BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Atheist A question for non-Athiests who post on here.

...Once you awaken, you never go back to sleep......

You cannot unlearn what you learn - you can only build and expand on it, and be open to change. That is most important. To be open to change.

Or you can, but I don't think denial sleep is very restful.

(No, I'm not saying all believers are in denial. Just that reversing an awakening is denial.)

I am sorry to cut in on this thread but I do have a question along the lines of this thread.

I am wondering why Christians are always asking Atheists to back up their beliefs? Is it out of concern for their (the Atheists) afterlife or is it out of fear (the Christian's fear)?

I have no idea where I fall in the mix as I believe there is something bigger than us but I don't know what it is. I do not ask Christians to back up their beliefs and I do not expect Atheists to do so either. Isn't being one or the other almost like having an opinion? If so then how can someone tell you that your opinion is wrong?

The bottom line for me is, is that I do not care if you are a Christian, an Atheist, a Pagan or a five headed purple person. What matters to me is that you are kind, do not do things to purposely harm others and just be the best person that you can be. I just do not understand why some people judge you because of your Religious beliefs.

Sorry I guess I had more than one question.. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I don't believe in altering my view of anyone for a belief right off. Forming an opinion about another person takes more knowing than that.

However, when someone believes something that you find incredible (traditional sense of the word), that does reflect something about the person. I'm not saying I refuse to associate with people who believe differently than I do, of course, but we have this idea lately that judging other people is a bad thing. I can form a judgment about anyone, of course, the wrong part is when I use that judgment to inflict some kind of hardship on the person, or assume they have different rights because of being different from me.

I won't use the label "wrong" for anyone until they've actually done something wrong. As in, being a Christian is not something I will call wrong. Trying to force me to be one is wrong.

And I am the type to ask for proof of things, but in the case of religion, it's usually as a response to "Jenna, I know you think you make sense, but you're wrong." So I say, "prove it".

Wow, I'm chatty tonight. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I hear you on that one! I do not like being told I am wrong because of something I believe in and really do not like it when people try to force feed me.

What is proof to one person is not necessarily proof to another. It is almost like finding comfort in your favorite blanket. To you it offers comfort; to others it is nothing but a blanket.

Ultimately, any belief is an opinion. The important difference, for me,is whether you've been conditioned to believe something (and childhood is a period of conditioning)or you've thought it for yourself, based on the best possible evidence.

"What matters to me is that you are kind, do not do things to purposely harm others and just be the best person that you can be." All I can say to that is "amen."

When I was in high school, the situation came about that I declared myself an atheist. I don't remember if I was asked, but I must have been, because I wasn't in the habit of declaring anything back then.
I would never have lied about my atheism, and I certainly didn't think I could get any less popular. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
You would have sworn, I promise, that I had suddenly revealed I was carrying a disease both very nasty and very contagious.

I was amazed that it could matter to these people, or to anyone, so much. I learned more that day, I think, than I did through the rest of school.

You all have brought up a key issue that illustrates why believers post on atheist sites - they think atheists are ignorant about religion - and some may be. If you understand the meaning of atheism, then you probably know the difference. Believers view their superstition as "good news" to everyone else, but atheists recognize it as "old news". I was raised catholic but soon realized that it was a big lie. So, yes, sharing your "good news" IS proselytising and it IS annoying and it works great on the gullible, the ignorant and the vulnerable.

aredant, I think you are really mad at theists. Any reasons for it? Because I don't really believe that all theists are all as bad as most atheist describe them.

I have noticed that you have a penchant for molding comments to fit your own purposes. Here you have characterized my comments as extreme by using the term "all". I fail to see where I have been so black and white. Do not exagerate my observations.

I am frustrated with theists that don't mind their own business.

What is your business here?