Why do Atheists care to argue that there is no God?

Question

I now know that the debates between atheists and religious people and also cults are an attempt by the religious and/or cults to convince the fence sitters to join them. They who read and sit by like watching a tennis match. They are lost who need to be saved. But what purpose do atheists have for trying to convince "idiots" (in their minds) to believe what they believe. Is there a benefit for someone that's just going to not exist when they die. Why bother? Live life for yourself since there is no point to do it for someone else. Enlighten me.

Yeah, but why? I'm not saying fence sitters are the idiots. I'm saying it looks as if atheists see religious people as idiots. Why try to help them. It doesn't matter.

Answer 1

From a non-atheist with respect for most of them.
From a non-religious person with respect for most of them.

Atheists are of many types. Two are these:

1) God doesn't exist in the same way that the Easter Bunny doesn't exist. If he does, there is no proof, and it is silly to believe that he does if you have no proof.

2) God doesn't exist. There is no proof, therefore he does not exist, period. I haven't seen proof, therefore it doesn't exist.

The first is a fairly sane approach to life.
The second is a religious belief system that is fairly unscientific. They have no proof God does not exist, but they believe it.

The first group (God as fairytale until proof is shown) will happily discuss, argue, share all sorts of things. You can tell them pretty easily. They have no need to insult, they have no ego involved. It's a topic of no importance except as a hypothetical discussion. Some might get heated over the perceived damage religion has done, but they generally respect freedom of religion.

The second group (God DOES NOT exist, period, and there can't be proof because I haven't seen it) are often vested in that belief (much as many religious belief systems are) and take all arguments personally. They have a mission, a calling, to transform all believers into atheists. If you won't change, you must be "stupid, uneducated, etc.", completely forgetting groups of religious people who are some of the most educated our world has ever seen all through history, people who are highly religious (Einstein) and others who still believed in God.

It really isn't about your intelligence or schooling. It's about propping up their self-esteem, constantly challenged on a site like this, by attacking repeatedly and dismissing any argument with insults and repeated dogma.

Oh, those very same posts could be handled intelligently and with great skill by other non-vested atheists who tend, due to their curiosity about the universe, to be well-read about religion, even recognizing the HUGE good the Christian organizations have done toward charity, and the beneficial effects the Bible has had on Western culture (they keep track of both sides, not just one).

How do you tell the difference?

If they:

Get insulted without being told an insult;
Don't seem to notice that Christians/etc. have left much of the Bible's literalism behind a few centuries ago;
Insult people who disagree with them;
Show open bigotry toward the religious;
Call for the abridgment or removal of anyone's religious freedoms;
Post things that have clearly been posted a hundred times before as if they are questions but are simply rants;
Seem to not understand the books they are quoting (no atheist worth his salt is going to present something he read in a book without checking it's source and understanding it as well as possible from both sides);
Desperately seems to need you to change your beliefs;
Generalizes about Christians or other groups as if they are all the same and they clearly have no clue about the differences,

then you are probably dealing with one of the faithful.

Make friends with an atheist who doesn't do this. Can't hurt you, and they may even give you some valuable information on your faith from your perspective (rather than trying to convert you), though they may see it rather like telling you stories they've heard in their studies about the Easter Bunny, but they'll often do it good naturedly.

They won't even resent it when you do the same, telling them about what you think reality is!

I'm weird. I see fellow Americans and patriots, first, religions or political parties, second. Makes for a lot of friends (except those desperate to shore themselves up. They hate me).

To be fair: Atheists, you see the behaviors I'm talking about every day in the religious, don't you? The faithful desperate to convert? Separate yourself a bit. Let them see you. More would see your points and realize you are not "believers". What a group to join as an atheist! There's a lesson for the religious in this.

Answer 2

This is an easy question. I am not concerned what any particular person believes until it starts to directly affect me. In particular, I am most recently concerned with the Intelligent Design Creationism movement, which I see as a direct challenge to the foundation of science education in this country. This is a technology world, and it's becoming more so every day, so crippling that is a serious danger, IMO.

I also find the new wave of Christian bigotry to be in very poor taste. For instance, the viciousness with which the christian right has been attacking the homosexual community.

Stay out of my business, and I'll stay out of yours. I think many (or most?) atheists share that general view.

Answer 3

I don't think fence sitters are idiots, but to be completely honest I believe anyone that strays onto that religious side of that fence probably is an idiot (personal opinion). What I believe is that religion has done far too much damage to humanity and that people should be discouraged from it as much as possible.

Answer 4

Why do Christians care to argue that there is a God? As an Atheist, I feel that many religious people are pressing their beliefs on me, calling me wrong, "mislead", and "stupid" for making the decision not to believe in God. I'm actually offended when you say that we're the ones who're "lost and need to be saved." That's your opinion based on your personal beliefs, please don't tell me that what I believe is wrong, because while it might be wrong to you, it's not to me. I personally believe that your entire religion is a joke, but I don't say that to your face, trying to start and argument and force you to believe anything.

Atheists (in my opinion) respond to religious questions and fight whether there is or is not a God, because we're trying to get everyone to leave each other alone. I believe what I believe - great - let me believe it, whether you think I'm right or wrong. You believe what you believe, and as foolish or whatever else I think it may be, I let you believe it without condemning you.

We fight for the right to believe what we believe and leave it at that.

Answer 5

I don't argue there is no god, I argue that mainstream scienctific principles and understandings which describe what we see in the natural world leave no room for biblical literalism..

Also the teachings of many religions, particularly christianity, deny children the ability to question and learn about the world they live in. It denies them the opportunity to stand on the shoulders of the intellectual giants before them, and this is child abuse..!

The religious, particularly creationistic arguments against science involve misreprenting mainstream science, misquotes, quotes out of context, fabricated "facts", psuedo science and outright lies..
I ask YOU, why do people like you demonise mainstream science in this dishonest, childlike and self serving way..??

Answer 6

They like to debate theology because they like to make the religious see the errors of their ways or at least too just make them look stupid. At least that is why I do it. If you win in a debate against someone then you feel superior and smarter than them.

Answer 7

all of us comprehend comparable to what you comprehend. We adventure a similar issues yet in many circumstances see those issues by using different eyes. We interperate them in a different way, it does no longer advise we dont comprehend what you comprehend. in many circumstances we analyze it to th element we come to the tip that god does not exist.. It does no longer advise we dont stick to our own set of ethics or are undesirable human beings, it in basic terms ability we dont placed a acceptance to what we've self belief in such as you do with using the term god. With a lot left unknown its perplexing for atheists to have self belief in a god. all of it comes right down to how did he get right here to create all of use? interior the caee of the huge bang, how did that emerge as? Its too many things left unanswered which motives human beings to doubt the existence of a god the place as believers in many circumstances have self belief in basic terms so they have some thing to have self belief in via fact they might desire to have self belief in some thing.

Answer 8

Who says atheists think fence sitters are idiots? You seem to have some rather negative opinions towards atheists!! How hateful

Atheists argue with Christians for all sorts of reasons... like... maybe they're actually on the fence themselves!! Or maybe they feel its their moral duty (to uphold truth, and cast light on falsehoods)... who knows - there's a million reasons!

Answer 9

Because religious people do horrible things in the name of religion and we have a right to criticize those things. Christians discriminate against gays and Muslims blow themselves up killing ppl for 72 virgins in heaven. Its time humanity got over these silly superstitions.

Answer 10

some people feel the need to try to bash their beliefs into peoples heads. And cult is defined as any organized religion.