Why do atheists care about their belief so much? (Christians, preaching, suicide)
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Another one of those "please be quiet" arguments..
http://www.effbombs.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/atheismcartooncomichypocrisy-6e69f6aa62face97de8afd5f418085ce_h.jpg (broken link)
Funny you should see it that way. Take school prayer and the traditional Christmas display in the public square. Who has won for those issues? The legislation these days is for secularism. Yet you don't get it. Legislation these days is to push back the Blue laws and to allow gay marriage and abortion. Yet you see the world as if religious people are taking over. Perhaps you need to subscribe to a Newspaper.
And funny you see religious folk as the enemy. Telling-very much so. If Christians were Black folk-so to speak, you would be labeled a racist.
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As to the OP I think atheists need to evangelize from a feeling of self worth. Believe as I do so I can feel-I am right. Not much else to work with IMO.
Never once in my 60 years have I either evangelized or been evangelized as an atheist. It is not in my nature to do that. I'd venture to say that is not in the nature of most atheists. I have, however, been proselytized by any number of xtians. And my sense of self worth is just fine, thank you. It's easy when you yourself gets all the credit and all the blame for your behavior and decisions. I am the god I bless and curse.
Something the atheist crowd needs to consider. A two edged sword. Cuts both ways.
The atheists have to respect the majority religious view. Just as the Majority must respect the atheist view.
Live and let live.
"Live and let live," that phrase sums up nicely the attitude of most atheists that I've come into contact with. Most of them just want to be left alone, but when you live in the belt buckle of the Buybull-Belt (Dallas, TX) you can't leave the house without your sword and shield.
Announce your Christianity in a room full of atheists and you might see some eyes roll. Do the reverse and look out for torches and pitchforks.
Then there is the ever popular "I'll pray for you" which means go to hell in Christianese.
Actually, Hitler was a christian, avidly so, that was part of his excuse for eliminating the jews---Them Jews killed Jesus!!!!! One of the requirements to belong to either the American Nazi Party or the Ku Klux Klan is.....you have to be a christian.
No - Hitler was not a christian - he may or may not have believed in some sort of god, but I believe he was also a mystic. One can call themselves whatever they like or need to call themselves to serve their own purposes. He hated Jews, Blacks, Asians - anyone who was not of his "master race". After he took over the world, he would have enslaved any non-Aryan peoples, Christian or not. Hitler, however, is a perfect example of someone who "used" religion for his political purposes - i.e. arouse christians (majority of germany) to hate the jews because they killed Jesus - that sort of thing - just like the KKK, Neo_Nazi's, Westboro, etc. does. True Christians despise these sorts of organizaitons that call themselves christians but are not
Nevertheless - Stalin, Pol Pot, Kim Jung Il, Chairman Mao - all were purported atheists - and they engaged in the same murderous attrocities as did the crusaders, radical muslims, etc. - you don't think Il wouldn't blow up half the world if he got a chance?
What I am saying is that there are always a number of depraved people (irrespective of their religious or non-religious proclamation), that, given absolute power, would engage in war and mass murder, thus the premise that religion is the cause of war, mass murder, etc. is not correct.
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As to the OP I think atheists need to evangelize from a feeling of self worth. Believe as I do so I can feel-I am right. Not much else to work with IMO.
Ummm... so the OP asks atheists their point of view on something - and you come on here and say what YOU think THEIR point of view is? How would you know our point of view? You wouldn't. And you don't. In addition to this, each atheist probably has their own point of view - which only they can accurately represent.
I do NOT evangelize. I don't feel the need. I don't feel like I need others to believe what I believe so that I can feel I am right. That is utterly ridiculous. I can't even tell you how ridiculous that is. I have NEVER tried to get someone to leave their religion. NEVER. I have my own beliefs and I respect the beliefs of others. Do not ever tell me how I feel. You have no idea and probably are not capable of understanding.
Of course I feel I'm right. If I didn't - I wouldn't believe what I believe. Don't we ALL think we are right? If we didn't - we would find something else to believe.
Funny you should see it that way. Take school prayer and the traditional Christmas display in the public square. Who has won for those issues? The legislation these days is for secularism. Yet you don't get it. Legislation these days is to push back the Blue laws and to allow gay marriage and abortion. Yet you see the world as if religious people are taking over. Perhaps you need to subscribe to a Newspaper.
Funny you should be so short sighted to see it that way. We should not have had to push back against the blue laws, which by the way were totally absurd in some cases.
The politics in this country swings wildly back an forth from decade to decade. We had the McCarty witch hunts form godless commies, that didn't exist, then civil rights became law, they we listen to a president that said that he didn't believe Atheists should be citizens and were not patriots, to the progressive Clinton years, to the spawn of the Atheists hater that started wars because he believed god told him to.
Bush 43 and his stuck on religion mindset, set stem cell research back a decade, a very promising advancement in medical science.
Rights for anyone not heterosexual AND christian should not need to be fought for, and if had paid any attention (or more likely ignored) do you not remember the Prop 8 religious hatred exhibited in California in 2008, one for your side.
Until we as a species rise to the collective level of intelligence to discard religion as the myth it is, these struggles will continue, so no I won't "get it" as you want me to and become complacent.
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There are no permanent changes because change itself is permanent.
No - Hitler was not a christian - he may or may not have believed in some sort of god, but I believe he was also a mystic. One can call themselves whatever they like or need to call themselves to serve their own purposes.
Here I go being a nit-picker again, but Hitler identified himself as a Christian. He was raised Catholic and then turned to a more protestant ideology. He wrote against the occult in Mein Kampf. However, some historians say he was into the occult, and Hitler himself said, "We do not want any other god than Germany itself", indicating (perhaps) that he wasn't a Christian.
You're correct that people use labels to make themselves more appealing to some and revolting to others. Hitler was not above it.
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Originally Posted by RVAtoCNC
Hitler, however, is a perfect example of someone who "used" religion for his political purposes - i.e. arouse christians (majority of germany) to hate the jews because they killed Jesus - that sort of thing - just like the KKK, Neo_Nazi's, Westboro, etc. does. True Christians despise these sorts of organizaitons that call themselves christians but are not
That's sticky territory. It comes close to judging, no? Who decides who is and who is not a "true Christian"?
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