Atheists: Why are you so adamant about undermining the faith of those who do believe in God?

Question

Seriously, what do you gain if by preaching your faith in no God (which is faith because you cannot prove a negative, it is simply your belief) causes a person to lose their faith in God?

People who do preach their faith in God do so because they believe there are dire consequences for eternity if you do not believe so they are concerned about your well-being in preaching to you (there are people who preach for prideful reasons just to show they are right and that is not the right motivation to do so).

But I do not understand the motivation behind preaching that there is no God.

Answer 1

Think of it as a Public Service.

It is the moral responsibility and ethical duty of rational people to protect vulnerable minds from being contaminated by Bronze Age myths and willful ignorance. Beyond that, Christianity represents a huge threat to the well-being and survival of our country and to the whole world... and so it must be confronted.

http://www.yuricareport.com/Dominionism/Clarkson_RiseOfDomionism.html
http://www.yuricareport.com/Dominionism/HistoryOfReconstructionMovement.html

I prefer the term 'Rationalist', or 'Free Thinker', as opposed to 'atheist', or 'unbeliever', since those terms capture more of the people who think that religious beliefs are stupid and irrelevant than the term 'atheist' does. Those terms capture the main reason that people BECOME Atheists... i.e., they have learned how to THINK properly. Once someone learns how to think properly, religious belief is one of the first casualties. Religious belief... particularly the Abrahamic death cults of desert monotheism (Judaism, Christianity, Islam)... simply cannot withstand the glaring light of reason and critical thought. It just evaporates. Poof. The fact that Christians assert and promote such ridiculous beliefs is a clear indication that they CAN'T (or WON'T) think properly.

Rational people recognize that some people who visit this forum are truly, sincerely seeking answers... with an open mind (willing to honestly consider alternative possibilities), and with intellectual honesty (willingness to freely question and doubt their own presumptions). That being the case, it is the MORAL OBLIGATION of rational people to HELP them keep their minds open, and to make them aware of some of those alternative possibilities. Inevitably, those alternative possibilities DO NOT include things like a terrarium earth, talking snakes and donkeys, demons, friendly spirits, evil spirits, walking on water, multiplying loaves and fishes, people raising from the dead, stopping the sun in its tracks, parting seas, people being bodily sucked up into heaven (which, by the way, lies on the other side of the sky), world-wide floods, creating people from dust bunnies and ribs, magical trees of knowledge, gods speaking from burning bushes... and ritual cannibalism by eating god in the form of a cracker.

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"A thorough reading and understanding of the Bible is the surest path to atheism” ~ Donald Morgan
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So, when someone comes along in a PUBLIC FORUM, regurgitating dogmatic slogans, and the myths, superstitions, fairy tales and fantastical delusions of an ignorant bunch of Bronze Age fishermen and wandering goat herders, and declaring them to represent some kind of cosmic 'TRUTH' (without the least bit of credible evidence)... well, by golly, that just HAS TO BE confronted.

All faith-based religious belief is fully deserving of all the scorn and ridicule that can be heaped upon it. It is a simple matter of people with rational minds having a moral obligation to stand in opposition to willful ignorance. It is quite necessary that this be done, if we are to have any hope that the human race will survive and evolve to meet its full potential. So, when these myths, superstitions, fairy tales and fantastical delusions are presented and declared to 'TRUTH', in the venue of a PUBLIC FORUM, a confrontation is inevitable.

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"I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do."  ~ D. Dale Gulledge
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In order to have a rational view of the universe, it is necessary that one possess the mental faculties that facilitate reason, logic and critical thought. The things that are entailed by Christian beliefs demonstrate, beyond any doubt, a lack of those capabilities. Christians do serve a useful purpose on this earth... as a classic 'bad example'. They obligingly provide assertions about impossible happenings and circumstances, and magical delusions, and glaring misconceptions about science and nature and the universe... which can then be rationally confronted and exposed, and their preposterousness revealed.

