The plight of atheism, is this why the incessant arguing?

[A Vestigial Mote]

People find religion, and atheism is left with a few spokespeople, and small but loud group on the net, etc.
Is the plight, the fact that atheism as a preaching or preached religious perspective, simply cannot compete with the theistic religions?

I'm probably one of the atheists you don't particularly like, but I am not trying to convert people to "atheism" - I don't need to "boost the numbers." What would that even mean? Atheists don't congregate by design, we are all different in so many other ways that it isn't even necessarily a given that we will get along with one another.

I, personally, would just enjoy seeing people admit to the parts of their beliefs that are make-believe, or drop them entirely. I'm just really, really tired of seeing and hearing nonsense paraded as truth, and prescriptions for life and "worship" that are terribly incoherent fictions at best. It honestly makes me lose faith in humanity as a whole. Maybe that ends up being some sort of psychological issue with me, myself - I honestly don't care. I'm tired of people axe-murdering my belief that people can relate to one another without pretense. It's not like I am going to get un-tired of it any time soon.

 

[DavidFirth]

Well I am an atheist. I would say that I dont understand what you mean by over emphasis of atheism. However, I would say that I think that there are a great many people who are anti-theists because they were hurt or offended by a particular religion. I think anti-bible can have its roots in various grounds though. It is hard to say what peoples motives are exactly. I don't think of myself as an anti-theist or even anti-bible.

Where does that leave me?

On good ground, I think. Your mind seems to be more open than most other atheists.

 

[leibowde84]

Atheism, is, a minority group. Religion(?) Probably not a religion, however since it involves religion, we can include it in that context.
People find religion, and atheism is left with a few spokespeople, and small but loud group on the net, etc.
Is the plight, the fact that atheism as a preaching or preached religious perspective, simply cannot compete with the theistic religions?

Is this causing the often over emphasis, of argumentation?

The vast majority of atheists are not vocal. They are merely without belief in God. Most likely they haven't been convinced that God is real. But, they keep to themselves. This is also true with the vast majority of theists.

The mistake that it seems you are making is to judge atheism by what you see in forums like this. Anyone who contributes to a forum like this, theist or atheist, is going to be vocal. If they weren't, they wouldn't go out of their way to join a debate forum. And, there is nothing wrong with being vocal (as long as you are also respectful).

On this forum, I think atheists get upset by theists trying to put words in their mouths. Trying to dictate what they believe or don't believe. Trying to incorrectly paint atheists as materialists or physicalists or even nihilists. Anyone stupid enough to equate atheism with these things deserves some push back.

 

[Polymath257]

Atheism, is, a minority group. Religion(?) Probably not a religion, however since it involves religion, we can include it in that context.
People find religion, and atheism is left with a few spokespeople, and small but loud group on the net, etc.
Is the plight, the fact that atheism as a preaching or preached religious perspective, simply cannot compete with the theistic religions?

Is this causing the often over emphasis, of argumentation?

First, I don't see there as being a 'plight'. Unlike your religion, atheism isn't an evangelical system of beliefs. It is a position on one small matter: whether a deity exists or not.

The reason atheists are so 'argumentative' is that they point out the flaws of those promoting religion, who want to put religion into the public schools, who want to write laws favoring religion, and who denigrate those who do not have religion.

In other words, if those who are religious would simply keep their religion to themselves there would be no problem from most atheists.

 

[Curious George]

The vast majority of atheists are not vocal. They are merely without belief in God. Most likely they haven't been convinced that God is real. But, they keep to themselves. This is also true with the vast majority of theists.

The mistake that it seems you are making is to judge atheism by what you see in forums like this. Anyone who contributes to a forum like this, theist or atheist, is going to be vocal. If they weren't, they wouldn't go out of their way to join a debate forum. And, there is nothing wrong with being vocal (as long as you are also respectful).

On this forum, I think atheists get upset by theists trying to put words in their mouths. Trying to dictate what they believe or don't believe. Trying to incorrectly paint atheists as materialists or physicalists or even nihilists. Anyone stupid enough to equate atheism with these things deserves some push back.

I think he is acknowledging this. It soumds like he is suggesting that a looming danger which atheists face has caused a small group to become more vocal. I am still tryimg to determine whether that looming danger is oppression by the masses, secular society, or extinction do to lack of competitiveness. If you can read the answer in the OP, please share.

 

[leibowde84]

I think he is acknowledging this. It soumds like he is suggesting that a looming danger which atheists face has caused a small group to become more vocal. I am still tryimg to determine whether that looming danger is oppression by the masses, secular society, or extinction do to lack of competitiveness. If you can read the answer in the OP, please share.

Yeah, I'm not sure I get what he means by "compete with theism".

