Christians: In your honest, non-antagonistic opinion, why do you think that atheists are atheist?
I encourage Christians to answer honestly and Atheists to respond with correction or affirmation without either party taking things personally or becoming combative.
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You know, and I say this as an atheist, there is no belief system in the world accompanied by as much condescending smugness as atheism. Like people are STRUGGLING and it's not because we're in a theocracy. Sure the religious right is doing a lot of bullshit but I've met no shortage of bigoted atheists in my time.
It's like the point of this is to find something that is precious to someone who is struggling and take it from them just so you can be smug and right.
And again, I'm an atheist. I do not believe in God in any meaningful way and I am completely irrelligious.
@Pikachu of course not, but this is a smug post, as is most atheist "discourse", and atheism tends towards an insufferable smugness as a general principle
My dude. I made explicit in the OP that this thread is not about being combative.
If i ask you a question assume i am asking it in good faith. If you're not willing to offer me that courtesy or respond in the same good faith then this thread is not for you. No offense intended.
I can totally see how it would come off that way and i agree that it is often deployed in that way. But i believe that clear and honest communication solves a lot of issues lol.
In this case, i made clear that my use of that comparison is not used as a means to trivialize the belief in god but is simply a culturally available example of a belief by which i am not convinced nor could i make the choice to be convinced. Because that's another thing i hear a lot in this context: You [i]choose[/i] not to believe.
@Pikachu It's definitely a choice. You have to actively determine that you are an atheist. You could choose to believe in a conception of God any time. Again, you're being hyper literal.
