I am an athiest, but I can’t stand the “vocal athiests” who need to shove it in other peoples face. I personally think athiesm, much like religion is an extremely personal thing. If someone wants to talk to me about it I will gladly, but I see no need in putting others down for their beliefs.
The only time I get annoyed with religion is when their beliefs are pushed onto others, but in general most of the religious people you meet are the same as me. They want an education, they want a career, they want a family, friends, etc and their religious beliefs have absolutely no impact on a friendship. There are people on both sides of the issue who love to talk nonstop that give both a bad name, and then there is the silent majority in the middle, happy with where they are and willing to talk/discuss/befriend each other.
A LARGE portion of the obnoxious athiesm group is mainly just confused teens who had religion pushed on them when they were young, hit their mid teens and had a “revelation” that it was all BS, and now feel the need to act superior to others because “they are right and you are wrong and stupid”. Which ironically is exactly what they tell everyone on my facebook newsfeed about music seeing as how whatever latest Swedish Metal band they started listening to last week is musically superior to whatever anyone else listens to. Luckily, it seems to be a phase, most people grow out of it, and realize there is no right or wrong, and the goal is to be happy.
My sister was raised Catholic and is currently Athiest and has been for a long time. She believes in doing good for others and treating others as she would like to be treated.
How can I be too mad at that? As far as what athiests think about religious people, I know that they know that when they say they are Athiest, they could possibly have a confrontation. But, the thing is, is that you can’t really push religion (or politics for that matter on someone). You can express your beliefs and only plant seeds.
Yayyywork described my point of view too, with an interesting twist:
Just as the most fervent religious folks are the ones that are born-again. It seems the most fervent atheists are those who were raised religiously and had some kind of falling out.
Blaise Pascal made an argument in the 17th century that was basically a 4 block wager, which I think sums up both sides pretty well.
It is called “Pascal’s Wager” —
_ Pascal’s Wager is an argument in apologetic philosophy devised by the seventeenth-century Frenchphilosopher, mathematician andphysicistBlaise Pascal (1623–62).[1] It posits that humans all bet with their lives either that God exists or that he does not. Based on the assumption that the stakes are infinite if God exists and that there is at least a small probability that God in fact exists, Pascal argues that a rational person should live as though God exists and seek to believe in God. If God does not actually exist, such a person will have only a finite loss (some pleasures, luxury, etc.), whereas they stand to receive infinite gains (as represented by eternity in Heaven) and avoid infinite losses (eternity in Hell).[2]_
Ok well I guess thats different than lucifer who does not believe (in faith) in God, but he believes that God exists.
lol You’re really getting a bit too semantical now for athiests they dont believe in God or they don’t believe he exists. It is an or statement between your two phrases.
^^^Pascal’s Wager has one minor flaw I’ve never been able to reconcile. It’s contingent on God caring if we actually believe in him. Seems pretty petty for all all-powerful sky wizard. That’d be like me caring if the ants in my ant farm know I exist. I don’t. I just like to shake their shit up on occasion to see them panic and react. If god does exist, this seems to be his style.
At any rate, ardent atheists (Richard Dawkins being the prime example) are complete assholes. I used to be one (hardline atheist that is. Still an asshole) until I realized I was also a fundamentalist, just in the opposite direction. After some self-reflection, I determined being a “hard atheist” requires just as much faith as believing in god. The most acceptable position would be to shift over to the agnostic side of things. I still don’t believe there is a god, but I’m willing to concede I don’t know everything the universe has to offer…yet.
While I still strongly dislike organized religion, there are some churches that do good in their community and their members seem to get something out of it (like my wife). That’s cool with me. So long as no one jams their beliefs down my throat - and that goes for any subject - and is willing to engage in thoughtful debate, they’re good in my book. Took me several years to bring myself to that place and not immediately jump all over anyone that believes in god.
tl;dr - Doesn’t matter what you believe. Just don’t be a dick.
ACE the obvious answer though to pascal is to live your life however you would like not caring, and on your death bed accept god & repent. However there are many gods, what if you get the wrong one? What if there is a god and we haven’t yet discovered it?
Were the ancient greeks cast to hell for believing in all their gods? Interesting topics I cant say I know much about
Would you also say that somebody who does not believe humans are an alien experiment is in as much a position of faith as the most fervent Christians?
Not believing something is the default position. The burden of proof is on the believer. I am in the camp of anything is possible, but I don’t think athiests need to have faith to believe god does not exist.
Read Dante’s Inferno. The first circle of hell (limbo) is reserved for those that were still basically good people, but either didn’t accept Christ as their savior, lived before Jesus was around, or chose the wrong religion. All things considered, Dante’s first circle of hell wasn’t all that bad of a place.
Thats an easy one. Its just like the Lucifer quote I posted above. If you believe and go around shooting people and using hacksaws to clean up the evidence, I don’t think you’re gonna be hanging out with God for eternity. You can disbelieve by your actions in life.
to your other comment - God cares about every soul who has ever lived.
Seems quite unfair to be lumped in there if you didn’t even have the opportunity to get to heaven based on being alive before Christ. Interesting concept for sure I will check out the book for sure.
Dante’s inferno was only loosely based on the church’s understanding of hell. It’s mostly an entertaining read, not a statement of Christian theological doctrine.
