Why do people have this misconception about atheists / atheism?

Question

I've seen quite a few comments and questions in the direction of "why do atheists hate god?".

How did thid come about and if you think this way I'd like to know why!

Believe it or not, I do respect your opinions! So please let me know what you think.

I'm an atheist - that means I don't believe in a god(s). It's that simple. It's not that I think there is one and I don't like / hate it - I don't think there is one. This is due to the complete lack of proof.

Answer 1

This is taught in church. They are told that atheists are angry at god, or have been hurt by the church, and need help. They also say that any former Christian who becomes an atheist, never really knew god. (How they came up with that one is beyond me)

This is the way of the Christian church. They don't speak the truth. They simply paint the picture that serves them best. If you want to hear something funny, ask one of the Christians (any of them) here on YA, to describe the process of evolution.

You'll laugh your *** off at the responses. They'll regurgitate the same lies that their preacher told them about that, too. (How a fish walked out on land, and gave birth to a monkey, etc)

I remember this same propaganda from when I was one of them. It's truly amazing that they get away with this. But, when you have strength in numbers, just about anything is possible, I suppose.

Answer 2

The misconception comes from the lack of information on the subject. Most "Christians" hear Atheist and they assume that because you are Atheist you are Against all that we believe.

One of the reasons that this might be is that it is "believed" that all people are raised in faith and that some such as yourself choose to deny the existance of God or anyother deity for that matter. The Excuse that an Atheist is a freethinker and has determined that God does not exist through life experiance and science is used quite a bit and causes those of us who are of faith to make the assumption (false though it may be) that you deny Gods existance because of something tramatic that happened to you or others like you that caused a questioning of faith and eventual fall from belief.

This may or may not be true but that is what is perceived by those of Faith.

To believe does not mean that you need to have proof. lets use a dark room for example... With the light on you can see that there is a Chair in the right corner of the room but when the light is off you can not see it, you have no proof that it is there. Only what you originaly saw. You believe that it is there because you have "Proof" (you saw it there a moment ago) but if I turn on the light you now see it in the left corner. Does this mean that the Chair didn't exist in the right corner or that you can no believe in the Chair because you don't have proof that it was there in the first place? What I am trying to point out is that sometimes you just have to take things on faith (that the Chair is in the right corner) even though you can not see it does not mean that it is'nt there and if when the light is turned on you see the Chair then wouldn't that make what you took on faith worth while (even if it moved from where you thought it should be)

Every one believes differently and to not believe in a God because no proof exists only means that with out seeing the chair in the right corner when the light comes back on you can't believe in the Chair because you have no proof.

I want to close with this. Whats worse To believe in something that you can't prove or have proved what you don't believe. especially when if your wrong in your lack of belief you can't change your story but by believing you leave a door open that will never open if you don't

hope this sheds some light on both why and what we believe and why Christians think you "hate" God...

I am pretty sure I understand where you are comming from and hope that I have answered your question in a way that makes sense.

sorry for trying to "convert" but I hope what i said made a little sense as to why some Christians believe.

Answer 3

Finally... a reasonable Atheist chap...

From what I know of Atheists (academically)...they do'nt want to believe in a God for various reasons...but all stem from a general belief that there is no diety to worship in the first place due to yeah...a lack of conclusive scientific or logical proof.

The problem though has two sides which I will elaborate briefly on. These are:

On the Atheist side...some of your fellow atheists are not content with just living their lives as they should...but they go so far as to insult and belittle the faiths of the believers (me included). I personally dont care about the evidence for no God...because I know and dealt with it too...but that does not give anyone the license to bash believers for "being sheep" although this is true of some lesser people. This leads then to people thinking that Atheists hate God or something like that

On the Theist (mostly Christian/Muslim) side...some of us are so self-righteous and high-horse that they feel it is their imperative to insult (and unintelligently insult I may add) the atheists for their convictions...and even scoff at some perfectly sensible ideas and evidences of some good atheists.

In the end...we all (Theists and Atheists) have something to blame for this malady...

A Catholic Christian and proud of it I am...

Answer 4

Atheists say "there is not any god" No, atheism is basically the inability of conception. some atheists (noted as "good atheists") say that... yet many say that a god might want to exist, they basically lack conception till there is further data. Atheists are in league with devil No, atheists lack conception in god... this will also mean that they lack conception in devil. Atheists haven't any morality No, morals come out of your mum and dad, your society & way of existence. there have been a great number of civilizations that worshipped supposedly "pretend gods" and yet, that they had morality. what sort of morality might want to a pretend god supply that an atheist couldn't improve rationally and logically? Atheists devour children. No. i do not comprehend the position this atrocious and evil theory got here from. Atheist do no longer devour children. they're far too stringy. We want children. Atheists are basically indignant at god No, we will be indignant at followers or maybe at a faith... even with the undeniable fact that it really is perplexing to hate something you do not believe in.