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"The god who is reputed to have created fleas to keep dogs from moping over their situation must also have created fundamentalists to keep rationalists from getting flabby.  Let us be duly thankful for our blessings."  ~ Garrett Hardin
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Again... rational people are not trying to convert Christians... we are trying to protect people FROM Christians, and the insidious mind killing delusions and willful ignorance which they seek to spread, as if they were some kind of organized, dogmatic insanity virus.

However, rational people DO respect everyone's right, in the privacy of their own minds, to delude themselves in whatever fashion they deem fit.

Science, logic, reason, and critical thought have long been regarded (by religious people) as the enemies of religion. Considering that those are the tools of highly intelligent people, it should not come as a huge shock to learn that intelligence (or lack of it) has some connection to religious belief. In fact, there are about 40 studies, conducted over a period of 80 years or so, that reveal a statistically significant NEGATIVE CORRELATION between intelligence and religiosity. In plainer language, that means that they found that the more intelligent a person is, the LESS likely that person is to be religious.

If you think about it, those findings make a lot of sense. Intelligence tests mainly provide an indication of reasoning ability and problem solving ability... logic, reason and critical thought. These are the very qualities that see through religion, and recognize it for what it is; i.e., religion cannot survive the glaring light of reason and critical thought. This was well understood by important figures in religious history. This is why the early church destroyed all the 'tainted' (non-canonical) writings, which were in conflict with dogma... Greek philosophy, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, engineering... all the good stuff. By this means, Christianity dragged humanity directly into the Dark Ages.

Just to illustrate the point, let's see what Martin Luther, the 'father' of protestantism, had to say about 'reason' and secular knowledge:

"Reason must be deluded, blinded, and destroyed. Faith must trample underfoot all reason, sense, and understanding, and whatever it sees must be put out of sight and ... know nothing but the word of God." ~ Martin Luther

"Reason is the greatest enemy that faith has; it never comes to the aid of spiritual things, but -- more frequently than not -- struggles against the divine Word, treating with contempt all that emanates from God." ~ Martin Luther

"There is on earth among all dangers no more dangerous thing than a richly endowed and adroit reason... Reason must be deluded, blinded, and destroyed." ~ Martin Luther

"Reason should be destroyed in all Christians." ~ Martin Luther

Christianity is essentially a criminal business enterprise... in fact, it is the world's longest running and most successful Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) scam. The product they are selling is 'salvation'... and the 'pay plan' doesn't kick in until after you're dead. What a racket! FORTUNATELY, it only works on those who are gullible enough, and sufficiently lacking in critical thinking skills, to fall for it. UNfortunately, THAT accounts for about 75% of the population of the USA. (There are a lot more people who DON'T know how to think properly than there are people who DO know how to think properly.) That is why there are a lot more religious people in the USA than there are 'Free-thinkers'... including Atheists. Also, Christians are generally too dense to realize that proselytizing (spreading the 'good news') is a key element of the Christian MLM MARKETING PLAN, which was instituted after Christianity lost the political power that had previously allowed them to simply torture and kill anybody who did not comply. Now, they attempt to just pester people to death, through persistent obliviousness and obnoxiousness. If you stop to think about it, you will realize that Christians are very much like the Borg, on Star Trek Next Generation: "You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile." I would not be surprised to learn that thoughts of Christianity provided the 'creative spark' for the Borg concept.

Interestingly, statistics on supernatural beliefs count the USA on a par with backward, developing Third World nations, rather than among modern, advanced industrial powers.

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"Selling eternal life is an unbeatable business, with no customers ever asking for their money back after the goods are not delivered." ~ Victor J. Stenger

"Businesses may come and go, but religion will last forever, for in no other endeavor does the consumer blame himself for product failure."  ~ Harvard Lamphoon, "Doon" (paraphrase)

http://www.religioustolerance.org/reconstr.htm
http://home.ca.inter.net/oblio/home.htm

Answer 2

Well, obviously people "preach" on both sides of the belief wall, and neither side seems to like it. To have beliefs shoved at you, no matter what they are, even if they are close to your own personal beliefs, is obnoxious to many people.

In America, EVERYONE is aware of the "message of Jesus Christ", and if they want to hear or learn more, they know how to find the nearest church, minister, or faithful lay person, or Bible.

