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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I think many people remain atheists because they can't supercede how stunted they are from growing up religious. They reacted against something as teens or young adults, questioned everything they'd been taught, found it wanting, and now live spiritually bereft lives as a consequence, and it's quite sad, particularly with how quick they are to lash out against anyone even mildly religious. I think ego has a lot to do with it. There's a certain self-satisfaction that comes with "knowing" the answer to the big questions. I always hope that the ego, moral relativism, and attitude are things people will grow out of, but so many don't, and so many end up insufferable as a result. I'm not a Christian, so maybe my response doesn't count since the question wasn't directed at me, but I have Christian friends and it's always frustrating to see how callously dismissive or outright shitty atheists tend to be. Ultimately, I'm not sure why anyone would *want* to be one past a certain age, honestly, aside from as a way to reject and move past a traumatically religious upbringing they have yet to fully process.
I know that a lot of atheists became atheist by becoming disillusioned with the religion of their upbringing. For myself, i was just never convinced that a god was real. And it's not about what i want or being right, it's just a belief of which i am not convinced in the same way you that you (presumably) are not convinced that Santa Claus exists.
@Pikachu I think the hyper-literal interpretation of divinity is what gets me. Atheists are quick to draw comparisons to holiday characters, but that's radically erroneous. Some people certainly believe that there is literally a man in the sky who will send them to hell for misbehaving, but they definitely do not comprise the whole. My gnostic friends have a very different conception of God, as do I, and I am convinced of its being for reasons that are my own but which are not wholly unfounded superstition. And in personal practice, for example, when I celebrate a full moon, or the turning of the season, I am not vesting literal personification into anything. When I worship the moon it is as a symbolic guidestone. I place a spiritual significance in it, but I do not literally believe it is a sentient thing granting me blessings. I think that holds true for a lot of people, even some Christians. What's important isn't so much the belief as it is the ritual practice.
@sylvivresavie also, just wanna clarify, the people who believe in a literal man in the sky aren't ridiculous or deserving of mockery-they are just reaching for meaning and purpose and structure
I agree. No one deserves to be mocked for their religious beliefs. They can be disagreed with and even debated but mockery is just being mean for the sake of being mean.
Well this post isn't about debate. I'm just curious because you so often here the rhetoric that atheists are atheists because they hate god or they want to sin or the don't want consequences. I know that for myself these are not reasons why i'm an atheist. I'm curious to hear what the average christian thinks of atheists these days.
@Pikachu I think asking a Christian why they think you are an atheist so you can correct them with "well you don't believe in Santa" is clearly angling for a debate
You are certainly entitled to you opinion. As i stated in my OP, i encourage atheists correcting any misconceptions about why an atheist is atheist but that's not a debate. Just people sharing their life experience.
Do you think i want to debate the existence of god? If so then you surely do not know me because that is a debate that i find pointless and without a possible conclusion.
I thought i'd made it clear the first time that drawing a direct equivalency is not my point with that comparison. But i know i've made it clear in the other post i just made. I can copy and paste it here if that would be helpful.
You might be right but i'd also prefer to have conversation to explore beliefs much as we've done here rather than attempt at the outset to ensure utter clarity and lack of any possible angle of offense for any person.
Oh well i mean in the context of the Santa comparison. You thought it was meant as a dismissal of the belief in god and i explained that it was actually an example of a belief by which i cannot chose to be convinced.
