Athiests - a sincere apology and a rephrase?

Question

Okay, despite my usual tact, I am not immune to sticking my foot in my mouth BIG TIME and for that I am truly sorry. I should not have worded that question that way.

Allow me to ask that question again, the way I mean to ask it:

If you are an athiest, how tolerant are you of other people's religions, (always providing that they are not forcing their beliefs upon you.)

I am second to no one in blasting fanatics, so I understand when athiests tell off an obnoxious believer. What I want to know is, how well can you get along with a believer/discuss your individual beliefs in comfort and confidence?

Thank you to everyone for my serious a**-kicking on that last question. It was duly earned!!!

Answer 1

Hey - at least you apologized. As far as I'm concerned, that elevates you above 95% of the people on this site. Thanks, BTW, for that.

I am tolerate of almost everyone's religion, dependent on a few things.
1) The religion has to help them. Meaning, it has to give them hope, love, lift them up in some way. If it weighs them down, if it fills them with fear, then I really wish that person would change religions, not for me, but so that they can live a better life.
2) That religion has to be tolerant. Screaming that all (insert group of people of your choice here) will go to hell is not right. You don't know that, that's God's decision, not yours. So stop pretending that you do.

As for discussing religion and politics - a calm, intelligent, logical discussion is always called for. Unfortunately, not everyone can do that. So, if someone goes into "fanatic" mode, I stop the discussion.

I don't care if you're black / white / liberal / conservative / christian / atheist - all I care about is that you are a good, decent, human being. That's good enough for me. The rest are minor differences.

Answer 2

I personally have no problem with theists on a non-religious level. Theists make up an overwhelming amount of the population, and if I went around blasting everyone for being theist, well, I wouldn't have many friends now would I? As for sharing beliefs, I've done it several times and quite frequently it's lead to confrontations because theists want to hold dear to their beliefs and want others to confirm them.

I have a differing viewpoint and usually negate rather than confirm their beliefs, so I tend to rile people up. Some are surprised I haven't burst into flames or been struck by lightning. I'm not. So it really isn't a matter of me being tolerant of theistic views, it really a matter of theists being tolerant of atheistic views.

Beware of some theists, they would have you be hateful to us because we don't accept your views. They bring up the insults that are traded in debate as us being disrespectful to your belief when in reality it was a two-way insult fest that sometimes starts with them telling us we're going to hell. Religious dogma will do that to you.

I recommend you read "The Laughing Jesus." It tells you a lot about why people of other religions insult and attack eachother, and about how the message of Jesus has changed over time to suit the needs of those in power. It is not an atheist book by any means, but it is still a very good read to help understand the complexities of organized religion and the teachings of Yeshua.

Answer 3

I'm a book worm so I would be extremely tolerant to learn about other religions. In fact, I read other religious works all the time.
I also come from a family of artists and, therefore, love art. Since most works of art are inspired by religion, I don't feel very intolerant. In fact, I am so infatuated with medieval buildings that I have tons of calenders and books that display (mostly Catholic) images of churches and various paintings. I even have a couple of Cd's with Gregorian Chants on them. But, I also love Egyptian artwork and Greek myths. There's a Babylonian gate I think is an incredible piece of artwork and engineering. So, I can not accept the Christian version of a singular deity that condemns such things.

Edit: I have discussed religion with my 'Catholic' friend. We were able to be completely rational and keep it conversational. However, I don't know very many people willing to DISCUSS their religion.

Answer 4

Although I'm not an atheist, I do have atheistic sympathies and may of the believers I have run across don't quite see a difference between an agnostic and an atheist... and then throw in that I'm an agnostic THEIST and I'ver REALLY muddled things up! But I get along very well with most people. Like everyone, some people annoy the crapola outta me, but most people are enjoyable to be around, regardless of their belief structures or lack thereof. :-) I have had some wonderful conversations with believers and non believers alike. As long as there is an air of mutual respect, we can discuss religion quite easily and enjoyably.

