Athiests, a genuine rational question, rational answers please!!!?

Question

Hey guys. Look, I'm a Catholic, admittedly not the best Catholic in the world, i mean, the whole no contraception and no sex before marriage could have severe repercussions on the social life. To be honest, in Ireland at least, most Catholics are like that.

Anyway, I'm a lawyer, not a scientest, but i have an excellent understanding of astrophysics, including the big bang, and evolution. I am as frustrated as you are reading the answers of these crazy people saying evolution doesn't exist, and that viruses are caused by sin. In fact, I am actually reading the God Delusion by Richard Dawkins at the moment, cos I want to see why he is such a firm advocate of Atheism.

My question, however, is how come you feel the need to knock down people's faiths? You have the right to choose to be atheist, and i fully appreciate that right and that belief. Why can't you appreciate the fact that people are entitled to their faith irrational or not? I know not all atheists here are like that though

For crying out loud, you can be scientific and religious at the same time. Read some of my other questions.

Answer 1

Ah, I see, the question is "what's your problem with faith?"

It's detrimental. It causes people to behave irrationally and legislate irrationally. It is NOT a valid epistemological procedure. It allows dogmatic certainty in the absence of any justification and evidence.

Answer 2

When you're done with Dawkins, read "The End of Faith" by Sam Harris. It will give you some idea where I come from. Faith is not harmless, and certain aspects of religious faith are alarming and repugnant to me. That is why I challenge faith. I wonder if people who claim to have it really do have it, or are posturing. I wonder if they have decided to accepted certain claims as "truth" when, if they just thought about it, they would realize that they don't really believe them. I wonder if they were indoctrinated into religion as children, and have never questioned it.

While I do appreciate that people are entitled to their faith, their faith informs their actions and the way they view and treat other people, and that is not acceptable and I have every right to knock it down. That would be like saying that it's not ok to knock the Klan because they believe that white people are superior to blacks, Jews, etc. Well, Christians are saying that those who don't share their beliefs and live their way are going to Hell, that they will be 'chosen' over others, and that is also a separatist and supremacist attitude. I find it no less offensive to read what a Christian writes than to read what a Klansman writes, and I will challenge it as often as possible.

Answer 3

I dont have any problem with people having faith. We all do what we have to do to get by. I am not an "evangelical" atheist. What does bother me is the way that fundementalists are trying to take over our country. (The USA) It is amazing some of the stuff that happens here. Let me give you some examples. I am a very serious bird watcher. I work as a volunteer at a bird refuge here in Texas. When I am doing educational work I am not supposed to use the word "evolve" when describing adaptations that birds use. I live in Texas. I can not hold a public office in this state because I do not believe in God. Our schools are not allowed to teach solid science. The WORST one is I can not buy a bottle of wine on Sunday before noon because I am supposed to be in church! (OK, its not the worst one, but it bugs me)

You sound like a thinking person. I appreciate that. I have known many extremely intelligent catholics. I respect that.

Answer 4

Most are simply rebellious or angry with religion because they are less fortunate than others. The leading cause of atheism is called envy. The lesser known cause however is called knowledge. Judeo-Christianity and the younger knock off Islam have created such an intolerance for other's beliefs that its ridiculous. If you don't agree, look at the continual genocides the Jews committed on pagan civilizations according the the five books of laws where they'd even kill the house pets and farm animals because their intolerance was so deep. The Christians histories, especially the darks ages where knowledge was made a crime, are much better known and are also responsible for the crimes of Judaism. Islam being the youngest due to Christianity being an extension of Judaism can still be considered in its infant years in comparison and is really done little to separate itself form its predecessors. To add to this simply tell a Christian your not one, he won't usually tell you of his god's love first but of your consequence for not believing. I am an existentialist so i have had much experience in this. Next as religion cries of persecution, they persecute others. The Christian Coalition as well as Catholicism are notorious for this. The try to push their way into politics, as the U.S. for instance lives up to the meaning of freedom by removing its Christian roots from government, the religious populace are in an uproar. Freedom of religion does not mean you religious practices be force upon others. Lastly the insults of being told were lost or blind because we don't rely on a faith is enough to anger anyone, especially when that person knows less of their religion than you do. I can ask you, in light of all this, can you honestly believe you'd feel differently if the shoe were on the other foot.

