I would like some atheists to respond. In very few occasions i ve heard atheists attacking Islam and in no occasion Jewish religion. I dont even mention other religions because they are out of the radar. So why atheists prefer to attack Christians?
I would like some atheists to respond. In very few occasions i ve heard atheists attacking Islam and in no occasion Jewish religion. I dont even mention other religions because they are out of the radar. So why atheists prefer to attack Christians?
I think your assertion is false. Famous atheists like Dawkins and Hitchens have said much worse things about Islam than Christianity. Judaism is too small to warrant much specific criticism, but it's Abrahamic so it shares in the criticism of its descendant religions.
In other words, 95% of atheist attacks are not against Christianity.Y ou would be better off asking why 95% of atheist attacks are against Abrahamic faiths, which I think it far more likely to be true.
1/3 people are Christian. 1/6 of people are Muslim. Most atheist radicals are in primarily Christian areas.
Attacking religion is definitely radical. I'm not passing judgement on it by calling it that.
The Earth is inhabited by billions of idiots.
The search for intelligent life continues...
Popular discussion revolves around christianity because most atheists live in the christian part of the world.
I have approximate answers and possible beliefs, and different degrees of certainty about different things, but I’m not absolutely sure of anything, and many things I don’t know anything about. But I don’t have to know an answer. I don’t feel frightened by not knowing.
- Richard Feynman's words. My atheism.
Discussing various ideas and lack of evidence isn't an attack, it's a logical respond to any claim. Most atheists, who can speak their mind freely, live in (previously) Christian countries, so it would make sense to start with something "closeby" rather than "far away".
Could you please change the title from "95 %" to "The majority of..."?
R2TW stance: Ceterum autem censeo res publica delendam esse
You properly couldn't be more off with your assumption... Atheism is critical towards all sorts of religions.
Some part of atheists are Jewish nationality, so not everyone of them want to attack so much Jewish religion of their parents. But that's not always a rule. F.e.: I know some newspaper holded by secular Jews, who attacked religious cutting of animals by kosher Jews. On the other hand, that atheist Oralia Fellatio... pardon - Oriana Fallaci wanted to be some sort of ally of Papal State. Or other example: that atheistic demon Stephen Hawking is member for life of vatican's Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
Last edited by NRohirrim; January 09, 2013 at 10:44 AM.
It's easier to criticize Christianity because, number one: most of us were christian and number two: out-spoken Christians tend to be super easy and fun to make fun of. Number three: we usually live in "christian" countries, so christian dogma can affect our lives in negative ways.
Most of the time when you see atheists "attacking Christianity", it's not actually Christianity being attacked or even criticized, it's just some nutty fundamentalist spouting nonsense that needs to be corrected, but it can be hard to tell the difference between a nutty christian and a moderate christian sometimes because some core christian concepts seem quite loony and esoteric to any outsider.
On the other hand what's becoming more common are nutty atheists spouting nonsense: I wonder if reasonable christians have the same problem non-christians have at spotting which are the nutty ones.
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are so certain of themselves, but wiser people are full of doubts.
-Betrand Russell
Also take into account that the Abrahamic religions are the most visible because they are institutionalised worship while the remaining pagan religions are far more personal. You don't see Shintoists holding hate signs outside funerals or committing unconscienable acts in the name of their ancestor spirits.
As to the Abrahamic religions themselves Judaism, because it doesn't seek converts and because it's a more matured and less angsty religion, is generally the least aggressive of the three so it's rarely brought up in debate.
Probably because Christianity and Islam are the 2 biggest religions and play a major role in today's world.
Look not above, there is no answer there; Pray not, for no one listens to your prayer; Near is as near to God as any Far, And Here is just the same deceit as There.
And do you think that unto such as you; A maggot-minded, starved, fanatic crew: God gave the secret, and denied it me?-- Well, well, what matters it! Believe that, too.
"Did God set grapes a-growing, do you think, And at the same time make it sin to drink? Give thanks to Him who foreordained it thus-- Surely He loves to hear the glasses clink!" Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
Because Abrahamitic faiths officially represent more than half of humanity. Including one superpower and several major powers, and some of the most belligerent countries or organizations on Earth. Also, Japan is rather secular and religion in China is on the defensive, so there's not much of a point for Western or other atheists to criticize Taoism or the like. Or at least that's how they see it.
Haha... oh you're actually being serious.
