Monkfishy
25p3 comments posted · 155 followers · following 0
15 years ago @ Atheist Revolution - Existence of Atheists ... · 0 replies · +4 points
People control in every way the reality their children live in; especially those who live in fear of having their constructed world view challenged. Most of the "religious persecution" claims I've heard from Christians really boil down to that - having their beliefs contradicted in any way.
Don't forget that when it came out that Mother Theresa questioned the existence of god for most of her life, she was actually celebrated even more by the Christian world. She now helps bolster their argument that "crises of faith" can & must be overcome. A big part of the religious meme is about undermining doubt (i.e., free thought).
15 years ago @ Atheist Revolution - What Do Atheists Think... · 2 replies · +2 points
Since atheism is defined as a lack of belief in something, I don't agree that there is any kind of unified "atheist movement." The only thing atheists have in common is the lack of a belief in a deity. However, there are Buddhist atheists, Jewish atheists, atheists who believe in other sorts of spiritual existence, etc.
Finally, there isn't one kind of Christian or one kind of Christianity. There is no one definition of what a Christian is, and it certainly isn't within the purview of atheists to try to assign one. In fact, probably the biggest reason for inventing an atheist strawman argument is to try to unify Christians around a central premise. Encouraging paranoia and a feeling of persecution is as old as the religion itself.
Finally, I think that what atheists think of Christians is a very relevant question. If nothing else, it points out how diverse those of us are who have nothing else in common but a LACK of belief in something. I think it's important for Christians to understand that while they might demonize us, for the most part our feelings toward them lean more toward indifference.
15 years ago @ Atheist Revolution - What Do Atheists Think... · 0 replies · 0 points
Basically, though, I dislike Christianity, not Christians. Christianity is so ill-defined that Christians can essentially believe any range of things. Most people are more a product of their upbringing and life experiences than their religion. In my experience, most Christians have never even seriously thought about what it is exactly that they do believe.