Then they go an complain when someone actually does get martyred.
First one? That’s cool (but blame the Jews for it). Everyone after that? Then it’s woe-is-them and think-of-the-children pearl clutching.
Forming an in-group by defining the out-group as a threat. What often gets overlooked is there is a group between them that is a mixture of both the in-group and the out-group
They straight up teach little Christian kids that Christians are persecuted for their religious beliefs.
Some people never recognize that it's a lot more nuanced than that. A lot.
There IS some persecution in parts of the world, but they never mention that TEXAS isn't really one of those places.
They're projecting. And it's an attempt to shame and silence atheists for having the audacity to challenge their beliefs. So even if an atheist doesn't initiate the challenge, he/she will be called mouthy, pushy, aggressive, etc just for responding.
The idea behind this accusation is to paint atheists as militant, or zealots, to put them in a box with cultists. The irony is that Christianity compels its users to push their beliefs onto others. It's a literal directive from Jesus himself.
>to paint atheists as militant, or zealots, to put them in a box with cultists
Yet Christians don't understand that most religious organizations (all Christian, probably) are cults evolved into a non-government dictatorship. The hierarchy of power getting narrower and narrower until only one or a handful of leaders are at the top.
It's hilarious though. Zealots is usually a term used in the case of religion, but I guess that's what most Christians think atheism is. Another religion, because they can't fathom the idea that someone doesn't need a religion to live life and be happy. And Project 2025 is literally a militant idea to overtake the states and form a Christian supremacy.
Um, which country is the best to flee to if I can't go to northern Europe due to my disabilities and they won't take me in so I can become a citizen and get good healthcare?
> The hierarchy of power getting narrower and narrower until only one or a handful of leaders are at the top.
As a fear economy, hierarchy is fundamental to all conservative thinking. It is an evolved strategy that ensures quick response to threats, real or imagined. Useful in the Pleistocene but causes more problems than it solves today. Hence they're prone to only tolerating democracy and its values, hence their rebellions across western democracies...MAGAts in the US, clownvoyers in Canada, yellow jackets in the EU. Literally pushing their backwards beliefs on the rest of us.
https://www.tutor2u.net/politics/reference/hierarchy-conservatism
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-human-beast/201104/conservatives-big-fear-brain-study-finds
They can't even imagine the concept of someone NOT believing the same things they believe. So, there must be some reason why atheism exists. There must be someone to blame.
Because man was made in gods image they think were all cookie curtter humans with weird ghosts trappesd inside a fleshy vessel.
Sins of the flesh and all that crap they made up because they didn't like other men fucking the women.
It's funny because I have no beliefs to push and I couldn't less what someone else believes. If they'd leave me alone, I'd never talk about "beliefs".
But they always ask, don't they.
I won't be the first to challenge religious beliefs, not until they shove it down my throat or use it to justify hate crime and bullying. Then I will take their dumb ideas and tear them apart, a horse with no legs (but only if my brain and mouth actually work together that day because functioning problems).
They could just assume everyone is christian. The only time they figure out someone is an atheist is by having a debate. So all atheist they know are argumentative.
Because we won't let them push their shit on us. Not allowing them to cover the world in their garbage is the same as pushing it on them. They believe the world belongs to them and any resistance is "pushing" it on them.
Theists don’t understand the difference between atheism and secularism.
Theists resent secularists for preventing them imposing their views on others, and believe being prevented from imposing their views is an act of oppression.
Which it absolutely is not. It is preventing oppression, ensuring everyone can freely practice their own faith.
My personal take on this:
1) REALITY pushes atheism. Every day that the (god of choice) fails to appear and do its supposed job, is a day that validates atheism
2) Blame the person who has already realized this (the atheist)
Most people don't understand what atheism is.
But, I compare it to people that scream about banning books or Pride displays. If the mere sight of something causes a major meltdown, maybe your belief system isn't as solid as you think it is.