Last edited by athanaric; January 09, 2013 at 11:15 AM.
also, how many jainist/taoists/bahai/... are there on the forum here? No fun "debating" a faith which has no representation here. I'll gladly debate any religion
Look not above, there is no answer there; Pray not, for no one listens to your prayer; Near is as near to God as any Far, And Here is just the same deceit as There.
And do you think that unto such as you; A maggot-minded, starved, fanatic crew: God gave the secret, and denied it me?-- Well, well, what matters it! Believe that, too.
"Did God set grapes a-growing, do you think, And at the same time make it sin to drink? Give thanks to Him who foreordained it thus-- Surely He loves to hear the glasses clink!" Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
This. (Sort of)
My opinion is that some atheists I have encountered call themselves atheists, but philosophically they just aren't very knowledgeable about the theism/atheism or naturalism/supernaturalism debate, instead they just have an emotional issue with X religion, and this is predominantly Christianity. Metaphysical issues don't really come into it as much as a tirade of thinly veiled abuse does, as such I'd hesitate to call such people atheists (as they have no real conviction on the philosophical issue of God), instead I'd call them anti-Christians or something of the like. I'd wager the number of 'metaphysical' atheists is far lower than the number of people who call themselves atheists, because the term is so vague and this distinction (and many others) has not been made.
So spake the Fiend, and with necessity,
The tyrant's plea, excused his devilish deeds.
-Paradise Lost 4:393-394
Because the Christians are more powerful, more annoying and they always break our balls poor atheists! Always, everytime, and everywhere! The Christians are like the annoying Orange!
I'm a materialist, and I don't know why a group of people who believes in a crucified guy, pretend to tell me how I should make love, how I should die or not die, what I should do or not do of my life!
Who are these annoying people? These followers of a Jew crucified for blasphemy? what they want from our lives?
Think for yourselves followers of the Nazarenus, that to my life I think myself!
Last edited by Diocle; January 09, 2013 at 12:37 PM.
You mean like the large number of people who call themselves Christian, and virtually never go to church and probably have little awareness of the bible beyond Jesus being born and dying? Double standards.
Most simply, Atheism is just an absence of belief, it's just a term to describe someone who does not choose to believe in a deity for whatever reason. This could include having never being exposed to Christianity in any meaningful sense in the first place, giving someone no reason to have knowledge of the 'debate'.
Of course it is a vague term, it isn't an institutionalised set of beliefs, unlike religion. Stop trying to put long winded philosophical arguments on everything, it's just annoying.
That isn't a double standard at all; both are true. The problem is this discussion is about atheists not Christians, so your point is basically irrelevant, although I do not deny it is true.
No someone with no knowledge of the debate wouldn't make a claim about it; on a philosophical level atheism is the truth claim that God does not exist. What you are describing is a kind of 'pop atheism' that describes a person's psychological state rather than a claim, truth is irrelevant to psychological states. In short, you are simply playing a rhetorical trick, for whilst someone with no knowledge of the debate obviously wouldn't 'believe' in God, there is a clear difference between someone who has knowingly rejected theism and someone who has never heard of it anyway; it is simply disingenuous to try and deny this distinction. I don't understand why some atheists even want to claim such people are 'atheists' just like them, it seems belittling to true, logically rigorous atheism.
Atheism can mean various things depending on which atheist you are talking to, this isn't a political issue for you to get defensive over, it is just an unfortunate area of pervasive ignorance. Better education as to the real meaning of terms would help people term their positions more accurately and thus avoid a lot of conflict arising from misnomers. I have personal experience of debating with atheists, and it turning out their take on atheism bore nearly no resemblance to the technical definition I was arguing against. There really is no need to get so defensive, Colossus (for every point I make about atheism you seem to construct a parallel about 'religion', whilst ironically maintaining how atheism is nothing like religion), I'm sure you would agree with me that better clarity, understanding and presentation of claims can only be a good thing.
So spake the Fiend, and with necessity,
The tyrant's plea, excused his devilish deeds.
-Paradise Lost 4:393-394
In the western world most atheists criticize christianity(and islam) for obvious reasons.
“The human eye is a wonderful device. With a little effort, it can fail to see even the most glaring injustice.”
I particularly hate the Buddhists.
ing bald curry colored clothes wearing followers.
The Earth is inhabited by billions of idiots.
The search for intelligent life continues...