Do you enjoy the presence of atheists in R&S ? Why , or why not ?

Answer 1

Yes. It takes the edge off of the rampant irrationality and dogmatism.

Answer 2

Enjoy can be a stretched word at the times, but not only about the presence of Atheists. We all have right to be here. We should respect that right of all of us, and try to be good to each others. : )

Answer 3

I totally enjoy the presence of atheists in R&S. In general, they are intelligent, well-read and give educated answers to questions.
They also have a fantastic sense of humor :)
Most of them present their views without feeling the need to "defend" anything, and are quite tolerant in allowing the beliefs of others (given that others have actually come to an intelligent decision about their beliefs based on study, rather than what they are told is "truth").

Answer 4

I enjoy their presence because this is where I learned about their religion. I thought that atheists were 'devil worshipers' until I started asking questions and got some answers from REAL people instead of books and websites. They've also been helpful in other personal areas, like testing my faith and so on. Sometimes they can even be a little humorous.

I say, they're fine by me! =)

Answer 5

Generally speaking, yes, I'm happy they are here.

Maybe that's because I'm not in an evangelizing religion; maybe that's because I'm not in a religion that claims to have the "only one true way"; maybe that's because I'm just personally more open to uncertainty and questioning.

I'm not particularly bothered on the rare occasions that an atheist pops into a question directed towards Pagans and says that it's all bunk. And since we Pagans don't tend to react by evangelizing, they don't tend to persist or escalate.

The only thing that I'd change,if I could, is the tendency of SOME atheists to make comments that purport to know me better than I do myself - comments about my motivations for believing what I believe. And that applies across the board, not just to atheists, it applies to ANYONE who assigns insulting motivations to others for their belief or non-belief.

Answer 6

Yes, I enjoy having atheists in this forum, and also Muslims, Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Druids, agnostics, and any other practicers of other religions. It enriches the overall philosophic discourse that I look to this forum to provide. I don't expect to hear the one truth that will change my life forever, but I do expect to be made to think in new ways. One cannot do that without new ideas. The more plurality the better!

Answer 7

Yes, I enjoy an honest exchange of ideas. Many of the atheists here are quite pleasant and sincere in their beliefs, even if I don't agree with them. There are a few irrational Don Quixote types, but I just ignore them, and concentrate on civil discourse with the others.

Answer 8

I do. There's no single source for all of the answers pertaining to God...including a Christian's opinion. I've learned as much from atheists as I have from religious folks. Learning something is very different than finding the truth...and not everything we learn is necessarily "right."

Answer 9

Yes. It's good to see some thoughtful honesty, and they do have some funny comments. This place would be pretty much pap without the atheists.

Answer 10

In general I do, because they offer some interesting insights.

I don't enjoy people on EITHER side of the discussion who are more interested in insulting and attacking someone than in presenting their opinions for discussion.