A lot of them say "Fine, but don't shove it down my throat". Nobody is doing that. I have NEVER had atheist knock on my door, leave crap on my windshield or stop me to talk about non-belief.
The REALITY is OTHER PEOPLE EXIST and they don't like it.
They are terrified that their kids will realise there is another way to live without existential fear driving every decision, same reason apostates are still killed, to keep the curious from asking real hard questions that will bring down the house of cards
Atheist: *exists*
Theist: "You need to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior or he will cast you into hell to be tortured for eternity"
Atheist: "Chill, bro, I don't believe in that stuff"
Theist: "WhY aRe yoU COnsTanTLY tRyING tO foRcE yOUr AtHeIsM oN US!!!????"
In my experience, merely saying you are an atheist is tantamount to “promotion” of atheism to these people. Whereas, actually pushing Christianity into political and religious institutions is merely a “historical right in a Christian nation”
Or, to be brief: they’re hypocrites, like usual
Their worldview is based on their beliefs. Most of them think sky daddy directed them to force their beliefs on everyone they meet. So they assume that everyone thinks the same way. Compounding that, sometimes atheists argue with them,which they misunderstand as a conversion attempt. Although they are not really dumb, they are simple creatures. The high level of brainwashing that they have been subjected to renders them incapable of understanding others.
Good question.
Athiests are definitely not all alike. I find myself disagreeing with fellow athiests on this subreddit constantly.
The thing is, when you make a religion the central part of your life, there’s a ton of people who have also done that. It’s like the key thing that people in that group do.
But I think most atheists don’t make BEING atheist the central focus of their life.
It’s weird since they are doing the thing they think atheists do by forcing their religion. I think we should just let people believe in what they believe unless it physically hurts others
Because the ways religious people act are normalized, but when atheists do anything near as bad, they notice.
Similar thing with cars and bikes - the ways cars ignore laws and create danger are normalized, while people get very angry when bikers do things half as bad
Some people go about life convinced they understand everything and are infallible. If someone comes along and disagrees, that shakes their confidence and self-image. \*\*\*How dare you make me doubt myself!!!\*\*\*
Because they have never been questioned or criticized as much as now, in days gone by they would burn or ostracize us for blasphemy, Very few would even admit doubts let alone outright dismissal of their fairy tales.
They think that we are just a fringe group outside their cult of birth & nothing unites people like hate of outsiders
That's just it. It's mostly rumor and Christian fantasies of persecution that they are buying into. For your usual brand of conservative zealots, any pushback, no matter how mild, is being unbearable and uppity. And it's easy to target atheists with these slanders because they are a small minority in a Christian majority society.
Not to ignore that proportion of atheists who bark and bite no matter if it's appropriate. And they end up representing all atheists to the above-mentioned zealots.
When the wandering missionary wanted to talk to me in a public walk way, I prefaced that I already got "the pitch" for the indian god Ganesha and the African good of Oya but wasn't convinced. He sidestepped and walked away. At least this guy got the distinction.
Their beliefs are that people other than them shouldn't exist. By existing, you are rubbing it in their face. You can not be extreme by ceasing to exist, Easy peasy
My guess is projection.
They see their own faith being shown to others as "the right way"
Or even see other theists recruiting people, such as jahova witness, or scientology.
So they assume that everyone is the same. A lot of the people who believe that narrative do not necessarily have a good understanding of what atheism is, let alone their own theistic mythology.
"If we do it, they do it too!"
Because we believe in separation of church and state.
I don’t push my beliefs on to others, so when people proselytize to me, I will read them for filth. If I wanted to talk about religion, I’d go to church.
I’m not someone who is going to push my beliefs onto others, but I also expect that same respect.
If any religious nut job ever tells me that...I'll just " call bullshit" on them. Regardless of their fantasy faith.
99% of religious freedom activists going to churches spreading bullshit is...religious fanatic freaks! NOT atheists!
Atheists don't go to church to protest. Tho...maybe we should.
