Why are christians so desperate to deny those who became Atheists were ever christians? [Spirituality & Religion]

@BlueRain Other than atheists are irrational and slightly paranoid and don't need an excuse to break rules or kill people.

@hippyjoe1955 In my opinion, one needs to believe in the good. If not, we have nothing.

@BlueRain Thank you. I take being called a christian an insult.

@hippyjoe1955 The Oklahoma bomber was a Christian.

@walabby I guess you missed the part where he said he was an atheist.

@hippyjoe1955 McVeigh was raised Roman Catholic. During his childhood, he and his father attended Mass regularly. McVeigh was confirmed at the Good Shepherd Church in Pendleton, New York, in 1985. In a 1996 interview, McVeigh professed belief in a God, although he said he had "sort of lost touch with" Catholicism and "I never really picked it up, however I do maintain core beliefs."

I guess you missed the part where you’re not supposed to just invent convenient fictions.

@hippyjoe1955 We should always be careful of any argument that is structured, "People in X group are irrational and slightly paranoid." For one, it implies '[i]all[/i] people in X group.' But when one doesn't explicitly use the word 'all,' allows them to make the case just by citing a few (or in this case, only one) examples.

I can assure you, there are people of ANY social group who have done wicked things. It's not hard to construct this same argument where X = atheists, Christians, Jainists, left-/right-wingers, incels, or Star Wars fans.

I am not qualified to speak to the situation globally, but here in the U.S., I would sooner put my life in the hands of an atheist than a Christian. The reason is simple. There is a lot of social pushback against being an atheist, as the majority of people still believe atheists are generally immoral people. Consequently, most people who call themselves atheists do so out of a desire to be intellectually consistent, which has a high correlation with ethical consistency.

Granted, this is merely an assertion, I haven't provided any evidence. I've seen evidence cited in various locations, but I don't want to take the time to go find it. From my own personal observation, every atheist I know in real life (and I know quite a few) is a kind, decent human being who believes in treating others with compassion. I have not had the same experience with Christians.

@newjaninev2 So you were raised how? yet you are now an atheist. How clueless is that idea that being born into a belief system binds you for evermore. As a former atheist I can attest to the idea that you can change. In my church are former pantheists from Africa, Former Atheists/communists from Russia, former Buddhists from Cambodia, former muslims from Iraq and more than a few former catholics. McVeigh was like a lot of people who were 'raised catholic' who never understood or practiced the teachings of Christ. They may have gone to mass on Christmas and Easter and had no idea of the message.

@hippyjoe1955
McVeigh took the Last Rites, administered by a priest, just before his execution. Father Charles Smith ministered to McVeigh in his last moments in death row.

@ShadowSister Do a little study on official atheistic states. You will soon change you mind if you have a mind to change and are not simply emotionally hooked on atheism. As someone much wiser than me pointed out, "You can not rationally argue a person out of a position they didn't rationally enter". Jesus called it casting pearls before swine.

@hippyjoe1955 [edited] oops, sorry, I misread your response as being directed towards me. 😳 [stuff deleted]

But this point stands: asserting that your side alone is rational while your opponent's isn't does not actually constitute an argument.

@ShadowSister Not what I said at all. What I said is that many of our beliefs are not held on a rational basis. We may claim it is so but in fact rational thought plays a much smaller portion in our belief system (what ever belief you hold) than is commonly assumed. Humans are funny that way.

@hippyjoe1955 Thank you for the clarification. That was not clear to me in the initial context.

Question for you: Should we hold a belief system accountable for everything anyone does it its name?

@ShadowSister Obviously not because few people are purists in their belief system. You can have a broad spectrum of beliefs within a particular belief system. However one needs to be aware of the products of the belief system. You will find a similarities in every country that is majority Buddhist. That is very different than what you find in a muslim country or a Christian nation or an atheist nation. You really want to live in a Christian country. You really don't want to live in an atheist country or a muslim country or a buddhist country.

One observation that I have made here on SW is that Christians are much more rude, obnoxious and arrogant than atheists... just sayin'....
... not ALL Christians, though, just a predominance...