I am not an atheist, by the way!

Answer 3

People who believe in God do more than preach. If you haven't noticed, or studied history at all, you might be unaware of the carnage religious believers tend to wreak on each other, anyone who gets in the way, and the world in general. The Middle East, homeland of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, has been in a near-constant state of war for centuries now, because of those religions, and the violence has spread to every other continent on the planet. A shining example of the things religious believers do; George W. Bush stated that God told him to go to war in Iraq.

My motivation for "preaching," as you term it, is that I really don't want the world I live in destroyed by people who believe their own religious doctrine to the point of being willing to kill over it. You see, whether or not God exists is irrelevant. If enough people believe the world is going to end violently, live their lives accordingly, and pass that belief on to their children, they'll make it happen whether there's a powerful deity floating around out there, or not.

Thanks for your concern over my immortal soul, but that's really my concern, not yours, or anyone else's who feels compelled to preach at me. However, the state of the world we live in is everyone's concern. I preach at you in the hopes that you will realize someday that your immortal soul isn't more important the lives of the people who die in the name of religion, here and now.

Answer 4

I never preach. I never undermine. I never begrudge someone their beliefs. I just don't feel I should have to listen to someone harp about something in which I do not believe or have no interest. In less words, I refuse to discuss religion with those around me. I would hope they afford me the same courtesy.

DuckPhup...great answer. I wish I had the emotional energy to take up the quest.

Answer 5

I don't preach to people.. if a question is asked on here for my view I will give it but I do not go into questions which are looking for specific bible references or are termed christians only as they are not applicable to me. On an open board everyone has a right to their opinion. Do I believe in deities .. no.. I've looked at the same 'evidence' as yourself.. you choose belief, I choose non-belief and we are likely both happy in our choices. People can believe as they will..it is no business of mine.

Answer 6

I am a believer, and I feel the desire to remind you that by asking the question why "undermine someones faith" you are opening up a can of worms that allow others to call you names. It's ok if they try, it only strengthens your faith anyway right? If it causes you to question your faith, that too is ok, because Jesus told us to doubt and to seek the truth.

I am so thankful for Atheists because they pose questions that cause people to think for themselves instead of blindly accepting what their preacher or priest tells them in church. It is through these questions that more and more christians are reading their Bible more to try to answer those questions. So be thankful for them - in their way they are doing much good.

Answer 7

I don't preach.

But Christians are continually preaching to me.

Why are they so adamant about undermining my lack of faith?

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you ... perhaps if Christianity stopped preaching and telling everyone they were going to Hell, people would stop doing the same back to Christianity.

Answer 8

in case you think of that in the time of basic terms Atheists regard the thought of Evolution as reality, you would be incorrect. countless human beings of religion recognize the validity of the thought of Evolution. Neither Atheists nor the truthful would desire to have "faith" for the thought of Evolution, as a results of fact there's a lot of knowledge to decrease back it up. One DOES would desire to have faith to have self belief some random writer "created" the entire dang element.

Answer 9

For the same reason I try to get smokers of cigarettes or alcoholics of alcohol - because the addiction is bad for you. The addiction of religion is bad, and if I can help one person see that, and ween them from their mindless sheeplike following, I will make the world a better place.

Religion, and especially christianity, is a serious mental disease.

Answer 10

Why do Christians insist on preaching to the rest of us that there IS a God (particularly YOUR god)?
My response to you is Touche'!

Answer 11

I am not an atheist but, ever hear the phrase, "You can dish it out, but you can't take it"? Christian fundamentalists have been on the attack for years now, trying to deny rights to homosexuals, trying to outlaw abortions, trying to keep women from obtaining equal rights, and trying to impose their own morals - many of them non-biblical - on the rest of society. Non-Fundamentalists are finally fighting back by speaking out against their campaigns, their media onslaughts, and their mistaken notions of truth, and the Fundamentalists don't like it very much. They can dish it out, but they can't take it. So when people of good conscience stand up for their rights, Fundamentalists cry foul play.