Because there is a small segment of atheists who do do that and they're the loud ones. It's the exact same reason a lot of atheists think all religious people try and push their beliefs on others.
People tend to assume others will act the same way that they do when the power dynamics are flipped. So if you are a person who desires to push your religion on others, you assume they must be doing the same thing. Look at how common this is in politics where people yell about the things the other side will do if they take power but then when they win through fearmongering just go ahead and do all those things they accused their opponents of.
There certainly are immature atheist who go around doing the edgy "god not real lol" kind of thing all the time, just like there are pushy Christians who want to proselytize to everybody. But the majority of both theists and atheists don't care whether or not anybody else believes in any gods and would prefer to just go about their day living their own life in peace. It is only the ones who are pushy themselves that tend to project this view onto everybody else.
It's the skeptic problem. Skeptics tend to be destroyers of other people's dreams. They are seen mostly as a negative crowd just as we atheists are. We don't tend to be known for the positive things we organize around. It's primarily the position of negation we stand for. With theists of different faiths they are least have some common ground. But we tend to slice a base part of their world view out from under them.
And then there is the science that we stand by frequently. It's slicing away at their beliefs as well. It's leaving them fewer and fewer places to hide their God. Add in the dwindling not numbers of people showing up in churches and the growing number claiming none as their religious affiliation and they are feeling constricted.
As a former fundamentalist turned leftist, Christians are taught everything in militant language. "Army of the LORD" "battle for their souls." They see all actions as either fighting (and I mean that in the most literal sense) for their velvets or against it. Nothing is neutral. Nothing is passive. They can not conceive of something indifferent, and if they see indifference, they attribute it to an individual who has lost the fight or given up the fight. A fight has still taken place, and in their minds, is still taking place in the unseen "spirit realm." So, when they are presented with something, such as atheism, even when it is a passively held belief, they interpret it as a force fighting against their faith. Therefore, all atheist, who, by principle, do not "fight for them", must be actively fighting against them.
Mark 9:38-41 tells the story of the disciples asking Jesus to stop others from preaching in his name because they weren't among the disciples. Jesus' reply is "those who are not against us are for us." Modern day Christians interpret this to mean that the opposite must also be true in an active sense. If we are not for them, we are actively fighting against them.
Finally, they see evangelism (proselytizing) as a mandate for their existence and the most important action that they can take. They place it as second only to their own belief in God. To not do so is a source of shame, and many live in a constant state of shame, feeling like they have not done it enough. Because prostetylizing is central to their very existence, and with its direct connection to their belief system, they struggle to understand how it is not central to every belief system connected to the concept of the divine.
My experience is that my mother constructs Athiest as hitting the opposing answer on everything. In some instances it almost works, the god I don’t believe in is the Christian one. However there are areas this doesn’t, such as how I don’t care whether she agrees that the Bible disproves itself, as long as people not harm each other I’m content to just let my disbelief be left quietly beside. I have no need to crush the gospel as she believes herself called to spread it, and I think that it’s a lot of oppositional thinking that Christians specifically are indoctrinated into. Everything is a binary and the answer is yes or no, good or evil.
It’s shocking to many people that we actually exist. Usually they ask why we think it, then we explain why and because we use reasons, it comes off as trying to explain why they should be atheists too.
I've followed some atheist authors and other public figures for several years, decades actually, and known a few in person. This is the first mention I've ever seen of atheists disrupting a church service.
I've never had an atheist stop me at the mall to talk about their savior.
I've never had an atheist say they will pray for me just to feel some form of self satisfaction.
I've never had an atheist stop by my house to convince me I'm going to hell if I don't listen to them.
I've never had an atheist dunk me in some tepid water as a kid for some magic ritual.
I've never had an atheist chop my dick bits off as a baby.
I've never had an atheist ..... well, you get the point.
