Do atheists have the right to convert people since religious people seem to think they have that right?

Question

I SAY HELL YES.
For those people, even some atheists, who say 'well, to each there own. blah blah, why should you care what they think', I say, why should they be allowed to brainwash people into a nonsensical mythology? Sitting back and watching it happen is immoral. It's the same reason why I wouldn't sit back while someone was trying to convert people to Fascism.

Answer 1

You don't have to convert people to truth. Waking up does that. All you have to do is unplug them and they'll see it.

Answer 2

You have the right to do anything you wish within law and within the rights protected by the Constitution of this country only. It's a free country but not a free world. Does not mean others will like it. Look at the Israelis and Palestinians. That war will never be over.

No one can be converted unless they are ready for a change. There is no such thing and imposed or forced change on anyone.

Answer 3

Combining "memento mori" and "googlywotsit" does the trick for me. You're correct in your intentions, but the wording may not convey it precisely. What we want is the rule of reason where it should apply. That is education.

But applying more or less the same principles to anthropology, we have to concede that there are human needs, expressions and activities whose manifestations are NOT rational. (At least in the sense of being amenable to meaningful quantification or formulation.) And in most cases neither you nor I would care to hear such “rational” formulations.

Take “romantic love:” Do we give two hoots for the (potential) physiochemical formulation of the event? The same applies to the category of human yearnings & behavior we call “spirituality.” (Yes, we DO need a better name for it, but let’s not nit-pick.) I firmly believe that even here de-mystification is feasible, but it has to be approached in a different way, then say, the inanities of “intelligent design.” Here the approach has to be a “political” process. The short rendition of this is that we need institutions that allow for the fulfillment of these needs – which in no way implies churches, pews, or deities.

Answer 4

" Well, you can try starting with me. If you can give me concrete disproof that God does not exist, I will believe you."

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. YOU are the one making the extraordinary claim that God exists, therefore it is up to you to provide the proof. If I were to say that there are elves in my garden, would you not want proof? If I said there was a monster in my closet, would you not want proof? So it is when you say there is an invisible, all powerful deity who talks to you and wrote a book. Prove it!

If God existed, and if it had the qualities that Chrisitans say it has, everyone in the world would know it and there would be no confusion about who and what God is. There has never been one bit of proof for the existence of such a being. There are only beliefs, faith, assertions, feelings, and those do not prove anything.

Answer 5

Conversion occurs in two ways -- through a loving relationship, like a faith or lack thereof passed down from family; and through force -- usually at gunpoint is the most effective, but brainwashing is just as good. ^^

This is advice to anyone trying to "convert" someone: don't do it through force. Don't say Jesus loves you or God doesn't exist and leave it at that. Sit down with a person and have an intelligent conversation in which both sides contribute to their argument. Educate and defend. Don't sink to the level of those who shut their minds to what *you* have to say.

Answer 6

Let's face it, in the eyes of the religious world, atheism isn't the easiest path. Nor does one encounter tolerance and understanding every step of the way. Regardless, we all follow our own truths.

I don't believe in anyone's right to actively force or coerce someone into believing something they're unwilling to believe. However, if they had honest, sincere questions about it, I'm willing to answer questions with the same honesty and sincerity. If they "converted" as a result, I'd be happy to have helped.

Answer 7

lol... I enjoy answering your questions. You can try to convert us but the only people that you will succeed in converting are those in weak faith. If you can get someone to convert to mythology you found a great person to tell them that a comet passing by is a spaceship and have them comitt suicide to get on board. Maybe you should move to Waco and start your own cult, if you can find people like that you will have great success. The bad thing is it would not be hard find them.

Answer 8

So if you see someone shoot someone, are you them allowed to shoot that person? What they did may be morally wrong, but then so it what you are doing.

And they shouldn't be ALLOWED to brainwash people, just as you should not be allowed to either. But unfortunately, the same as I cannot stop you from trying to convert people, they cannot be stopped either, so I don't know why I'm even taking the time to answer this question. Some people just cannot be reasoned with.

Answer 9

Nobody is trying to convert anybody. People are just relaying information to others to spread the word. No one are being coerce to believe. If atheist would try to convert people, they always have the right to and vice versa. It is something that we should not be mad about. If we hear something that we think are not right according to our own personal beliefs, then just dismiss it as nothing important and go on with the life. Nothing really to be mad about.

Answer 10

Sure, If I, as a Christian can try to convert people to become Christians, then if you are an atheist you have every right to try and convert people to believe in atheism. We each may succeed or we may fail. It just depends on what the person we are trying to convert chooses to believe.

Answer 11

Well, you can try starting with me. If you can give me concrete disproof that God does not exist, I will believe you. But, conspiracy theories aren't disproof. And every perspective you give me must be without gaps, any gaps, and I will call you stupid or ignorant for not seeing how illogical your belief is. And when you don't say something, I will take that as a gap in your agrument, and the above will happen. So, if you are ready for that, convert away
Oh yeah, if you get upset, I will take that as proof against your belief system