Question about Atheism?

Question

Why is it that Atheists are starting to refer to Christians as “delusional” or as having committed “intellectual suicide?” Calling someone who disagrees with you “dumb” only serves to offend them.
I would like ask why does this group of people, who considers themselves intellectually informed, use such tactics?

Answer 1

Why is it that Atheists are starting to refer to Christians as “delusional” or as having committed “intellectual suicide?

"Delusional"
It's a common strawman. I don't use it with the exception of referring to fundamentalist zealots; to whom it is a perfectly accurate statement.

"Intellectual suicide"
Well that's something I'm torn on. Christianity, or any dogmatic belief for that matter, limits what your mind can accept as fact in 'some' people (actually, just those zealots I referred to earlier).

"I would like ask why does this group of people, who considers themselves intellectually informed, use such tactics?"
I like to consider myself intellectually informed; which is why I generally do not use such tactics (except with the cases mentioned in parenthesis above). Calling someone 'irrational' for their beliefs is another one I just cant stand when fellow atheists do it. Rationality is not about where you are; but rather how you get there. You can be perfectly rational whether or not your foundational premises are correct.

Answer 2

An idiot names Dawkins who doesn't acknowlege that Public Scholls in America started with the Congregationalists and PResbyterians in 1600 and that HArvard, the most Presteigious school in America was founded by the Clergy and that Duke and USC are Methodist Universities by technicality.

Secular primary schools did not begin until the 1800s

Secular Universities did not begin until around the 1900s.

Prior to that if you wanted an Education in Numbers and Science and Art you got it from a Religious school.

This is reality, like or don't

Relgion, teaching America since 1660

Religion, founding colleges since the 1700s

Without religion and homeschooling America would have been a bunch of idiots until around 1870.

Religion, teaching Americans since 1660

The North Eastern American Religious institutions were the FIRST group of people to MANDATE education for ALL children in ALL towns since the late 1600s

Harvard, religiously founded and TO this day partially religiously guided and run has now announced that starting in 2008 it will WAVE it's $50K tuition for poor students without the need to apply for a scholarship or grant.

What has Richard Dawkins and the Atheists done to promote FREE Primary and University education to the masses at a Prestigious institute!

NAME one Atheist school that waves tuition for poor students!

Most religiously founded and guided schools have no boundaries. Harvard is on the fore front of creating artificial life.

Notre Dame, a Catholic University graduated Condoleeze Rice who comes from a Black Baptist family and was homeschooled half her life.

Answer 3

I don't use the word 'dumb'.
Certainly 'delusional' is a fair description. Christians are often reasonably intelligent people. But for a variety of reasons, some of which stem from brainwashing at an early age, others just a desire to believe in a higher power- they do not want to see things for what they are.

People believe what they want to believe. It doesn't really have anything to do with intelligence. But rather, a desire to see the world in a certain way.

I know some evangelical christians who are educated, engineers and are generally very bright- but who believe that the earth is about 6000 years old. It just makes no sense at all.

Can you explain it?

Answer 4

What would you call a fully grown person who seems to have his mental faculties, is intelligent and yet who honestly believes he has an invisible friend? Or how about the tooth fairy, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny? How about a person who believes that he can cure or smite people with a though?

Rational does not come to mind. Delusional does.

"Intellectual suicide" comes into play because some schools of religious thought actually tell their believers that accepting things like evolution, geology and the germ theory of disease is sinful.

Answer 5

Delusion: a persistent false psychotic belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to the contrary.

As you can see, neither Christians nor Atheists are delusional. Neither side has proven nor completely disproved the other. There is no indisputable evidence. If there was why would both sides be disputing?

Answer 6

Because the shoe fits.

And you really need to ask such an idiotic thing? The Christians have violently oppressed and harassed anyone who didn't agree with their religion for almost 2000 years. You didn't actually think everyone would always be ok with that, did you? Christians bring it on themselves with their behavior.

Answer 7

Delusion: a persistent false psychotic belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to the contrary.

Christians are delusional. Sure it offends them but what else can we do? If we went around proclaiming things that can be so easily disproven with facts and actual evidence, then we would be delusional too.

They forget that their idea of "God" comes from one cultures interpretation. They pretend that everyone else is wrong too. To them a Hindu is delusional. To us everyone is.

Answer 8

Theism is delusion. To believe in a positive claim despite the fact there is ZERO evidence going for it is nothing short of ignorant.

Answer 9

Is it a tactic? After listening to their nonsense for awhile you just have to call them like you see them.

Answer 10

Because you believe in something you've never seen and that you'll go to a place that has no location after you are physical and mentally dead.