Have you ever noticed that Christians try to complicate atheism?

Question

I like my hat... :(

Examples: Calling it a belief system
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AtNqWLaJ_yW8g6ma3W5Anzvd7BR.?qid=20070519190721AAy6Yum

And other things like saying it is active denial of God, that all atheists are yada yada yada (immoral, etc.) and so on.

"Of course, so do Atheists who lump all Christians into one group in a biased and ignorant way, just as you did with this post."

I simply realize that it's typically Christians of the theists. And if I were biased in my question I would've phrased it as "all Christians".

Answer 1

how so?

Answer 2

It is, for some.

Many atheists see no reason to include a belief in God as part of their lives as there is no proof for it.

Many other atheists BELIEVE that God does not exist (no proof, they just believe it). That makes it a religious belief.

Science doesn't question the existance of God. It's a non-question, since God cannot be tested or examined directly, making it a non-subject for science, not a false one.

It's silly to believe something doesn't exist when you are barely a space-faring culture with a history of egocentrism and false assumptions about reality.

Atheists who believe God does not exist are not a benefit to your form of Atheism. They detract.

Of course, so do Atheists who lump all Christians into one group in a biased and ignorant way, just as you did with this post.

Oh, I'm not even religious. Just tired of the bigotry and silliness. Hope you aren't one of the believers. Just a sensible person who decides there is no reason to believe in God, just like the sensible people who choose to believe in God but have no reason to fear science because they understand it.

Answer 3

The Christians I know don't try to complicate atheism. We understand what is and what it isn't. Perhaps you have been visited by overzealous fundamentalists with strange phamphlets depicting people floating in lakes of fire. These are the scary people. But the intelligent believers I interface with realize atheism is rather simplistic and uncomplicated. it would be EASIER to embrace atheism but I choose to enter through the narrow gate so I take it all day by day and keep the faith, probably like you do.

Answer 4

I don't get it either. It's like making a big complicated thing out of not believing in unicorns.
I think that they just have SUCH a difficult time comprehending the idea of having no belief in a deity, that it becomes a big deal to them. THEY need to think about it too much, so it becomes a more complicated thing than it needs to be.

Answer 5

Not just Christians, specifically. But yes, I've noticed the trend. It's called a straw-man argument. It's much easier to argue against an idea if you misrepresent it.

More information on this topic at the link below.

Answer 6

I don't know about complicating, but i've noticed that a lot of them try to *redefine* atheism. But seeing that some of them redefine "Christian" to exclude other sects, or redefine "evolution" to mean their favorite straw man, or even redefine "science" (think Kansas), that shouldn't be surprising.

I even saw a Xian redefine "in context." By her reckoning, in order to read a Buybull verse "in context," you must (among other things) first ASSume that the Buybull is true. (She doesn't win too many debates that way!)

Many of them also try to second-guess me. Then when i tell them that they failed to read my mind, they argue with me about it! (And they say atheists are arrogant?!)

@spike - We don't insult Judaism, Buddhism, Wicca, Shintoism, etc. because their adherents haven't taken to insulting us. We don't insult Islam because we value our lives (whereas Xians stopped burning us at the stake centuries ago). N.B. Xianity *is* complicated. Look at the Arian/Athanasian debate, just for starters.

Answer 7

Their incessant insistence we worship X (anything other than god) like people HAVE to worship, the repeat questions equating atheism to a religion, the constant comparisons to nihilism, it does get a little tiring.

Answer 8

kinda like how atheists try to do the same to Christianity? btw, it's funny how you hardly ever hear a peep from atheists insulting judaism, islam, buddhism, wicca, shintoism...

Answer 9

Without an example your question is moot. You don't believe in any god. What's complicated about that?

Answer 10

Example?

How in the HECK is my question complicating anything,,,,,,,,,,I was asking peoples opinions,,,,,,,,people are allowed to have opinions, last time I checked.

Answer 11

Yes. They do it because it makes them feel better.