Did any atheists learn anything about themselves while reading and answering the question recently posted...?

Question

by William D?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AunZMgNsS61lSd8mlTkmW07d7BR.?qid=20070903072434AAXH9Cv&show=7&cp=2&tp=2&tnu=36#all-answers

Among other things, i was surprised at how many of the answers seemed so impulsive and un-thought-out.
I was also so amazed that some of you called William D out on "obviously not being a real atheist". This surprised me the most after so many of you have been christians/catholics..etc and are horrified when one of them tells you that you were "obviously not a real christian" and that "only true believers can understand the word of god".

These are merely my objective views as a fellow atheist and i was wondering if anyone else had similar thoughts?

Yes morelions r i understand what you are saying and what you meant, i myself had that instant reaction, but that same reaction in the christians makes us angry and bitter and i was surprised someone wrote it there.

Panji P yes ok perhaps i shouldn't have put that phrase in there, i too find it preposterous, but my point is that i saw some of the same behaviour there that atheists complain about in christians.

Haha now I'm not a real atheist.
No need to get angry with me, you could have just not answered.

Answer 1

The calling out as a non-atheist was interesting and surprised me. I enjoyed answering the question but I got little out of the other answers. The reasons all seem more or less the same.

I loved the thre or four responses from Christians - very illustrative of the points raised by the atheists.

In hindsight, its an easy answer, most of us find the sames things irritating; the better question is why - religion and reason seem to be opposite ends of the spectrum as does tollerence and belief. Heck, if I bieleved that Jesus was God was the sole creator of all that happend, I guiess I'd have trouble believeing that anyone who doesn't get that is crazy.

Answer 2

I agree. I have learned a LOT over the past year or so in R&S.

For instance, I used to believe that atheists were smarter than Christians, and that intelligence drove us to question our beliefs. Of course, the only atheists that I had experience with were myself and a small group of friends, and we're a pretty bright bunch. The thoughtful and considerate Christians that I had met were rarities.

Now, I see that many atheists are blathering jackasses and many Christians are a great deal smarter than I am. Most importantly, I've realized that neither intelligence nor belief make one a good person. A smart asshole is still an asshole, no matter what he believes.

Although I disagree with William_D very often, I respect him as a person, and I'm sorry that so many atheists have given him further reason to seperate himself from our point of view.

Thanks for being one of the good ones. (People, I mean.)

Answer 3

I dislike the term "true" atheist as well.

Although I'm tempted to use it when someone says "I became an atheist because I was angry at god" or something along those lines.

William D (based on that one question) seems like a nice enough chap and i have no reason to doubt that he was once an atheist.

Answer 4

What ought to bother every person who seeks to understand reality is the lack of intellectual honesty. Such a shortcoming is not exclusively possessed by religious people (Christians or not), but it is VERY common among them, mostly because they were taught by their own upbringing that intellectual honesty is not important and logical contradictions can be brushed aside with Faith.

Anyone who sincerely wants to know the difference between true and false, real and unreal, just and unjust, moral and immoral has ONLY one tool at his disposal: REASON.

All other methods, such as emotional comfort, mental apathy, cultural conditioning, authority (human or divine), intimidation, pressure to conform, or fear (another emotion) are hopelessly useless, though people who can't or won't make the effort of reasoning will keep trying.

Answer 5

Why would I care if someone thinks I'm not a real Christian or Catholic? Of course I'm not.

You may claim you are Atheist but I don't think you are. As an Atheist you would realize that this is an internet forum with limited space in which to write. It is not as though we're talking to each other, we're writing it on a web board. Which means, by logical thinking (that Atheists possess), you would realize we aren't going to spend an hour typing out everything people should know. We do have other things to do, you realize.

Answer 6

Maybe it is because a lot of the Atheists have gotten used to the lies spewed out by a multitude of people that they have given up trying to sort out lies and truth by others and just figure things out for themselves. Some might be so infuriated by the other liars they have encountered in their life that they now have trust issues..

That is how I feel at times. But then again, I just ignore most people now.

Answer 7

People are scared to accept ideas that contradict their own. They feel it is an insult to their God or whatever they worship and reply stupid answers to questions they cannot answer.

The statement: "Only true believers can understand the word of God" is preposterous. The author secluded the privilege of God to the few who are true believers and sentences others to hell or whatever lies beyond which is bad/nasty. Such selfish folks.

Answer 8

I had not seen the question, but after looking I have to disagree with you. There were many well thought out answers. Yes, I'm an atheist.

:(|)

AD

Answer 9

In truth how can you go from the light to the dark.....once an atheist, how could you go backwards?...its not possible if you have really studied....have you read the bible?...I have read it twice cover to cover.....once you see thought it how could you be deceived again?

Answer 10

there is every colour religion and church here
100's of cults and schisms
you have to look for diamonds in a coal field .... there are some to be had