Why do so many religious people disapprove of atheism?

Question

People have reasons for making decisions. Same goes with the individuals who choose to become atheists. Could be that they weren't given enough reason to believe in religion. Perhaps they had bad experiences with religious fanatics therefore they renounced religion in general. Confusion may also become a big block in the road. There can be several too many obstacles to justify a person choosing to walk this path. It's weird though because often these nonreligious individuals seek spiritual help in their death beds.

Why is atheism highly opposed by numerous people?

This is my response to the Lion of Judah guy:
It hasn't been proven that atheism is real but there's no proof behind religion either. So there's not much of a difference now is there?

My response to tetsuno1:
Listen I'm not taking any sides. I'm just stating my opinion and some(not all) reasons why "I" believe people would be atheists. Of course there's much more to it. I'm still deciding for myself so guess I'm in between (I used to be very much an atheist though).
Well sorry to say but you understood this the wrong way.

By the way when I wrote that "confusion is a block in the road" I meant that life is confusing for anyone whether religious or not therefore it's understandable when a person ends up changing his/her course in life.

Personally I have found myself changing my beliefs quite a number of times. I was an atheist and agnostic too. God also became a part of my life. All of these changes occurred at different times though. Of course I had reasons for coming to these decisions and so does everyone else.

Answer 1

I'm not sure about the "so many" part but I do agree with you that there seem to be quite a number of people who disapprove of atheism. So Why?

I once knew a guy who belonged to one of those religions that bang on doors trying to convert you. I asked him one day why he does that, why can't he just accept that people have different beliefs? His answer was interesting. He said: "If you see your neighbour's house on fire wouldn't you run over to try to save them?" That's kind of a tough nut to argue I have to admit. Basically his sect believed that we'd all burn in hell and it was their duty to save us from the fires of hell just as it is our duty to try to save our neighbours from a fire.

Of course it's a facetious argument, it assumes there is a hell, it assumes that this specific religion is the correct and only valid one, it assumes that we are all sinners and so forth and of course none of those assumptions are necessariliy right though they may also not necessarily be wrong either.

However I have known a lot of very devout people who honestly believe that we have to live a certain way to be saved. Thankfully though most of them don't attack people with no beliefs, instead they usually pray for them which is ok. But there remain those who are determined to change you regardless of what you think. This is certainly one reason for giving ahteists a hard time.

There are other reasons too. If your faith is not absolute resulting in some doubts, athiesm can be bad for you because it can introduce more doubts. Insecure people consequently like to attack the athiests because it reaffirms their faith for themselves.

The other real problem is the question of a God. As far as the athiests are concerned there isn't one. Period! Everyone else with a religion acknowledges the existance of at least one God, some have many gods. It seems usually that religious people of any faith are generally tolerant of most people because most people at least acknowledge the existance of a god and whether they're in the right religion or not, they at least have a chance to be saved. As a result they go after the athiests because they believe that the only way to save these people to finally wake them up to the existance of a god.

Finally, religion is like a lot of other philosophies, it preaches that those who do not believe are heratics and will be condemned for all eternity. If you're raised in that kind of an environment, it's inevitable that you'll look at those who do not believe and who tend to not follow your rules, as people with a problem that needs correction.

Thankfully though, most of us have learned how to respect the beliefs of others and simply accept that there are many ways to worship and many different things to believe in. Usually it's the immature ones who understand little about the richness of life who are the ones who then get on a soap box and condemn others for not following in their foot steps.

I hope this helps a little.

Answer 2

Read what you wrote....

I'm an atheist... born and raised, and I find your guesswork truly offensive. I'd rather have fundies yelling at me than patronizing me.

I'll just go through this real quick...

"People have reasons for making decisions."

-true, not necessary, but usually the case

"Same goes with the individuals who choose to become atheists."

-You're assuming it's a choise. You're wrong. Some did, some never had faith, you're generalizing (badly)

"Could be that they weren't given enough reason to believe in religion."

-Nobody does, if there were reasons it wouldn't require faith. It would be a fact, not a religion.

"Perhaps they had bad experiences with religious fanatics therefore they renounced religion in general."

-Not true generally speaking. It's the everyday insanity of average religious people that usually does the trick. And from my point of view, ALL religious people are fanatics to some extent.

"Confusion may also become a big block in the road."

-We generally prefere "clarity" over "confusion". We deal with the real world, religious people deal with invisible spirits secretly controlling their life. We have rules, they have... something very confusing.

"There can be several too many obstacles to justify a person choosing to walk this path."

-Makes absolutely no sense. So I'll not guess the meaning

"It's weird though because often these nonreligious individuals seek spiritual help in their death beds."

-I doubt it, sounds like an urban legend. Just because there is a saying like that, doesn't make it true. Of the 2 atheists I've lost, both of them died atheists, no last minute conversions.

"Why is atheism highly opposed by numerous people?"

