Happy Atheist Forum

Oh my goodness, I just logged into a Christian forum, and I was very nice and non-confrontational, but immediately, I was subjected to insults and unacceptably rude behavior.

I mean seriously, so much hatred and such childish and demeaning behavior. It was terrible.

And this wasn't from just one Christian, it was from ALL of them.

what forum was it?

CARM

This is a Chrstian forum, supposedly dedicated to appolgetics. In theory, they're supposed to learn how to defend the faith though logic and reason, or at least, one would suppose so.

But, athiests can only post in certain small areas of the forum. So, I did. And I restricted myself to the Secular forum, like I was supposed to. I read an article "Can athiests be ethical?" which tried to answer the question "since athiests don't believe in God, how can they be moral?" The ultimate answer in the article is, they can't.

Atheists, according to the article, only behave ethically because of fear of the law. It's pure selfishness on their part.

Okay, so I went in to set the record strait. I attempted to show that our morality is based on moral absolutes as much as thier morality is based on moral absolutes (eventually, we'd come to the conclusion that their moral absolutes are no more absolute than ours, which is to say, there aren't any, but that doesn't make either morality bad).

Anyway, I wasn't confrontational. I didn't say anything bad about Christianity, or Christians or faith. All I claimed was that atheistic morality is fundamentally as sound as Christian morality, no better and no worse.

Their response was essentially: "Shut up and go away"

That's because you almost made them think.

not to state that i doubt your posts honesty, i do not intend to do that at all.

but it sounds as if there secular reasoning is greeted with the same regard as preaching is here. if a christian comes here and preaches even politely, they are reminded quickly that its against forum rules.
i feel that should a xian forum not enjoy secular logic that they have the right to enforce the same treatment upon us.
again im not saying you where there to stir up trouble, but your view is completely different than theirs. and im sure the mob mentality kicked in full effect and you found yourself surrounded by xian apologetics... behaving as xian apologetics  

anywho, welcome back from the dark side.

Yes, what you say makes sense, and I did consider it. But consider this:

1) The form was CARM - Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry. On their web page it states:

"We also analyze secular philosophies such as abortion, atheism, evolution, and relativism. In all our analyses we use logic and evidence to undergird the truth of the Bible which is the inspired word of God. If you want to learn, get answers, and be able to defend the faith, CARM is your place."

So one would suppose that they would, if not welcome, at least tolerate, disccusions with non-believers.

2) I posted only in the SECULAR section. This is the only section on the forums where athiests can post.

Now, as to the rest, you can go look at my posts there (you don't have to register or anything just to read). I posted under the name LoveThruReason. Look under the Secular section, under "Society, Ethics and Politics". The thread is called "Is Christian Morality better than Humanist Morality?" and judge for yourself. I think I was very non-confrontational, very respectful and I don't think I was preachy.

Quote from: "mzuniga"CARM

CARM is unwelcoming to anyone who has views different from their own, including Christians who interpret the Bible differently...they are basically just completely full of themselves and pig headed.

Not all Christians are like that just like not all atheists are automatically rude to Christians.

Yes, I'm sure you're right. I have had civil conversations with Christians before on other Atheist forums. It's just that this is the first time I ever went to a Christian forum, and it surprised me how antagonistic, and quite frankly, childish they were there.

Sorry, had to rant, that's all.

QuoteWe also analyze secular philosophies such as abortion, atheism, evolution, and relativism. In all our analyses we use logic and evidence to undergird the truth of the Bible which is the inspired word of God. If you want to learn, get answers, and be able to defend the faith, CARM is your place

the literal translation for that is - "we are full of shit."
i would have ended up banned. im sure of it.

No doubt I would to, if I stayed. I have no intention of going back there. I see no use in it.

Quote from: "mzuniga"Atheists, according to the article, only behave ethically because of fear of the law. It's pure selfishness on their part.

Don't Christians behave ethically only because of their fear of God and losing the "gift" of eternal life? It sounds like we are in the same boat.

Quote from: "mzuniga"Oh my goodness, I just logged into a Christian forum, and I was very nice and non-confrontational, but immediately, I was subjected to insults and unacceptably rude behavior.

I mean seriously, so much hatred and such childish and demeaning behavior. It was terrible.

And this wasn't from just one Christian, it was from ALL of them.

They are rude because they have a god that will forgive them no matter what they do. This combined with the knowledge that we are the "other" and can be treated in any way they deem fit makes for a group of people with no moral obligation to treat us as humans. It's as simple as the Stanford Prison Experiment done back in the day where the college students turned into psychopathic guards, or the experiments where test subjects electrocuted others. There are factors in a theist's life that allow them to lay the responsibility elsewhere, that makes it easy for them to be vicious. (Unfortunately.)

Quote from: "mzuniga"Oh my goodness, I just logged into a Christian forum, and I was very nice and non-confrontational, but immediately, I was subjected to insults and unacceptably rude behavior.

I mean seriously, so much hatred and such childish and demeaning behavior. It was terrible.

And this wasn't from just one Christian, it was from ALL of them.

They are also blind.

Dawkins wants Pope arrested

Prominent atheists Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens have hired solicitors to see if they can get the Pope arrested for crimes against humanity.


They want Pope Benedict XVI to be arrested when he visits Britain in September and put on trial for allegedly covering up sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

http://betting.gamingsupermarket.com...pe-be-arrested (//http://)

Quote from: "elliebean"That's because you almost made them think.

Personally, I think a moral atheist has more integrity than a moral theist. The atheist leans more toward altruism, while the theist, laboring under the thumb of an oppressive father figure, is simply being obedient (though has likely internalized those moral statues and believes them to be self-actualized).

Quote from: "curiosityandthecat"Personally, I think a moral atheist has more integrity than a moral theist. The atheist leans more toward altruism, while the theist, laboring under the thumb of an oppressive father figure, is simply being obedient (though has likely internalized those moral statues and believes them to be self-actualized).

When I was a christian, it was an almost constant struggle for me to try to be a moral person in spite of my attempts to be obedient. My own morals would usually win out and I'd end up creating elaborate justifications for my good behavior, in order to reconcile it to biblical teacings and church doctrine. When I look back, it's those times I went with my 'faith' over my character that I acted ignominiously. Luckily, I'm a person of (almost always) high integrity with a very creative imagination. That's probably the biggest reason that, when I decided to leave, it was so easy to do.

So to answer the OP, the reason some christans are so rude is that they feel such a strong sense of duty to oppose 'the devil' (you) that their 'righteous indignation' (excuse me....*barf*) overcomes their sense of empathy and amicability. Others are just generally assholes.

You could try a multi-faith forum instead, or a friendlier Christian forum.

I cannot figure this one out. I am a Christian and I find that useless and offensive cliches often replace actual thought and real heartfelt concern. Especially putting people down. I can't stand when i hear other people talk down about entire groups of people.... then bring G_d into it. !!!!!

Quote from: "Fatman33"I cannot figure this one out. I am a Christian and I find that useless and offensive cliches often replace actual thought and real heartfelt concern. Especially putting people down. I can't stand when i hear other people talk down about entire groups of people.... then bring G_d into it. !!!!!

hi fatman welcome to HAF.

Did you read the OP?  It's actually about being treated rudely on a christian forum not necessarily about all Christians...

I joined Theologyweb and was very open in my intro about my lack of belief. I got a very pleasant response from theist and atheist alike, so I suppose it's down to the culture of the forum one joins in with. CARM is populated by many arseholes who behaved just like arseholes. So some Christians can be rude but in my experience the majority are just people infected by a very mild form of the meme, but I live in the UK where Christians are often considered 'odd'.