Do you have a dollar on you? How arrogant is it that my money falsely asserts something about what I believe.
Equivalent my ass.
That’s a demographics issue.
On the SDMB, for example, I’m much more likely to be annoyed by a proselytizing atheist than a theist. The same holds true for many parts of my community, since I live in a liberal town and hang out with very liberal people.
Yes, there are less atheists than theists. That doesn’t mean that atheists are somehow less capable of producing assholes than theists are.
Dealing with assholes is part of the human condition - not a side effect of religion.
I think think the judgement on what constitutes “assholish” behaviour always feels a a little lopsided to me with the religious getting a free pass for any number of discriminatory beliefs merely because they can be justified by reference to sacred books.
An atheist calling them out on it would be seen as the asshole rather than the religious person believing or, even worse, acting on said belief.
The Emperor’s new clothes was mentioned previously and there is some truth in that.
Religion may think, say and do what it likes and yet cry foul when challenged. Sorry, but I can’t go along with that.
Then there are theists who simply cannot comprehend that idea that anybody really doesn’t believe in gods. They think we’re just mad at God, or something negative happened that made us stop beliving, or we’re just misinformed. :rolleyes: Hollywood is especially prone to portraying atheists like that.
Yep, this is what I meant about certainty bringing out the worst in humanity. Der Trihs isn’t even talking about people who disagree with him (her?) - he’s talking about people who dare to entertain the possibility that he might not be 100% right. That’s justification enough to come up with ways, however convoluted, in which they must be morally inferior. He’s 100% certain that he’s 100% right, so any deviation from 100% agreement must be a sign of lesserness.
People like this (on either side of the debate, obviously - on here I’ve read about 100%-certain Christians who, in spite of the evidence of their own eyes, refuse to believe that atheists can have strong moral belief systems and deep integrity) are why I try to hold onto a filament of doubt about a lot of things, religious and other - even if I have very strong opinions - as long as they haven’t been conclusively proven one way or another. It just seems like such an easy leap from certainty to this, and the thought of ending up like this gives me the heebie-jeebies.
Honestly? I’d say you acted like a complete asshole. And if you can’t understand why, I’m not even going to bother explaining it.
I don’t think atheists (or theists) are arrogant. It’s just that the arrogant ones are always the ones you remember.
Did you read his whole story? He was being harrassed at work, and his workplace was turning a blind eye. After numerous provocations, he answered the questions he was asked honestly. How is that being an asshole?
Sure, if he answered snidely or sarcastically, or with in a deliberate effort to discomfit the child. Any of that would be consistent with the story, and may have happened. But given only what he says here, I don’t see how he was being an asshole.
Cite?
Of the people I personally know who are atheists ( a handful that are open about it to me):
3 “Quiet” atheists (one pro-life which is interested)
1 atheist who would made disparaging comments about anyone who goes to church, “believes in that that bullshit”, etc.
1 loud and obnoxious one who could be Der Trihs in meatspace.
So 20% ratio there (which is NOT a cite - I was just trying to think about the people I know). Personally, I would guess that there is a the same number of assholes in every grouping out there. A few parents coaching kids soccer (5% rule is my rule of thumb for volunteer sports), a few from a given faith or lack thereof, a few in a faculty meeting, a few at the office (though we fire them), etc.
Given that most people don’t know about my faith unless they try to get me to do something on a Sunday morning, or they join my family for a holiday dinner (which 4/5 of the list above have done, and have been quietly polite while we had a prayer), I don’t know how you evaluate the number of loud, pushy Christians vs the number of loud, pushy atheists.
If that actually happened the way you described it, you were a total cunt. If the people Bijou Drains has met acted like you, it’s no wonder he thinks all atheists are assholes.
20% of the people you *know *are atheists. Which means 100% of the ones you don’t know are atheists would fit into your “quiet” category.
So, when I was a little Jewish boy should I have been protected from people proclaiming that Jesus is the savior and anyone not believing will fry in hell? That’s a bit worse than what alphaboi867, don’t you think?
It is telling about the intellectual weakness of religious belief that the slightest word against it is considered as arrogant, and that the religious are just shocked when someone disagrees. Why did this woman put the boy in the middle when he clearly was not interested?
A JW, dragging a little girl, finally arrived at my door. I engaged her in a polite discussion about evolution. Should I have not done this because a little girl was dragged into it?
alphaboi867 gave an honest answer to an honest question. You clearly think he should lie or evade it to keep the kid from knowing that not everyone believes the same thing. Well, the hell with that.
Is it really any different from someone objecting to a gay person acting normally with someone he loves despite the fact that their are children around?
I have never seen Der Trihs get in in anyone’s face who was not already flogging imaginary deities.
A total cunt? What label would you give all the people who will attempt to brainwash my child with terrors of the devil and hell, with false promises of a heavenly eternal life, nonsense about angels and “the power of prayer”? What would you call those people who spread lies, bad science and worse history, false hope, and propaganda like a disease?
Not only that, but it is common for them to set up kids events where the brainwashed ones are invited to bring their heathen friends. It is advertised as games and snacks - but of course they try to indoctrinate the little kids while they are at it.
If atheists did something like this the believers would have a total cow.
If one of them told a young child that they were going to burn in hell because they didn’t believe in God and caused the young child to run away in tears, I would also call them a total cunt.
Guinastasia is completely correct. There is something wrong with you if you don’t understand why taking pleasure in making a child run away crying is fucked up.
Especially with the bragging tone in which he said it. Like being an asshole to a child is going to score you brownie points with other atheists.
I am a bit stunned to learn that DT is in the closet IRL.
There isn’t a living atheist anywhere near the level of asshole of Fred Phelps, or even Pat Robertson. Unless Donald Trump is a secret atheist. But he’s not an ass about atheism.
And you think that isn’t a common occurance in the Bible Belt? It’s a constant threat to any non-church going kid, any kid of other faiths, even Catholic kids are treated to a litany of hellfires and damnations for “worshipping saints” instead of the correct gods.
I been there. Lock-ins, Hellhouses, and bowling/swimming/softball events where heathen kids were pounced on and shamed, scared, and bribed to join a church. Mostly scared, though.
Why bother explaining? You say “Thank you,” and go on with your life. Society is made up of people who play along because there’s no skin off their asses if they do. Feeling a need to explain yourself over the slightest fucking thing like that is arrogant in that you assume they really give a shit what you believe.
“I’m sorry, but I believe it’s not appropriate to discuss religion in the workplace.” If he has half a brain (which is not given) he’ll figure out that he had crossed an invisible line and not pursue it. If he has a bit more brain he might recognize the magic words “not appropriate” and “workplace,” put two and two together, and realize you could have him in HR in about half a minute if you choose to. And if he’s too stupid to get it, well, I was raised to not be cruel to the afflicted.
You can tell the atheists: they aren’t dressed as well. Or at least as expensively.
Yep, though his definition of “flogging” is looser than mine.
How many of these events were you subjected to? Why did your parents keep sending you to them?
I never had a single experience like this, but if I had my parents would have completely flipped out.
The most unwanted religion I was exposed to was the vague Christian overtones of the Cub Scouts, which in my pack was more or less limited to the “god and my country” part of the motto.