Why do atheists seem to know more accurate information about religion than christians.?

Question

It seems as though atheists have done more studying about religion. Churchgoers better hit the books.

Answer 1

Perhaps because an atheist who talks about a religion has probably read that religions book. A follower of a religion is just a follower and probably hasn't read the book.

Answer 2

I don't think that's actually true. Much of the information that atheists use to attack Christianity (in many cases) is inaccurate. For example, I've seen people try to say that it was Constantine who founded Christianity. That IS NOT true. Constantine simply made it a state religion, that's all. Before Constantine, Christians were highly persecuted, and Christianity was illegal.
Also, many atheists have incorrect information regarding the Council of Nicea.
Some of them use flawed logic, especially regarding certain stories in the Bible.
And there is a LARGE number of them who simply make fun of Christians, and claim that Christians are uneducated.
It IS true that more Christians should educate themselves about religion, and do so using texts OUTSIDE of the Bible. It IS true that more Christians should be able to defend their beliefs using historical, logical, and scientific methods. The reason for this is that some people NEED those sources in order to believe in God and/or the Bible. I'm one of them! Christians need to know from whence the Bible came, who the authors were, and how long it's been around. They ALSO need to know the history behind it, and how the stories were passed down orally until Moses actually penned the books that were to become known as the Torah.
Of course, even when Christians ARE educated enough to answer atheists' questions, many atheists ignore it.
Therefore, even though I believe you're HALF right, you're also HALF wrong.

Answer 3

You must understand that not all atheists are ignorant buffoons, some actually enjoy reading and confirming and verifying things, which has brought us to the one and only conclusion: there is not such thing as God, an afterlife, or any such superstitious things. Otherwise, we would be speculating on mere beliefs and suppositions based on fairy tales and what "books" were allowed to be printed (and not printed) by the committee of religious leaders that compromised, leaving some books that were supposedly ALSO inspired by God... what now comprises what we all recognize as the Bible.

If I told you something and simply said, "Because I said so," as proof or evidence when you asked me how I knew this or that to be true... what other recourse would you have but to go and do some research to prove or disprove my claim? Well, that's basically what we get most of the time; we're told that this, that and the other is "true" because it "says so in the Bible..." And if I don't believe in the Bible... shouldn't I go ahead and try to confirm and verify at the very least the minutest possibility that it may be true? And if my findings show me that it is not true... what should I do, keep quiet and continue to believe things I now know are not true? That doesn't seem logical, does it?

What if I told you that Judas was not a betrayer and that I read the translation of his Gospel discovered some time ago... but the translation was kept from public by religious meddling and intrigue and other similar events? You'd find it hard to believe, right? And if I showed you the original text in Aramaic, and I let YOU seek out scholars that have dedicated their entire lives to translating and dealing with artifacts... and the same conclusion was told to you... but your church leaders told you, "Don't read that blasphemous nonsense!", then what would you do? Believe those that are possibly deceiving you and preventing you from knowing the truth, or those that are possibly so fanatical in their beliefs that they refuse to now believe the new findings that would show that Judas was only doing JC's bidding and following his orders...? OR, would you only believe your religious leaders blindly... even if they're capable of making mistakes as we humans are also known to do on occasion, or capable of lying for whatever personal agendas they may have?

Many so-called religious people do not even know the whole story behind Constantine. They believe that he legalized Christianity or that he made it the State religion when all he did was allow all religions to co-exist and flourish in his day; he was not a Christian; he was baptized on his deathbed. He had great political ideas and he quickly learned that the Christians meant no harm when they were basically spreading the love and peace. He merely gathered Christian leaders and ordered them to arrive a some agreement so that they would cease their differences and squabbling amongst them and write one definitive Holy Book that they could all agree upon (it took over 20 years to get this done).