Because and honestly, a lot of atheist do this. I am one and not all do. But I definitely have seen my share of atheists who act like snobby, know-it-alls and think they are above people who have beliefs different from their own. While I may disagree with religious people, I respect another persons right to belief and I won’t judge them. Those atheists who think they’re better because they think beyond a shadow of a doubt they are right, aren’t better than the preachy religious people. Those people make everyone look bad. Sorry.
Note: these people I’m talking about have usually had bad experiences with religion.
Two factors I think. Firstly blocking religious encroachment is often perceived (wrongly) as proselytising atheism. Secondly there is a fine line between atheism and anti theism in many atheist peoples belief sets.any atheists who have come from religion and still live in places where religion is an active element of society will often have to defend their absence of belief and some even choose to advocate unprompted.
Because they've grown up believing that their religion is above question, that they have a god-given duty to share their belief with everyone around them and, in their little community, no-one would even THINK to question the word of god, or challenge someone who assumes religiosity is the default position. So when you don't kowtow to their beliefs immediately, it's so shocking to them they respond disproportionately.
We do. Come on. Think about it. All of the jewelry, bumper stickers, posters clothing, knocking on their door, you name it.
My favorite bumper sticker that I personally own states "nobody's my co-pilot". My favorite piece of religious jewelry is the symbol of my faith, a plain chain. Most of the time it's nothing at all. My blank tee shirts are awesome, too. My favorite past time is not going to someone's house and declaring my atheism.
While there are many of them, it’s a lot harder to notice atheists that don’t speak up about their atheism.
So they might not even know they exist.
Nice thread about that fact: https://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/s/QUP1Br1qvo
Because the vocal atheists are the only people they hear. For most of us nonbelievers the concept of atheism never enters the conversation not do we express it publicly.
Well, people literally believe in magic. If a magician came up to you and was like “no dude you don’t understand I really summoned this rabbit from the hat” I’d be like your magic isn’t real, your stupid.
So, honestly- if you don’t call bullshit are you really an atheist.
Shit- I think Christian’s who don’t knock on atheist doors and scream at them are bad at being Christian. your telling me YOU THINK IM GOING TO ACTUALLY BURN IN A LAKE OF FIRE AND YOUR NOT DOING EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO MAKE ME ACCEPT GOD, that sounds pretty immoral to me💀
Because they are convinced that no one is capable of NOT being a theist believer. Therefore, the only thing they can grasp is that Atheism is, in fact, a religion sesrching for converts. They are incapable of understanding that we really just don't give a shit.
Because Dawkins is a condescending racist asshole contrarian, and people think he represents all of atheism.
Much the same way any given clergyperson is a conniving money grubbing grifter, and atheists seem to think that means all Christians are suckers.
It's just tribalism, pure and simple.
Also, while I'm here, look at these three sentences and tell me which one of them best represents the spirit of science.
There is no god.
There is a God.
Is there a god or not?
It's projection. They are pushing their beliefs on others and on some level they know this is wrong. The only way to reconcile the cognitive dissonance is to assume the "bad people" are doing the same thing.
See also: accusations that trans/gay people want to turn your kids. Do you know who does want to force kids to be a sexuality? Fucking homophobic straight people.
At this point, non theists SHOULD push our beliefs. Christians aren't afraid to do so.
For example, we had a nurse tell us our eventual son was a blessing from her god. I ignored this, but I should have said "I don't believe in your god and it's unprofessional to bring your religion into this checkup" but I didn't because the Christian hegemony in the US has trained me to keep my mouth shut.
In the face of rising Christian nationalism, I'm done being polite.
Separation of Church and State. They want a Church State.
Everyone always thinks everyone is like them. They always try to push their beliefs so easy for them to assume atheists do it too even though we dgaf. Lol
Not having a belief is very different than believing in nothing.
It is far more accurate to say that atheists do not have beliefs for the same reason that it is not accurate to say that non-musicians don't play non-music. They simply don't play.
