Why do christians treat atheists like they are crazy?

Question

Shouldn't it be the other way around? Let me explain:
Christians believe that a baby was born to a virgin, grew up to be a man who could turn water into wine, heal the sick, raise the dead, walk on water, rise from the dead, and float up to heaven, Superman style.

All atheists do is refuse to believe that craziness. Yet a christian always treats an atheist like they are insane. Weird, huh?

Answer 1

Many people accept the notion that given any issue with two sides, both sides must be equally credible. To them, when confronted with the idea of a magical guy who makes carbon molecules (among other things) appear out of nowhere to turn water into wine, walks on water, fixes complex parts of the nervous system by spitting on them (giving sight to the blind), and who flies back to Krypton when his work is done with a promise to return when Lex Luthor gets out of prison, someone it's just as crazy not to believe it as it is to believe it.

It's because religion is "sacred," which is a code word for "don't question this, because whether or not I want to admit it, my beliefs don't stand up to scrutiny." Religion escapes the sort of logic and reason applied to weed out bad ideas in virtually every other field (with notable exceptions such as astrology). It manages this by making threats against people who question it. If you aren't a good little Christian, you go to hell, so why risk your soul over something so trivial as honest inquiry?

Many Christians will counter with Pascal's Wager, which states that you're only risking anything if you don't believe, and that belief hurts nothing. This fails, since Christians don't take into account that there are hundreds of religions out there, and theirs isn't all that likely even if we assume religion makes any sense.

This pleading of theirs also makes the unwarranted assumption that you need to consider completely crazy ideas. To accept Pascal's Wager, you pretty much have to assume that the particular version of Christianity advocated therein is credible (and others aren't), and you have to assume that God is impressed by people who believe in him just because of his threats, and so on.

And all of this goes back to the threats built into the system to try to keep people from questioning it. It's no accident that religions like this tend to thrive, especially back in the Dark Ages, when Aristotle was considered the smartest man in history and there was no explanation for the universe other than a god.

Answer 2

No more weird that the Atheists that do the same thing- they post all over this board, and they arent hard to see. Seems like a silly argument to me, one way or the other. Everyone has their own beliefs, there is no need to think that people are "insane" one way or the other, as you seem to propose that Christians are. Thats really a very immature and not very well thought through viewpoint in either direction.

Answer 3

It goes both ways.

I am sure Christians think some atheists are crazy, because some atheists believe that life, in all its beauty and complexity, came from nothing. To many that thought means there is no meaning in anything. To some people their logic dictates that there is a meaning to everything, so obviously, they are going to think a person is crazy if they do not believe the same.

And please, don't call someone else crazy if you don't expect to be called crazy yourself. That is what you just did, and therefore you are not justified in being 'hurt' or angry that Christians think you are crazy. Two way street.

I like your avatar though.

Answer 4

What else could they do? Christian's are Christians because they don't have the ability to think of anyone but themselves. there is no free will. So treat them as if they were in your kinder-garden. Be patient with them, and they will eventually come around. Attack them, and you will create an enemy. Thus you can only think of your self too.
There is a huge difference between ration self-interest and selfishness. One is a friend who looks out for ones whole life the other is an enemy who just lives for the moment emotional pleasure.

Answer 5

It is ironic, but people often attack what they do not understand. Christians are often terrified of questioning their beliefs because they wouldn't know what to believe in.
If Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and now Jesus is a fraud, too, what do I have to pin my hopes on? Who do I have to bribe and behave for? Maybe I will kill people because I don't have the fear of hell to prevent me. I am such an awful monster, I have to be terrified into behaving well.
No god, no hell, no life eternal? You mean I have to think for myself, and make wrong decisions, and make hard choices, even mistakes and live with my consequences. That sucks!
Surely, I can swear I will give money to a church and some great big daddy in outer space will remove my dumb mistakes, and make me holy. Beats natural laws.
Maybe I can believe one (out of millions) dead guy came back to life and his daddy will let me live on a cloud and listen to harp music for all eternity. Beats the mall.
Yes, it is ironic. One day maybe, we will be the majority (as in other countries) and things will make more sense. I am certain, I will be more tolerant and kind to christians than they have ever been to me.

Answer 6

It is because they have a mental block that doesn't allow them to think of the possibility that god is not real. It is a defense mechanism located in the higher consciouness part of the human brain, for some people, that reassures the person that they are protected by a big fatherly entity that will take them to a happy home when they die. It's a security blanket, basically, that we can't and probably shouldn't try to take away from them.

Answer 7

Fair enough question to which I'll comment and then pose another question.
I don't believe either camp is crazy. Every individual has a set of unique experiences and interpretations that causes them to believe certain things to be true and others to be untrue. Based solely on this belief of God vs no-God, I would never treat someone as if they were crazy.
The question I follow with is this... it is estimated that humans typically only exercise 10% of their brain's power or capacity. What functions do you believe the other 90% can perform? Would it seem reasonable that this 90% is capable of things that may seem crazy to you and me because our set of experiences and interpretations have led us to believe they are impossible simply because we are unable or not enlightened to utilize that power? The bible does teach that we are all created in God's image, but says nothing of our capabilities relative to our God. May I hypothesize that we all have God-like capabilities, but given our ignorance and lack of enlightenment, simply cannot use these powers? If there is a God who sent his son to the earth, would it seem reasonable to grant his son enlightenment to use more 'brain-power' than the average human?

It may be obvious which side of the fence I'm on, but I don't think anyone is crazy for their beliefs... unless you think God wants you to kill everyone that doesn't see it your way; then you're totally nuts and a menace to society!! ;-)

Answer 8

Atheists are not crazy---they are just unsaved. Christians are interested in the welfare of atheist because they want them in the kingdom of God, but in order for them to get there they must see the light, which is Jesus Christ. the world has nothing to offer but pain, misery and death. Jesus offers healing, joy and eternal life. The devil can give you moments of pleasure, but this is not joy. Joy can only be experienced in the Lord because joy is permanent---pleasure is a cheap thrill that is present one moment and gone the next, leaving a vacuum that must be filled. Pleasure becomes addictive because of this void that constantly pops up. All voids must be filled, but with Christ the void is always filled with the love of God; thus, with Christ your cup forever runs over. The Bible is God's word revealed to mankind. We accept what is written in the Bible at face value. If God did not intend what he said in the Bible, then what DID he intend? If the Bible is a lie, then why has its content been revered for thousands of years and why has it shaped all of Western Civilization? If you can offer a better solution to the problems that humankind faces, then would like to here from you. Jesus loves you and we Christians love you, too.

Answer 9

If we weren't all crazy we'd all go insane. Let's face it the spiritual grudge match is not going to be settled on Y! or anywhere else. People just need to grow up and realize different people are going to have different beliefs and ideas. It's not that their brainwashed or blind. It's that they are different. I respect people that offer advice on Christianity. I respect people that offer opinions on atheism. I don't respect people that just try to cause anger through ignorance. Those are the people I think are crazy. Advice if you don't want people to react negatively to you don't act negatively towards them. Follow the Golden Rule. Whether you believe in Jesus or not it's a pretty good rule I think. Peace, love, and tranquility to you all.

Answer 10

i know bazillions of christians and none of them think atheists are crazy which blows out of the water the notion that "a christian always treats an atheist like they are insane." i think what is "crazy" is unthinking stereotypes such as that exemplified by this question. something some atheists and christians will find they have in common.