 

[DavidFirth]

Yeah, I'm not sure I get what he means by "compete with theism".

Would you please explain why you are an agnostic Christian, what does that mean, I've never heard of that before? You may PM me if you don't want to do it on the open forum. If you choose to PM me I will keep it between us.

 

[Desert Snake]

That presumes atheism wants or needs to compete with religions. Again, some atheists may well do so but conflict is also caused when religious followers assume that any and all atheists are in direct conflict with them, when honest questions or a desire not to be required to follow specific religious rules are perceived (and presented) as attacks.

More like a statement, not a presumption.

 

[Desert Snake]

Not particularly

That' vague. The question is more of a yes or no thing, if you know what atheism means.

 

[Desert Snake]

You mean the plight of theism. Trying make a case for something that isn't there.

No, that doesn't make sense.

 

[Deidre]

It's not a small group. It's the third largest group behind Christianity and Islam.

 

[HonestJoe]

More like a statement, not a presumption.

It’s both but regardless, you’ve not addressed the reasons I suggest it’s flawed.

Who said you were my enemy?

You were presenting atheism and theistic religion as being in competition. My point is that I’m an atheist but I’m not competing with any theists or religion.

In general I feel you’re taking a particular view or a small corner of this whole field and presenting it as if it were the whole. Most atheists (and most religious theists for that matter) don’t actually fit in to the concepts you’re presenting.

 

[Twilight Hue]

No, that doesn't make sense.

That's a reason why theists have so many problems. It only makes sense in the mind. The real world in all actuality dosent indicate any god or dieity anywhere that supports any such notion.

 

[BilliardsBall]

Atheism, is, a minority group. Religion(?) Probably not a religion, however since it involves religion, we can include it in that context.
People find religion, and atheism is left with a few spokespeople, and small but loud group on the net, etc.
Is the plight, the fact that atheism as a preaching or preached religious perspective, simply cannot compete with the theistic religions?

Is this causing the often over emphasis, of argumentation?

I'm still trying to identify the one thing that makes atheists on forums so adamant against all religion. I may have narrowed it down to:

*pride
*self-smugness
*superiority feelings

But I'm unsure. They tend to make a lot of noise that religion brings trouble, while insisting that everything is predetermined. So why protest about religion and say you want religion wiped out? Religion is MEANT TO BE.

 

[SomeRandom]

That' vague. The question is more of a yes or no thing, if you know what atheism means.

Not if you know what Hinduism means.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

You obviously don't live in Europe.

Or Australia. Or New Zealand. Heck, even Canada.
It doesn't matter if the majority of people are atheists to the majority of atheists. Most atheists couldn't care less, and would think it strange that I frequent a religious forum.
In some ways, I wish they would care more, but not about theism. That strikes me as a strange thing to get upset about. Secularism is what I think is important.

 

[The Holy Bottom Burp]

Would you please explain why you are an agnostic Christian, what does that mean, I've never heard of that before? You may PM me if you don't want to do it on the open forum. If you choose to PM me I will keep it between us.

Hope you don't mind me jumping in here, just that I think the distinction between belief and knowledge can be conflated at times. I'm an agnostic atheist, so I don't believe god(s) exists, but I cannot say I know that to be the case. An agnostic theist believes god(s) exists, but wouldn't claim to know that to be the case. Both people leave room for doubt. I wouldn't say that is indecisiveness, just intellectual honesty. I think almost all people are agnostic in that respect; show me a theist who never has had a doubt or two, and I'll show you a pretty closed minded theist! It is a two way road of course; atheists who dismiss all beliefs about the "unknown" as irrational nonsense are being closed minded as well in my book.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

I'm still trying to identify the one thing that makes atheists on forums so adamant against all religion. I may have narrowed it down to:

*pride
*self-smugness
*superiority feelings

But I'm unsure. They tend to make a lot of noise that religion brings trouble, while insisting that everything is predetermined. So why protest about religion and say you want religion wiped out? Religion is MEANT TO BE.

Just...wow...

 

[LuisDantas]

That' vague. The question is more of a yes or no thing, if you know what atheism means.

Hardly. Atheism, being defined as a function of theism, which by its turn is reliant on a god-concept, can very easily be vague, even unstable or even self-contradictory.

 

[LuisDantas]

I'm still trying to identify the one thing that makes atheists on forums so adamant against all religion.

Excuse me? All religion?

Why would you think such a thing?

I may have narrowed it down to:

*pride
*self-smugness
*superiority feelings

But I'm unsure. They tend to make a lot of noise that religion brings trouble, while insisting that everything is predetermined. So why protest about religion and say you want religion wiped out? Religion is MEANT TO BE.

Then again, you do not have a good grasp of atheism either...