atheists - gee, have you ticked me off this morning!?

Question

i'm pagan. many people in this forum think i'm atheist because of my questions and answers, and that's ok with me.

but i recently read some answers by what appears to be atheists, that are just disgusting. someone posted a question, thinking they were challenging atheistic scientific beliefs and most of you just insulted the asker, you didn't even attempt to answer!

this is the equivelant to the christians just dropping some bible quote that has no reference to the question, and calling it an answer.

i understand some of their questions are frustrating and make you want to bang your head off the wall, but isn't it better to give them an actual answer to help them see the light of science and logic, instead of reconfirming their stereotypical ideas about atheists, causing them to believe more deeply in their religion?

here's the link http://ph.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AiI79EVoRa1MUV1dehYX38tuSAx.?qid=20070627130632AAuTxB0

disclaimer: christians - i have nothing against christianity or any religion, but the people of any religion who are too consumed by it really scare me

i don't normally ask for stars, but if you think i have a valid point, please star this one so others can see it, thanks

Answer 1

I am a Christian, and am fairly "consumed" with it. But I don't go around thumping my Bible at people. I try to answer questions with relevant answers. If someone asks about something specific I don't know (like Shinto), then I don't answer it. We all need to be respectful of each other, as most are here to learn.

Answer 2

Perhaps it was the wording of the question, and the fact that the person asking seems to know little to nothing at all about evolutionary history. The information is out there, if people will just look for it. But no - instead they come up with cockamamie questions like "If man has been on the Earth for over a million years or whatever Evolution says" which shows they have no real understanding of the subject.

"If mankind had evolved, as evolutionists claim, then why didn't man discover ink a million years ago?" Most scientists think man has only been "man" for about four million years. I'm guessing early man had enough trouble with surviving, discovering fire, and inventing the wheel and language to worry about ink for a while. It was a stupid, baiting question, from someone who had no idea about what evolution is really about. I can understand why people got pissy - they could see it for what it was.

Answer 3

Yes, that does happen from time to time, and I don't see any reason for it. Yesterday, someone asked a question about whether we sometimes forget that there are actual people behind these typed-in questions and answers. I think we do sometimes.

Whenever I see a question from a believer, I try to think about how my mom (a believer) would feel about reading it. If it seems like she would find it hurtful or offensive, I move on to something else.

I may argue, I'll almost certainly disagree, but I try to keep respectful.

Answer 4

Where to begin?

The question first stated that "evolutionists" claim that humans have been around for millions of years "or whatever". So to begin with the parakeet wasn't even bothered by correct figures AND was already biased enough to consider non-creationst belief to be "evolutionism".

Secondly, did you even read the question? He was claiming that because technology has only really advanced in the last 3500 years that creationism is true and anyone who believes otherwise should "think about that."

It was just arrogant and self-righteous, can you really blame people for reacting the way they did?

Answer 5

I sort of agree that you 'could' be cheesed off over it. I too find it frustrating when a question gets nothing but derisive answers. But then again, nobody wants to be the one guy/gal that answers sincerely some wholly sarcastically posed question. It seems like you're really just picking the nadir of bad behavior and chiding people into not repeating it.

Walk it off.

Answer 6

I agree wholeheartedly Riegan. I am sometimes mistaken for an atheist, and yes, some questions are just frustrating to me... especially the ones that have been asked and answered like 30,000 times in the last 6 months, but I've also seen legitimate questions get completely trashed with personal insults, degrading and condescending remarks, and non-answers.

If the atheists are here to educate others, as they claim, then they should step up to the plate and actually answer the question.

Btw, Phoenix did a fantastic job answering that question. So did Confirmed Atheist.. they weren't all insulting.

Answer 7

There are people in every group, especially in every religious group if you will, that will misrepresent the rest of the group and make us all look bad. You find these people among Christians, atheists, Muslims, Jews, Pagans, etc. and it's a shame. Honestly, we are all guilty of it at some point or another.

Answer 8

Riegan, we don't come here to get your approval.

Questions like that demand such an extensive answer, with no reason whatever to expect the asker is in the least likely to pay attention to any of it, that proposing to them that they ask from a position of insufficient personal research is not THAT unreasonable. The form may have been insulting but the question was ignorant and deliberately provocative. I could answer that question easily, and have done on previous occasions, but the asker always seems to end up giving BA to someone who agrees with them.

When someone asks a serious question about science that shows they have done a little research beyond parrotting what their equally ignorant pastor has said to them, I'm very happy to enlighten them. But ignorant provocation gets what it deserves.

And I didn't answer that question (and probably wouldn't if I'd have seen it).

Answer 9

Well I didn't answer it, but I would have just referred them to a basic Biology book and pointed out a few of the numerous mistakes they were making. There was so much wrong with that question it is really tough to even know where to start. It is impossible to answer every delusional rant, and the really bad ones (like that) all you can do is make fun of it.

I mean we really can't make up for an entire 12 years of education that was missed in this little white box. Just for starters humans were not on the Earth for anywhere near 100 million years. That is older than the dinosaurs.

Answer 10

I do detest when people do that. As much as I hate to admit it, more and more Atheists are degenerating into bitter, one line-spouting jerks that Christians portray us as. With notable exceptions of course.

Edit:

To be fair, after following your link, that poster WAS a troll, which can be very frustrating. I didn't answer that question though, because when I saw it there were so many of the responses you talk about that I too was disgusted, even if he was just trolling to annoy us.