Are Atheists better, a sincere request to them?

Question

Well, i know there are alot of you here. I have always respected your presence, but i have request for you. This guy's mother had stroke and he posted for prayer and he Certainly didnt ask Whether prayers work and yet he was bashed by atheists when he came here for hope. I hope also that you would draw a line somewhere. Thanks and here is the question.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AsfCDBMLHB.9PUPJZNU6S5vd7BR.?qid=20070616175019AALxHnp

Answer 1

Atheists come is many stripes and hues. Among 'atheists,' there are as many doctrinaire jerks as you will find in any other collection of human beings grouped on an ill-defined nottion, and there are as many thinkers who are respectful of other thinkers.

Doctrinaire atheists are not greatly different from god-committed theocrats. Some atheists insist that they know The Truth, and that you don't, as fervently as does any member of the Taliban. (I don't really wanna badmouth Islam--but Islamic zealots supply the most recent, obvious and readily available example of zealotry).

Some slightly larger fraction among agnostics might escape the 'docrinaire' label: spiritually uncertain themselves, agnostics often have the decency to refrain from asserting that they own truth. But "I'm agnostic" doesn't necessarily signal that the speaker isn't eager to 'set your thinking right'. There are doctrinaire agnostics.

I suggest the use of earplugs.

Atheists are not better than other believers or agnostics; agnostics are not better than believers; believers are not better than doubters or agnostics. Good people can be found, but don't hold your breath between your findings of those good people.

In the case you outline in your question, I can only lament that THOSE atheists were insensitive bungs. The humane atheists probably went on about their business without comment, silently wishing that things might work out well--thinking 'a wish' a futile gesture, but nevertheless humanely entertaining a vain hope for the welfare of strangers. And the better agnostics. And the better Buddhists, the better Shintoists, etc.

One can always hope to find a decent human being. But he might worship jelly beans, or no god so manifest as that, or no god at all, or only a question mark.

Answer 2

I'm a Christian, so this especially irks me. Grief is not a time to joke around. Even if an atheist or agnostic comes on here and asks for people to "send positive thoughts" their way, I am not going to go down the list and say "that's a load of crap..." People who grieve need positive words.

I appreciate you for posting this and challenging all people. Christians and atheists alike should respect someone who is having a hard time, either by giving encouragement or just shutting their mouth if they can't say anything positive.



Also, as an aside, I do greatly respect and appreciate those non-pray-ers who tell them, "I don't pray, but I'll send thoughts your way..." It might not be specifically what they ask for, but it's still an encouraging thought. So from Christians, thanks for being nice.

Thumbs up and kudos for you.

Answer 3

I have seen many worse responses than that before when someone comes on to request a prayer.


you must realize that if you come here that you will get good and bad answers no matter what you ask (or NOT ask)

Answer 4

Some people have no class and are full of their own self-pride. I don't care WHO asked for prayer, I would give it.
Also some people still haven't learned to speak when it is appropriate. They will learn this the HARD way some day.

Answer 5

I saw that. And tho I rarely thumbs down people, I thumbs downed them.

I didn't reply since he ONLY asked for prayers, it would have seemed rude. When people ask for "help or prayers" I will respond but in this case it didn't seem appropriate.

(Edit) Only two atheists were rude. The guy below me wasn't rude, IMHO.

Answer 6

I don't understand why people can't just ignore those type things if they feel that way. Immaturity I guess. Thankfully the positive usually outweighs the negative. Good for you for giving some folks a smack upside the head...:)

Answer 7

I think that you could have asked this in a nicer manner if your goal were really to help this guy.

I sent my best wishes. I've made it a practice to do so for these sincere requests.

Answer 8

i think of this is exciting. drawing near dying could make human beings act irrationally. i like to think of that as quickly as my dying sentence is introduced i'm going to prepare what I even have preached and settle for it with serenity, yet till the 2nd actually comes, i'm no longer able to declare for beneficial it particularly is the case. when you consider that i replaced into youthful my purely concern or dying has been of no longer modern-day. i presumed i could desire to shield heaven or hell or purgatory, or reincarnation even, yet i replaced into afraid to purely end to exist. when you consider that I logically found out 4 years in the past that it particularly is strictly what replaced into going to ensue, i stumbled on elementary approaches to make peace with it. notwithstanding, to earnings I even have purely, say some months to stay, i'm going to detect my terror of the unknown renewed. i do no longer think of i could turn to faith, yet as i replaced into suggested religous, you in no way understand. My ingredient is, atheists, however they could be greater vulnerable to look on the international logically than emotionally, are nevertheless people, and we've fears and hopes and doubts merely like actually everyone else. Being on one's deathbed and understanding it particularly is a quite annoying and/or emotional condition and that i do no longer think of we could desire to continually decide human beings's lives by capacity of what they do merely of their previous few moments.

Answer 9

I looked at that, and I honestly only saw a few responses that were flat out rude.

There are jerks everyone, and sadly, we just learn to deal with them, but we are not allowed to remove them from society.

Answer 10

In a time of crisis, it's important to speak the truth.
However, sometimes people are a little harsh in the way they put things.