-Because people don't understand. Look at you, you have a totally unrealistic idea of what's involved, and you never bothered to find out the truth. I bet most of the opposers are just like you, basing their opinions on guesswork and lashing out at what they don't understand.

I guess.

Answer 3

I heard the Pope condemning Atheism on a Doc I watched the other night. I think that the churches are getting scared. They are losing a lot of control that they used to have in abundance. It isn't right to point fingers just because someone is different especially when in a position of massive influence like the Pope. That's the stuff wars are made of. I think it's opposed for many different reasons. Some people are opposed because they are concerned. Others because they don't understand. Others because the believe Atheists are devil worshipers. Some because they are told to. For whatever the reason it is persecution and it is wrong and very dangerous.

Answer 4

Atheism is a logical impossibility. Those who call themselves athiests are really agnostics when it comes right down to it, perhaps even anti-theists. I don't disapprove of agnostics. Many of them just have not taken the time or have some other motivation for not exploring the idea of a god. The thing theists find difficult about agnostics is that there is overwhelming proof for the existence of a god and it's frustrating that they refuse to come to the table of thought. Once you believe there is a god, then it's just a matter of figuring out which is the correct god. It's a daunting task when starting from a clean slate but an intellectual imperative if you wish to be honest with yourself.

Answer 5

Lion of Judah had some interesting views on atheism; I have to take issue with one of them though in particular (there were a few others like "atheists NEED to attack christianity" but not even worth arguing nonsense like that)...

"Since atheism cannot be proven and since disproving evidences for God does not prove there is no God, atheists have a position that is intellectually indefensible. At best, atheists can only say that there are no convincing evidences for God so far presented."

The intellectual defense would be that if there is no evidence to support a theory (in this case that there is a God) it is more logical than to assume that the theory is incorrect than to assume it is not... To argue this point is to suggest that we should believe anything and everything that cannot be disproven...

There is no evidence of a God beyond several books saying it is so, all of them written long long ago and each contradicting the others (and at times even themselves)...

Answer 6

I am not trying to insult anyone, just describing human nature in general. People tend to not like to be exposed to ideas contrary to their own because it makes them feel uncomfortable. We would like to just stay in our own little comfort zone and pretend all alternate views don't exist. That's just the way people are. The idea that there is no such thing as a higher being is so different from the views of most people that they have trouble understanding how they can't believe in at least some god or other. Then, the beliefs of atheists seem insulting to theists, as they are directly contradicted their beliefs, which people do not like, and it often causes anger, regardless of what these beliefs are. And as an overwhelming majority of people are theists, atheists are generally disliked and avoided. In the United States at least, about 55% of adults said they feel hatred or strong dislike towards people without religious beliefs, and 70% said that they feel it is very important for political leaders to be highly religious. Opposing people of other beliefs is just human nature.

Answer 7

I was at one time in my life an atheist. I had no proof or belief in any sort of a supreme being. I just didn't know, but i was doubtful.
What I saw in the 1960's many people of color were saying that they would get their reward in Heaven. I thought that that was really bad - no one should suffer because of other people and put up with it in the name of God. To me that made God just an excuse.

I have since had some experiences which changed my views about a supreme being - God.
But I still understand how some haven't experienced anything to cause them to believe in God.
I also believe that every adult is in charge of their own spiritual destiny. No one can do it for another.

Answer 8

Atheism is opposed by theists because religious people think atheism is an incorrect belief. It's the same reason that atheists (as found in the forum) disapprove of religious people -- they think they are wrong.

I also believe that atheists are wrong because they are not being honest with themselves; they are not thinking with their whole being. Human beings are wired to be religious. We are ritual beings who gain satisfaction from acting together, using symbols, in pursuit of common goal. Whether it's church, a football game or a concert, we like doing things together and following the same rules.

It's easy to be appalled by the nonsense that goes on in the name of religion (wars, hatred, etc) and to reject that. But rejecting the works of religion does not prove that religion is bad. Any more than rejecting atheism because Stalin and Mao were atheists.

I happen to believe that one reason atheists are so antagonistic to religion is because they feel its stirrings and don't want to admit it. They shout down their own religious feelings in a vain attempt to cover them up. My opinion.

Answer 9

I may disapprove of atheism, but I do not disapprove of atheists. It is not the people, but the system of belief. I disapprove of all false religions, including the so called Christian religions which believe that a person is saved by works instead of by Jesus. I disapprove of these things because they are harmful to those who believe them.

This is not an act against the person who believes them, but for that person. My endeavor is to help the person. Many do not come across this way. It is mainly because they have not been taught how to do so. Most of these people do have compassion, but they do not know how to show it.

Answer 10

Atheists are in a minority and until quite recently, really have not organized their efforts to "unconvert" believers or spread their beliefs.

The other thing is that many atheist lay claim to absolute knowledge of the non-existence of god(s) solely on the basis of physical evidence narrowly defined by the physical sciences like subatomic physics and 21st century cosmology when in fact, these are relatively new sciences that could very well someday explain and even prove god's existence.