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I am really wanting to know why athiests are so strong in their efforts to destroy Christianity.
Do you consider me, Tricky D, disagreeing with a Christian the same as an effort to destroy Christianity?
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How would our being right harm them?
Christians can be very fanatical in their beliefs which often discourages tolerance, because all they do is polarise.
Often Christians only understand their pov and do not respect the pov of non-Christians with another pov.
It is my experience that Christians who are very fanatical about their religion also lack imagination and / or empathy, because they often don’t like diversity. Often Christians do not regard Christianity a private matter of conscience, but rather an organizational principle for society. As an individualist I often disagree with this Christian behavior.
I can only speak for myself on this response but I do think that I share many of the same sentiments as most of my Atheist counterparts. Perhaps not all, but many.
I wouldn't say that we are trying to destroy Christianity. What we are trying to destroy, in my mind, and the reason things become so offensive to us is this sort of preconceived notion that some Christians have that makes them think they have a special right to get on a soapbox and preach to us.
In all honesty, I do respect that Christians have a right to hold onto their beliefs as much as they want to. But, stating that you are an Atheist should not be grounds for automatic proselytizing on behalf of the Christian.
I have to say that in real life it's probably a little more oppressing than on the forum but things that happen in real life also affect how we write. I live in an extremely Christian dominated part of the South and I'm downright scared to admit that I'm an Atheist. I don't think people would go to the extent of sending armies of 'witnesses' to my house, but I also don't want to be known as those neighbors or that co-worker.
The fact is, most of us, except a few who have been fortunate enough to live in a more progressively open society have faced a lot of discrimination just for a non-belief in a religion that, on the surface, seems mighty full of holes, problems, and contradictions. We really don't care if you're Christian or Muslim or Hindu or whatever. Most of us just want to be left alone and just because we say we're non-believers, it should not be seen as an opportunity for "soul saving" but rather as one that can build friendship between differing ideologies without interjecting specific dichotomies.
The whole crux of my point is that we just don't think religion and/or belief in God or Jesus is necessary to live a fulfilling life. Most of us do just fine without it and enjoy not feeling micro-managed by a man in the sky who is writing a journal of judgment on everything that we do. We don't believe in it and it's certainly not from a lack of hearing about it. Hell, if there's one thing we hear enough about in every day language and society is Jesus and/or God. We don't need anyone's added input as to why we should or shouldn't believe. Most of us could care less and we just want those who DO believe to respect that.
And, for the record, I don't think we fear being wrong because it would mean Satan was in control of the bad ways of human beings. That's a lot like asking if you feel you might be wrong about Pandora opening the box. It just doesn't register as an effective argument in our minds. I know it must be unfathomable, but we REALLY DO NOT believe in that sort of thing. It's all on equal footing to us. Zeus, Thor, Allah, Yahweh, whatever you want to call it... It's all the same to us and equally as unlikely.
I have no desire to destroy Christianity or any other belief...I just want to be left alone in my non belief and have my personal space respected....Efforts to "save me" are an invasion of that space. I am sick and tired of being told I am foolish, wrong and am going to burn in hell, or that I need faith to be an atheist...Atheism is not anti religion...
I am really wanting to know why athiests are so strong in their efforts to destroy Christianity.
Nobody (with the exceptions of antitheists) wants to destroy Christianity. We want it out of the government. We also don't want any laws made based on religious beliefs. And that doesn't apply to just Christianity.
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Originally Posted by Marianinark
A Christian's effort to teach Christianity is because we hope to save people from the judgement to come.
You mean the judgement you believe will come. There are other people who don't believe what you do and get annoyed when you try to impose your way of living on them. Once again, this doesn't apply to just Christians. They just happen to be the ones doing it the most here in the States.
Just because you believe something, it doesn't mean everybody else will. Leave them alone and let them worship whatever they want to. You should be free to practice whatever religion you like, as long as you don't try to impose it upon anybody else or use it to justify violence against others. Would you like it if somebody came up to you and said that if you're not a Hindu, you're doomed?
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Originally Posted by Marianinark
Why is that a threat to athiests?
Because these kinds of beliefs can make people intolerant and hateful of others who don't believe what they do. Fundamentalists in ANY religion can be dangerous.
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Originally Posted by Marianinark
What are athiests 'fighting' for?
Umm..our right to go outside without having unwanted information shoved in our ears. We'd like a school system that is secular and doesn't favor any religion. Oh, and I personally would like to see the Boy Scouts either required to accept gays and atheists or cut off from government funding. The tax money of atheists and gays goes into the Boy Scouts too.
