Do Atheists Have More Freedom?

[QuestioningMind]

In the short term, the appear to have more options,
but the options they take that Theists are unlikely to take,
end up restricting them in the long term.

This makes them frustrated, and in those moments
where they contemplate the possibility of God,
they blame God for allowing them to make the restricting choices,
instead of just admitting their errors, and making amends,
and moving towards a more free state of mind.

What 'options' do you suppose atheists take that theists are unlikely to?

When I contemplate the possibility of God I always reach the conclusion that there isn't sufficient evidence to support the notion that a God exists. It's absurd for you to suggest that I then 'blame' something I don't have reason to believe exists for allowing me to make restricting choices. Where do you come up with such convoluted logic?

 

[QuestioningMind]

Well I'm about 50 years old so how old are you and how many people have you met in your life?
About half of them are atheist?

Typically atheists are owned by their excessive possessions,
running around frantically in a paranoid fear of death and poverty,
as if money will buy them eternal life. All it does is attract quacks
in old-age, that prey on them like flies on a corpse.

Then of course there are those who claim faith for socio-economic
appearances, but have little of the stuff. Lets not forget that little trick.

I think the Vikings of myth and antiquity had a good thing going
by claiming that death by old-age was a great dishonor.

"Typically atheists are owned by their excessive possessions,
running around frantically in a paranoid fear of death and poverty,
as if money will buy them eternal life. All it does is attract quacks
in old-age, that prey on them like flies on a corpse."

Wow, your ignorance concerning what typical atheists are like is truly phenomenal. What sort of research have you done to reach this ridiculous conclusion? Or do you simply imagine that you have a superpower that enables you to determine what other people are like without even knowing them?

 

[corynski]

Does their lack of religious beliefs allow them more freedom?

Yes, atheists have freedoms that some religious believers do not. I believe we are all brainwashed by our cultures from birth, by parents, teachers, preachers, all who have an interest in our beliefs and actions, and some religions do not want members to believe anything else, under fear of some penalty. Religion is a binding social force whether true or false, and always has been. But still some religions threaten their children with punishments for not following the beliefs as presented, long before a child has the ability to reason or contemplate alternatives. So yes, I think some atheists could have more freedom to explore other religions and non-belief.

 

[Curious George]

Well I'm about 50 years old so how old are you and how many people have you met in your life?
About half of them are atheist?

Typically atheists are owned by their excessive possessions,
running around frantically in a paranoid fear of death and poverty,
as if money will buy them eternal life. All it does is attract quacks
in old-age, that prey on them like flies on a corpse.

Then of course there are those who claim faith for socio-economic
appearances, but have little of the stuff. Lets not forget that little trick.

I think the Vikings of myth and antiquity had a good thing going
by claiming that death by old-age was a great dishonor.

This has not been my experience.

 

[suncowiam]

I wouldn't call it having more freedom but less fear and guilt.

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

Or do you just dogmatically parrot away without considering the other point of view?

Amazing this coming from you... this is as bad as those American Idol try-outs where the worst are dead-sure they can sing, and the ones who can actually sing are completely unsure of themselves. Just so you know, from what I have seen from you... I'm hinting that you're of the first kind.

 

[LuisDantas]

This has not been my experience.

To put it mildly, I don't think that portrait that he presented is very accurate at all, either.

 

[LuisDantas]

The Jews do.

How many rules do Christians really have to follow? Believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior?

Are there any other requirements?

It seems to depend on the specific movement.

The "Left Behind" crowd sure seems to believe that belief is decisive, disgusting as that is.

Jimmy Carter, a baptist, has been on record stating that in his church social work is mandatory. To his credit, he follows what he preaches.

 

[ChristineM]

Does their lack of religious beliefs allow them more freedom?

With freedom comes responsibility, the responsibility to use that freedom well, no matter if theist or atheist.

Some points though, atheists have the freedom feel guiltless for not following the crowd to worship on sunday, saturday or friday. They also have the freedom to not feel guilty about that secret chocolate bar during periods of abstinence.

 

[Etritonakin]

Does their lack of religious beliefs allow them more freedom?

If we believe ourselves to be free to lie, kill, steal, covet, fornicate, dishonor parents, etc., we make a prison of our future situation -and make ourselves and each other less free along the way.
As God grants eternal life to those who will not make a mess of it, disobeying him will mean not having the freedom to live forever.

 

[Akivah]

Does their lack of religious beliefs allow them more freedom?

A lack of Jewish beliefs certainly gives more freedom to do what you want.

 

[Sanzbir]

No. Most still cling to different ideologies anyways. To pretend that there are no ideologies apart from the religious ones, especially in that the non-religious ideologies are now more influential than the religious ones, would be foolish.

And I've seen only a very few religious sects, and no non-religious groups, that have sought to provide a person with the sort of self-discipline to overcome all things within the human mindset that seek to control or influence your actions despite your own will. Like addictions or obsessions or drives to do things that you know you will regret.

To be sure, shedding a religious identity might give you more freedom from external sources, provided you, unlike most atheists, do not have any sort of other, secular ideology that guides your actions, even the basic political ones.

