Why Religious People Are Scared of Atheists

[Tank]

This is why I like PZ Myers new idea of putting "You Won't Burn In Hell" on a billboard. It would make all the fundies essentially scream "You will too burn in hell" and more people will see how vicious religion can be.

You're basically advocating real-life trolling.

Not really. There is a lovely line in one of the Discworld novels. Lady Sybil to Sam Vimes "You're making him look stupid!", Sam replies, "No I'm not, he's doing that perfectly, I'm just helping him." The fact that moderate Abrahamic theists will ignore/giggle/face-palm at the billboard is fine. It'll be the foaming at the mouth fundamentalists that will go off on one, revealing their attitude. Trolling is annoying people for one's own shits and giggles, if this billboard campaign went ahead it would be to illustrate the hypocrisy of some people, not as some campaign to piss off all Christians and Muslims.

[Whitney]

Real life Trolling with a billboard message would be something like:

Hey Atheists, why don't you prove that god isn't real already.

or

Hey Christians, why do you hate science?

Strawman crap like the above that stereotypes a group inciting them to have to respond to correct the error.  

"Hell doesn't exist" is simply a statement of belief; it doesn't stereotype anyone to say that and a response is unnecessary except from those who disagree so much that they get upset and want to go on camera to prove that hell exists and complain about how not believing such a horrible concept is an attack on their peaceful faith.

[AnimatedDirt]

I do agree though, that the defense of a secular government championed by atheists is extremely repugnant and offensive to many Christians, to the point that they actively deny that there should be such a thing as "a wall of separation between church and state." That phrase isn't in the US Constitution, after all!

Any Christian with an understanding of History would be 100% for the separation of Church and State.  In fact, I'm not sure if I have mentioned this on this forum or another, but I would more support an open-minded Atheist as a leader/President than a open-minded Christian.  Both may be good leaders, but in my eyes, the Christian still has religious hang ups that would "cloud" his/her decisions.  (open-minded Atheist = one that doesn't have an agenda against ANY religion or its peoples, but has respect for ALL.  I mention this because while I do find many Atheists here intelligent and responsive, there is a chip on the shoulder of most.  I'm hoping its the nature of the forum and not their practice in daily life.)

In general, atheists are more intelligent. I firmly believe this. Every single time I converse with an atheist they always seem more educted and intelligent than the average Christian that I deal with. It never fails. That is, at least, my own personal experience. The average Christian that I talk to never seems interested in history or science and that says a lot in my book. I always keep in mind when I'm talking to a Christian that they believe in demons, angels, holy spirits, heaven, hell, and a godman that walked on water, cast out demons, healed the sick and raised the dead, died resurrected and floated up to heaven. It really says a lot about someone who truly believes in supernatural things like these.

I find this too.  However, your last point here makes my point above.  You already have a preconceived notion about any Christian you encounter.  This then would tend to remove you from "my" list of an open-minded Atheist.  It's not only Christians, btw, that believe in the suprenatural.

I'm not sure atheists are generally any better educated or intelligent than people of faith. There are a lot of pretty clever 'believers' as well as a load of dumb ones! perhaps not quite so many poorly educated atheists?..not sure.

You are right...I shouldn't generalize.

[lundberg500]

You already have a preconceived notion about any Christian you encounter.

Maybe you are right. But how can I help it? It never fails. Christians that I know and ones that meet are never as intelligent as the atheists I converse with in person or online. Maybe it's just a Texas thing. I try to be open minded about Christians being as intelligent as atheists but then I remind myself that Christians believe in angels, devils, spirits, supernatural miracles, etc. I already know how logical atheists are..... so...  

[Whitney]

Maybe it's just a Texas thing.

It's just a some parts of texas thing...I don't notice a difference between how atheists and Christians act in my daily interactions.  I think it's because I only interact with Christians who have college degrees (typically professional degrees or better) or at least constantly exposed to people with college degrees.  Now, I do see the really stupid chrsitians too but only on tv when they are bitching about our billboards or whatever recent activity the local atheist/freethought groups have done.  I've also met my fair share of dumb atheists.

