Have you noticed that very religious people are looking down on those who are not very religious, or atheists?

Question

Why is that? Do they really think they know everything? Isn't religion itself who should tell them to be tolerant? If they are such better people, how come most of them are not open minded?

Bambino8: yes it goes both ways, some atheist are also sure about their views and looking down on (all) believers. Extremism is not a great thing, and ... being open minded is, in my view, a very big deal

Answer 1

your follow-up is pretty accurate, the very religious are the ones who should be the most tolerant. (and they often are)
i've found, both inside and outside of a major religion, that it's the people who feel they are very religious but are not really who tend to look down on people. in a major christian church in my younger days, there was a 'pillar' of the church, a member of many committee's and always there who had an affair with a lady from the church.
the gentleman's wife felt that since she and her husband were so essential to the church, and so truly christian, that the paster of the church should 'expel' the woman her husband was fooling around with.
this is a person who thinks they are very religious, but who are not really, and let their ego rule their judgment.

Answer 2

Bonsi Bobby: said it perfectly

We ( humanity ) have no idea of the "Truth" because we don't know what the world means. we have some strong theories.

But anytime anybody tells me they know the Truth about God and religion .. this goes for atheist and theists alike .. I start going the other way

Answer 3

Not this follower of Christ,I came from the same streets as everyone else and apart from my faith in Jesus Christ's sacrifice in my behalf,I would incur the same judgement. I humbled myself at the foot of the cross,in response to God's grace.. How could I possibly look down on anyone?

Answer 4

I have not noticed. But, I have noticed the opposite.

I have noticed it is atheists who think they know everything.

"Tolerance" is a meaningless PC word.

I think most "religious" people do not think they are better than others, but I don't see how "close minded" is indicative of not being "better."

Answer 5

I find this very interesting that the first three people to write answers to your question are attacking "religious" people. Who is doing the looking down on who?

Answer 6

No, I'm sorry. But I have noticed many (not all) atheists seem to have the superiority complex.
Open minded does not necessarily mean a better person either.

Answer 7

Your question is a rather huge generalization, don't you think. I don't have time to look down on anyone my friend. I'm far too busy lifting people's spirits. Have a Blessed Day!

Answer 8

As a Christian the only people I look down on are the ones that are shorter than me .And sometimes even I have to look up

Answer 9

I see it the other way around. The Atheist view on Yahoo Answers anyway, seems to be enlightened and all knowing backing their theorems up with science and man made doctrines of self proclaimed fact. Looking down upon Christians with statements of uneducated and red-neck theory. Anyway, that is my view. One day I hope to be looking down upon all, literally that is, that have chosen the enlightened path of self actualization, chosing to give glory to self and not to God, now that my friend is the picture of a closed mind.

Answer 10

Because they claim to be fantastic, wonderful, blessed folk who know some magical truth that no one else understands, but they are really bitter, repressed people who need something to believe in and hate people who conflict with those beliefs because of the questions brought up by them...