9 Questions That Atheists Might Find Insulting (And the Answers)

[Brainstormy]

Great article! Worth the read.

http://www.alternet.org/belief/9-questions-atheists-might-find-insulting-and-answers?page=0%2C1&paging=off

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Thanks. Pretty good.

[Lordquinton]

2. Some here need to read #5

[progressoid]

11. I come here for the snack tray.

And happy hour.

[dimbear]

3. #9 is the best. Why are atheists so angry?

We read and watch the news, for starters.

[jives]

19. *100

[AtheistCrusader]

26. I do get mad when I see people hurting themselves for religious reasons

but the thing that REALLY gets my goat is the intersection between religion and politics in this nation. Legislating religious morality, for starters, but also injecting religious doubt or ideas into science classrooms, and the like. (Where Behe admitted on the stand in court under oath that Intelligent Design wasn't science, etc)

[Scuba]

4. There's something wrong with this.

I can only rec it once.

[Curmudgeoness]

5. I have always loved the "what if you are wrong" argument.

"Doesn't it make logical sense to believe in god?"

Well, yes, I suppose it does, and I did go through a stage when I felt this way too.....no harm in trying to believe, and big trouble if I am wrong.

The answer in the article is spot-on. And it should be apparent to every believer who knows their religion....."God" can see into all hearts, so who would think that I could fake it with him????

I finally came to the conclusion that if I am wrong, and there is a god that I was raised with, I do not believe that I would go to hell after living a decent life just because I did not believe----nor would I have a seat in heaven just because I believe in god and live a decadent life.

[uriel1972]

13. It always puzzled me...

Which god do should I believe in then? What if I get it wrong?

[Curmudgeoness]

14. I am sure that I would get it wrong.

Just my luck that Masaya or Pele is the real god. And they would be low on my list.

[Mr.Bill]

6. #9

God meets an Atheist who just died at the gates of heaven.

Atheist: Wow, I was wrong to not believe in you. I guess I can't come in to heaven.

God: I like you. You've got spunk. Come on in.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

7. ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/121880541

[LostOne4Ever]

8. The first question

More than any of the others pisses me off. I had a conversation a while back about the existance of good and evil, and the asshole I was arguing with said "there is something telling about you for not believing in it." That sent me through the roof.

Similarly, I had a friend ask me a similar question and I replied by asking him, if there was a person who was evil, wicked, and only wanted to hurt people, and the only reason that they didn't was because they didn't want to go to hell, aren't they still an evil and wicked person? He agreed they were still evil and wicked.

I dont find number 2, in the form of "How do you find meaning in your life" or "Don't you feel sad or hopeless?," insulting at all. I think those are different questions from "If you don't believe in God or heaven, why don't you just kill yourself?" If asked the two former I would tell the person that since there is no intrinsic meaning to life I find my own meaning/joys in life.

The latter, though, I would find offensive. I would probably respond along the lines of "if you hate this world so much and are only looking forward to the next why don't you take your own advice or find a high risk profession so you can move on to the next already."

The others I feel are straight on though I personally find no need to "replace" the community of question 5 with anything. I couldn't wait to get out of church back then, and I am so glad I don't have to go anywhere on sundays....but im not a very social person in the first place.

[Brainstormy]

9. I hear you

about the "glad you don't have to get up and go to church" thing. Same here. But there's definitely something to the community aspect. Those studies that repeatedly show that churchgoing folk live longer seem, to me, a reflection of the fact that people with many social connections tend to be happier, NOT that the church necessarily does it. I recently horrified a believing family member by making that point, but I said that I thought a supportive witches coven would do the same trick. Needless to say, my larger point was completely missed and the individual said he'd pray for me.

It IS hard to have a community centered around NOT believing in something, but leven ittle conversations like these posts are a sort of communal connection and remind me that I'm not an isolated weirdo.

[Curmudgeoness]

15. Just because we "talk" to you here

doesn't mean that you aren't a weirdo. But we just don't care.

I make a joke here where I live that there are only two places to meet people.....church or bars. And that is about the extent of it. For a while, there was a single's group at the local grocery store, but that seemed almost as creepy to me.

[SwissTony]

21. Yes, the one part I didn't agree with was her expression

"any community organized around a shared idea". I don't think atheism is organised around a shared idea. Some atheists may choose to form such an organisation, but it's not necessary to do so.

[cynatnite]

10. My sister threw most of those questions at me when I first told her. n/t

[Jasana]

12. I found that a most excellent article.

I allays liked Greta Christina. She was the first Atheist blog I ever read.

[trotsky]

18. Same here.

She's wicked smart and writes with feeling. Many times when reading her posts or her book I found myself actually saying "YES!" out loud.

[LostOne4Ever]

16. Its not a question

But one thing that REALLY pisses me off is when there is a school shooting and the theists blame it on the removal of god and prayer from school.

BECAUSE THERE IS NO WAY ONE OF THEM DID THESE HORRIBLE THINGS! IT HAD TO BE AN ATHEISTS OR A LACK OF RELIGION!

Now, THAT, I find REALLY offensive!

[deucemagnet]

17. Yep. If only God were in the classroom nothing bad would happen to them,

just like nothing bad ever happens to altar boys in a church.

[Bay Boy]

24. And what, exactly, is keeping god out?

I thought he was almighty and shit.

[Anymouse]

20. Greta Christina missed a couple.

One I got after my great-grandmother died and I was headed home from Spain on emergency leave (from an officer approving my papers): You think everyone just dies anyway, why should you care? (Aside from my great-grandmother being my favourite relative, the will designating me as executor, the family requesting my presence in a Red Cross message to my command, the fact I loved her and that she was gone forever, . . .)

Another I've heard frequently is "You must be against freedom of religion." (Also sometimes conflated with "you must be against democracy&quot : Nope, freedom of religion is an Enlightenment value. The Ten Commandments are against freedom of religion, and throw in speech and association too. - James, in Wyobraska.

[JNelson6563]

22. Good post & welcome to DU!

And more specifically, the AA group!

As demonstrated in your post, sometimes believers can say the most callous things to us. It always amazes me that they think because we don't believe in any gods we must not have any feelings.

Julie

[LostOne4Ever]

23. What gets me about

What gets me about the one from the officer is that if ANYONE should not care about someone dying its (assuming hes Christian/muslim/jewish) people like him/her!

They are the ones who believe their loved ones are going to some "better" place. When someone dies to them its supposed to be a TEMPORARY separation, where they can still watch you and supposedly communicate with you through your dreams or something to that extent. If anything they should be happy their relatives are dead because they are in happy happy funlan....err heaven where they can sit on a cloud and play a harp and sing "Hosannah, hosannah, hosannah, Lord God of Sabaoth, 'rah! 'rah! 'rah! siss! -- boom! ... a-a-ah!" all day everyday till the end of eternity.

To us, when someone dies thats the end. We will never see them again, we will never hear their voice, never feel their touch, never again feel their laughter. We have every right to care.

What does HE/SHE have to be sad about? Or is their faith not as strong as they thought?

[Bay Boy]

25. "If you don't believe in God or heaven, why don't you just kill yourself?"

My rebuttal is: "Why don't you kill yourself so you can go meet your god sooner?"

The only ones who actually seem to believe this are muslims who are willing to die for their cause.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

27. K&R

Bookmarking.

[LiberalFighter]

28. After reading #1 I would ask Christians

Why don't they believe in all of the Bible?