[AnimatedDirt]

Maybe you are right. But how can I help it? It never fails. Christians that I know and ones that meet are never as intelligent as the atheists I converse with in person or online. Maybe it's just a Texas thing. I try to be open minded about Christians being as intelligent as atheists but then I remind myself that Christians believe in angels, devils, spirits, supernatural miracles, etc. I already know how logical atheists are..... so...  

This is called bias...and exactly why I believe even a good Christian leader would have a very difficult time being unbiased.

Belief in the suprenatural is not, as I mentioned, exclusive to Christians.

[KebertX]

This is the age of the internet.  Anyone can go online and learn anything they want for free.  Information has never been this free.  Knowledge has never been this free.  And in such a perfect exchange of free-thought, what the people believe is no longer a competition of what view of the world you impose on them, but how well their beliefs match reality.  And that is not a competition that the churches can win.

They have gotten this far through indoctrination and fear mongering.  Disguising their lust for power as an act of love for God.  Now it is suddenly important that what you expect a person to believe actually matches the real world...

The churches are about to lose their followers.  All that is necessary to turn a loyal subject of religious dogma into an atheist is to convince them to question their beliefs.  It's so simple.  Atheist forums and bus ads are like the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains.

It has already begun. The number of defectors is on the rise.  Before long, believers of superstitions will be the minority.  Reason will be used to make all the world's decisions.  And religious dogma will become a mere nuisance with no power in the world.  Reality will shine into the minds of the people, and they will realize that they needn't be slaves to outdated beliefs.  They will see the value of liberating their own minds.  And the world will move forward into a brighter new future.

All this will happen, because knowledge is free.

[youtube:2fp68q67]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rqw4krMOug[/youtube:2fp68q67]

That.  Is why religious people fear the growing inertia of the atheist movement.  They see the possibility that before long, their beliefs could die out.  And that would leave them with the ultimatum of either clinging to the bronze age as it circles down the drain.  Or open their eyes, and see the blinding light of reality after shutting themselves in the dark all their lives.

When really, all you want to do is live your day to day life, content in the comforting lies of your ancestors, and not bother with people who say that that comfort is predicated on a lie.  It's scary to them.  But their beliefs will be scrutinized anyway.  It's inevitable, that's how free thought works.  And scrutiny will kill almost any superstition.

[Stevil]

I sat an IQ test once. It had several questions related to the bible e.g. how many books make up the bible?
Going by that test I'm sure the Christians would have scored with a higher IQ than non Christians.

[AnimatedDirt]

This is the age of the internet.  Anyone can go online and learn anything they want for free.  Information has never been this free.  Knowledge has never been this free.  And in such a perfect exchange of free-thought, what the people believe is no longer a competition of what view of the world you impose on them, but how well their beliefs match reality.  And that is not a competition that the churches can win.

Information has always been free, I think what you're trying to say is information has never been so readily accessible to the masses...but at the same time that's what you may mean by 'free'.  The Church, incidently, isn't in a battle to win over free thinkers.  While the 'free thinker' may view things from a different perspective (and rightly so, logically and/or scientifically), the Great Commission from Christ is that some don't know of this crazy, illogical, deluded, unscientific, unprovable, option known more specifically as the Gospel.  Those that might choose it, wouldn't otherwise unless someone told them.  No "Christian" group is going to win anyone over that doesn't want to be won over.

They have gotten this far through indoctrination and fear mongering.  Disguising their lust for power as an act of love for God.  Now it is suddenly important that what you expect a person to believe actually matches the real world...

Very true, for the most part, of most religion.  Most religion is bad.  Even in my own denomination there are aspects of it which I see as destructive, however this does not therefore make the basis, Christ, destructive.  It is the human influence and greed that makes it so.

