Atheist vs. Antitheists

[Handprint]

I'm getting rather tired of antitheists and atheists being lumped together. I am an atheist but not an antitheist.

I feel that religion is not the root of evil, human beings are. Religion is just a lense through which bad people justify evil deeds. The desire to do ill is already there, they just use religion to interpret their desires into a framework of thought that supports their motivations.

[CleanShavenJesus]

Yeah, that goes back to the assumption that all atheists are evil anti-religion assholes.

Honestly, I really don't care.

[Handprint]

Well so far that's all I've seen on the internet. Atheists that're anti-religion.

reddit/r/atheism
Here
when I try to look up pictures on google with the word atheism

...it gets old.

[Hobbitgirl]

Well as an atheist and an anti-theist, I'd like to say I get tired of people assuming I'm an asshole. So I guess it goes all ways.

[genkaus]

I feel that religion is not the root of evil, human beings are. Religion is just a lense through which bad people justify evil deeds. The desire to do ill is already there, they just use religion to interpret their desires into a framework of thought that supports their motivations.

You are forgetting that ideas affect people's desires and motivations. The desire to oppress another class of people wouldn't be present unless there was a pre-existing idea that they are somehow inferior and deserving of it. Often, the religion not only provides a framework to support such motivations, it dictates those motivations as well.

[Handprint]

I feel like everyone is putting words in my mouth. I never said antitheists are evil. I just don't feel like I fit in in most atheist communities online because of the overwhelming antitheist mindset.

---

I feel that religion is not the root of evil, human beings are. Religion is just a lense through which bad people justify evil deeds. The desire to do ill is already there, they just use religion to interpret their desires into a framework of thought that supports their motivations.

You are forgetting that ideas affect people's desires and motivations. The desire to oppress another class of people wouldn't be present unless there was a pre-existing idea that they are somehow inferior and deserving of it. Often, the religion not only provides a framework to support such motivations, it dictates those motivations as well.

Oppression/Discrimination is an innate human instinct. You could falsify science...pervert it...and then claim it fits your reasoning. Same with religious documents.

Racial Scientists. You should blame science because it gave the framework to justify racism.

[Captain Colostomy]

Get used to it. Little use or motivation is there for most religionists to acknowledge differences/degrees in nonbelief. It's the 'if you ain't for us, you are against us' notion. It also requires less critical discernment...something that isn't exactly a believer's strong point to begin with.

[Tonus]

I'm not evil...



...all of the time.

[Handprint]

I'm not evil...



...all of the time.

[Ryantology]

I don't consider myself an anti-theist because I think religion is the root of all evil, but because it is an evil.