Why are some non-religious people so arrogant?

Question

I always see posts where someone will remark about religious people being unthinking. Why? Is this a stereo-type people have bought into without thinking about it? Many of the worlds greatest thinkers in Philosophy and Science have been deeply religious, how does that tie in? If someone disagrees with a major current scientific theory, does that mean they didn't think about it? Did everyone who does believe in a current theory think through all of the challenges to and implications of the theory? If not, are they just unquestioning herd followers themselves? I wonder what makes a person so self-sure cocky about their own beliefs that they ridicule others. Isn't this non-thinking, follow-the-crowd mentality? If there is a consensus among scientists about a certain subject, at a certain time, that make it unquestionable to the point that disbelief is a personal shortcoming or heresy? Are the strongest adherents to current scientific thought just zealots too? Seriously?

To MeatBot: Thank you, you seemed to take me seriously. I know it goes both ways, I was trying to stir thought on both sides.
You say "Most Christians don't question their faith" but you don't provide any source for this assertion. I know hundreds of Christians, and most of them have deeply questioned their faith at some point. You also don't say how you know most atheists came to be so by thinking it through. I once was a solid atheist (with a master's in physics), then I thought it through! Exactly what 'evidence' is there that PROVES (in a scientific sense of course) that God doesn't exist?
You also say appealing to authority for the validity of scientific belief is o.k because most don't have the training to question these beliefs on their own, but would you look down on a Christian that appeals to the authority of many renowned theologians when confronting aspects of their faith they don't fully understand? What is the difference? Thanks.

Answer 1

"Why are some non-religious people so arrogant? "
-- some people are just arrogant. Arrogance is not limited to atheism.

"I always see posts where someone will remark about religious people being unthinking. Why? Is this a stereo-type people have bought into without thinking about it?"
-- Most Christians do not question their faith. Yes, it's a stereo-type. It's also true. Most Atheists have bought into it because of the evidence, not without thinking.

"Many of the worlds greatest thinkers in Philosophy and Science have been deeply religious, how does that tie in?"
-- They havd the ability to think critically but chose not to apply that skill to their religious views.

"If someone disagrees with a major current scientific theory, does that mean they didn't think about it?"
-- not necessarily.

"Did everyone who does believe in a current theory think through all of the challenges to and implications of the theory?"
-- no

"If not, are they just unquestioning herd followers themselves?"
-- Some are. Most people don't have the training to think through each theory and need to refer to experts in the field who use the scientific method, but not those who don't.

"I wonder what makes a person so self-sure cocky about their own beliefs that they ridicule others. Isn't this non-thinking, follow-the-crowd mentality?"
-- No. There are just as many who jumped on the "let's all be friends" bandwagon.

"If there is a consensus among scientists about a certain subject, at a certain time, that make it unquestionable to the point that disbelief is a personal shortcoming or heresy?"
-- To some people, but not to most scientists. They realize the error in thinking that way.

"Are the strongest adherents to current scientific thought just zealots too? Seriously?"
-- Sometimes. If so, that's bad. String theory comes to mind.

Answer 2

I'm glad you put SOME in your question and my feeling is that it isn't just religion that makes people arrogant.
The entire term reeks of insecurity. I think that the people who come off as arrogant are the ones that are the most insecure in their answers but have nothing to hold onto.
Science is only exact to a point, as another answerer here said, Issac Newton was extremely religious but, his ideas were questioned by Einstein which turned out well because we now have the theory of relativity. You can't define arrogance within a math problem and you can't exclude religious people from it either.
Arrogance is strictly a human trait devoted to masking ones insecurity in ones beliefs.

Answer 3

I think its because so much of religion requires rejecting scientificly proven facts in favor of the word of man. Let's face it, men recorded the bible and thus, it is subject to errors. Some parts of it (particularly in the old testament) completely fly in the face of scientific reasoning. Two of every animal on an arc? Are you including blue whales and giant squids? If so, how is that possible, taking into account their mammoth size? Hair that makes you strong? God creating Eve from Adam's rib? Well, if Adam came first then why did he have nipples?

