Are atheists irrational?

[Sha'irullah]

As an avid atheist and to the greater degree anti-theist I have been trying for over a year to come to grips with what I believe and stand for. So many atheists prattle about reason and logic while even when I was a Muslim I did the exact same thing although with less intellectual contradictions. The more I speak to atheists and try to understand things that are valued to us like science and pragmaticism I find myself incapable of rationalizing my own atheism.

When I was a Muslim the primary reason I left Islam was because of other Muslims and also become of the ideology yet here I am in something that should be creedless and the minute I question something that is secular I am a public enemy amongst atheists. Just by questioned transgender issues I have been called a fake atheist and closet Christian. I used to cling to being a deist for this very reason as I could never understand the anger I witnessed by atheists, it made no sense to be angry at not religion but at secular ideas.

I witness conservatives, Christians, libertarians and pragmatic thinkers on religion criticize atheist for creating gods out of secular constructs and I can't help but wonder that this is the truth. As of now I am sure this is the truth as I am incapable of finding an atheist who is stringent with his principles and a fervent believer in safeguarding his own morals.

As of now I cannot call myself an atheist anymore. I do not believe in the supernatural yet all I have left is philosophy and all that emanates from it.

Atheism is a rational position to me yet every atheist I know is so irrational.

 

[Jeremiahcp]

Atheists are like everyone else, I am not sure why you would expect any different.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Atheism is a response to theism.

 

[Jeremiahcp]

Atheism is a response to theism.

Other way around.

 

[Sha'irullah]

Atheists are like everyone else, I am not sure why you would expect any different.

It is not so much that I expect something different for the sake of it, I expect something different for the reason that @Nowhere Man said. If it is a response to the irrationality of theism then how can it be contradictory on secular concepts that mesh with atheism?

If atheists are rational then why are they so adamant on moral principles? They laugh at those who value marriage, the sanctity of life, or actual gender yet are hellbent on the most silliest of issues like the word god being on money.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Other way around.

Nope.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

It is not so much that I expect something different for the sake of it, I expect something different for the reason that @Nowhere Man said. If it is a response to the irrationality of theism then how can it be contradictory on secular concepts that mesh with atheism?

If atheists are rational then why are they so adamant on moral principles? They laugh at those who value marriage, the sanctity of life, or actual gender yet are hellbent on the most silliest of issues like the word god being on money.

Imo the answer to your question is still what @Jeremiahcp said. Atheists are people. They wont have consistent views across the board, they don't react to individual issues outside the question of the existence of gods the same way either. Some are egotistical self-aggrandizing more-logical-than-thou. Some are angry or scared, coming to terms with experience in their backgrounds or coming to grips with their place in the world and how it relates to their atheism. Some are rebelling against overbearing parents. Some just don't believe in gods. Some range left of the American political spectrum. Some right. Some independent.

You'll not find a single thing that atheists all agree on, including your raised concerns, except that they don't believe in the existence of gods.

 

[Valjean]

As an avid atheist and to the greater degree anti-theist I have been trying for over a year to come to grips with what I believe and stand for. So many atheists prattle about reason and logic while even when I was a Muslim I did the exact same thing although with less intellectual contradictions. The more I speak to atheists and try to understand things that are valued to us like science and pragmaticism I find myself incapable of rationalizing my own atheism.

When I was a Muslim the primary reason I left Islam was because of other Muslims and also become of the ideology yet here I am in something that should be creedless and the minute I question something that is secular I am a public enemy amongst atheists. Just by questioned transgender issues I have been called a fake atheist and closet Christian. I used to cling to being a deist for this very reason as I could never understand the anger I witnessed by atheists, it made no sense to be angry at not religion but at secular ideas.

I witness conservatives, Christians, libertarians and pragmatic thinkers on religion criticize atheist for creating gods out of secular constructs and I can't help but wonder that this is the truth. As of now I am sure this is the truth as I am incapable of finding an atheist who is stringent with his principles and a fervent believer in safeguarding his own morals.

As of now I cannot call myself an atheist anymore. I do not believe in the supernatural yet all I have left is philosophy and all that emanates from it.

Atheism is a rational position to me yet every atheist I know is so irrational.

What kind of atheists are you hanging out with? These sound like air-headed political cultists, not like any atheists I've ever met.

 

[Jeremiahcp]

Nope.

 

[suncowiam]

You have to get specific and explain what irrationalities you are encountering.

A theist would view an atheist as irrational and vice versa. Opposing views tend to label others as the problem, right?

 

[Jeremiahcp]

It is not so much that I expect something different for the sake of it, I expect something different for the reason that @Nowhere Man said. If it is a response to the irrationality of theism then how can it be contradictory on secular concepts that mesh with atheism?

If atheists are rational then why are they so adamant on moral principles? They laugh at those who value marriage, the sanctity of life, or actual gender yet are hellbent on the most silliest of issues like the word god being on money.

Why on Earth would you think it is a response to theism?

 

[Twilight Hue]

It is not so much that I expect something different for the sake of it, I expect something different for the reason that @Nowhere Man said. If it is a response to the irrationality of theism then how can it be contradictory on secular concepts that mesh with atheism?

If atheists are rational then why are they so adamant on moral principles? They laugh at those who value marriage, the sanctity of life, or actual gender yet are hellbent on the most silliest of issues like the word god being on money.

Atheism isn't contradictory in terms that it's essentially a response directed towards the first mentioning of the concept there is a God.

