This is going to get a few of you in a tizzy....

[kronus]

Good point. I feel that atheists tend to be more defensive and fact oriented though, where as those people in religion are generally oriented around their religion and why it's right. Unlike atheists who must quantify why everything else is wrong in order for them to be right.

Atheists = everyone else must be wrong

Religion = only I'm right

If the religious argument is "Only I'm right", then logically it also claims that everyone else must be wrong.

I am a fan of this quote:

Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.

[uofom3]

The more you think about and study organized religion, the harder it is to believe in.

[Vince30]

When I was going threw confirmation I wanted to be a better christian so I studied the religion, started reading the bible, and studied other religions. Then after doing research I realized how stupid it was. I believe that most atheists are atheists because they studied to much.

[mar1t1me]

^^^None of it holds up when you shine the light of logic on it.

[KennyT]

Opium for the masses... For myself, I realized I didn't need something else to keep me going, give me hope. A bit of logic and backbone has done more for me than religion ever did.

[Farbin Kaiber]

I have read a few articles on this poll, and read some of the questions used, and knew the answers to them. I disagree with the above statement that learning a great deal on a religion will make you see through it is incorrect.

I do think it's funny how many religious people take what they are told for fact, without any of their own learning or study. I was raised Catholic, got fed up with the BS in my early teen years, then almost a decade later, did my own study, without the dogma that organized by man religion pushes that is not directly, nor indirectly tied to any scriptural reference, but to some rantified thoughts and writings from some dude who took office 600 years after the fact. That brought me to where I am now, in my study.

[z31maniac]

I do think it's funny how many religious people take what they are told for fact, without any of their own learning or study.

The reason for starting this thread........

[Bimmerman325i]

I find it hilarious how religious folk all assume atheists are all the same, and vice versa.

I'm an atheist. I'm an engineer. These two facts alone seem to antagonize people when it gets brought up, since scientist + atheism (apparently) = Dawkins-esque God hater. Not true in my case, I'll get to that later.

I don't know shit about any of the religions. I was brought up by my parents under the assumption that if I felt religion would be helpful or comforting to me later in life, I'd seek out the one I liked best. As a result, I'm a godless religiously-uneducated heathen. I'm not one of the zomg-science! teh religionz is illogicallz! -type of atheist. I don't care one way or another whether there's a God, Gods, or whatever else, and I certainly am not arrogant enough nor delusional enough to try and disprove everything I don't understand with science that I don't understand (the irony is that I do understand the science).

However, if I say I don't believe in God when asked, I immediately get painted as one of said lunatics. I have my reasons for not seeking out religion beyond my significant apathy, but they're my reasons, and none of them have anything to do with whether science can/does/doesn't/etc prove religion. Getting asked again and again why I heart Dawkins or Darwin or hate God gets very annoying, especially when I've never read Dawkins/Darwin/Bible.

Instead, I just smile and avoid the question like the plague. It does me no benefit to argue with people over my (lack of) beliefs, just as it does me no benefit to be associated permanently with a group of people with whom I have nothing in common. I'm not going to get converted by the next person who tries to convince me that I'm wrong (I stopped keeping track of this a looooong time ago), so why should I bother subjecting myself to someone lecturing me on how I should follow their beliefs? So I just smile, grin, and go do something else.

It's frankly insulting to be grouped in with the militant atheists, just as I imagine it's insulting to be associated with Evangelical nutjobs if you're not one, or a terrorist if you're a Muslim, or .....you get my point.

Have I picked up on certain religious theory over the years? Yes, of course. Have I ever bothered to read or seriously study religious texts? No, I haven't. Do I care? Nope.

The vocal minority of atheists causes the rest of us to be hated and reviled. It's fucking annoying.

[ck_taft325is]

I find it hilarious how religious folk all assume atheists are all the same, and vice versa.

I'm an atheist. I'm an engineer. These two facts alone seem to antagonize people when it gets brought up, since scientist + atheism (apparently) = Dawkins-esque God hater. Not true in my case, I'll get to that later.