Also, why do these magical things never happen today? There are just too many common sense questions about the old testament, and some non religious people are unsatisfied with the answers provided by the super religious zealots - "You've just got to believe". They utter this phrase like a mantra to cover all of these questions, no matter how legitimate. It begins to sound as though they have been taught, or led, to say it whenever something about the bible or their religion bears questioning, and NOT like they have been really giving the questions a lot of THOUGHT. That's why unreligious people have a problem with it. But as far as being arrogant, I think that's just impolite! People should express their opinions in a civil manner.

Answer 4

The atheists do not own that title. I know they would like to claim it, but they can't. It's just a theory that the non-religious are arrogant. It's not a fact! And we love them anyway!

Now as for "zealots" or one who is zealous to a fanatic degree, it does seem the more degrees behind the name the less capable the non-religious is of saying "I could be wrong." Now, since they can't be wrong, it is always easy to say God is wrong or God's Word is wrong or the Bible is wrong or the Creation Scientist is wrong. Now if this scientific theory we are talking about is Darwin's evolution theory and the world has gone through the false missing links, the stories written on a pig's tooth as a piece of fraudulent literature, Pilt Down man and a fraudulent skull, and a Monkey to Man chart posted all over the world as truth - THEN how can we pay serious attention to these scientists? Your question is ON THE MARK. And my statement is with great respect for these highly educated scientists, even if it may not sound like it.

Answer 5

You've asked a lot of questions. There are plenty of types of non-religious people, but the ones that subscribe to the use of scientific method and consensus of the scientific community really have a reason to be arrogant about matters of physical world. It really is the strongest method to discover what can be said to be actually true in this world. There are several caveats to this. Science really can not say much about whether there is a higher power. And people that accept scientific answers do work on faith, but it is a faith that the scientific method has been followed to arrive at the answers. For instance, scientists have told us about elementary particles called quarks. I accept on faith that these things exist, although I can not personally work through the mathematics and the logic that tells us that they must exist. Most of what anyone learns from science, they will not personally verify by digging into the research. But this faith comes from a very different place than faith from religious authority. It comes from knowing that the scientific method is sound, that results are published and peer-reviewed, and a corrections can be made by other scientists, unlike religious dogma, which has no method of review. So some of that ********* is deserved.

Answer 6

You are right, and though I am not religious, I try not to be arrogant about it. I think that many people who are not religious have read more about religions and so perceive themselves smarter than those who haven't. Not all religious people are ignorant, and some interesting philosophy has been written by Christians.

Answer 7

Arrogance is a two way street. Disrespect is a two way street also. Basically to get respect people need to give respect. Oh and what about some of the religious folks who go around insulting non religious folks as being immoral or better yet having our morals from Satan.

Answer 8

I have found that there are two types of non-religious people. The Thoughtful Atheist is an intelligent person, thoughtful, able to graciously explain their position on why they believe that God does not exist. This is generally rooted in the position that unless it can be imperically measured, it either does not exist or does not matter.

The other type, and the one I think makes up the bulk of the arrogant types you are commenting on, are what I call the Anti-Religionists. They tend to hold the position that they know better than "people of faith", that they are more mature since their world view is not based on something they consider to be little more than made up stories. Science is generally their religion, and they tend to dismiss out of hand anything that would suggest a higher power; miracles, prophesy, planes of existance other than this one, etc. Thus, they tend to hold religious people, and Christians in particular, in contempt.

While I disagree with both groups, I much prefer the Thoughtful Atheists. They tend not to allow debate to degrade into name calling and usually have a fair measure of respect of people like me who have a different opinion than they do.

Answer 9

First of all non-religious people just do not have a religion that they will as you say "follow like the herd".I am not willing to put all my faith into a book or books that were written when science was considered heresy.That is not "cocky" my friend, that is just using the brain your creator gave you.If you believe in a religion that's fine,but you are like the "herd" following a belief you cannot know is right-simply put it's been almost 2000 years and that BIBLE or Quaran has been rewritten so many times and was written by MEN not God.

Answer 10

Im not a religious person and I am not arrogant. Everyone has the right to believe in anything they want to.