But I see relatively few people focusing on the internal forces that limit one's freedom. Monastic orders and mystics, mostly, are the only ones I've seen try to broach the subject.

One final thought is that there are religious atheists. Those "cultural Jews", and "cultural Muslims" or the shockingly high amount of Anglican clergy who admitted to private studies that they were personally atheists, those people who don't believe, but follow the practices and rules of a religious group anyways. For these atheists, their lack of religious beliefs probably just restricts their freedom further, since they still go through the motions and practices of their belief, while further removing the freedom of self-expression from themselves.

 

[Indagator]

well atheists-materialists sure dont, they dont even believe in free will, so...

 

[Mister Silver]

From my past experiences, religion stifles that which it considers bad. As an atheist, I believe I do enjoy the freedom of living my life to its fullest without having to worry if some god is going to be angry with me for doing this and that.

 

[Jonathan Ainsley Bain]

What 'options' do you suppose atheists take that theists are unlikely to?

When I contemplate the possibility of God I always reach the conclusion that there isn't sufficient evidence to support the notion that a God exists. It's absurd for you to suggest that I then 'blame' something I don't have reason to believe exists for allowing me to make restricting choices. Where do you come up with such convoluted logic?

aTheists typically lie on a frequent basis believing that they will never be held accountable.
My point was that aTheists reason that:
'if God exists, then he is to blame for my errors and lies,
if not, then there will be no accounting for them
and so they continue to lie for short term profits'.

 

[Jonathan Ainsley Bain]

What sort of research have you done

We all observe the people around us, and try and understand them.
The process is much the same regardless of who it is.
I graduated with hons in psych last century
but that doesn't mean I reckon non-psychologists are verboten from studying psychology.

Many people who call themselves theists do so dishonestly, (for social reasons, like inheritance)
whereas very few are authentic believers.

All westerners come from a christian culture and have inherited many Christian ethical practices
but as time goes by, so the backsliding occurs.

Germany was once a very Christian country, until they became conceited, aTheist,
and the rest is history. The same patterns are emerging in much of the west today.
The rise of contemporary fascism (in all its guises and terms) should be raising
a whole host of questions. Most specifically, the origin of ethics; and the lack
of real ethical conviction of aTheist ideology; who after all, believe themselves
no much more than animals fighting for survival.

 

[Jonathan Ainsley Bain]

Amazing this coming from you... this is as bad as those American Idol try-outs where the worst are dead-sure they can sing, and the ones who can actually sing are completely unsure of themselves. Just so you know, from what I have seen from you... I'm hinting that you're of the first kind.

Wow, you quite a meanie, eh?

 

[QuestioningMind]

aTheists typically lie on a frequent basis believing that they will never be held accountable.
My point was that aTheists reason that:
'if God exists, then he is to blame for my errors and lies,
if not, then there will be no accounting for them
and so they continue to lie for short term profits'.

"aTheists typically lie on a frequent basis..."

Clearly YOU lie on a regular basis, because atheists are no more or less likely to lie as anyone else. Even worse than lying is you continually PRETENDING as if you know what atheists think and feel. It's such a pathetically weak debate tactic and is only used by people who have no real arguments to present. Apparently your faith is so weak that you feel compelled to blatantly lie about what others think and believe. How sad that you feel so desperate to try justify your fantasies.

 

[QuestioningMind]

We all observe the people around us, and try and understand them.
The process is much the same regardless of who it is.
I graduated with hons in psych last century
but that doesn't mean I reckon non-psychologists are verboten from studying psychology.

Many people who call themselves theists do so dishonestly, (for social reasons, like inheritance)
whereas very few are authentic believers.

All westerners come from a christian culture and have inherited many Christian ethical practices
but as time goes by, so the backsliding occurs.

Germany was once a very Christian country, until they became conceited, aTheist,
and the rest is history. The same patterns are emerging in much of the west today.
The rise of contemporary fascism (in all its guises and terms) should be raising
a whole host of questions. Most specifically, the origin of ethics; and the lack
of real ethical conviction of aTheist ideology; who after all, believe themselves
no much more than animals fighting for survival.

"We all observe the people around us, and try and understand them."

Okay, so in other words you've done ZERO actual research and instead have made up a bunch of ridiculous stuff about atheists based on your own personal biases. How pathetic. So sorry that your faith is so very weak that you have to resort to blatant lies in order to try and win an argument. Clearly your faith is threatened by people who use logic and reason to reach their conclusions about reality, so you feel compelled to viciously attack them with lies. How sad.

 

[Jonathan Ainsley Bain]

How sad.

So if someone else has a different experience of the world to yours then this is 'not valid research'?
Is it beyond your mind that I may have just been around many lying atheists?
So now you claim that my experiences are not real, yet you have never met the same people I have.

One of the great lies that atheists tell, is to pretend to believe in God so as to attempt to dupe people
into being their pawns. That was the underlying structure of the apartheid govt which I was born under.
They did many evil things 'in the name of God', but they were certainly not true theists, or else
they would never have done such evil things. They pushed many good people away from religion,
away from Christianity, with this insidious tactic.