's nearly all of them. Most christians are arrogant, ignorant, intolerant, close-minded, belligerent, judgemental and hampering humanities chances at becoming an enlightened species. Oh, and if I wanted to practice eye for an eye according to your bible, MANY sects of Christianity would be sued, disbanded, broken up and their assets given out to the millions of innocent families that it has victimized for over 2000 years now. You see the truth the way you want to see it and then you judge me for seeing my truth the way I want to see it. Well, I'll generalize your filthy dirty corrupt religion any damn time I choose cause it's the truth. Regardless if you want to admit it or not.

*knocks the soapbox out fron underneath you* Get real. Deny it all you want. Your religion is a disease and just because theres is ONE or TWO decent christians on this forum doesn't mean JACK SHIT in the real world.

and by the way, read all the threads in this forum, not every discussion in here is meant to be a productive discussion as you stated. Some times people just disagree.

[thesummerqueen]

Hold the fuck on there, Cinjin.

Yes, on this forum there are a few good Christians. I happen to like Tack a lot, and fr0d0's something of a peach himself, and Ryft (who you've probably yet to meet) is a very good man.

But that's not the extent of it. I live in the Bible belt too and deal with my fair share of belligerence...I don't just get it for being a heathen atheist, but also for being a Christ-killing Jew. It's awful.

But one of my dearest friends happens to be a deacon at his church. And I have others from all across the country.

I don't agree with their religion, and they know it - whether they still think I'm a Jew or whether I've come out as an atheist to them, they know how I feel about Christianity. But not all Christians are like that, and the vast majority of people who label themselves as such are just trying to get on in life.

Have a care love. You know that saying "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail"?

[Cinjin]

Hold the fuck on there, Cinjin.

Yes, on this forum there are a few good Christians. I happen to like Tack a lot, and fr0d0's something of a peach himself, and Ryft (who you've probably yet to meet) is a very good man.

But that's not the extent of it. I live in the Bible belt too and deal with my fair share of belligerence...I don't just get it for being a heathen atheist, but also for being a Christ-killing Jew. It's awful.

But one of my dearest friends happens to be a deacon at his church. And I have others from all across the country.

I don't agree with their religion, and they know it - whether they still think I'm a Jew or whether I've come out as an atheist to them, they know how I feel about Christianity. But not all Christians are like that, and the vast majority of people who label themselves as such are just trying to get on in life.

Have a care love. You know that saying "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail"?

perhaps you have a point, but my experience with christians has apparently been far darker than yours. And as I stated tack and frodo may very well be decent people - but that's two people, and if you want to add the four or five decent people you know - that makes 7. Thus I stand by what I said. In my 36 years of life - I've come to find that the douchbags FAR outweigh the seven.