Right, there’s no two year old Christian just like there is no such thing as a two year old democrat.
Okay.
Those are the kind I’m referring to who are posting on this thread.
Reminder: take this discussion to another thread.
I’m not sure that’s correct - In the first few years of life, we’re predisposed to accept the authority, direction and care of benevolent, powerful, unknowable beings called ‘parents’.
That’s obviously not an argument for the existence of God/s, but I think it’s probably inaccurate to say that everyone starts off with an open mind.
But you certainly start out without the concept of any god, that is enough.
Only in the sense that concepts, of any kind, aren’t something a newborn infant can grasp. You could just as well argue that all of a newborn infant’s concepts are about God. It’s a vacuous truth either way.
Here’s a study from the University of Minnesota. Even after 9/11, we’re less trusted than Muslims. Here’s another one, referring to a study from the University of B.C. Only rapists were less trusted than atheists.
Do we have any stats as to how atheists were regarded back when we kept quiet and behaved ourselves?
I would assume most people didn’t believe we existed, like the Yeti or its North American cousin the Sasquatch. The idea that someone could not believe in any creation myth and any god, that mankind is the highest achievement in life this universe has created, is impossible to some
Wow. That is absurd. I just don’t understand it. You got three major religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) and a long history of hundreds of other religions that all basically say the same thing and in many cases have the same story and they don’t see the hypocrisy and implausibility.
I’m starting to think that the reason I don’t see all the hate is because I’m not very open or forward about it, and often shy away from conversations about god. I’m a young, white guy. Most people probably just assume I’m Christian.
Der Trish is right about one thing. Atheism is a direct threat to all religions. At least with the other religions, they are on the same page. They believe in God but just have conflicting versions, rules, laws, practices, etc..
Also, I bet a lot of it has to do with the deep-seeded “doubt” that believers feel but refuse to acknowledge. Cognitive Dissonance can really fuck with your psyche I guess.
Yet somehow they have found reasons to wage war, kill, torture, massacre, and otherwise persecute each other for thousands of years. Not quite “on the same page.” Perhaps that’s more true today.
And in most of those conflicts, atheists were persecuted by both sides.
snip.
It wouldn’t surprise me if it is. In the past, the relative lack of access to education and information meant that there was little informed atheism outside of the well-educated; which in western society meant the wealthy and privileged. There simply wasn’t the access to differing worldviews that anyone in a technologically capable country now has the ability to contact. Online information sources mean that searching for facts now takes seconds instead of hours or days in the library. It has already been shown that there is a strong correlation between higher education and atheism, and it is likely that the widespread information boom is causing people all over the globe to question folk truths like never before. They have access to like-minded people for support online, and social media makes it possible for them to exchange ideas, or even meet up. Additionally, the societal penalties for atheism in most western countries are no non-existent, or limited to social ostracism, rather than outright criminality or predjudice.
Do pushy religious or non religious people ever tire of hearing the same thing coming out of their mouths over and over again? Or does it give you a certain thrill to degenerate another person’s belief or lack of belief?
How about getting something else to live for other than trying to make everyone else around you feel bad for how they live their life.
Just a thought.
So were religious groups. Few targeted just one religion.
Yeah! Both sides do it equally, so they should both knock it off and everything will be alright.
:rolleyes:
Can you name any that targeted other religions but specifically left out atheism?
If an equal number of atheists and religionists knocked it off, what do you think would happen?
World Peace
Then there wouldn’t be anything for beauty pageant contestants to wish for
If people tired of repeating themselves there wouldn’t be too many debate forums on the Internet.