Question For Fellow Atheists...

[ignoramus]

MH, you're line of questioning is fallacious, but you already know that...
So what if aliens killed JFK? Why would that skew his other motives?
Being diplomatic and polite is based on common courtesy and common sense, irrespective of one's belief.

Labelling oneself as anything doesn't change that.
At the end of the day, we don't really give a shit what CL believes in, she a nice person and has earned our respect and is pleasant to deal with...her humanity is intact.

Auto, in fighting monsters, be careful you don't become one.

[Angrboda]

Atheist monster! Grawrl!

[Catholic_Lady]

If believing in ferries was any sort of widely accepted belief, why the hell should I give a crap if other ppl believe in them?

You don't think you'd start giving a crap if these tooth fairy believers wanted to pass laws based on their 'tooth fairy morality', wanted to teach their 'tooth fairy creationism' in public school science courses, started wars with those that did not believe in their tooth fairy beliefs, flew planes into buildings at 300 mph because they believed they were going to be in tooth fairy heaven, etc?

Religious beliefs don't live in a vacuum. They are not benign. They affect people's actions. There are real world negative consequences due to religious beliefs.

Why should I respect them less for it? I don't believe mohammed was a prophet who spoke to an angel (islam), I don't believe people are "saved" simply for believing in jesus (evengelical christianity), I don't believe Buddha was a God  (Buddhism). Does that mean I think those who do are mental? Of course not!

I can see how it can be annoying/lonely to you that you're the only atheist in your circle. But this does not need to progress to you thinking everyone else except yourself has a mental issue. Unless of course you're looking for an excuse to feel superior.

One does not have to mentally ill to have delusional beliefs.

Two different things.

One is believing in ferries. The second is making ferry moral code the law of the land when some (or many) of those laws would be completely unreasonable otherwise. The first is what is being talked about in this thread, and that's what I wouldn't have a problem with.

As for the mental thing, I was specifically responding to the OP, who referred to theists as being "mentally screwed up."

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'Catholic Lady' thinks I'm narrow minded. I don't believe in leprechauns, unicorns or the Tooth Fairy either so perhaps she has a point...

Be respectful to CL, or I will be forced to hit you with a very large stick...

Thanks love <3

[Thumpalumpacus]

As I watched a news program last week about the "white helmets" in Aleppo, it was a curious perspective I took of a portion of the footage. A young boy was being extracted from the rubble of a bomb-collapsed building, and the struggle was intense. The fever with which these people struggle to free fellow humans is just awesome. Doing so for children, as in this case, draws even more adulation. Once the victim is extracted, however, there is a change in crowd around scene which is curious. The hard work and amazing humanity of the rescue is suddenly attributed to the sky daddy Allah, with a rapidly increasing high-pitched cry of "God is Great" (in Arabic). The scene at that point brought an image to my mind... Lemmings jumping off a cliff. I mean, attributing the amazing rescue which just occurred to an imaginary friend is as insane as, well, jumping off a cliff IMHO.

This is the kind of thing which makes AAAAAAAthiests scratch our heads.

Side note: Why are some people so ready to distance themselves from others with a similar belief (which is, by the way, the whole point of the website). No, Atheism doesn't define us. I does make our lives somewhat different from those with theistic beliefs. In that we have a commonality. If you don't like being called an atheist, or if a big ole' A offends you... lighten up Frances

I don't mind being called an atheist, but I don't care for having any other positions imputed to me simply because I don't believe in gods.

[Opoponax]

As to the OP: stop giving a shit. It's really helpful. Good for the blood pressure, good for the outlook on life. You'll be long dead before most people stop believing in things religious, so fuck it, live your life and hope the wall between church and state remains (largely) intact.

[Jesster]

Be respectful to CL, or I will be forced to hit you with a very large stick...

You can borrow my stick. Return it when you're done.

[robvalue]

Hello, welcome

I'd recommend checking out this video, it gives an idea of how people end up the way they do. I share your bewilderment, and being a part of this forum has been a journey for me towards trying to understand the mindset of theists.

[downbeatplumb]

This is my first visit to your forum.  I have been a full-hard-right Atheist for at least twenty five years but I would like to ask a question that I think only another Atheist might be able to help me with.

I've spent several years discussing religion both on and offline but I think I have reached a point of 'Atheist burn-out'.  I don't think it would be a surprise to any Atheist here that such discussions rarely actually accomplish any tangible results reference changing the mind of a Theist and far more often than not usually only end up in generating a considerable amount of animosity between both parties. 

I would like to know how you other Atheists deal with and view Theists?

It seems to bother me more and more that there are so many people who continue to buy into the B.S. that is Theism.  I recently watched the 'Jesus Camp' documentary and found it unsettling and even a little depressing.  How do you fellow Atheists reconcile the fact that most of the people that you know are basically mentally 'screwed-up'.

A few weeks ago a christian neighbour of mine made a religious comment so profoundly absurd and ridiculous that it almost sent me into shock.  How do you cope knowing that many so people are this messed up?  I sometimes feel like I'm trapped in some sort of surreal 'Twilight Zone' type of parallel universe that is controlled and run by total nut-cases...

I live in the UK. Theists are not a thing you encounter on a daily basis.

[Autolite]

Afraid to tell us what you really believe? That you might be judged mentally ill?

I didn't think that it was a serious question. TBH, I've never looked into it enough to really form any sort of opinion on it. I will claim however that I am reasonably certain that there were no supernatural causes or factors. If anyone accuses me of being 'mentally ill' for such a claim then I think that I will just live with it...

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

If anyone accuses me of being 'mentally ill' for such a claim then I think that I will just live with it...

And why would theists accept your diagnosis of their mental illness any differently?

Boru