A question to Athiests?

Question

I am friends with an atheist,he is very negative even when it doesnt concern spirituality,are all atheist like that?

He thinks that we were sent here by martians(honestly!),Please explain this to me because he wont,he cant come up with an explanation. Serious answers only please. Im not trying to be sarcastic or be mean,im jus trying to understand.At times he is very confusing

Answer 1

He probably says the part about aliens because he is being sarcastic. We, as atheists, get condemn and vililfied for our lack of belief. Because of this we often are bitter and mean to people when they talk about religion. The other part of that is most anyone is bitter and defensive when their religion is questioned because it is a core belief.

Answer 2

A serious answer to any question that is framed: Are all like ? is going to necessarily be "no".

But I suppose you didn't *really* need to be told that. I think your real question is: how can some people believe and act so completely different from you, and not be convinced to believe and act as you do?

I dealt for a long time with the Atheist Alliance International, the Center for Humanism, CSICOP and the Skeptic Society, and there is a common tack of hostility toward those who have faith... in anything. I think there is a tendency among those who belong to any organized system of skepticism (which in itself is oxymoronic) is going to tend toward cynicism. It is not only fashionable, but it is rewarding psychologically to feel intellectually and philosophically superior to others.

It's that cynicism that tends to be the most unpleasant aspect among some "non-believers". I would recommend keeping in mind that your friend may simply believe that you are a silly person for believing in what you do (he has likely made an argument about the inivisible pink unicorn in the sky, or something similar). Because he believes that you are silly, he is going to act negatively toward your beliefs.

But atheism, humanism, or any philosophy at all that becomes organized -- including the scientific method -- has a dangerous tendency to become indistinguishable from the religious systems they criticize. Their only argument against this is that "Well, yeah, but we're right!" which misses the point that taking the universe at face value implies no regard whatsoever for what people think about it, and so ultimately it does not matter whether you believe in God, Allah, science, or invisible pink unicorns for that matter.

If he's truly an atheist, and not just an anti-faith person, then he should be more accurately described as an apathist, because he should know that no matter what people believe -- even if we all believed that dirt is holy and the mushroom is our savior -- it makes not one bit of difference on a universal scale. Nothing we as humans ever do will be significant enough to alter the course of the universe.

Therefore, it's just fine for you to believe in God, and he should have no reason to be negative about it. Tell him that next time you talk. :D

Answer 3

Your friend sounds like he's trying to start a conversation, where HE can explain his views, as Christians and other religious people so often do.

You must realize: atheists are often hated, shunned, criticized, called names and in general DESPISED by people who DO believe in a god. He MIGHT be overly sensitive! I know just how he feels!

Maybe your friend is really seeking YOUR approval. Hear him out, no matter how "nuts" his beliefs seem to you. You would want HIM to do the same, right? Tell him how you feel when he's being negative. He should care about not hurting your feelings.

In the end...NEITHER of you has any physical proof of your beliefs (aliens or a god)! So, if you can, make it a lively discussion (hey! make it into a paper for school and get credit! I did that often and it was like "killing 2 birds with one stone!").

If you CAN'T discuss this w/him politely, just say, "Look, I respect your right to believe what you want, but I don't want to talk about it." If he really cares about you, he'll agree...and most atheists ARE pretty nice and supportive, IF you don't try to convert them or tell them they're insane!

Over the years, I found it best NOT to discuss three things with certain people (esp. older folks, like my parents):
-sex, politics, and above all RELIGION!

Good luck to you two.

Answer 4

Atheist means 'absence of belief in a supreme being(s).
That's it.
There are no beliefs, no cohesive set of ideas, no meetings, and no secret handshakes.

I can't speak for all atheists, but I find it difficult to talk about religion with those who believe because they are suffering from a delusion that has been caused by years of brainwashing.

My mind works in a logical fashion. I can't 'suspend disbelief' when hearing someone talking about nonsense.

I cannot make the leap of an invisible man, living in the clouds, granting 'wishes', and performing magic.
It's a fairy-tale, which is irritating to the intellect of those who do not suffer from the same delusion, when those beliefs are uttered by otherwise intelligent human beings.

Answer 5

If he thinks we were sent here by martians he is not an atheist. I find that many that claim to be atheist when pressed are really just people who are pissed at God. Negativity is a trait that belongs to a person and should not be associated with their belief or lack of belief. It sounds to me as if your friend calls himself an atheist as a way to deal with his own unhappiness.

Answer 6

All Atheists are not negative. Some people just are.
Few atheists believe that we came from martians- so I don't think he represents the group as a whole.

We can get pretty inconsiderate to your faith however, as frankly we see it only as completely idiotic, delusional, irrational, childish and silly. Kind of like if you met an adult who believed (and I mean really believed) in Santa Claus.

Answer 7

Actually I've got a pretty positive outlook and while my atheism does allow for the possibility of other lifeforms, I don't believe that aliens necessarily put us here.

Anyone, atheist or otherwise can come up with some pretty interesting views when left to their own devices.

Answer 8

I'm not atheist,in fact I'm one of the hated evil Christians.

How ever my sister and her hubby are atheist and don't believe in martians. They also don't whine and cry about the supposed evilness of Christians because they are smart enough to realize that people of all faiths and atheists as well commit horrific offenses and have really lame excuses for doing so.

Answer 9

Well, he's the only Athiest I've heard of that believes in Martians. No, we're not all negative. Check out www.positiveatheism.com

Answer 10

No, we're not, and his explanation is just as valid as that of creationists. Neither can be proven without proving the existence of a god or alien. Neither is self evident, so you really do need to come up with some kind of proof beyond books about them.