I agree completely ( with Mangetout, not Leon497)
Edited to add: I know I don’t really have to say this to the SDMB, but just to be clear: Christian is not the same as creationist
What kind of atheist?
The ones who say “I don’t believe in god” I get along fine with.
The ones who say “god doesn’t exist” are occasionally interesting to debate with, but often just as blind to their own biases and non-evidence based claims as evangelicals.
The ones who say “god can’t exist” generally aren’t worth dealing with, much like the ‘King James* version was good enough for Jesus’ fundies.
edit:
*bah, need more sleep
The good guys? Hah!
What’s funny about all that is, for me at least, the moment someone brings up that they’re “Christian”, unless it is pertinent (like we’re discussing religion or something) I automatically assume they’re trying to rip me off, especially if it’s in a business context.
[Mod Note]Let’s try to stay on topic, o.k.?[/Mod Note]
WILCO. Apologies all around.
As a group? No, of course not. I’m not sure they even are a group, in the sense of having anything in common other than not believing in God.
Some individual atheists are very cool people whom I both like and respect. Others, not so much—and in some cases, their atheism is involved in why I don’t like or don’t respect them much. But I could say the same thing, perhaps to a much greater extent, about believers/religious people.
I don’t dislike atheists as a group. Turns out, most of my friends are atheists. I didn’t know this until I was in my late 20s because I never bothered to ask/it never came up. Plus I think a lot of them are ex-Christians who decided on their own, later in life that they were atheists. So they were “Christians” while we were in school but now are atheists.
I never heard any anti-theist stuff until I started reading the SDMB regularly. It honestly never occurred to me that atheists were so angry with theists. Now I feel all special and happy that my atheists friends don’t give me shit about being a Christian. Like, I am the odd man out.
Anyway, it’s all good. The only time I ever think about my friends’ atheism is when something really bad happens to them and there’s no comfort I can give them and I can’t whip out the “I’ll pray for you” bit. I do it anyway tho, just in case.
Oh and…atheists on this board who are super mean to theists, they make me upset. Theists who are super mean to atheists, and theists who are just rotten people make me upset too.
Most of us are only angry when we’ve had to listen to a long prayer at a supposedly public school meeting (happens more often than not), or been passed over for a job because of religious issues (yes, it happens, even in gummint jobs, even though it’s not supposed to), or the like. Or when people tell us that they’re praying for us. Or when we think about how religious organizations restrict what health care professionals can and can’t do.
Basically, I’m willing to leave theists to their beliefs, as long as those beliefs don’t have an impact on my life in any way. If I don’t believe, then really, it doesn’t make any difference to any believer’s life. However, some believers, not all, but some, are not happy unless EVERYONE is praying to their particular god, and mouthing the same ritualized greetings.
I understand that, Lynn. Those types of people and circumstances make me angry too. I’m a “my religion is for the betterment of me alone” type of person.
It really sucks when you’re a believer and other believers tell you that you aren’t doing it right! I’ve never been more angry at religion than when a crazy traveling preacher came to my college and told about how he’d been a crack addict and wife beater his entire adult life but then he accepted Jesus so now he’s better than all of us. Even other Christians - the ones who weren’t born-agains.
It bugs me that the sort of stuff you pointed out happens, but it also bugs me that atheists think that I might be responsible for it somehow because Jesus is just all right with me. I just never encountered that way of thinking (that I am somehow bad or delusional or less intelligent) until I got here, and it sort of makes me wary of how my friends see me.
One time religion did come up in a drunken conversation with an atheist friend. He said he couldn’t understand why I let our mutual friend live with me, for free, while he gets back on his feet. I told him it was tough to be a Liberal Democrat Christian. He said that explained a lot about me.
I grew up in Oklahoma, but did not run into the “atheists are evil” meme for some reason. The closest I got was hearing from a few that I was hell-bound due to my belief in evolution.
I have never had an issue with atheists, count several as close friends (one was over at my house Wednesday night), and I don’t try to convert them either. They know that if they come to my house for dinner, grace will be said. They also know that stopping by on a Sunday morning means the house is empty.
Now, there ARE some atheists who try my patience - but I don’t consider them representative at all of the entire group.
No, I don’t think you’re an exception. I think the reason why some atheists on this board are angry about religion and Christianity in particular is due to the particular nature of message board communication. You wouldn’t see it in real life, and it’s probably nothing personal; it’s just easier to say things without thinking them through here. There’s also the fact that there is a higher proportion of atheists here than I understand there is in US society as a whole.
No, you can tell them anyway. I’m sure they’ll take it as what it is, an acknowledgement that you’re thinking about them.
I’m an atheist with many atheist or agnostic friends and the vitriol and scorn shown to the faithful by some here annoys me as much as it does anyone. I had to stop reading the thread about taking people’s faith away because it was so annoying.
Atheists, on the whole, think or care about god and religion as much as the religious probably think about some faith or denomination they’re not a part of, i.e. it’s kind of weird what they believe in but you don’t give it much thought until it impacts you somehow.
Also, since these are your friends and they seem non-confrontational about it, feel free to tell them that they’ll be in your prayers. It’s the same thing as saying they’ll be in your thoughts, and most of us honestly do not care.
If I know that someone knows I’m an atheist, I think that saying this to me is at least a mild dig. If you think that it’ll do good to pray, then pray. But you don’t have to tell me that you’re doing so. Praying for me might do YOU some good. But it’s not going to do me a bit of good, other than mildly irritate me.