I'm not sure what a secular concept really is tbh. It might go alongside other ideologies that are conceptual for which there is no conflict of interest for this, complementing various ideologies (thus becoming one), yet atheism is essentially at the core a retort directed towards notions of a dieity that whenever theism is tested on the veracity of it's claims, falls short whenever tested against objective based reality. I think people get convoluted over the subtleties.

As far as issues of morality, ethics, and marriage go, those are independent cultural institutions and not necessarily reflective of theism and those associated with the beliefs nor the responses made in kind.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Why on Earth would you think it is a response to theism?

If theism was never introduced and no one ever mentioned the concept of God first, would atheism even be around ?
See the irrationality?

How could atheism not be a response?

 

[ADigitalArtist]

Why on Earth would you think it is a response to theism?

I can see the argument.
Atheism, the word, wouldn't exist if there was no theism. It's a term that developed literally as a response to theism. And atheist movements (atheism+ free thinker society et al) have little to say that is not meant to be a response to theism.

That doesn't mean that atheism conceptually is a response to theism, but debate on the history of the concept of atheism usually turns to a fruitless "default position" argument that I've just rehashed too many times to find interesting.

 

[Sha'irullah]

What kind of atheists are you hanging out with? These sound like air-headed political cultists, not like any atheists I've ever met.

I admit I am hanging out with the young ones, ages 20-30. But I have met my fair share of older imbeciles but most of these encounters are online and obviously online it gets worst. Hell I have had people deny me of my atheism many times before online and claim I was a theist in disguise for questioning the Democratic party.

Who would have guessed being a leftist was mandatory for not believing in a god. I would rationalize it as the opposite but so much for that hypothesis.

 

[Sha'irullah]

You have to get specific and explain what irrationalities you are encountering.

A theist would view an atheist as irrational and vice versa. Opposing views tend to label others as the problem, right?

I for example am not supportive of abortion although if somebody pays for it out of their own money I am fine with it. I do not believe it is a human right that should be paid for.

This alone was an issue that I was called a Christian for.

I also do not accept these redefining of gender considering its classical use in biology. This is something that has resulted in me being either shunned or compared to Hitler.

I also called religion a natural part of human existence and I expressed my enjoyment of Islamic philosophy and I was repeatedly called a questioning atheist or closeted Muslim.


I actually only have one atheist friend who either shares my views or accepts them. We disagree on veganism and cultural appropriation and that is about it.

 

[Sha'irullah]

I can see the argument.
Atheism, the word, wouldn't exist if there was no theism. It's a term that developed literally as a response to theism. And atheist movements (atheism+ free thinker society et al) have little to say that is not meant to be a response to theism.

That doesn't mean that atheism conceptually is a response to theism, but debate on the history of the concept of atheism usually turns to a fruitless "default position" argument that I've just rehashed too many times to find interesting.

I was going to touch upon this point but keep in mind certain religions belief all people are born Muslim . . . wait did I say Muslim, I meant Wiccan
*cough cough*

 

[Native]

As an avid atheist and to the greater degree anti-theist I have been trying for over a year to come to grips with what I believe and stand for. So many atheists prattle about reason and logic while even when I was a Muslim I did the exact same thing although with less intellectual contradictions. The more I speak to atheists and try to understand things that are valued to us like science and pragmaticism I find myself incapable of rationalizing my own atheism.

Humans all over the world have described the cosmological creation "in our own images", calling al kinds of forces "gods and goddesses" and used symbols and descriptions from different human, animal and vegetable areas in order to desribe the entire creation, thus "personifying" the creation as such.

IMO our ancestors really have described their ancient world perception very specifically and in a way which easily can be compared to modern cosmological observations - and the ancient stories can in several cases correct the modern cosmological perceptions, simply because of the ancient cyclical perception of the creation, contrary to the modern linear Big Bang ideas.

I several cases, the mythical and religious heritage is more logical and rational than some of the modern speculations of cosmos. One just have to interpret "gods and goddesses" as natural forces of creation and connect the ancient mythical tellings to the correct celestial objects and motions.

For instants: The Egyptian goddess, Hathor, is said to represent the Milky Way and as "she" is the "prime Mother Goddess" of creation, this telling speaks specifically of the (Milky Way) creation as it is described here - Hathor - Wikipedia

This female described cosmo-myth is also connected to the male prime deity, Amun-Ra, (the "First Light" in the Milky Way and NOT the Sun in our solar system) and to the Egyptian story of creation - Ancient Egyptian creation myths - Wikipedia

No matter if you are an atheist or theist, the numerous cultural Myths of Creation speaks of a concrete creation which of course is common for all humans all over the world since we all live under the same cosmological/mythological/religious conditions.

Regards
Ivar Nielsen
Natural Philosopher
Ancient Science. The Ancient and native Way of Knowledge

 

[ADigitalArtist]

I was going to touch upon this point but keep in mind certain religions belief all people are born Muslim . . . wait did I say Muslim, I meant Wiccan
*cough cough*

Yeah plenty of Christians believe that too. Not that all people are born Muslim (lol) but that everyone is born with the knowledge of God and that babies are closest to God or some such.

 

[Jeremiahcp]

I can see the argument.
Atheism, the word, wouldn't exist if there was no theism. It's a term that developed literally as a response to theism. And atheist movements (atheism+ free thinker society et al) have little to say that is not meant to be a response to theism.

That doesn't mean that atheism conceptually is a response to theism, but debate on the history of the concept of atheism usually turns to a fruitless "default position" argument that I've just rehashed too many times to find interesting.

"Atheism, the word, wouldn't exist if there was no theism"

I thought it would be clear enough that I am not talking about the word itself.

If atheism is a lack of belief or no belief in gods, then theism is a direct response to that.