Do the religious hate athiests in America?

[HAL9000]

Came across this today:

Really interesting and it certainly makes a good point about religion, but the more interesting question it made me ask is... Do the religious in America really HATE athiests? There's death threats and all sorts in this image (that I looked into and seem to originate in America)

I'm an athiest, I have some religious friends... They don't hate me or my opinions.

Do the religious in this forum hate atheists?

 

[Matt1970]

Great another religion thread......

Is that a world record for the tallest .jpg ????

 

[rudeguy]

..because ignorance is limited to religion?

People hate. Its what they do. Religion is just an excuse for some.

 

[WelshBloke]

..because ignorance is limited to religion?

People hate. Its what they do. Religion is just an excuse for some.

But isn't religion supposed to enforce a code of morality upon its followers?

Christianity is supposed to involve forgiveness, turning the other cheek and the like, yes? If it's followers fail at that what's the point of it?

 

[Jaskalas]

But isn't religion supposed to enforce a code of morality upon its followers?

Christianity is supposed to involve forgiveness, turning the other cheek and the like, yes? If it's followers fail at that what's the point of it?

No one ever said they were any good at following it.

 

[HAL9000]

Great another religion thread......

Is that a world record for the tallest .jpg ????

That is what I was going for.

..because ignorance is limited to religion?

People hate. Its what they do. Religion is just an excuse for some.

I've just not seen it before like this, from people who I wouldn't necessarily consider extremists.

 

[rudeguy]

But isn't religion supposed to enforce a code of morality upon its followers?

Christianity is supposed to involve forgiveness, turning the other cheek and the like, yes? If it's followers fail at that what's the point of it?

So because some fail, everyone fails?

 

[D-Man]

..because ignorance is limited to religion?

People hate. Its what they do. Religion is just an excuse for some.

I'll go with this

 

[cubby1223]

*yawn*

religion is not a monolithic entity.

atheists still have problems keeping that straight.

those people who are hateful towards others will be hateful towards others regardless of what religion they believe in or what religion they do not believe in.

for every person who decided to be hateful towards others, there are several more who used religion to provide them strength to help other people in life. Problem is religion also teaches people to be humble, not shout everything they do across the world, so you don't hear about them. Those who are hateful absolutely want their message heard far & wide.

 

[thraashman]

..because ignorance is limited to religion?

People hate. Its what they do. Religion is just an excuse for some.

This pretty much. Atheists are capable of hating too, they just don't as often express their hate with violence. Or at least not violence in the name of atheism. There's definitely also a problem with those who may not be violent themselves but also seem to believe that those who hold the same beliefs as themselves are never in the wrong, or that those who hold beliefs other than themselves are always in the wrong.

We have a few members of this board who seem to feel Christians are always in the rights and all others always in the wrong. And of course we have our share of religion haters in here. I think we even have like one rabid Hindu who hates on other religions.

No one group seems to hold a monopoly on hate.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Religion and intolerance seem to go together like a hand and a glove, peanut butter and jelly, penis and a vagina.

 

[her209]

I don't think they hate atheists. They do want to influence government to make laws that their "god" would approve of.

 

[WelshBloke]

So because some fail, everyone fails?

But shouldn't religious people worry more about the behaviour of those who's behaviour is falling below the acceptable standards of their religion and who are members of their religion rather than those who are not?
So shouldn't the volume of complaint from religious people be directed at those hateful members of their own religion? It seems more often to be aimed at others.

Atheists are capable of hating too, they just don't as often express their hate with violence. Or at least not violence in the name of atheism.

Atheism is irrelevant to this. Atheism does not involve a moral code and doesn't have anything to do with people's behaviour.

 

[Atreus21]

Came across this today:

Really interesting and it certainly makes a good point about religion, but the more interesting question it made me ask is... Do the religious in America really HATE athiests? There's death threats and all sorts in this image (that I looked into and seem to originate in America)

I'm an athiest, I have some religious friends... They don't hate me or my opinions.

Do the religious in this forum hate atheists?

As with anything else, it's easy to criticize religion for it's faults while ignoring its contributions.

No, I don't hate atheists.

 

[Jaskalas]

Religion and intolerance seem to go together like a hand and a glove, peanut butter and jelly, penis and a vagina.

That's what happens when some barbarians write a book of absolute "truths". People get kind of testy at upholding absurdities against one another. They forget some very important stories about love and forgiveness.

 

[dphantom]

Came across this today:

Really interesting and it certainly makes a good point about religion, but the more interesting question it made me ask is... Do the religious in America really HATE athiests? There's death threats and all sorts in this image (that I looked into and seem to originate in America)

I'm an athiest, I have some religious friends... They don't hate me or my opinions.