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Originally Posted by Marianinark
Is it a fear that Christians are right, and they don't want us to be?
No.
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Originally Posted by Marianinark
How would our being right harm them?
It wouldn't.
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Originally Posted by Marianinark
Would it change their fate, or their lives if we are wrong?
Well, for one thing, our crime rate would definitely go up. I always wondered why people can't imagine a person having morals without religion, and I've figured out that those people would be murderers, rapists, burgulars, etc, if they didn't believe. It's a good thing those people do believe. If they need something like that to keep them in line, then so be it.
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Originally Posted by Marianinark
Is it possible that they may know that there is a 'power' that is causing them to be so against Christians?
No.
I'd also like to point out that if you believe in satan, you're not an atheist. And I don't understand why people try to make it look like it's an atheism vs. Christianity thing. It isn't. You guys just happen to be the majority in America.
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Originally Posted by Marianinark
I know, this is a lot to consider...but I would really like to know "Why?"..
As said before, it's nothing against Christianity. It's religion in general. There are just way more of you here than any other religion.
I am really wanting to know why athiests are so strong in their efforts to destroy Christianity.
A Christian's effort to teach Christianity is because we hope to save people from the judgement to come.
Why is that a threat to athiests?
What are athiests 'fighting' for?
Is it a fear that Christians are right, and they don't want us to be?
How would our being right harm them?
Would it change their fate, or their lives if we are wrong?
Is it possible that they may know that there is a 'power' that is causing them to be so against Christians?
I know, this is a lot to consider...but I would really like to know "Why?"..
And please...NO flaming !
Ok, no flaming marian.
First up, as an athiest, I can promise you I have more important things to do in my life than make even the teeniest of efforts to "destroy Christianity". It's not something that I could ever be bothered with.
Everybody has their own belief system, whether that includes a higher power or not is of no consequence to me. If you believe in God I have no problem with that, it's really none of my business and certainly wouldn't stop me getting to know you or being friends. Same applies to the athiests I know, as well as the Jews, Muslims, Buddists, agnostics, you name it, whatever faith or philosophy someone follows or doesn't is their business not mine and certainly no reason for me to judge them or try to convert them to my way of thinking.
I don't believe in a God or higher power, I do not need to be saved, I am not frightened of hell or needing redemption because I simply don't believe in those things. I respect that other people do however.
So I'm not fighting. I will take exception if someone does not afford me the same courtesy or attempts to save me or change me based on their belief that my lack of a god figure somehow makes me flawed.
It's really not respectful.
I have no desire to destroy christians, in fact it is my belief that their (and other ferverently religious groups) need to be led will destroy them all on its own.
Okay, to those who have answered...why do you come on threads that are meant for the response of Christians? Have we forced you do do so?
BTW, I have never tried face to face to convert an athiest! If someone told me they were an athiest, I would probably just say " Oh", and let it go at that. The closest I have come to attempting to reason with an athiest is on these forums.
My oldest half sister said she was an athiest, after she had been baptised into Christ. Then some time later, she became a 'deaconess' in the denomination that she was attending! This was some years ago, and as far as I know , she is still with that religion.
( We live 1600 miles apart, and do not communicate with one another.)
Okay, to those who have answered...why do you come on threads that are meant for the response of Christians? Have we forced you do do so?
BTW, I have never tried face to face to convert an athiest! If someone told me they were an athiest, I would probably just say " Oh", and let it go at that. The closest I have come to attempting to reason with an athiest is on these forums.
My oldest half sister said she was an athiest, after she had been baptised into Christ. Then some time later, she became a 'deaconess' in the denomination that she was attending! This was some years ago, and as far as I know , she is still with that religion.
( We live 1600 miles apart, and do not communicate with one another.)
I guess for the same reason that those of faith come onto threads meant for the responses of athiests. We see something that we consider misinformation and attempt to clarify it or we agree about something and wish to comment. It's called participation. For me it doesn't only apply to religion, you'll probably notice I also go to threads about men and women, particular breeds of dogs, different ethnicities, differing sexualities, music, movies, books, history, science, all kinds of subjects and I don't always agree on those threads either. That's what forums are about. Discussion. If you are wanting exclusivity then I don't really think a message board is the place because you're always going to get a wide variety of opinions and points of view and you're not going to agree with all of them.
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Do you consider me, Tricky D, disagreeing with a Christian the same as an effort to destroy Christianity?
Christians can be very fanatical in their beliefs which often discourages tolerance, because all they do is polarise. 
As an individualist I often disagree with this Christian behavior.
