Pushing faith...

[Sanguvixen]

Quite a few gaians in the GD are getting angsty over the supposed idea that gaian atheists are more arrogent and a*****e-ish than gaian theists.

Many of them seem to be taking offense to not being able to bring up thier religion into a discussion due to being shot down by atheists on the site. It seems that this is a pervading idea that we are shoving our lack of belief down other people's throats in a way worse than any theistic gaians ever do.

If you stop to think about it deeply, every single time a theist opens his or her mouth to talk about his or her god, they are(wether they realize it or not) indirectly pushing thier faith upon others. The intention may or may not be there, but the reality is that "God is real" is no different than "God put me on this earth for a reason". Both are no different than "Look hun, God exists and he has a plan for you."

What do you think GAU? For that matter what is it with the recent amount of gaians comlaining about how "Mean, snotty, assholish, or arrogent" gaian atheists are. Does anyone have any sort of idea on how we can change that gaian image?

 

[Tenth Speed Writer]

Not to sound the traitor, but I tend to agree. Not at all speaking to the entire guild, but there have been many cases I've seen where the one and only aggressor has been the antitheist.

Just as devoted theists must learn to accept the atheist and agnostic members of the community, so must we learn to accept their choice to embrace their faith. Attacking someone for their beliefs is attacking them for their beliefs, whether they be atheist, Christian, Muslim, agnostic, or any other realm of thought.

It's disappointing that we resort to using belief to judge others.. a wise man is a wise man, and a foolish one is still foolish, no matter what they think. Let's take the next step to being the former, and learn to observe the way that others really are before judging them.  

[ProjectOmicron88]

My question is, why are you concerned at all with what people in GD say?  

[Six Billion of Spades]

As with most facets of life, there are good and bad people on both sides of the argument. But from my experience, theists seem to hold atheism as an inherently arrogant position. And I find it interesting that the theists, who believe that they are central to an imaginary god's plan, can honestly call us atheists "arrogant" with a straight face.  

[Sanguvixen]

ProjectOmicron88

My question is, why are you concerned at all with what people in GD say?

I've been doing quite a bit of lurking. I've just noticed that there has been a shift in target recently. The GD's target changes, and right now the target is Gaian atheists.

Sometimes I'll lurk, sometimes I'll post. It just has me curious.

 

[Sanguvixen]

Tenth Speed Writer

Not to sound the traitor, but I tend to agree. Not at all speaking to the entire guild, but there have been many cases I've seen where the one and only aggressor has been the antitheist.

Just as devoted theists must learn to accept the atheist and agnostic members of the community, so must we learn to accept their choice to embrace their faith. Attacking someone for their beliefs is attacking them for their beliefs, whether they be atheist, Christian, Muslim, agnostic, or any other realm of thought.

It's disappointing that we resort to using belief to judge others.. a wise man is a wise man, and a foolish one is still foolish, no matter what they think. Let's take the next step to being the former, and learn to observe the way that others really are before judging them.

I agree with part of what you say. However, wouldn't it make sense to not lower yourself to the level of those you oppose? Some of the GD theists are complaining that atheists generalize them, and whine about being attacked for their beliefs.

Isn't that what they are doing right now to others right now? It's just interesting how there is this tit for tat thing going on. It's like "We didn't like what you were doing, so we are going to turn around and do the same thing to you!"

 

[Tenth Speed Writer]

True..

I still don't think that all of us are innocent in this. There are idiots on both sides that will continue to attack others blindly.

It's also unwise to simply say "them," too, just as we don't say "us" when we refer to those who make such attacks. I know more than a handful of theists who want nothing more than for the senseless bickering to end.  

[Arios V]

I have to agree and I have to disagree.

Sometimes I have noticed that it is the theist(s) that are the aggressors and do try to shove their beliefs down other peoples throats. At the same time I have noticed that it is the opposite and that antitheist(s) are the ones pressing the assault on their beliefs.  

[Sanguvixen]

Tenth Speed Writer

True..

I still don't think that all of us are innocent in this. There are idiots on both sides that will continue to attack others blindly.

