Atheists - What's a less offensive word than ignorance?

Question

I'm tired of being verbally assaulted by Christians when I refer to their "ignorance" of facts that disprove their religion and such. I understand why they take offense. Ignorance does have kind of an ugly connotation, even though I only mean it as having a lack of knowledge on a given subject.

What's a nicer way to say this, you think?

Answer 1

It's rude and socially unacceptable to mock a person because of a physical or psychological deformity. That's why we don't laugh at people in wheel chairs or call all Christians "stupid." No one has any control over fate or their own native intelligence.

On the other hand, ignorance is a conscious choice. Ignorant people chose to be the way they are because they failed to educate themselves properly. They are intellectually lazy and have deliberately chosen the path of least mental resistance. Roget's Thesaurus lists the following synonyms for ignorant: uneducated, unlearned, illiterate, lacking knowledge, unschooled, unlettered, unenlightened, untaught, untrained, unknowing, innocent, unaware, etc., etc. I imagine believers find all are equally offensive.

Because of America's long tradition of religious tolerance, Christians here have enjoyed several centuries relatively free of honest criticism. Now the religious right is working to undermine the foundations of American secular democracy and actively seeks to use Federal law to impose their religious values on all Americans. The time has come to speak the truth. Religion is nothing more than ignorant superstitious mysticism. The truth always offends those who prefer to believe the lie.

Answer 2

The fact that Christians get offended when you use the word 'ignorance' is merely yet another display of their ignorance itself by demonstrating that they do not fully concept the definition of the word (meaning, as you stated, a lack of knowledge on a given subject). However, I do understand that the word does have negative connotations so perhaps you could say misunderstanding or misinformation or perhaps 'I am not under the impression that you fully understand (this subject)'.

I especially like the 2 synonyms stated above: naivete and unfamiliarity.

Answer 3

unaware


edit:

personally, I don't see what the big deal is with the word ignorant...there is a clear definition in the dictionary and the only reason why it comes across as a loaded word is because misinformed people equate ignorant with the word stupid


cambridge dictionary

Definition
ignorant Show phonetics
adjective
1 not having enough knowledge, understanding or information about something:
Many teenagers are surprisingly ignorant about current politics.
We remained blissfully ignorant of the troubles that lay ahead.

2 UK INFORMAL not polite or respectful:
Ignorant lout!

ignorance Show phonetics
noun [U]
lack of knowledge, understanding or information about something:
Public ignorance about the disease is still a cause for concern.
Patients, it is claimed, were kept/left in ignorance of what was wrong with them.



Oxford dictionary definition (compact)

ignorant

• adjective 1 lacking knowledge or awareness in general. 2 (often ignorant of) uninformed about or unaware of a specific subject or fact. 3 informal rude; discourteous.

— DERIVATIVES ignorantly adverb.

— ORIGIN from Latin ignorare ‘not know’.

Answer 4

Here's a list from an on-line thesaurus. I can't see any that don't have a negative 'feel' to it:
benightedness, bewilderment, blindness, callowness, creeping meatballism, crudeness, denseness, disregard, dumbness, empty-headedness*, fog*, greenness, half-knowledge, illiteracy, incapacity, incomprehension, innocence, inscience, insensitivity, mental incapacity, naïveté, nescience, oblivion, obtuseness, philistinism, rawness, sciolism, shallowness, simplicity, unawareness, unconsciousness, uncouthness, unenlightenment, unfamiliarity, unscholarliness, vagueness

actually, 'unaware' might work

Answer 5

Uninformed, an input blockage, a data free area in their heads?
Ignorant? hmmm!, so what's wrong with telling them they have a lack of knowledge in whichever certain area...it might be easier for an ignorant person to understand.

Answer 6

Yes, they are typically too ignorant to understand even what the word ignorant means. As well, they are not allowed to think. That puts you in a tough spot if you want to talk to them. Since they cannot think, they cannot consider any of your arguments, but can only repeat theirs more forcefully and pray that you come over to the dark side.

Answer 7

Innocence? Naivete?

Answer 8

An un-examined belief coupled with a sweet gullibility !

Answer 9

lack of knowledge - I am a christian and do appreciate your sensitivity to the word ignorant. It does have a bite to it.

Answer 10

Hmmmmm, how about.....Informationally impaired, Knowledge needy, educationally challenged, perseptually inept perhaps? I like common sense skeptic personally. LOL