The churches are about to lose their followers.

Absolutely true.  The Bible predicts this in many forms.

All that is necessary to turn a loyal subject of religious dogma into an atheist is to convince them to question their beliefs.  It's so simple.  Atheist forums and bus ads are like the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains.

Quite correct again.  It only took a seed of, "Did God really...?" in the beginning.

It has already begun. The number of defectors is on the rise.  Before long, believers of superstitions will be the minority.  Reason will be used to make all the world's decisions.  And religious dogma will become a mere nuisance with no power in the world.  Reality will shine into the minds of the people, and they will realize that they needn't be slaves to outdated beliefs.  They will see the value of liberating their own minds.  And the world will move forward into a brighter new future.

And then will they rise up against the minority and persecute them for their unreasoned beliefs and decisions.  This is nothing new, but something the shallow-rooted Christian fears, the well-rooted Christian looks forward to this because it means the darkest part of the night has arrived which directly preceeds the sunrise.

That.  Is why religious people fear the growing inertia of the atheist movement.  They see the possibility that before long, their beliefs could die out.  And that would leave them with the ultimatum of either clinging to the bronze age as it circles down the drain.  Or open their eyes, and see the blinding light of reality after shutting themselves in the dark all their lives.

I would reword your thought here to:  "They see the possibility that before long, their [own] beliefs could die out."  meaning again that their beliefs are shallow and when a hint of strife comes, they cannot stand firm.

When really, all you want to do is live your day to day life, content in the comforting lies of your ancestors, and not bother with people who say that that comfort is predicated on a lie.  It's scary to them.

It cannot be a lie if it cannot be disproven.  When it becomes a lie, is in the existence or nonexistence of an afterlife.  Only then, if it exists, will it be seen that it wasn't a "lie", but fantastically true.  Until then, it is assumed a lie by skeptics...hence skeptic.

But their beliefs will be scrutinized anyway.  It's inevitable, that's how free thought works.  And scrutiny will kill almost any superstition.

You're right...many will die on account of their faith.  It's amazing you acknowledge this, whether you meant it literally or figuratively.  I believe it to be correct either way.

**I didn't watch that video you posted...my connection speed isn't the best right now.  It'll have to wait for later.**

[lundberg500]

This is the age of the internet. Anyone can go online and learn anything they want for free. Information has never been this free. Knowledge has never been this free. And in such a perfect exchange of free-thought, what the people believe is no longer a competition of what view of the world you impose on them, but how well their beliefs match reality. And that is not a competition that the churches can win. They have gotten this far through indoctrination and fear mongering. Disguising their lust for power as an act of love for God. Now it is suddenly important that what you expect a person to believe actually matches the real world...

The churches are about to lose their followers. All that is necessary to turn a loyal subject of religious dogma into an atheist is to convince them to question their beliefs. It's so simple. Atheist forums and bus ads are like the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains. It has already begun. The number of defectors is on the rise. Before long, believers of superstitions will be the minority. Reason will be used to make all the world's decisions. And religious dogma will become a mere nuisance with no power in the world. Reality will shine into the minds of the people, and they will realize that they needn't be slaves to outdated beliefs. They will see the value of liberating their own minds. And the world will move forward into a brighter new future. All this will happen, because knowledge is free.

That. Is why religious people fear the growing inertia of the atheist movement. They see the possibility that before long, their beliefs could die out. And that would leave them with the ultimatum of either clinging to the bronze age as it circles down the drain. Or open their eyes, and see the blinding light of reality after shutting themselves in the dark all their lives. When really, all you want to do is live your day to day life, content in the comforting lies of your ancestors, and not bother with people who say that that comfort is predicated on a lie. It's scary to them. But their beliefs will be scrutinized anyway. It's inevitable, that's how free thought works. And scrutiny will kill almost any superstition.