It's also unwise to simply say "them," too, just as we don't say "us" when we refer to those who make such attacks. I know more than a handful of theists who want nothing more than for the senseless bickering to end.

Niether side is really innocent. Yes there are idiots on both sides that will continue to attack blindly.

True, I'm just trying to keep things simple. I don't mean anything by it. There are people on both sides that want the bickering to end...but it seems everytime one side finally backs down and becomes polite and quiet, the other side starts up. Then things flip.

 

[Sanguvixen]

Arios V

I have to agree and I have to disagree.

Sometimes I have noticed that it is the theist(s) that are the aggressors and do try to shove their beliefs down other peoples throats. At the same time I have noticed that it is the opposite and that antitheist(s) are the ones pressing the assault on their beliefs.

It's okay to agree with some things but not others.

That is life isn't it? Sometimes it will be the theists who are the aggressors, and sometimes it will be the atheists or antitheists as you call them that are the aggressors. The interesting thing though is that while people lean to the atheist or antitheist side as being the arrogent ones, I've seen good evidence for the same amount of arrogence being on the other side.

 

[_C r y s t a l_RB]

It's hard to change ignorance. Really it is. You can try to educate people, but many times, especially with the topic of religion, it falls upon deaf ears. If I must be viewed as arrogant and snotty for my lack of belief in a higher power, then so be it. I know the truth. I don't really see us shoving our beliefs in their faces any more or less than they do. I hate to sound like a five-year old, but usually they started it!  

[_C r y s t a l_RB]

Arios V

I have to agree and I have to disagree.

Sometimes I have noticed that it is the theist(s) that are the aggressors and do try to shove their beliefs down other peoples throats. At the same time I have noticed that it is the opposite and that antitheist(s) are the ones pressing the assault on their beliefs.

I have to disagree for the most part. (This isn't a personal attack or anything.) The thing is. Atheists wouldn't have a problem with anything if religion were never brought up in our day-to-day lives. I don't say anything about theists, until they do something that pisses me off. If religion was left where it belongs, in church and home, then we wouldn't have these problems in the first place, and then us Atheists wouldn't have to be "assholes" about these things. I see more threads attacking us, than any other belief system. If theists are going to attack, and bring up their religion in arguments, then we have just as much of a right to bring up our lack of religion. I see it as no more than returning the favor.

Perhaps if us Atheists just made sure that we didn't start the religion issue in threads, and left that part up to the theists, (Trust me. They'll bring it up.) we could change how we're viewed.  

[Boxed_Jam]

Uuuuummmm....
Maybe be more tolerant of people and their god stuff.
Like say if they go, "Hey you!! Believe in god and go to heaven when you die!!"
Just kind of go, "Well, thanks but no thanks. This god stuff is not for me."
Not, "STFU!!! GTFO!!! I LURV H3LL!!!11111eleven11@!!"
(not that I think too many of us talk like this ^^"...I'm just going to extremes)

Just try to be intelligent and calm when you reply to that stuff.
Lol, swearing out of context will most likely make them roll their and say, "Typical non believer".

^^"
Yeah...so just try to keep your blood pressure from going to high and stay calm and just be proud of what you are.

 

[Xiporah]

I rarely post outside of guilds unless there is an event going on.

 

[Sanguvixen]

Crystal E-B

It's hard to change ignorance. Really it is. You can try to educate people, but many times, especially with the topic of religion, it falls upon deaf ears. If I must be viewed as arrogant and snotty for my lack of belief in a higher power, then so be it. I know the truth. I don't really see us shoving our beliefs in their faces any more or less than they do. I hate to sound like a five-year old, but usually they started it!

I am so inclined to really agree with that first part. Especially after coming across someone in the Religious and Morality Sub-Forum who claims that that religion had nothing to do with the Crusades. Apparently in her world, the Crusades was not a holy war. Can I stab myself please?

When you try to educate people, they don't always want to learn. Or they dont' want to admit they could be wrong. Or maybe they are like being blind. It is true that the belief shoving isn't really more or less on either side.