Answer 5

I'm closer to an agnostic, but I believe I can answer this question.

I never feel the need to knock down other people's faiths. People need something to believe in sometimes; it's a need that has always been there. Belief in a god is like a belief in a perfect parent, one that will always listen and once you die, you are promised eternal life. What more can you ask for?

However, I get extremely frustrated sometimes by people who automatically get angry when I say I'm an atheist. I now say I'm an agnostic just so people will leave me alone.

Many religious people I know understand that whether you believe or not is a personal decision and I, in turn, try to respect others in matters of religion.

Answer 6

The real problem is not Atheists but Christians who feel threatened by the fact that others do not hold the same beliefs as they do. Christians have been known to be everything but Christians. They have no tolerance for people who do not believe in God.

Christians are stll very violent in this regard. No different than radical Muslims. If they actually believed in God, that he is all knowing, all powerful, then they would let him sort it all out. Instead they profess that their God told them to commit muders in his name; how absurd. "Thou shalt not kill," there is no foot note, no special instrctions that non believers must be harrassed or killed.

It is wishful thinking to hope that man will change. He his forever doomed to repeat his violent behavior. To destroy what he fears most; all that is different than himself. But it has always been this way. Christians have killed far more than any other religion. The Spanish Inquisition, The trials in Salem and all across europe to get rid of "witches." We all know that there were no witches, just harmless old women whom men wanted to get out of the Medical business. Midwives and the like. Also those who had a grudge against their neighbor and wanted to steal their land.

So when you ask why Atheists knock religion, it's not that they knock it. They do respect other beliefs. What Atheists do not like is when their belief is not respected and their lives are threatened.

If Christianity is to survive Christians will have to learn to respect other beliefs. All religions need to do this. They are all guilty of intolerance.

Answer 7

I think when it's all said and done, there will not be any right or wrong answers regarding faith.

Many people take comfort in the fact that there is a higher being.
Some religions have one God while other have many Gods.

Who's right? Who's wrong? We may never know for certain.

But I will not belittle anyone for standing up for their core beliefs and values. Religion is a learned behavior after all.

Answer 8

We all live in this world together and so the actions of one person/group affects other people/groups.

I feel the need to put down other people's faith with rational scientific facts because their faith affects their actions, which affects me in a negative way and on a huge scale.

For example: Gays cannot marry, women (in some counrties) are not even allowed to decide what happens to their bodies regarding abortion... we cannot choose euthanasia, we must wait for nature (and some people claim God) to take us, no matter how long we suffer.

Answer 9

THat's because you are Catholic,

You are reading crap from dumb American aka "fundamentalist Christians".

Bible Literalists, evangelicals, "born agains",

The Catholic church I don't think ever denied evolution.
I went to Catholic school for 8 years and we were taught evolution as fact.

What you don't understand is that these american fundamentalists actually have a lot of political influence in our Country.
They actually want to change public school science text books and inject faith based hogwash into it.

Unless you live with these people, as we do, you can't fully appreciate what we have to put up with. Some people become militant atheists because they are usually oppressed in public life and vent on the internet with our resentment and seething hatred for the bible thumpers who look for any opportunity to shove their religion down your throat. Meanwhile, if you express your views (in public that is), it's completely unacceptable--you can lose or damage relationships, lose even employment.

Answer 10

Why exactly is it that religious beliefs should be hermetically sealed from rational scrutiny? This doesn't apply to any other type of human ideas.

I'm happy to leave people's private views alone, but as soon as they translate into a public agenda it is not only fair but essential to expose them to scrutiny and rational criticism.

It works both ways, though: sometimes when I look at other people's religious beliefs critically I can actually learn something from them.

Answer 11

it could be that after hundreds of years of torture , humiliation & murder we are able to come out , at least here i the us . google sam harris famousatheists.com or celebertyatheists .com & see how religion has supressed our coming out . even gays are ahead of us on the social acceptability list & it's all due to religious supresion . by the way i was raised roman catholic , didn't beleive & was treated horribly in cathoilc school for by nonbeleifs , so my experience is first hand . write me at [e-mail] if you'd care to discuss this further . an honest , kind humanitarian & devout atheist , tp mullin