Do the religious in this forum hate atheists?

No. If we are talking about Christianity, then hate is not one we would follow.

 

[Moonbeam]

It does not really matter how people answer this question because they don't really know what the answer is. We can't answer it because we don't know what we feel. We don't know that we hate ourselves, we don't want to know it, and we don't want to know that we don't want to know. We don't know that because we hate ourselves we hate everybody else too. This fact can't be contemplated or held to be a serious fact because of the pain the its reality brings. In order to know that we feel this way we would have to re-experience the feelings in their origin, we would have to relive our past back into early childhood. The number of people who actually do that is vanishingly small. Alternatively, there are a few who transcend their condition via some sort of psychic gift that is sometimes called grace. This can happen via surrender of the ego to some form of ideal, where the love of the ideal becomes real enough that real love is awakened. In these cased there will be a deep fidelity to truth and a deep passion and empathy for life.

 

[rudeguy]

But shouldn't religious people worry more about the behaviour of those who's behaviour is falling below the acceptable standards of their religion and who are members of their religion rather than those who are not?
So shouldn't the volume of complaint from religious people be directed at those hateful members of their own religion? It seems more often to be aimed at others.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+2:1-4

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

 

[WelshBloke]

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+2:1-4

But how many Christians do you hear quoting that publicly rather than telling gays, Muslims, scientists, (insert non believer here) that they are going to hell?

I hear the massive argument that religious people seem to be having about trying to get science to follow religious teaching but not about religion to follow religious teaching.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Atheism is irrelevant to this. Atheism does not involve a moral code and doesn't have anything to do with people's behaviour.

No it is not irrelevant. Some have expressed open contempt for people because they aren't atheist. That there is no codified manual does not change this in any way.

"I hate you because you are religious and not an atheist like me"
"So atheists can't hate the religious because of their difference?"
"No, because we don't have a Bible".

Hardly valid reasoning.

 

[rudeguy]

But how many Christians do you hear quoting that publicly rather than telling gays, Muslims, scientists, (insert non believer here) that they are going to hell?

I hear the massive argument that religious people seem to be having about trying to get science to follow religious teaching but not about religion to follow religious teaching.

The sad fact is that most Christians can't quote any scripture. They can tell you what the preacher told them the Bible says, but they can't quote any of it.

How many Christians have you honestly heard tell someone they are going to hell? Please give me an example of the last time you heard that with your own ears.

As for your last argument, I can only tell you that no one is perfect. Also the loudest ones tend to be the ones with the most imperfections.

 

[Bowfinger]

..because ignorance is limited to religion?

People hate. Its what they do. Religion is just an excuse for some.

Correction: Hateful people hate. It's what they do. Religious hateful people may use their religion to justify hate. Non-religious hateful people will find a different excuse. The problem is the person, not the religion or lack thereof.

 

[Matt1970]

Ok, everyone who is going to quote Hal, please edit out that taller than the Empire State Building JPG.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Correction: Hateful people hate. It's what they do. Religious hateful people may use their religion to justify hate. Non-religious hateful people will find a different excuse. The problem is the person, not the religion or lack thereof.

Pretty much. This forum dwells on religion, but examples of hate unrelated to religion abound. Murders for religion happen and nations have persecuted people because they are religious.

People are entitled to their beliefs. They do not have to agree or approve. We do not have to agree with them. If however someone takes some principle or argument "for the way things ought to be" and harm another that is an excuse and not acceptable. That is a completely agnostic statement.

 

[poofyhairguy]

That's what happens when some barbarians write a book of absolute "truths". People get kind of testy at upholding absurdities against one another. They forget some very important stories about love and forgiveness.

That is one thing I admire about Islam. The Hadiths are classified as sahih (authentic), hasan (good) and da'if (weak). They have a scale, it all isn't black and white.

At one point Christianity considered the different books of the Bible to be more or less legitimate than others (for example Martin Luther thought the Book of Revelations was a bunch of crap), but somewhere along the way it went from flawed books written by people to "the absolute word of God" that must not be questioned.

I can't wait for some time years from now where a secular appreciation of the Bible can take place. There are some good stories, good lessons, good analogies for people on earth. Plus the tone of the books really shows the priorities of the people who wrote them and the times they were written in. They are an important part of the history of literature.

But as long as certain Christians keep pulling out random parts and declaring those parts should be the basis for a (less diverse) society, then the Bible will remain a battlefield of ideology rather than a temple of knowledge.