Religious people say atheists are arrogant, but don't you think religion is the epitome of arrogance?

Question

Even though some of you are sure to say I can't be humble while claiming to be humble, I'm going to do it anyways. I'm so humble that I can say "I don't know."

I don't know what happened before the Big Bang. I don't know exactly what process was involved in making the first life form. I don't know a lot of things. I'm just a human being, limited in my capacities, and limited in the evidence available to me. Therefore, in the utmost demonstration of humility, I accept the fact that I don't know and I make no attempt to explain the things I don't know with things that I just make up.

Religious people are the opposite. They think they do know, despite a lack of any evidence to support their ideas. They are certain that they have some superior insight into the mysteries of the universe. Not only are they sure that god exists, but they are sure they know and understand the will of god.

THAT is the epitome of arrogance.

Answer 1

I was dead for five seconds before being revived, and I heard the most powerful, booming, majestic, everything that is good, voice that said "This is not the day for you to die." I then saw the powerful light slowly fade away, and I was laying down with doctors over me. Believe.

Answer 2

Well, if you admit the truth, I believe that you are being humble as well. But that does not make you an Atheist. And Atheist claims they DO know. They do not believe in God so much, that they put their faith in the idea enough to show that they espouse it here daily. They are committing to 'their knowing' daily.

But I see that you are not like them, you are like I was when I didn't know. And that's the truth - I am convinced; that you don't know, and can't say that you do know.

I find that today there is a sort of fad, a popular ideology in calling oneself Atheist. But many of them reveal themselves to be Agnostic. Yet the self-implied Atheist label is popular, like committing yourself to a sports team as a fan. I find it rather boring to tell you the truth.

Religious people are all over the board. You get some that even think themselves 'more official' religious people. As a Protestant I notice this most in the way some Roman Catholics conduct themselves. They think they are over me in religious holy ground. That's okay for them, but as soon as they throw it in my face I tend to react vigorously.

As far as evidence as to what I believe, my evidence isn't visible except for the many examples which may be shown of the Archaeological and historical accounts - all of which are affronted the minute they appear because the history of doubt against the Bible is submerged in a sea of amnesia. As soon as something is found, the issues of the claim is changed for another, the former issue forgotten. There are many examples of this, Sodom and Gomorrah, Nineveh, several other places which some said didn't exist until they were found. No one admits to doubting their existence any more, yet there were some years ago those who completely denied those places because they were at the time not found, and they were referenced in the most unlikely source: The Bible.

So there is much to blame in the religious world, the same goes for the secular world. People are basically showing that they are 'messed up' to each other. No surprise there, but what honest people can do if they really want to know the truth is never throw the baby out with the bathwater. And that's what I attempt to do.

I am a Protestant who doesn't mind reading the Apocrypha, something that is banished by many Protestant circles. But I really don't give a care what they think, I am not going to ignore a series of Books which name means "Hidden". I wont let that go! I need to see what's so hidden! lol

I hope this helped you to understand that we are not all the same.

Answer 3

You are absolutely correct. It is the height of arrogance to presume to know beyond doubt that God exists despite a lack of empirical, unquestionable evidence.

However, it is just as arrogant to presume to know beyond doubt that God does not exist, when that supposition cannot be proven either.

That is why I am an agnostic. God may or may not exist, but we cannot know whether He does or not. I am confident in saying, though, that if God does exist, then either He is not the brutal, harsh God described in the Old Testament, or else He is not the loving, kind God described in the New Testament. I personally believe that He is most likely neither.

Answer 4

on occasion the international defies good judgment. once you're saying i'm shaping the information I could desire to take exception. while i seem on the international and its many marvels I even have 2 selections on the way it got here to be. God or a heavily processed twist of way forward for which no person is conscious its commencing place. i elect God which sounds greater logical to me. For that i'm ridiculed, call spoke of as and spoke back to in a condescending way by utilising lots of your fellow atheists. i do no longer write all of you off via fact there are a number of smart and eloquent atheists in this talk board.

