# Ask the Atheist **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 16, 2015, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704 "2015-11-16T16:11:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704/41 "2015-11-16T19:54:06Z")
> [@Dragwyr](#): > > I’ve noticed the same thing, but extensive searching did not reveal a specific thread that talked about atheism specifically. I guess I’m looking to discuss all of it. How we came to our non-belief, how we live our lives, etc. Ah, there ya go. That’s a bit different than I got out of your OP; perhaps they did, too 😉 I suspect a thread with a title something like “How did you come to atheism and how do you present it in your life” may start things off on a better foot. I have no clue; just trying to figure out what the thread was about. I am not into organized religions or dogma, but have never considered framing myself as an “atheist.” No particular reason why. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704/42 "2015-11-16T19:55:09Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > [This poll is from 2009.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=533099&highlight=religious+poll) Is there a more recent poll available? And there you go! Thank you, sir. Quite the majority. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704/43 "2015-11-16T20:07:16Z")
My apologies, **Wordman**. I didn’t mean for this to be confusing. Thanks for the link to the poll. I did a search on “Atheism” and “Atheist” and didn’t find much, plus I thought an “Ask the…” on the subject would be kind of fun. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704/44 "2015-11-16T20:10:13Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I think I’m going to start an “Ask the homo sapiens” thread next. Then I’ll start a “Ask the straight sapiens” thread. Just to keep it balanced. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704/45 "2015-11-16T20:10:41Z")
> [@Dragwyr](#): > > I would agree with you, but here’s the thing… in the USA, atheists are the most mistrusted and most discriminated group/demographic. In the USA, if you don’t believe in some type of deity, you get a lot of hate piled up on you, so in this case, it is a thing to discuss. I am an atheist. I am also not white. Although it is true that atheists are irrationally mistrusted, bordering on hatred, believe me when I say that my countenance and pigmentation present more of a issue than my atheism when it comes to prejudice, discrimination, bigotry, and yes, hatred. Heck, the Paris terrorist attacks have both me and my wife concerned again simply because of my appearance, even though I am not Muslim nor of Middle Eastern descent. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704/46 "2015-11-16T20:23:53Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I am an atheist. I am also not white. Although it is true that atheists are irrationally mistrusted, bordering on hatred, believe me when I say that my countenance and pigmentation present more of a issue than my atheism when it comes to prejudice, discrimination, bigotry, and yes, hatred. > > Heck, the Paris terrorist attacks have both me and my wife concerned again simply because of my appearance, even though I am not Muslim nor of Middle Eastern descent. It _is_ easier for an atheist to hide among the religionists, I’ll give you that. If we keep our mouths shut, bow our heads at the proper times and not give our real opinions, then we can pass as one of them or, at the very least, a “good” atheist. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704/47 "2015-11-16T20:30:41Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > It _is_ easier for an atheist to hide among the religionists, I’ll give you that. If we keep our mouths shut, bow our heads at the proper times and not give our real opinions, then we can pass as one of them or, at the very least, a “good” atheist. …but you can’t fool [del]mom[/del] god. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704/48 "2015-11-16T20:35:40Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > …but you can’t fool [del]mom[/del] god. 😉 Just gotta fool the nonexistent ones. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704/49 "2015-11-16T20:51:20Z")
> [@Dragwyr](#): > > My apologies, **Wordman**. I didn’t mean for this to be confusing. Thanks for the link to the poll. > > I did a search on “Atheism” and “Atheist” and didn’t find much, plus I thought an “Ask the…” on the subject would be kind of fun. Yeah, the search function is not so great. There are tons of threads involving atheism in GD. I remember one here about getting married without religion. There have also been threads about bringing up your children as atheists, and how you talk about religion to them. My son-in-law is German, and before he and my daughter got married his parents were worried that we, being Americans, would be religious nuts. It was quite a relief to them to find that my disdain for any gods and theirs matched quite nicely. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704/50 "2015-11-16T21:03:26Z")
Are there any character benefits you associate with atheism? More intelligent, less prone to senseless violence, better taste in movies and music, etc.? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704/51 "2015-11-16T21:15:09Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Are there any character benefits you associate with atheism? More intelligent, less prone to senseless violence, better taste in movies and music, etc.? Atheist tend to be better looking. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704/52 "2015-11-16T21:17:41Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Atheist tend to be better looking. And all that other stuff too, of course. And definitely more modest. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704/53 "2015-11-16T21:20:14Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Are there any character benefits you associate with atheism? More intelligent, less prone to senseless violence, better taste in movies and music, etc.? I know you are not specifically addressing me with your question, but I’ll take a stab. I don’t know if I would say atheists are more intelligent than people of faith; goodness knows there are some really stupid atheists, just as there are really stupid Christians. I would say atheists are, perhaps, a little more introspective than those who believe in a deity, as they almost have to be. In my personal experience, the atheists I have met have been, for the most part, less judgmental than average, more conscious of their surroundings, geographically speaking, and more progressive/liberal politically than average. Not to say conservatives can’t be atheists also. They can, I know a few. It is simply more likely, again, anecdotally, for what that is worth, for conservatives, especially social conservatives, to be religious. