Why do atheists assume Christians are brainwashed?

Question

First off, i have NO problems with atheists, so get that out of ur head right now. Whenever someone's asked why they're an atheist, a lot of them say "because i'm not brainwashed by the church"... it's like they think the church is like evil or something, what has the Pope done to you, and the world?... except stand as an idol for peace and love. And please... don't feel obligated to say @sshole crap that u wouldn't say to my face.
.....keep the peace.....

Yeah, i remember the crusades, the witch hunts/trials, and all that other crap... i go to a Catholic school and they teach us about it IN DEPTH, so we can learn from the mistakes of people who've been dead for hundreds of years. I also remember Christians running soup kitchens for the poor people, rebuilding Europe after WWI, missionaries like Mother Theresa devoting their entire lives to selfless deeds for suffering people, Pope John Paul the Great (II) forgiving and emracing the guy who tried to kill him (who was Muslum by the way), should i go on?... That's the problem w/ people like u, u only focus on the bad things people of the Church have done. Ya know, we ARE human. Look throughout history, there are plenty of horrific things done by none Christians as well, but i dont see u talking about them. Again:
.....keep the peace.....

Well, Catherine E., i dont know kind of Christians ur constantly in contact with, but in my school, my teacher who's a priest, says that since God gave us free will, we're supposed to question his existance. He told us that in questioning his existance, we use our free will to its greatest extent. So my point being that NO ONE can be damned to hell because of their faith or beliefs, but only their moral acts towards other people. The sad part is, the people who ARE brainwashed don't even know it. And also note, that the hierarchy of the church and the Pope do not make attempts to "brainwash" people, the corrupt clergymen manipulate the Bible and the Pope's judgement into what THEY want it to be.
yeah... sort of a rant, i know.

Answer 1

Well thankfully not ALL Atheists feel this way. Just as not ALL Christians feel Atheists are brainwashed or stupid. I have found, from reading some of the Q and A's on here that most of the ones who use words such as:Brainwashed,Cult,False,Stupid,etc. do so becuase they have little to nothing to fall back on as their main argument. I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Often when questions are asked about my beliefs the very ones who claim to be comfortable with their own beliefs spend time using the above mentioned phrases. When they do, I rarely see any intelligent comments attached. It is remeniscent of kids on a playground calling each other Doody head. All it does is make them seem scared and dimwitted.

Answer 2

What has the Pope done to me or the world, except stand as an idol for peace and love? Let's see... the crusades, the BRAINWASHING of an entire era to believe that pagans worship satan and murder small animals, the protection of child molestors, the witch hunts, and the list goes on. I have never said that Christians are brainwashed. But the Christians I talk to on a daily basis (and live with, actually) have stated that doubting is a sin. As a result, they never read about other possibilities, never entertain the notion that they might be wrong, and would rather me not either. Existentialism is a philosophy that basically holds each person accountable for everything that he does, says, feels, and is. And every time I've shared what I'm reading about it with a Christian, it launches into a debate where they basically tell me that either a) philosophy is a waste of time, because the Bible and God already answer all the questions, or b) they are offended that I don't believe the way they believe. Every small thing ends up being about their religion. No choices seem to be made without it. And, being as there are numerous religious leaders who take political stances, the church as a whole seems to take the seem stance, based on the Bible. Everything is already thought out for them, everything is answered by their book, and there is no way they could dispute it or even look into other possibilities. It does sound a lot like brainwashing.

Answer 3

The best way that I can explain it...(and no offense intended) is to think of it like this.
Every single person in the world is born an atheist. You are not born with any knowledge or belief in a deity of any sort. You need to be TAUGHT to believe in a deity. Now there are THOUSANDS of deities to choose from spread throughout the worlds religions. Which deity YOU wind up believing in generally depends on two things, who you are born to, and who is teaching you. And those two are usually the same people. They start teaching you when you're young, and you're vulnerable and will believe anything a trusted adult tells you. They teach you about their God. Then on top of that, they teach you about damnation, and press into your mind (seemingly subtly) that you will be damned for all time if you even THINK about doubting or questioning what you're told. They leave very very little room for questions. They'll tolerate a certain amount of questioning, but if you question too much, they tell you that it's simply "the will of God" and that you just need to have "faith". If you still question, then they insinuate that you don't have enough faith, which is necessary to get into Heaven. Those are classic brainwashing techniques. That's why atheists think that Christians are brainwashed.
Though if it makes you feel any better, atheists pretty much believe that anyone who believes in a deity is most likely brainwashed.

