People are atheists because they don't like to be told what to do. Agree?

Question

I believe that just one of the many reasons why people are atheists is because they do not want to take responsibility for their own actions and they don't like the idea of having to atone for their sins.

Answer 1

There are some that are just rebels, but there are a great deal more who come to the conclusion of no god through empirical observation.

Answer 2

Wrong im an atheist because I believe in questioning what you are told to believe.I will not submit my will to something that hurts the world more than it helps..are you mad? Correct me if Im wrong but religion has been and is still a reason for much death (disastrous numbers) in this world as we know it. I dont need a bible or a koran or a torah to tell me this, I can find this in a history book alongside many other acts of murder commited in the name of a concept man seems not to be ready for. Its a nice little opiate for the braindead but I choose to do good to others because if we all had this idea to do harm to each other most of the time then the human race would be a lot worse off than it is today. Dont point at those who do not want to be grouped in with you as sinners because your mind is so small that you can not comprehend that you live for yourself and those here based in reality in this world.You religious nuts always crack me up.....you always seem to act in a way that is contradictory to your own laws and beliefs...unless your god deemed you as a purifier of all those who dont believe...but then you couldnt show me proof of that could you? Is it too much for you to know that after you die that you will be little more than carrion, wormfood? If anyone needs forgiveness it is your type..you worry only about yourself and what you can do to earn a spot in the supposed afterlife..keeping a score card of sin.......committing it and removing it time and time again. Dont shy away I am telling you about yourself...this is the truth! Your priest actually sold "atonement" it was once a product bought by kings...lol. You people are a cruel joke on reality trying to decide on who is fit for what when you stand as tall as we do, and look like we do......

Answer 3

Erm, no, people are atheist because they don't think it matters whether God is out there or not. Better yet, they know God's existance can't be proved, so atheists want nothing to do with it. Perhaps some atheists are out to avoid sin, but then again, that wouldn't make them atheists then, would it? No, our atheists are a special type of people, just like Christians or deists or Jews or Muslims or Hindus or anyone else. We're all different. Get over it.

Answer 4

No, I know some people who are atheists because of the massive amount of evidence against a "theistic" God. And by theistic I mean the spy-in-the-sky God...a man who sits on a throne in the clouds above, watching our every move, who needed the blood of an innocent man to forgive others. That is the typical image of the Christian God that atheists reject. However, some Christians (and other religious people) reject this image of God for what theologian Paul Tillich has called the "Ground of Being." This is the image of God that I use and other Christians use as well.

Atheists sometimes do reject God because of the moral constraints of religion, but that is almost never the case. There are a lot of reasons why people don't believe in God, not just because they don't like discipline. Being religious does not mean you are good...look at Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggard, Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, etc. Religion is no gaurantee of righteousness.

Answer 5

First of all, the idea of atonement for sins, via the blood of somebody else is at least a little offensive to many, not just atheists. If you screw up, fix it, and try not to make the same mistakes again, but don't go running to a mythological creature who you believe is real and expect him to take all the rap for you.

Secondly, being a non-believer has nothing to do with not wanting to be told what to do, and everything to do with being sick and tired of being fed lies, and further, being expected to both believe and profess a love for the above mentioned mythological creature, or burn in hell for all eternity.

Cheers.

Answer 6

Shouldn't that be the other way around? Christians get the "Get into Heaven Free" card and only need to apologize. How is that taking responsibility for their own actions?

At any rate, people do not become Atheists because they don't like being told what to do. They still have laws and rules to follow. They are Atheists simply because they do not believe that any gods exist. It's really that simple.

By your theory people become Christian simply because they want to be able to do whatever they want to, repent, and still get to Heaven.

Answer 7

So if that's true then Theist like to be told what to do. The reason people are Theist is because the don't want to take responsibility for their actions and they get to blame devils, original sin and other nonsense for their actions. Also a Theist can say God forgave me or God told me it was OK, then not feel accountable.

Answer 8

That is like saying this: People are religious because they have to be told what to do. Agree?
I think that thats true because religion tells people what to do. Anyone who is religious cant make their own descisions and have to be threatened with hellfire to make them behave. That doesnt sound right does it? No. Religion is just a choice. I dont need a 'god' to feel good about myself or happy. I am not a bad person, I have higher morals than a lot of christians I know. I am free to do whatever I want on Sundays. I am fine with being instructed, but I think. I belive everyone needs to think about things. Just blindly following orders makes you no more than a sheep. So, if you are comfortable being herded around by higher power, go for it. But I choose to be an independant, loving, thinking human being.

Answer 9

Most anti government militia types who hate to be told what to do are ardent Christians, not atheists, so I think your attempt to stereotype has fallen right out of the gate.

But besides that, I am not following your logic here. If I do something, be it good or bad, I am the one who is responsible and must follow the consequences. If I believe in a god, then either it is Satan's fault, or it's just God's will. How is that taking responsibility?

Answer 10

HA. If I really wanted to use a religion to justify bad behavior, I would become a satanist, not an atheist. And guess what, I do regret certain things that I have done in my life and I wish I could go back and change some of those things. I wish there was some God to dish out proper punishment for those who have done bad. Do you honestly think that I want to believe someone like Hitler went unpunished???? Hell no.

Answer 11

Old, tired, incorrect, and ignorant argument. If the issue was simply not wanting to be told what to do, then that would mean that we're not atheists. If we thought there was someone up there judging us, then that would mean that we BELIEVE in a God. Atheist do not believe there is a God. It's that simple.
The idea that we just don't want to be told what to do is something that was completely made up by believers, so they can tell it to each other, pat themselves on the back, and feel superior. It has nothing to do with atheists, and what they think, feel, or believe. Frankly, I think it's pathetic that some believers need to make stuff up in order to feel better about themselves. It proves that they really don't have a lot of confidence in their own belief system.