Speaking to theists

[Tiberius]

By all mean, correct me if I'm wrong.

Gladly.

I think most atheists don't believe in Christianity. They don't like the power it has in society, and they don't like the ignorance of bible-believers who choose to "believe" rather than to "know" anything. They really don't give two hoots about Islam or Judaism, because they basically think those types are too far away and irrelevant to our culture to worry about. Buddhists they don't even think about, because basically, Western Buddhism is a more of a philosophy anyway and it's pretty atheistic when it's just a philosophy.

Correction; *all* atheists don't believe in Christianity. One of the key tenets of Christianity is the existence of God. Atheists don't believe in gods. Atheists therefore cannot be Christians.

As an atheist, I do actually give two hoots about Islam, mainly because it is on the rise and with it comes a rise of intellectual dishonesty and ignorance. I don't like many of the secular responses to it either though.

The old atheists basically wanted sexual freedom from the Church. The young atheists basically want to be counter-cultural and defiant. Again, it all goes back to resenting an unenlightened bunch of idiots having social power.

Atheists don't believe in god, but most atheists do not go anywhere near the implications of that. Most atheists only think about not believing in religious gods, they don't ponder what a world of chaos and natural selection really means. Some do, but most don't. Most atheists are very hypocritical: they hate the church but abide by all the precepts of its moral code. They think the same moral code would exist in an atheist world.

I agree, most atheists don't go anywhere near the implications of God not existing, mainly because it doesn't bother them. When you don't believe in something, you tend to not let it bother you.

You do realize that the so-called "moral code" of the church existed for years prior to the church right? Plus, I daresay that moral codes based on equality and secularism are far better than anything the church can come up with. The church has discriminated against blacks, women, and gays to name a few. Gay people can't even get married in most countries because of the "church moral code". Does that sound right to you?

Most atheists pretend to be smarter than they are. They don't study math or science, but they like technology. They like evolution, and ignore its shortcomings. They simply refuse to talk about the universe before the big bang. That's it. No questions asked about the universe before Plank's constant. They do not talk about atheist politics, they don't talk about atheist workplaces, because in those situations, they are hoping people will not look upon other people as purposeless matter radiating quirky useless consciousness. They hope for every one to be endowed by their Creator with certain unailienable rights.

Well I study both math and science. I certainly don't pretend to be smart...

As for evolution, perhaps you had better explain some of its shortcomings. I certainly have never heard of any that stand up to scrutiny.

Talking about "before the Big Bang" is a bit ludicrous, seeing as current theories suggest that time started at the moment of the Big Bang, and so "before" such an event doesn't make sense logically. That is why we don't talk about it; as far as science is concerned, there was no "before".

Atheist politics...atheist workplaces? Erm...what?

Basically, that atheist wants to be smarter, and more rebellious. They don't believe in God, but they don't really bother to think about any concept of God other than the Christian God.

Well I want to be more smarter than I already am, sure. I don't want to be more rebellious though; I think I'm fine the way I am in that department. I've also studied various religions, and various philosophical musings concerning gods, not just the Christian god.

Most atheists are not any more immoral than anyone else, but they aren't any better either. They get through their day without having to worry about the meaning of their life, and they feel a bit more superior than most because they know that most of the people around them are theists of the Christian sort. That's how they keep their self-esteem up. The geek-chic glasses just seem to help with that.

Ah, but I do worry about the meaning of my life. I want to make my life worth something; I want to help people, start a family, explore, realize dreams, etc. I keep my self-esteem up because I know people like me, care about me, and I can return that feeling to them. It has nothing to do with geek-chic glasses.

So to conclude, by the responses you have already made, and by this "summation", I don't think you have a leg to stand on when you say you understand atheism. You paint us all with the same brush, and even when you break down to specifics, it all depends on the kind of person they are, not what they may believe about God.