Answer 4

It is a fundamental rule of Christianity that anyone who does not believe that Jesus was the son of God and died on the cross for our sins is condemned to an eternity of suffering. How can you accept this lunacy if you are not "brainwashed" in some fashion? I do not consider myself an atheist because I do not rule out the existence of a god. However, if there is a god, it is almost certainly not the omnipresent, all-knowing god that is depicted in the bible. Why would so many innocent children suffer if such a god existed? Think about it. Don't follow blindly.

Answer 5

Hello,
I do not think that all Christians are brainwashed, only that many choose to be ignorant of scientific theories such as evolution, and to rely on emotional rather than rational arguments for the existence of a deity. My mother, for instance, believes that the universe is 6,000 years old and that the world is about to end when Jesus steps out of the sky. She condemns stem-cell research and organ transplantation, which could save millions of lives. Her friends warn non-Evangelicals like myself with threats of hellfire.They say that they are the "true Christians," and parade themselves around like rebellious children. There is only so much superstition that one can take before reverting to bronze age myths and irrational nonsense.

Religion in general has been one of the most useless causes of violence in the world. In this sense, it can be very evil.

I am more respectful of philosophies that allow for questioning by any educated person (like science) and encourage human beings to understand the real world, without resorting to fear tactics or threats of violence. I do not dispute that people can be respectful, interested in science, and have a theistic point of view. But I do not see how that can be attached to organized religion.

What has the Pope done? The current Pope Benedict has stood up for democracy and environmental protection, true. But he is also opposed to contraception on a continent where AIDS will kill 40 million people, and HIV has already infected 15 million children. That's more immoral, irrational, and just plain evil. Many religions spread intolerance by advocating doctrine at the expense of human beings. They'd rather critique your sex drive than address responsible behavior.

As for previous popes, see the Inquisition to understand the methods of torture that the Catholic church used against thousands of women, children, men, and supposed "witches," as well as opposition to theories in astronomy (Kepler, Galileo, Copernicus). also suggest reading up on the Crusades. Finally, I suggest reading the bible, especially Leviticus and other texts which call for stoning of gays and non-believers.

I'll keep the peace, but I'll question everything. Especially when it kills people.

Answer 6

In my case it's because the vast vast majority of Christians I've met were raised as such by their parents. Only rarely do people become Christian later in life after having been raised without it and even then I have never seen it come without emotional trauma of some kind. When I meet a guy who was raised by open minded non-religious parents and sat down one day and decided "you know what, this whole Jesus thing is probably true" then I might buy the not brain washing.

Answer 7

In some cases non-believers are right about the "church" brainwashing people. The church often times does more damage to it's congregants than it helps. God, on the other hand is not about religion. Remember, the bible states that even God hates religion.

Answer 8

I'm Christian but to be honest I have seen some Christians that seem brainwashed. But I of course can't say that is true for all Christians.

I think the problem is that a number of atheist just use a brood-stroke and assume all Christians are one way. Of course that is a problem that both sides make.

Answer 9

Yes, but I assume I too was brainwashed, only in a different direction. And I suspect most brainwashing is from parents, while church would be secondary (parents only, for atheists).
Also, I think "indoctrination" is likely a better word, as "brainwashing" has a more draconian implication. Universality doesn't apply - there are "converts" in either direction (for instance, one brother of three is a Christian.)

Answer 10

Because atheists find it hard to submit their will and authority over to God and to give the control to him so they feel I can control this situation and my life so therefore Christians must be brainwashed because they submit everything over to God.
Atheist are not bad people sad to say I know some atheist that act more godlike and more compassionate that some Christians that I have known for years. As for church you should go because you want to be there not to please your fiance or your parents for example. Church is not a priority to a lot of people and the crap that is televangelist has a lot to do with this thank you for posting you are causing people to think.
And we are all here to seek to search and to learn. God bless.