Originally posted by vcwxvwligen
Lots of atheists are not sincere about atheism. They are simply rebelling against something else, usually the Catholic Church.
Atheism is an existentialist nihilistic principle, which intrinsically lends itself to uncivil behavior. In other words, there's no compelling reason
for an atheist to respect anybody. Even people who believe in the Law of Returns are not true atheists per se.
Who are these "lots of atheists" you know so much about? Funny, I can't seem to meet "lots of atheists," although I am trying to!
Yep, I'm rebelling against something alright, it's called ignorance and superstition. You see, I need SOME KIND of proof for what I believe in.
Without proof, or at least darned good evidence, it's not a belief, it's just a hunch, idea, suggestion, etc..
The reason I respect people is because they earn it, I am not compelled, i.e., forced to give respect. The people I respect have some kind of quality
that I admire about them. I respect all life because I see a reflection of myself in it. For example, I moved a moth away from a tree where I was
clipping branches awhile ago. I'm sure that a "loving" Christian god wouldn't burn me in hell for killing the moth, but I respect it for being a
creature trying to stay alive, just as I am.
Atheist are led to uncivil behavior? OH REALLY? I suggest you brush up on your daily news, world history, and just for kicks, this web site has
already done some of the work for you:
Fetid Fruit It describes itself as, "...a clearinghouse of immoral
religious hypocrisy in the news. Our Mission is to debunk the myth and propaganda that religiosity is synonymous with morality."
I am going to guess that you are Christian or Jewish. If I am wrong, please disregard this next part. I want you to read your Bible/Torah. Notice
that God is the most uncivil creep in the universe. What bad thing does he NOT do? Murder. Rape. Infanticide. Abortion. Genocide. Slavery. You
name it, it's there. The Old Testament even states that God created evil. In the New Testament, God changes his mind and gets all soft hearted,
telling me I'm a sinner, (wow! Pot-kettle-black!) but I can be forgiven, although if I don't believe in his son, I'll be burned in Hell forever.
Do you really thing I would be a better person for worshiping this god?! Talk about uncivil behavior!
Yes indeed, it seems to me that religion seems to find itself wrapped up in uncivil behavior quite a bit. I'm going to make the assertion that it is
not uncommon to find this at all. In the next few weeks, as you watch the news, notice how many negative reports involve religion.
I want you to do something for me, if you live around a good sized city, look up a local meeting of atheists.
MeetUp will probably have one listed. Go to the meeting and actually talk to real, live atheists. I think you'll
find them to be pretty darned civilized, although they may get fairly passionate when talking to you! You may come away with a better understanding
of how other people think.