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704/54 "2015-11-16T21:26:33Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I would say atheists are, perhaps, a little more introspective than those who believe in a deity, as they almost have to be. Really? Their defining characteristic makes it difficult to imagine a greater moral authority than themselves. This makes them _more_ introspective? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704/55 "2015-11-16T21:32:59Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Really? Their defining characteristic makes it difficult to imagine a greater moral authority than themselves. This makes them _more_ introspective? I would say so-we actually have to put some time and effort into coming up with our ethics and morals. It’s not as easy when nothing is accepted on blind faith and/or a centuries old tome. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704/56 "2015-11-16T21:34:23Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Are there any character benefits you associate with atheism? More intelligent, less prone to senseless violence, better taste in movies and music, etc.? I thought we already settles this… > **[Do christians live longer?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=416290)** > > I am not looking for a debate (yet). But having a discussion about the power of prayer with a friend made me wonder if christians live longer than athiests (or hiindus or moslems for that matter), once other factors have been accounted for. This ... ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704/57 "2015-11-16T21:37:51Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > Stamp collecting is never considered when awarding child custody, nor the suitability of potential adoptive parents. > > Furthermore, stamp collectors are not conducting organized campaigns to have their beliefs taught in science classes, nor to control the ability of non stamp collectors to marry or adopt children. I agree with your larger point, but just thought you should know that as an atheist married to another atheist, the subject never came up during the adoption of our son. It really all depends on the birth mother, I suppose heavily religious ones will likely rank religion of higher importance when looking at potential adoptive parents, but I don’t think its fair to say that anyone is actively denying adoptive rights to atheists. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704/58 "2015-11-16T21:49:33Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > It really all depends on the birth mother, I suppose heavily religious ones will likely rank religion of higher importance when looking at potential adoptive parents, but I don’t think its fair to say that anyone is actively denying adoptive rights to atheists. [According to this Salon article,](http://www.salon.com/2014/04/08/atheists_are_adoptive_parents_too_why_agencies_must_stop_discriminating_partner/) there can be stumbling blocks for the potential atheist adoptive parents. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704/59 "2015-11-16T22:11:28Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Really? Their defining characteristic makes it difficult to imagine a greater moral authority than themselves. This makes them _more_ introspective? I think you may be coming at this from two errant perspectives, the first being that humanity’s natural state is the assumption of a deity, and the second is atheists’ lack of belief in a greater moral authority, to use your term, is their defining characteristic. I would say, without indoctrination, the natural state is to not create a deity, than to create one. I would also say, if they were not born to it, a significant number of atheists didn’t come to their lack of faith lightly. Members of my immediate family are all religious to one extent or another. It took years and a lot of internal searching for me to come to the place where I could admit to myself that atheism is the term that applied to me, so yes, a lot of introspection. I wasn’t trying not to believe although, in actuality, I never believed. There was no need for me to abide with a mental construct of an omni intelligence I could not detect in any way simply because others, who had no more insight than I did, said so. The only moral authority I needed, or even wanted, were my parents, and it had been decades since even that was the case. I am an atheist, but I don’t define myself by it. I am a son, a brother, a husband, a business owner, a decent recreational guitar player, an avid reader, and many, many other things, the least important and impactful to my life of which is my atheism, which only comes up, to be completely frank, when I visit this board. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704/60 "2015-11-16T22:13:30Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > I don’t collect stamps, do you think I should start a thread about that? You know, I could talk about what kind of stamps I don’t collect. Do I not collect foreign stamps, or do I not collect domestic stamps. Do I not collect commemorative stamps, or stamps with birds on them. Is the guy who doesn’t collect cancelled stamps a different sort of hobbyist than the guy who doesn’t collect un-cancelled stamps? No one expects the Postal Inquisition! Among our chief weapons are surprise, fear, ruthless incompetence, and an almost fanatical devotion to wearing blue shorts. > [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Really? Their defining characteristic makes it difficult to imagine a greater moral authority than themselves. This makes them _more_ introspective? This is patently untrue. The vast majority of athiests, including (or perhaps especially) philosophers such as Daniel Dennett and John Searle, and evolutionary biologists such as J.B.S. Haldane or Richard Dawkins, agree that there is such a thing as a moral authority. They simply acknowledge that is part of the social agreement within societies about what is and is not appropriate behavior, and not some absolutionist mantra irregularly enforced by some invisible sky entity which reveals itself in the form of flaming bushes, earth-consuming rainstorms, or rampaging ursines. From a consistancy standpoint this puts them head and shoulders above those who insist at morality is some special ordinance of diving authority which incidentially grants exceptions whenever it is convenient such as when the offender offers money for dispensations or is engaging in immoral conduct toward non-followers. Athiests are just as capable of introspection and deep philosophical thought regarding ethics and morality as the most intellectually engaged theosophist. They just don’t start from the factually unsupported premise that all moral authority and behavior is derived from some fantastical source outside of nature, and particularly not one whose only evidence comes from a collection of ancient, oft-mistanslated books that are regarded by honest scholars as about as literally factual as _World Weekly News_. Stranger [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-atheist/737704.md?page=4)