Why is anti-theism completely O.K., but anti-atheism is bigotry!?
I suppose it depends on one's definition of each. Many atheists are also anti-theists because they see the harm religion causes, and and that's probably what theists think. However, bigotry in any form is wrong. Anti-theists usually become that way because the steps theists try to take to curtail their freedoms and personal liberties, or insert their religious beliefs in government. It's one thing for a person to maintain their own personal belief privately, but it's another when those beliefs are legislated. Case in point: when christian symbols are displayed on public property, but christians complain when anyone else adds a different religious/non-religious symbol, or when people try to insert creationism into the science classroom, or when public officials and teachers proselytize, especially when using their official positions to do so, or when the workplace discriminates because of alternate or lack of christian beliefs, or when gays cannot enjoy the privilege of marriage, or when it's political suicide to declare onself atheist, or when an atheist presidential candidate would never be elected no matter his/her credentials, or when there are myriad tv channels, radio stations, billboard ads, periodicals and publications dedicated to religion, but atheist media is so reviled, or when atheists are the most distrusted and disliked segment of the population... You do the math, when 85% of the US is religious to one degree or the other.
What is the best question to ask an anti-theist?
Personally the best question I've found would probably be along the lines of:Without morals based on religious belief, what purely logical reason would I have to not kill someone to obtain their job/wealth, especially if they have no loved ones or relatives to avenge them?Of course you also must point out that "because it's against the law" is circular logic without first proving why it's logically immoral to murder someone outside of the law, otherwise there's nothing to base the original law on in the first place.You could also instead make it about eliminating people who are a burden on society (the homeless for example) or criminals.Since animals live without a moral code and freely kill each other for completely selfish reasons, I've always found this to be an interesting thought experiment.Warning: unless you know of some anti-theists that are incredibly open-minded, this will all probably just turn into a terrible and unenlightened argument.
Since when is calling other people idiots, delusional, pathetic, and bigoted not disrespectful?
Depending how the words are used, I wouldn't call all of them disrespectful. "idiot" and "pathetic" are pretty disrespectful, but if someone really is delusional or they really are a bigot, sometimes its just brutal honestly to tell them, and there's no nice way of saying it and still conveying the same meaning.
As a religious person, what is your opinion of anti-theists?
I understand people who simply do not believe in God. Atheists do not really bother me as a rule. I have interacted with many atheists who bother me much less than many theists do.Anti-theists are different. As a rule, they tend to exhibit the following:Blatant hypocrisy when it comes to matters of epistemology. They tell me I am a fool for believing in a deity without what they call “evidence,” yet they invariably believe in many things that similarly lack “evidence.” But that is okay because their beliefs are not “religious”…whatever that means.A childish, absolutist, and simplistic view of the world. For example, the tendency to say that, in all seriousness, all theists are mentally ill and should be put in an asylum.A general tendency toward misanthropy and being unsavory and unpleasant. They often claim to be compassionate “humanists” but literally hate most humans. “We don’t hate them. We want to put them in prison because we love them.” Sure.So on and so forth.And FYI, religion and atheism are not opposites. Theism is a common characteristic of religion, but not a necessary one.
Are all atheists anti-theists?
The quick answer just get it out of the way: NO.Now I’ll go into greater detail. Someone who is an anti-theist is someone who is in complete opposition to religion. A good handful of people like this want to see religion and any association to it banned. Many of them want to burn all bibles, forbid prayer in public places and eradicate any sign the religion ever existed. This is a person who is completely against all religion, hence the anti part.So, am I an anti-theist? The answer to that is also a no.The answer is quite simple, I do not advocate for the ban or destruction of any religion. Even if everyone were to turn atheist tomorrow, I would not want to burn bibles either as it would have a place in our schools as literature and a major element of comparative mythology. Even if it were declared false tomorrow, it would still serve a purpose.So for these reasons alone, it’s clear to see that this Atheist isn’t anti-theist. I happen to think anti-theists make up a very small minority of atheists, but I will challenge them myself if they propose anti-theist views ‘cause I do not agree with them either.Cheers,PJ
When will antitheists realize there bigotry and hatred is no different then christian bigotry and hatred?
I find them nearly exactly the same. The anti-theists even take a seriously stupidly skewed view of history and ignore relevant facts, like some creationists ignore science. For example, Mao and Stalin fought the "good" anti-theist fight by dictating laws against religion, killing the religious and becoming the two most prolific mass murderers in all of human history. So while the anti-theists here, claim that theists do this and they don't, they are just lying to themselves and ignorant of the truth as much as the creationists. While it may be said that atheism has not led to wars and atrocities, the same cannot be said for anti-theism. And if you want to make the claim that atheism is SOO much better, because it hasn't led to wars, neither has deism. So is deism now superior? What about the Amish? Or any belief structure that holds less than 5% of the population? With atheism as relatively spread out as it is, there are only a few countries where atheism is still even a majority. The comparison of apples to orangatans is rather uncompelling. Ra, I thumbs down you because YOUR ARUGMENT is specious. You have no argument. You hold to no view. You sit there and answer the important question of life with crap like there is no answer. You give no evidence for your lack of answer, you just whine about the beliefs of others. Good job for being able to MAYBE poke holes in my beliefs, but I DONT CARE. WHy? I am the greatest basketball player alive. If I have no net that my opponent can score on, and they have a net that I can, then I win against everyone. What sense does that make???? That is your argument for your superiority and your claim to the hypocrisy of others. Well I will say it. I am a hypocrite. So are you. So are we all. YOU DO NOT HAVE THE ANSWERS. I don't either. But I am seeking, instead of whining about the path others have chosen. Lordjagged, Have I ever seen it? Absolutely. All of the time. In fact, how would one even make the claim that their belief structure does not influence how they vote? You argument makes no sense. You are simply special pleading that your beliefs are not to be considered.
Should antitheists outlaw the Bible as hate speech for opposing homosexuality?
Deleted question rephrased to conform to Yahoo's terms of service. From Genesis to Jude, the Bible writers take a uniformly negative view of homosexuality as a life-destroying sin. http://scripturecatholic.com/homosexuali... Should those who believe in freedom FROM religion ban the Bible? Or does the First Amendment protect the right to free religious expression?
As a religious person, how does it feel when people (particularly anti-theists) say that your religion is bad?
Context: I am a white Buddhist living in North America.I am religious, but my practice does not involve any gods or figures of worship, nor does it involve evangelism.The times that anti-theists have criticized my religion have felt like a waste of time, it always started when I made the mistake of revealing my religious identity and the other party misinterpreted my sharing as evangelism. These were always followed by them accusing me of evangelism, and telling me what I believe, their analysis of which was pathetically mistaken. It's frustrating or boring to try to have a discussion with someone who isn't actually listening to you, and instead parroting Dawkins or Hitchens.