Answer 5

Well, if a person of God tells an atheist that he hates him/her, know that he is not a true follower. The path to God (aka religion) has as its underlying priciple, the concept of Universal Love, which defines the relationship the followers of a religion have with their chosen God and with their fellow beings. Hatred, I believe is not presribed in any of the religions.

Having said that, as an atheist you must understand that you are shallow in asking proof based on scientific method. The entire scientific method is built on the foundation of the senses and on what can be observed and measured.

Let me put this in another way, assuming you were the only one with the gift of eyes ie. the sense associated with vision amongst a world of blind people and you tried very hard to describe and explain to them the different colours like red, blue and green you see, you must understand that on the foundation of what they can observe they do not have any proof to validate what you are saying.

It is the same with athiests in that they are a sense short. And what that means, we know we exist as different bodies - commonly referred to as body, mind and spirit.

Is there a way for science to measure the way of the spirit? Can science measure love? Can science measure faith? To understand these concepts you must leap beyond the limitations of the senses and stop functioning from a physical and materialistic point of view.

Religion, in its true essence, is a path that enables man to make this transition. It offers a path for man attached to his body and senses, to transition into the plane of the spirit, where Love reigns supreme.

Science today is aware that energy is immanent in each and every corner of the universe, and that a not a speck in the universe exists without this energy. It does not take long for one to discern that this energy works in a very controlled, precise, intelligent manner and is not a random accident that caused the universe. A mere observation of nature will also enable you to see the myriad manners in which this energy exists in harmony and is life supportive. One may arrive at the conclusion that this energy is controlled. The source that controls this energy is often referred to as God by the various religions.

And since it pervcades everywhere and is capable of anything, nothing is beyond its ken and its power. The ability to transcend the physical senses and start a commuion with the source of this energy will also allow you to see some positive tangible benefits that seem to support the existense of such a source.

In order for that happen, one needs to make an assumption in a similar fashion to those that are used in mathematics when a theory or formula is postulated. That assumption in the spritual realm is called Faith. When one sets this assumption, called Faith in motion and start communing with the source of energy, the theory called religion can be proved based on the assumption each individual has taken on personally.

Good Luck! And really, dont take it from a believer when he says that he hates an atheist.

Answer 6

I think people who have a very firm conviction about the existence of God and cannot fathom the validity of any other view see the negativity towards the CONCEPT of religion as hatred of God. What they fail to see is that on cannot hate what one does not believe to exist.

As a theist, I can say that I do not believe in "hell," and I have no emotion about it whatsoever. I do, however, have a viseral response to being told that I'm going there.

Answer 7

From my on POV, I don't hate Atheist anymore than they "hate" God. More than anything, & please don't take this the wrong way, I feel pity for those who don't believe.

Atheists/Agnostics have their own morals & values, sure, but where did they come from? Some inward sense of right & wrong?

The Bible tells us that every person has an innate understanding and knowledge of his Creator. So the decision to not believe goes against human nature.

As for "proof"? It's already in you (others). All you have to do is believe.

Answer 8

Easy, because everone that have different poit of view from the believers will get a label as evil. No one like to be claimed as evil. Just one of marketing way of the religious people

Answer 9

Preach it sista!!!! How can you hate something that you don't think exits. Thats like me hating the Easter Bunny and putting my whole existence into it by ripping his image off Walmart walls and yelling at children with baskets.

Come on people. RESPECT!!!!!

Also, you don't have to be religious to have morals or even to learn lessons of the Bible (which I think is written by wise (and superstitious) men)

Answer 10

I do not hate Atheist or believe that Atheist hate what they don't believe in BUT Atheist will be our undoing. As a group they seek to change the laws of God that have made our Nation strong. Morality and mans humanity to man is what will be crushed. The ideals of our God.

The declaration of Independence and every States charters have evoked the name of God. Our founding g Fathers were God fearing people.

The words around Congress, Even separation of Church and state, was to protect the church.

Most of our older cities were called parishes not cities.
The parish of Newark NJ etc.


My feelings are thus, God is not for everyone, even many who are called are not chosen. We seem to be trading places with Russia.

Freedom and democracy is not the birth child of atheism , but of God.