Answer 5

In the public arena, I'm fairly intolerant, but only because I think it's my duty to try to debunk religious mythology. Since all the evidence we have demonstrates we only have one life, I believe people should live their lives fully, knowing this is it. Expecting an afterlife, whether it's an eternity of bliss with Jesus or an endless cycle of rebirths, is foolishness and devalues this life.

On a personal basis, if I am discussing religion with an individual (whether face to face or online), I try to be respectful of their beliefs. That doesn't mean I won't challenge their assertions. But I used to be a believer myself, and I understand it's not that easy to shake off the teachings of a lifetime.

I'm quite comfortable discusssing my beliefs as I have done a lot of research on various religions, the possibility of an afterlife, and atheism.

Answer 6

That was a very sweet apology and retraction. Well done, you!

I'm probably as close as you'll get to the boogie man you're looking for. I don't necessarily hate religious *people*, but I do utterly despise religion for the damage it's done to the world, and I'd love to see the entire structure destroyed.

In general, I go anywhere from great affection to considerable dislike for actual believers, according to the degree to which their religion has eaten their heads.

There are people on R&S, however, who exhibit such uniquely dangerous tiny-mindedness that I do, yes, hate them. Probably if I met them I'd feel differently, as they're bound to have some redeeming qualities. But since I never will and it doesn't matter, I can enjoy the luxury of just hating their guts.

CD

Answer 7

I truly believe that it is my right to believe what I want...as it is anyone else. I have no problem with anyone else having beliefs that are different than my own. However, it is hard as an Atheist to speak of my "non-religion" to a believer. I am the one who becomes judged. I can talk for hours about a persons religion and they have no idea that I am an Atheist. It's when the person finds out that they begin to tell me that I will go to hell for not believing as they do. I have found it best to not mention my beliefs, for I hate the judgements.

Answer 8

I fully support religious freedom. I am a fierce supporter of separation of church and state, but I'm also a fierce supporter of self-determination. I don't want the government telling me that I can't be an atheist, but I also don't want the government legislating specifically religious doctrine and then forcing me to adhere to it. I don't want the government doing that to you either.

How well do I get along with believers? Fantastically well, thank you! My mother is Catholic and she's told me that I'm a good person and God isn't the type to keep me out just because I don't believe. My friend Dave once told me that I'm a better Christian than most Christians he knows, and I'm an atheist!

And if the topic comes up (and it usually doesn't), I explain my views calmly and politely. People respect that, or at least it seems they do.

By the way, your apology is freely accepted.

Answer 9

The opportunities to have the discussions that you describe are few and far between. In general, they occur on Yahoo!Answers more often than anywhere else in my life.

The question about hate and fear-mongering arises, however, whenever a Christian asserts that non-believers are going to hell. That is nothing less than a threat, although from an atheistic perspective, an entirely empty one.

(It is similar to saying, "If you don't agree with me, I'm going to sic my fire-breathing dragon on you. And you'll have only yourself to blame!)

So although I intensely want to maintain a dialogue, I find it nearly impossible to do so with someone who in the discussion asserts beliefs that include the eternal torture of most of Earth's human population. I won't engage in a dialogue with anyone who is threatening me, and I don't encourage anyone else to do so, either.

The best that can be managed in those circumstances is discussing matters that do not include religion, such as working to solve the problem of global heating or reducing violence. I hope that there are ways to work on our mutual interests in open and non-confrontive ways. But be in layperson, pastor, bishop or pope, it seems almost impossible for the strongly religious to avoid lording something of over the heads of the non-believers, even in the course of secular dialogues.

Answer 10

I am interested in hearing other people's thoughts on religion and their beliefs. I don't shun people for what they believe in. If my children choose to believe differently after being presented with all of their options, then I would most definitely support their decision as I would anyone else's.

I have also had several discussions with ministers, priests, and rabbi's, ect. about religion and my and their beliefs. There has been no fighting or anything of that sort if that is what you mean.