I have chosen not to believe. I am a very cynical person, a person not inclined to be easily fooled. I prefer to arrive at my own conclusions... but I choose to read everything that interests me. History, fables, myths, religious views from other people, etc. I am mostly amused how Christians resort to propaganda and slogans when questioned... never concrete evidence or proof of anything outside of the Bible... they memorize a few passages and immediately they are geniuses of their own opinions! Those are the ones that are most susceptible to the silver-tongues of such demagoguery of the Jim Joneses and Gareshes and Reverend Moons of the world, and the many TV evangelists getting rich at the expense of the gullible... and it is such a shame and waste of humanity. Can you understand that you've been indoctronated since childhood into believing something... that amounts to brainwashing, did you REALLY have a choice in the matter? You are a Christian for the same reason others are Muslims or Jews... you were born to a family that believes in something and they passed it on to you since you were an infant.

I respect YOUR choice to believe. Do YOU respect my decision not to believe? It might surprise you to know that I would also fight tooth and nail for your right, freedom and liberty to worship... if only you and others would reciprocate the same favor to those of us that do not believe in what you choose to believe...!

Answer 4

What survey or standardized test have you conducted that has caused you to reach this conclusion? You're question is nothing more than an attempt to pat yourself on the back for reading a horribly biased and agenda motivated website that takes the Bible out of context or using pieces of History to justify their hate.

Quit being a bigot. Most Christians start religious training from kindergarten. By the time they're adults they mostly reach an understanding of the Bible that is far greater than the average atheist's shallow interpretations. In my church, I had to pass a series of written tests on church History and doctrine in order to get through confirmation.

A we didn't just study a biased feel good history of the church. We dove into all the atrocities the church has committed over the years. Part of being Christian is owning up to your mistakes and confessing them before God. What kind of people would we be if we didn't try to fix the mistakes we've made in the past?

Answer 5

Alot of it has to do with searching. The believers don't search as much as we atheists because they feel they have found their answers in what they have been told in church by the pastors or priests who are supposed to know all about god and the bible. What many don't realize is that when a sermon is presented to them, the pastors/priests cut out the parts that show god as unreasonable, racist and cruel to people. They take one verse from the old testament and jump over to the new testament for the next verse that will support whatever he's trying to say. The people don't question what they are told, when it sounds good and holy to them. They just take it on faith and toss out any details that don't fit into what their idea of god or truth is.

Answer 6

Because, people outside of any religion, will look at it objectively. While those within the religion are told their writings are directly from their God, their Prophets speak for their God, etc... So they do not question anything about it. If they study it, they feel that they are doing some disservice to God in general, ignoring that even their own writings tell them not to have Blind Faith and to make sure what they do have is True.

It's alot easier to just have someone hand you your beliefs on a silver platter than it is to make sure that the platter it's being served on is really silver. *wink*

Answer 7

All you really need to know is to love Jesus. The rest is not important. Atheists know much more about christianity than christians do, but christians know the only thing that matters. Too much knowledge is not good for you if it leads you to burning in hell.

Answer 8

It's simple -- atheists are looking for proof and truth. The largest alleged sources are religion, and religion plays a huge part of the human cultural experience. We'd be remiss to totally dismiss religion.

On the flip side, we remain atheists because in studying all the religions, we still find no proof or truth -- perhaps isolated valid teachings (I am not a Christian but I believe 'love your neighbor as yourself' is a good ethic, for example), but not PROOF.

Answer 9

Exactly. It isn't in man's nature to not ask why. For those that do and try to find the answer honestly, come to inevitable conclusions. Those who don't ask honestly, will not research but will take the easiest explanation they are given. It's someone Else's fault. Don't ask the "spirit" question Christians if you can't accept the answers from the research.

Answer 10

Q: Why do atheists seem to know more accurate information about religion than christians.?

A: They don't. The just wish they did.

Answer 11

personally I'm Agnostic. I can't prove God doesn't exist, therefore, I can't be an atheist.

According to the Bible though Jesus in 1 of his parables did say he would treat those worst that said they knew him & didn't, than those that didn't know him. He didn't alaberate on why or what they were using him for.