Answer 5

I never once have heard an atheist described as arrogant. Maybe we as Christians are wrong, I doubt it, but if we are I really don't care. Whatever is out there will smile on anyone practicing true Christian values, and I emphasize true Christian values. Believing that there is nothing outside our existence, no supreme being is kind of naive if you ask me. The problem with atheist is it seems they are so damn angry and persistent to convince people there wrong. If your atheist who cares, take your atheist *** and go do what atheist do. Quit whining that Christians are imposing there values on you. At the end of the day, you are free to do what you want, as much as any civilized society would let you.

Answer 6

I am a religious person. I do not go around saying that atheists are arrogant, because I don't believe that. I don't believe that someone who has a difference of opinion than mine is necessarily arrogant. I have certain beliefs, and you're right, they can't be empirically proven. That's why I call them "beliefs" and "faith". I do not claim to understand the will of God. I do not understand the mysteries of the universe. I do not speak for God. I merely believe in Him. If you choose not to, that's your right.

Answer 7

Yes. But if you make a good enough argument, some will step back and say "you know what. I don't have all the answers and god isn't the answer to everything"

Of course the number of those people is very minuscule. But they exist, nevertheless.

Answer 8

If you mean traditional religion (as seen in the U.S.), you might be right in the case of some individuals. There are other options.

Some Eastern traditions teach that "all teachings are equeel." Taoists in China, for example, talk about the Great Tao which is "a great unknown." You don't PRAY to the Tao, because nobody has any idea what it is - you just flow with it. In other words, you accept life as it is. The sacred can't be defined.

Answer 9

Hey I'm very religious And i don't clame to know every thing about the Universe and how and why it works you know. The Great Mother and Great Father work in mysterious ways you know.

OH you were talking about the Christians OK lol

Answer 10

I'm also not sure as to the exacts of "before the BB". Abiogenesis is the leading theory on the "origins of life", and it has been tested and verified to be a viable method of "creating" life, to use the term usely.

But I agree with you completely; religious people tend to scoff when we can't spout out a perfect answer to all the questions they think they have "worked out" and yet their answers are far too vague to be of any use other than to "comfort".

Answer 11

Hmm. It seems like the word arrogance is being used in different ways by different people here, or is not understood by some people.

Claiming you know something doesn't make you arrogant, even if you have no proof. Arrogant means "making claims or pretensions to superior importance or rights; overbearingly assuming; insolently proud: an arrogant public official".

I do make the claim that I know that God lives and He is the creator of all things. Some will call me ignorant just because I make that claim, but that doesn't follow the definition of arrogant. I don't consider myself to be better or more important than anyone else based on my knowledge of God. In fact, there are many who don't know God but yet they live better lives than me.

Personally, I don't understand how one can think all of this came about by chance - the earth, the universe, our own selves - it all seems to be pretty strong evidence that there is an intelligent creator. But... that's actually not how I know that God lives.

The way you come to know that He lives is by first exercising faith, which implies action based on a desire to believe. Indeed, everything we do is based on faith that a desired outcome will be achieved. Utlimately, the purpose of our life on this earth is based on faith in something- whether it be in God, or in something else.

What are you living for? What are you trying to accomplish by the end of your life? Is there something after this life that we are living this life for? If you can at least desire to know the answers to these questions, you can let the desire work within you and move you to action, to prayer, to seeking truth, until you can start to feel the Spirt of God working in you.

Once you feel these swellings within you, you can know that the seed of faith you have planted was a good seed... but you cannot lay aside your faith, not until you have felt the Spirit testify to you to a point that you cannot deny it, that God lives and He loves you.

Then once you have reached this point, you can say you know that God lives, for you have felt him, and it matters not what others will say, for you know that the wisdom of God is foolishness to man, but the wisdom of man is foolishness to God. But still you cannot lay aside your faith, for until you can understand more of the mysteries of God, you are not safe in your testimony... you must continue to exercise faith by obeying the commandments of God so that you will continue to feel of His spirit guiding your lives.