Serious question for Atheists?

Question

first off I will put it out their and say I am a christian. (not mormon, not Jehovah witness, not catholic, just a Christian). i have talked to alot of Athiests online. I personally dont go around trying to convert people because I dont like to. I love God and believe in God but I dont feel the need to tell people unless they ask. its better that way anyway. Anywho my question is this. I know alot of hardcore atheist are set to tell people about the "lies of Christianity and other religions". Now religion brings hope to a hopeless world. I want to know if one of you guys actually got someone to walk away from their religion and became and atheist would you be happy. Would you really feel like you have done somthing better for the world and that person. Let me know how you would feel and please not hostile people, if you are going to answer rudely please dont bother. thank you.

I see alot of you have said that you are just trying to teach people how to use logic and reason. We are all born with that and both sides Christian and Atheist use it. You can't say all Christian dont use logic and reason and you can't say that about Atheist. I do think the thing that Atheist dont use (which you guys will blow up about this, I know and then I will have to cancle the question with so many emails.) I think that Atheist dont use common sense. to me it is common sense to say that all this came from someone else. ( and then atheist will say different, he check out this joke on youtube.com from DANE COOK. It is true what he says about atheist and it is just a little funny joke, and you cant lie its funny, check it out. Just type in DANE COOK ATHEIST JOKE.)

Answer 1

You said you were just a Christian? Do you mean Protestant? Even without meaning to (I think), you're being rude (to Catholics, JWs, Mormons, etc.).

Common sense? I see atheism as coming from common sense. Just a difference of opinion.

I've never tried to change anybody's mind. I don't care about people's beliefs as long as those beliefs don't intrude on my life.

Answer 2

I have, and will continue doing so. Religion does not bring hope to a hopeless world. To some it is an answer. But an answer told father to child for 2000 years isn't necessarily an accurate answer, is it? Sure, you want to believe that you exist after death--I understand your feelings, how you want to live forever. But it's just not right. We're not meant to live forever, and the sooner people come to terms with that, the better off we will all be. Life is beautiful because it is temporary.
I have no problem with peoples' faith. It's when it gets political that my gripe arises. People use Christianity as a vehicle for personal power, and pushing their agenda on others. This herd mentality does nothing good for the world, or for anybody in it. The person using it as a vehicle will undoubtedly realize how hollow his life has been before he passes on.
I just want people to stop having an excuse to stop technology's progression. We ban cloning, and stem cell research, and a thousand other sciences because it goes against some 2000 year old tome. Is that right? Think of the benefit. Longer, healthier lives while we're here on earth. What we know we have and should hold on to is what's precious, not what we believe we may have in the future if some all-knowing figure approves of us.
Everyone in the whole world has skeletons, and everyone in the whole world knows that deep down, if God were to know them individually, he would not approve of them. Everyone is flawed, and imperfect. And a God that would accept people on the merits of faith alone is ridiculous fantasy. And this forced mentality is responsible for a great deal of mental illness in this, and many other countries.
The sooner we open ourselves up to reality, the better off we'll all be. With a little understanding and science we can solve most, if not all, of the world's maladies, and there is a technical solution for every problem. Faith doesn't make people good people.
That's the biggest problem there.. All goodness comes from God, and people without God cannot be good. So untrue. Goodness, right and wrong, are concepts that make rational mathematical sense. Negatives do not equal positives. What you would like, others would like and what you would dislike, it's probable that others would also dislike. So it goes without saying that the golden rule is universal, and independent of religion.

Answer 3

edit: I've seen the Dane Cook skit on atheists. Yes, it funny. But, funny doesn't make it true (see "religion", below.)

What's really funny is when people come on here asking a nice question, and then adds a detail an hour later that is insulting. If I'd known you would be insulting, I would have answered differently.

By the way, this is not "blowing up", and you will get no e-mail from me. Cheers...

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"Now religion brings hope to a hopeless world"

This does not make the claims of a religion true though, does it?

I don't try to lead anyone away from their religion. I do speak my mind though. And I do hope to get people to think about things they've never thought of, or to at least see a certain subject from a different perspective. If that were to lead someone to atheism or even agnosticism, good for them as long as they were comfortable with it.

I disagree by the way. This is not a hopeless world.