KebertX, well put. Very well put. This is favorite posting of the day.   Or for that matter, the whole week, or month. No, this may be my favorite posting of the whole year. Well said..

[Inevitable Droid]

And religious dogma will become a mere nuisance with no power in the world.  Reality will shine into the minds of the people, and they will realize that they needn't be slaves to outdated beliefs.  They will see the value of liberating their own minds.  And the world will move forward into a brighter new future.

And then will they rise up against the minority and persecute them for their unreasoned beliefs and decisions.  This is nothing new, but something the shallow-rooted Christian fears, the well-rooted Christian looks forward to this because it means the darkest part of the night has arrived which directly preceeds the sunrise.

You actually expect atheistic persecutions of believers.  And look forward to it because it heralds the Second Coming.  Wow.  You joining us on this message board is like the lamb fraternizing with the wolf, then.  Wow again.

[AnimatedDirt]

And religious dogma will become a mere nuisance with no power in the world.  Reality will shine into the minds of the people, and they will realize that they needn't be slaves to outdated beliefs.  They will see the value of liberating their own minds.  And the world will move forward into a brighter new future.

And then will they rise up against the minority and persecute them for their unreasoned beliefs and decisions.  This is nothing new, but something the shallow-rooted Christian fears, the well-rooted Christian looks forward to this because it means the darkest part of the night has arrived which directly preceeds the sunrise.

You actually expect atheistic persecutions of believers.  And look forward to it because it heralds the Second Coming.  Wow.  You joining us on this message board is like the lamb fraternizing with the wolf, then.  Wow again.

Not quite....  It's not the Atheist to be worried about.  It'll probably be more of a repeat of history where it is from within that the persecution begins and from where it is fueled.  Not too unlike the Dark Ages.  IMHO.  We are warned through the endtime prophecies that "brother will turn against brother...".

[Inevitable Droid]

You actually expect atheistic persecutions of believers.  And look forward to it because it heralds the Second Coming.  Wow.  You joining us on this message board is like the lamb fraternizing with the wolf, then.  Wow again.

Not quite....  It's not the Atheist to be worried about.  It'll probably be more of a repeat of history where it is from within that the persecution begins and from where it is fueled.  Not too unlike the Dark Ages.  IMHO.  We are warned through the endtime prophecies that "brother will turn against brother...".

So you expect Christians to persecute Christians.  That's even worse.  Doesn't the fact that Christianity fosters persecution give you pause?  Mustn't there be something intrinsic to Christianity that manifests as persecution - and whatever that is, mustn't it be undesirable?

[AnimatedDirt]

You actually expect atheistic persecutions of believers.  And look forward to it because it heralds the Second Coming.  Wow.  You joining us on this message board is like the lamb fraternizing with the wolf, then.  Wow again.

Not quite....  It's not the Atheist to be worried about.  It'll probably be more of a repeat of history where it is from within that the persecution begins and from where it is fueled.  Not too unlike the Dark Ages.  IMHO.  We are warned through the endtime prophecies that "brother will turn against brother...".

So you expect Christians to persecute Christians.  That's even worse.  Doesn't the fact that Christianity fosters persecution give you pause?  Mustn't there be something intrinsic to Christianity that manifests as persecution - and whatever that is, mustn't it be undesirable?

Yes, it's called selfishness, greed, the need to be/feel better than the other, to be one up on the other, survival at all costs.  It's also called human nature.

[Inevitable Droid]

So you expect Christians to persecute Christians.  That's even worse.  Doesn't the fact that Christianity fosters persecution give you pause?  Mustn't there be something intrinsic to Christianity that manifests as persecution - and whatever that is, mustn't it be undesirable?

Yes, it's called selfishness, greed, the need to be/feel better than the other, to be one up on the other, survival at all costs.  It's also called human nature.

Yet you don't fear persecution from atheists.  Why not?  If atheists ever became the majority would you fear persecution from them then?