Why Do Atheists Criticize People's Beliefs?

[Valyza1]

Belief is simply the psychological state in which one accepts a premise or proposition to be true.

Agreed, but it's not as if people just accept a premise or proposition as true right out of the gate, which is my point. There's usually some truth or intuition which reels them in and makes the untruths sound plausible. That's actually a principle confidence tricksters use quite often.

When ancient Greeks believed in Zeus, Andromeda, Poseidon, etc, was there a kernel of truth to their beliefs?

If any god exists, then yes. At best, people have directly experienced divine revelation. At worst, no one knows for sure. There can't be a preponderance of evidence for or against the existence of a god, so there isn't a way to determine the odds.

Flat earth, geocentrism, 6000 year old earth, Ginn, garden fairies, all beliefs people hold, either in the past or currently, have no kernel of truth.

Some of those conclusions are likely based erroneously on reasoning from biblical verses, which are conceivably subjective truths, rather than objective truths. Like poetry.

(Incidentally, I don't know of anyone in the last 500 years who believes the earth is flat on a macro level, either).

https://theflatearthsociety.org/home/

Also search on youtube for flat Earth. CoolHardLogic has a great series on flattards, as he calls them.

I would assume that's the fringe, yes?

But you are aware that people fervently believe completely contradictory things all the time. Is the kernel of truth you are referring to then the common denominator of all of those? You won't be left with much, if anything.

Either a common denominator or the kernel of truth is different because it's subjective truth. One guy believes that women are generally insane, because that's been true in his experience, and another guy believes that women are generally calm,because it's been true in his.

[Athene]

In everyday life, I don't feel compelled to criticize anyone's beliefs unless there's a refusal to take my very apparent boredom and unresponsiveness for it is: LACK of fucking INTEREST. 
Keep up the pointless chirping, and I'll make that abundantly clear.

If one continues pushing after that, and resorts to becoming a browbeating douchebag about it, I'll inform them that what they're selling is nothing more than utterly contrived nonsense/meaningless garbage in my view. Can't blame me. It's what happens when I feel harassed and harangued. Feelings may be hurt.

Tis unfortunate.

[Silver]

In real life, when working with other people, I listen to their beliefs and keep quiet about it. I may mentally call them delusional, but I will not outwardly share my opinions regarding religion unless I am personally asked. Even when I am asked, I tend to simply state, "I am an atheist."

I save criticizing for the forums.

However, I have never had any problems at work with others knowing that I was an atheist. I do not live in the bible belt, and no one ever treated me differently when they learned I was an atheist.

[Valyza1]

In real life, when working with other people, I listen to their beliefs and keep quiet about it. I may mentally call them delusional, but I will not outwardly share my opinions regarding religion unless I am personally asked. Even when I am asked, I tend to simply state, "I am an atheist."

I save criticizing for the forums.

However, I have never had any problems at work with others knowing that I was an atheist. I do not live in the bible belt, and no one ever treated me differently when they learned I was an atheist.

Why do you only criticize online?

[Silver]

Why do you only criticize online?

This is an atheist forum where I feel safe to share my frustrations regarding religion and theists in a world that would rather be deluded in too many ways.

[vorlon13]

I don't hassle or challenge my gay friends in MCC. I myself have enjoyed the social and political aspects of that organization, and they CERTAINLY vex and annoy many fundamentalist and evangelical denominations (tee hee!!, a gay church!!).

I have sat thru some services (Rev Paul, woot!!) but do not come up for communion.

Additionally, as one of the 70,000 schisms of Christianity, they are doing their part to dismantle the Jesus Brand, gotta luv 'em for that !!

[Silver]

I don't hassle or challenge my gay friends in MCC.  I myself have enjoyed the social and political aspects of that organization, and they CERTAINLY vex and annoy many fundamentalist and evangelical denominations (tee hee!!, a gay church!!).

I have sat thru some services (Rev Paul, woot!!) but do not come up for communion.  

Additionally, as one of the 70,000 schisms of Christianity, they are doing their part to dismantle the Jesus Brand, gotta luv 'em for that !!

https://atheistforums.org/thread-48991-p...pid1556625

[Succubus]

Why do you only criticize online?

We have little option. For example, the shampoo twins are now such a rarity in the wild. If you are one of a pair of 'Elders' named elder Paul, or elder Jacob with an average age of nineteen and you stop me in the street to give me the good news then look out! I've publicly fucked more Mormons than Joyce McKinney.
Put it this way, register on any Christian apologist forum and ask a totally innocuous question such as the conflicting story of Jesus lineage. You will be smote, leaving no trace of your existence.
When the twenty six bishops are drop kicked out of the House of Lords, when the poison that is intelligent design is openly mocked in the media, when the pope shoots himself on live television and the cardinals all hang themselves from the balcony of St Peters square, then I'll lose interest. Only then.
Most of my friends are Irish so I don't have a problem with Catholics, but I despise the catholic church with a passion. Christianity is the greatest lie ever told.

[The Valkyrie]

Why do you only criticize online?

We have little option. For example, the shampoo twins are now such a rarity in the wild. If you are one of a pair of 'Elders' named elder Paul, or elder Jacob with an average age of nineteen and you stop me in the street to give me the good news then look out! I've publicly fucked more Mormons than Joyce McKinney.
Put it this way, register on any Christian apologist forum and ask a totally innocuous question such as the conflicting story of Jesus lineage. You will be smote, leaving no trace of your existence.
When the twenty six bishops are drop kicked out of the House of Lords, when the poison that is intelligent design is openly mocked in the media, when the pope shoots himself on live television and the cardinals all hang themselves from the balcony of St Peters square, then I'll lose interest. Only then.
Most of my friends are Irish so I don't have a problem with Catholics, but I despise the catholic church with a passion. Christianity is the greatest lie ever told.

I thought that was, "Trump will make a great president!"?

[Valyza1]

Why do you only criticize online?

This is an atheist forum where I feel safe to share my frustrations regarding religion and theists in a world that would rather be deluded in too many ways.

It's been occurring to me of late that Safety in the true god of the skeptic, and not Truth. A skeptic calls nothing true that hasn't gone through a verification process. Incomplete understandings, subjective understandings, complex expressions, are all relegated to a lower level of importance than established, verifiable facts. To stake the most only on propositions that can be verified, however, is not veracity, but defensiveness. Eventually, the more aggressive aspects of one's human nature will break down it's defenses and leave him or her good for nothing at all. We need faith in things not yet seen, things we don't yet have technical understanding of or even ability to communicate succinctly, to regenerate life itself.