Question for non-believers?

Question

I usually don't rule people out in my questions. But for this one I'm truly only interested in the opinions of fellow non-believers.

I'm an atheist. I've seen a lot of religious answers to my questions. And I have to admit, more and more I get the feeling that religious people use a completely different language.

I mean this with no disrespect to the religious people out there, but do you also sometimes have feelings like "WTF are they talking about?" or "How on earth can a human being even think like that?" ?

Answer 1

OK, I'm not a non-believer, but don't quit reading. I have a good point, I swear.

Religious people really do have their own dialect, but for some reason they often think that non-religious people will understand it or that they don't need to translate. It's like a doctor using medical jargon to explain a surgery or someone speaking Cockney English to an American. You'll catch part of it, but other times you'll be completely lost.

I don't like to use "church-ese" with anyone, because even if someone has an idea as to what something means, a lot of times your conceptions of the same thing are drastically different.

Answer 2

I often wonder about the lack of actual, rational logic in the majority of the religious questions and answers I read (mostly posted by Christians). Every once in a while I run into a christian that has a rational view of their religion, but not often. I guess that's what you get when you rely on faith. That's why they call it faith. There is nothing rational or logical behind it so you need to have faith.
Most Atheists (i think) have little faith in a 2000 year old book written by 2000 year old men. Sorry, I'm getting off of the subject. My point is: Atheist think and write rationally (most of the time)
and Christians think and write irrationally (most of the time)
Now don't get mad Christians, I only mean in a religious context. And you have to agree with the fact that the only way to truly accept Christianity as a whole is thru faith. Yes? Yes!

Answer 3

I am a believer, and I mean no disrespect by answering your question. Just wanted to say that often as a believer we think the same thing about non believers. Also it doesn't help that many of the believers on this site seem to answer in scripture (often in great length) which you don't believe is a ruler by which to measure truth, so what are you supposed to get from that? Or they become abusive and disrespectful and thereby make all of us look bad. There are simple non secular answers for most of your questions. And if they are answered correctly and reasonably and heard by an open mind on your part than you might understand us better. Unfortunatly most Christians are not being taught this approach. I am sorry for the bad experiences, please know you are not the only one frustrated by them. Some Christians are too.

Answer 4

Hahahaha only all the time. It seems as if the synapses occurring in the brain are sort of randomly firing. There's just no way to connect the dots. "I believe this, this and this, therefore that, that and that have to be true"
But look the overwhelming majority of people have had their beliefs hardwired into their brains from early childhood. If YOU had been raised in a Muslim family, and it happened to be a fanatical family, right now, instead of sitting there in front of your computer just being who you now are, you'd probably be facing east, kneeling on your prayer mat with your behind in the air, before going home to brew up a few bombs. Evvvvery religion has its regular, mainstream pretty decent believing members who do NOT go about ranting and carrying on and telling other folks they are going to writhe in hell for Eternity. And if we, ourselves, want to be considered reasonable and rational human beings, we've got to guard against allowing ourselves to tar everybody of any particular religion with the same brush.... just based on the wackoes we get to know about. THEY (the reasonable ones) are themselves embarrassed by the wacko element
It's long been a saying of mine that every single human being on the planet has the inalienable right to be the owner of his own mind, and the master of his own thinking and believing. BUT before you can be the master of anything, you truly DO have to be the owner of your own mind. Those people who don't even seem able to enter into an intelligent dialogue about their beliefs, but can only parrot biblical passages, and rant on about how they KNOW they are right and anyone who thinks a different way is obviously misguided and wrong.... They are NOT the owners of their own mind. If they were, they would be able to respectfully listen to what others have to say who think differently. Atheists are always being accused of trying to "corrupt the minds" of believers. Heck, I didn't come down with the last shower of rain, and as long as I have been a full-grown, self-determining adult, the only people I ever ran into trying to "convert" others to their way of thinking and believing, have been the hard-core religionists trying to convert the "atheists" and the "undecided"
If only everybody would just go on about his own business, living his own life by whatever belief system he has decided was right for him, and simply leave others to enjoy that same inalienable right that the real fanatics are themselves are so militant about, I truly believe that we really could all, just "get along"
.

Answer 5

I understand where they are coming from since I grew up in the church. You believe what you are told, and there is no reason to question it. It is similar to a kid's belief in Santa and Easter bunny. I can understand how senior citizens can think that way, since they were not exposed to the facts about evolution when they were in school. I can't understand how people in their 20s and up who are taught about evolution can still believe that a big man is floating around in the sky.

I really cannot comprehend their complete lack of logic. My own logic is what made me stop believing in christianity. I often wonder what is the average IQ of the religious people. I mean, it is one thing to believe as you were always told, but it is another to refuse to see logic when it is right in front of your face. Kids believe in Santa and the Easter bunny until their brain is able to think logically about it, then the belief stops.

Answer 6

HA! Totally!
I was just reading the thread "god???" with people wondering whether god is real. One person literally said he knows for a fact that god is real. Now... if there was any one single fact out there that did support that... I'd be a believer. But there's not.

People need faith and that's fine. But not only do I find it mystifying to believe in the Santa of the Heavens, I'm continually shocked that believers are the most judgemental people ever. If God is the ultimate and final judge, lay off.

Answer 7

I understand how people can accept their religious beliefs as undeniable fact. What I can never understand is how some "believers" can claim that they are bewildered by those who don't accept the Bible. These few people seem to think that there's no flaw in the following logic: I know the Bible is true because the Bible tells me that it's true, and I know that I can trust the Bible's opinion because, as I stated earlier in the sentence, I know the Bible is true.

Answer 8

i'm also an atheist, and sometimes i do feel like there is something very wrong with some of the beliefs that other people hold. sometimes they just sound highly irrational to me, and i wonder, 'how could you possibly believe that?' or 'how could that possibly make sense to you?' but i guess some people can just rationalize away anything that makes them uncomfortable.

i don't think they have a different language, i think we just have a hard time understanding their view or their argument because it seems so irrational to us.

Answer 9

I was just reading someone's answer about the blood of Jesus. This is sick. This is scary. They rejoice in someone's murder, and care more about the death than the life. They talk about God demanding a sacrifice because the humans "he" created are so inherently evil. These people are so brainwashed, they don't even have a clue how perverse their thinking is. I am so glad I can't understand them. If I did, I would have to be as crazy as they are.

Answer 10

Im not an atheist considered it but i couldnt do it, too many personal experiences with the paranormal, However when it comes to christianity and islam i stand side by side with the atheist because i dont agree with christian ideas of whats moral and ethical, nor a muslim's I am also an ex christian, dont rule me out as an outcast because im Pagan, It whouldnt be right.