Answer 4

I would be very surprised indeed if anyone attributed their deconversion to me. I discuss religion because it is interesting. That's it. I rarely discuss it in the real world at all, unless someone asks me my beliefs.
If someone ends up an atheist through their personal studies and thoughts, then I am happy for them. If they say I had something to do with their deconversion, then fine. I don't feel any personal need to "win people to the team" even if I do encourage them to evaluate their beliefs.
Do I think less religion in the world makes things better? Not necessarily. Some forms of violence and intolerance would disappear, but there are plenty of other sources than religion that could make up the difference.
So in short, I don't care if I deconvert anyone; I just want them to let me do as I will and they can do as they will. If they become atheists, great. If not, big deal.

Answer 5

I've never tried to turn anyone away from his beliefs. My efforts are to get religion out of politics and back into its meeting houses.
Actually, I don't care what others believe. I don't like to have to listen to it, either. But if it gets someone through the day, gives him a spring in his step and lets him feel good about himself, far be it from me to interfere.
That "religion brings hope to a hopeless world" might get you an argument. A lot of the hopelessness in the world is BECAUSE of religion. Frankly, I think we'd be better off without it. I doubt we will ever mature as a species unless we let go of our various, complex mythologies and the conflicts they cause.

Answer 6

I don't like it when people try to jam their beliefs and worldview onto me. So I don't do it to other people (generally, I'm human afterall). I enjoy conversing with religious people and usually learn something in the process.

So no, I don't want to strip someone of their religious beliefs. However, I do want people to think critically about everything they think and believe. This generally makes for a more rational person and leads to a more rational world (my worldview). So if I point out inconsistencies, contradictions, and logical impossibilities in one's religious system of thought, it is meant to provoke critical reasoning and an examination of what one believes. If that person's faith is built on solid ground, then it will stand, even if modified.

I used to be a Christian by the way - still believe in God most days but it isn't the Chrisitian God anymore. Take care.

Answer 7

I've never attacked anybody for their beliefs unless they tried to force it down my throat. And I think there is absolutely nothing wrong with religions that give people hope and optimism, and that lead them to have good morals and make good decisions. However, certain statistics cannot be ignored. For example, more murders have been carried out in the name of God than in the name of Satan. Modern Christians generally are not all that bad. But still, those remain who feel the need to tell Atheists and Satanists that they are going to suffer for all eternity for their sins. I remember once I visited a local church to listen to what they had to say, just out of curiosity. There was a young man there who offered to lend me his Bible when he found out I was not a Christian. I said I would be more than happy to read his Bible, if he read something by Anton LaVey. He looked horrified and politely declined. I understand that all people are different, regardless of their religions. And in response to your question, no. I wouldn't be happy to force my personal beliefs on someone else. But I would appreciate it if the open-mindedness I have towards others would be reciprocated, at least in a minor form.

Answer 8

You seem to be missing the whole point.
A vast majority of atheists don't care what other people believe and have no wish to make anybody walk away from their religion or their beliefs.
What we do want is for people to keep those beliefs to themselves and not try to push them onto us either by way of legislation or by teaching creationism in schools as fact.
I have no problem with creationism being taught but not in a science class and if children are going to be taught about religion then they should learn about the different religions not just christianity.

Answer 9

It's not that I try to push people away from their religion, so much as religious people often try to convince me of the truth of their religion through spurious reasoning, and I find myself arguing back and pointing out the flaws in their logic.

I do believe that we should put our faiths and our opinions out in the open, so we can challenge them and evolve them. If somebody is convinced to abandon their faith because they find other arguments more compelling then that is their affair, yet it is probably better to examine ones beliefs than to believe in ignorance of alternatives.

Coincidentally, there is no scientific disproof of God, any more than you can disprove the Flying Spaghetti Monster or the invisible creation fairy. The problems start happening when member of (particularly) the Christian faith start to argue that some scientific idea proves them right, or that their religion is justified in some scientific way.

Answer 10

I don't preach the "gospel" of atheism, but if someone ask I tell them I'm an atheist. Most of my friends and coworkers, I believe, are agnostic. They attend church out of social pressure or habit, oddly enough I know the Bible better than most of them. My happiness doesn't depend on their beliefs. As long as their religion doesn't interfere with my life, I have no problem with it.

I believe religion thrives on fear and ignorance, the World would be much better off without fear and ignorance.