No Insults or Snide Comments: Just a Serious Question why do Atheists hang out in the Religion Section of YA?

Question

I mean this with all respect but it is called Religion and Spritiuality two thing in which you claim not to believe in. If so why are you here. I mean there is a section for gardening on YA but I never go there becuase I don't garden. Other then to offer random insult to the religious (of any religion) why are you here?

Answer 1

Short answer we don't get as good arguments elsewhere.

Long answer: Very few questions on here are as much genuine question to spirituality as they are baits for argument or hurling insults at those of different faith.

Issues that concern you concern us also. Morality, ethics, right and wrong and how people interpret or deal with their lives interests us too. And we also wish to provide a different voice. If a Christian asks a Christian question only Christians answer, have they really learnt anything new? I am much happier with a religious person that looked at, confronted and question the reasons and justification for their faith and was STILL a christian than someone who never questioned in their life. And your scripture welcomes questioning as in when Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son for God. Many of us do not want converts, we merely want people to accept more views than their own and to provide our own voice, however small it may seem.

Answer 2

One thing that I have learned from answering questions here is that many Christians absolutely insist on seeing all of us through their very specific vocabulary and point of view.

To you, "Religion" means active faith and belief. Therefore, to you, "religion" can ONLY mean active faith and belief. Any other interpretation is invalid and may as well not exist.

That's not actually the case. Religion is a social and psychological phenomenon. Some of us are here because we're interested in that.

I also happen to know a lot about three religions and religion in general, from my own study and experience. That path has taken me to a position that you would define as atheism. Does that render my knowledge and opinion invalid?

I also happen to have read up on evolution, stemming from an excellent biology professor long ago. So when 'creationists' put forward their misconceptions of the processes of evolution, I use the opportunity to at least include a description that fits with scientific theories. I don't know if it helps to educate anyone, but at least it's there in the records.

Atheists care enough about religion to have a well-thought out and educated opinion on the matter. Why should we be excluded because we've come to a different conclusion than you?

Answer 3

Some do, but most probably do not. You have to remember that all types of questions from all categories show up at random on the main questions page where we all can see them. So when an Atheist sees a question about religion that he/she has an opinion on they offer their answer. I see those types of questions all the time and I never look in the religion area of Q/A - yet if you look closely you'll see that they were posted in the religion area. So they don't have to be hanging out in the religion area to see them.

Also, many believe religious beliefs should cease to be immune to criticism. Nowhere else in our daily discourse do we offer the same immunity to anything else. You have to realize that religion encroaches on other areas of life like politics, law, and education which effects everyone. So you can't blame an Atheist for wanting to make his voice heard.

And when you really look closely you'll actually notice that religious propaganda is much more in our faces than Atheistic opinions. So let them have their voice.

Answer 4

A person can be spiritual without being religious. Not all Atheists come to the forum to give insults. Many people are genuinely interested in an open dialog. As far as insults, most Atheists suffer more insults from so-called believers than the other way around. If we want people to be tolerant of our beliefs, we need to recognize that others have valid beliefs, too.

Answer 5

See I have no problem with those that do not believe in God coming in here and questioning those that believe. It's good to learn about different view points and if the purpose is to learn about "the other side" that's all well and good.

My problem is with those that come in here with the sole purpose of insulting, berating, chastising and generally being obnoxious to those that believe in a power greater than themselves. IMHO, it's like screaming. No one hears anything sensible you might be saying because the noise itself makes you want to tune out.
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To provide balance? Exactly what balance is provided by asking "Does anyone have a copy of the Koran? I need to take a crap." What balance is provided by asking "How can I prove the bible is full of crap"? Or "why are christians so stupid? I'm not making this up." Those are real questions I've seen here. Most recent case in point? Germany just put up a question that asked "Is it true there's an IQ monitor at the door of churches and if it's too high you get turned away?" Do you really think that adds any balance or value to a conversation..

Again it's not about objecting to those offering a different point of view. Personally I welcome those. But there's a difference between offering up a contrasting point of view and flinging unwarranted insults simply because someone's view of life differs from your own. I thought mud-slinging was only for the political parties.

Answer 6

In case you hadn't noticed, there is no seperate section for atheists. I believe that Yahoo Answers intended for all religious discussions to be lumped into this category, and that includes discussions of atheism vs. religion. I don't try to insult the religious, but when they insult me first, I consider it a free-for-all. People deserve to hear both sides of the debate. Welcome to the joys of free speech. Sure, I don't garden either, but I am interested in gardening, so every once in awhile, I will ask questions or answer questions relating to my experiences with gardening. I don't see how the religion and spirituality section is different. Besides, who made you the Yahoo police?

Answer 7

Is there a particular reason why an atheist isn't allowed to have an opinion about religion? Perhaps there should be a ban from all Christians and other religious types making comments in the Science category about creationism. Perhaps everyone who is not Gay, Lesbian, or Transgendered should be banned from commenting on that section.

Just because someone doesn't share someone else's religious views doesn't mean they aren't entitled to their opinion.

Answer 8

Since when do atheists claim not to be spiritual?
Regardless of their reasons for being here, they have just as much a right to ask questions as anyone else. Those who seem to do the majority of the insulting are christians on here.

Most christians I encounter don't take thekind of responsibility for their lives that atheists do.. christians treat it as a passing thing.. "I'm in this world but not of this world" and that absolves them from responsibility to fix what's wrong here.. pollution, starvation, war, et al.. their rewards are "in heaven" so they don't bother caring about what's happening in their lives now.

Atheists offer an alternative to belief in God. That is a very spiritual matter indeed. To them, this life is much more precious BECAUSE there is no God... this is all they have, and they make the most of it.

Answer 9

okay, just because we don't believe in god doesn't mean we don't believe in spirituality. actually there are some quetions in here that should be in humanity or friendship or myth and stuff, so actually it's not just religion and stuff. and most of the time people DON'T offer insults, they offer sincere answers that some choose to misinterpret.

oh, also, if you don't think atheist should get to go to this section why did you put a question directed at them here, where we ''shouldn't'' be?

Answer 10

Since yahoo did away with its news message boards, many people are simply looking for that forum for honest debate. The format of Y/A is not ideal for this, but there is room to get one's point across. Religion will always provide a platform for debate. No one is going to get heated up talking about how to clean gum out of hair or what shoes to wear with a brown handbag, but religion will get them whipped into a frenzy. If you check out the gay and lesbian section, you will find a lot of straight people and outright haters. If you check out questions about abortion, you will find right-to-lifers. Same thing applies to these issues.