I don't know shit about any of the religions. I was brought up by my parents under the assumption that if I felt religion would be helpful or comforting to me later in life, I'd seek out the one I liked best. As a result, I'm a godless religiously-uneducated heathen. I'm not one of the zomg-science! teh religionz is illogicallz! -type of atheist. I don't care one way or another whether there's a God, Gods, or whatever else, and I certainly am not arrogant enough nor delusional enough to try and disprove everything I don't understand with science that I don't understand (the irony is that I do understand the science).

However, if I say I don't believe in God when asked, I immediately get painted as one of said lunatics. I have my reasons for not seeking out religion beyond my significant apathy, but they're my reasons, and none of them have anything to do with whether science can/does/doesn't/etc prove religion. Getting asked again and again why I heart Dawkins or Darwin or hate God gets very annoying, especially when I've never read Dawkins/Darwin/Bible.

Instead, I just smile and avoid the question like the plague. It does me no benefit to argue with people over my (lack of) beliefs, just as it does me no benefit to be associated permanently with a group of people with whom I have nothing in common. I'm not going to get converted by the next person who tries to convince me that I'm wrong (I stopped keeping track of this a looooong time ago), so why should I bother subjecting myself to someone lecturing me on how I should follow their beliefs? So I just smile, grin, and go do something else.

It's frankly insulting to be grouped in with the militant atheists, just as I imagine it's insulting to be associated with Evangelical nutjobs if you're not one, or a terrorist if you're a Muslim, or .....you get my point.

Have I picked up on certain religious theory over the years? Yes, of course. Have I ever bothered to read or seriously study religious texts? No, I haven't. Do I care? Nope.

The vocal minority of atheists causes the rest of us to be hated and reviled. It's fucking annoying.

I would buy you a beer for these statements. Bravo, from a Christian.

[z31maniac]

I find it hilarious how religious folk all assume atheists are all the same, and vice versa.

I'm an atheist. I'm an engineer. These two facts alone seem to antagonize people when it gets brought up, since scientist + atheism (apparently) = Dawkins-esque God hater. Not true in my case, I'll get to that later.

I don't know shit about any of the religions. I was brought up by my parents under the assumption that if I felt religion would be helpful or comforting to me later in life, I'd seek out the one I liked best. As a result, I'm a godless religiously-uneducated heathen. I'm not one of the zomg-science! teh religionz is illogicallz! -type of atheist. I don't care one way or another whether there's a God, Gods, or whatever else, and I certainly am not arrogant enough nor delusional enough to try and disprove everything I don't understand with science that I don't understand (the irony is that I do understand the science).

However, if I say I don't believe in God when asked, I immediately get painted as one of said lunatics. I have my reasons for not seeking out religion beyond my significant apathy, but they're my reasons, and none of them have anything to do with whether science can/does/doesn't/etc prove religion. Getting asked again and again why I heart Dawkins or Darwin or hate God gets very annoying, especially when I've never read Dawkins/Darwin/Bible.

Instead, I just smile and avoid the question like the plague. It does me no benefit to argue with people over my (lack of) beliefs, just as it does me no benefit to be associated permanently with a group of people with whom I have nothing in common. I'm not going to get converted by the next person who tries to convince me that I'm wrong (I stopped keeping track of this a looooong time ago), so why should I bother subjecting myself to someone lecturing me on how I should follow their beliefs? So I just smile, grin, and go do something else.

It's frankly insulting to be grouped in with the militant atheists, just as I imagine it's insulting to be associated with Evangelical nutjobs if you're not one, or a terrorist if you're a Muslim, or .....you get my point.

Have I picked up on certain religious theory over the years? Yes, of course. Have I ever bothered to read or seriously study religious texts? No, I haven't. Do I care? Nope.

The vocal minority of atheists causes the rest of us to be hated and reviled. It's fucking annoying.

He doesn't care so much he goes on a tangential, emotional rant!

[E30Kaiser]

I would buy you a beer for these statements. Bravo, from a Christian.

x2! There is nothing I hate more than Atheist/Religious people that tell you why you should agree with their point of view or why your's is wrong.

[ACMF74]

x2! There is nothing I hate more than Atheist/Religious people that tell you why you should agree with their point of view or why your's is wrong.

People here love to voice their opinion.... even up to the point where they sound stupid....