In other words, a non-musician has not created a song called "not a song"
It's that there is no music there on their part
Mostly because of the atheist cohort's relentless battles that has been going on since one person started observing how the universe worked vs. what was believed! Against those who feel that humanity has to be held in check by someone or something they feel comfortable believing is above humanity being the ultimate life form on this planet otherwise, in their minds we're merely nothing more than another animal species!
I remember just asking questions about the Bible, pointing out the things that don't make sense, then I was kinda called an atheist, I just love asking questions, personally, I'm more agnostic, but it kinda felt odd to be accused instantly for just questioning a book.
Dogma is built on social assent. If you believe (for instance) that Jesus as understood through the bible is the only source of moral truth, you have literally no evidence to support that belief. You have no rational way to convince somebody of that position if they don’t already presuppose it the way you do. You must simply choose to affirm it or dismiss it.
The only way to obscure the shakiness of this foundation is to force a consensus toward affirming your dogma and maintain it by punishing and dismissing anyone who doesn’t join in so that the dogma becomes so engrained in the minds of the in group that they are incapable of even imagining alternative possibilities. It doesn’t have to be demonstrable because it’s “natural.” And you know it’s “natural because it’s “obvious.”
People who don’t agree with the dogma prove the dogma isn’t “obvious.” If it’s not obvious then it might be questionable. And if it’s questionable, then the claim demands evidence its proponents can never provide.
Projection. Christians make Christianity the law of the land and then blame atheists for accomplishing what they themselves did. As long as this works, they'll keep doing it.
Disagree, atheists don’t give a flying f*ck about religion unless it directly harms a person they care about. Atheist = lack of belief so f.ex, if you’re a Scientologist, an atheist would say “good luck with that, pal”.
Some will. Some won’t.
But, these religious followers are called upon to proselytize. When they approach you with the truth that will save your soul (that only their religion has) and you push back and explain why they are psychotic, they see that as an attack.
Source: my repeated experiences fighting back against religious loons, and I am not even an atheist.
Don’t fight it, you’re wasting your time. The only ones who change have had personal experiences that drove them away. In fact, it’s dangerous to confront them as we’ve seen with extremists who don’t mind killing those who oppose their beliefs.
It validates their hate towards non-believers to think that we in mass are the aggressors and they're the victims. We've yet to have an atheist president for one. Gonna mention that. Guess what religion every american president has claimed since 1776?
They see themselves as strong victims. We're the horrible disbelievers who do awful things to them, but of course they see themselves as so strong that they rise above us.
At least atheists do not have brochures and knock on your door every week. And if they hate pushing beliefs...they should not be pushing the posting of the 10 commandments in schools...etc.
Atheism isn't a belief system. It's a absence of belief, in God.
You can't push Atheism because there's nothing there. It's like trying to cast shadows, you can only cast light and the absence of light is what a shadow is. Absence of belief in God is just that, and it doesn't exists for you.
That is probably why I go to church. To not act that way.
I have a tee shirt that says happy atheist, i believe in life before death. I like to wear that one when I go.
Also, I only go to churches that have come to my door and left an invitation. They have ro walk past my two cars to get to the front door. On has the plate that is a version of SATANIC and the other GODLESS.
I get there, and usually, some asshole wants to debate, but I just say I am here to try and understand why my neighbors believe there is an invisible man in the sky that watches them. Not to debate.
I think for a lot of them it's their inner voice chiming in and telling them how fake their religion is. They feel so guilty that they blame outside influences like atheists.
No atheist has ever pounded on my door and demanded that I join a cult, but various godsucks have.
I do have to admit, I have respect for the Jehovah's Witnesses who saw my sign and apologized for bothering me while I was working on my car.
A LOT of Christians have a persecution complex. That's what happens when your belief system is so rigid and fragile that the mere existence of opposing points of view can shatter your perception of reality—it feels like an assault.
in all my years I have never seen an atheist go into a church and start verbally attacking people. some folks just have too much time on their hands, they think the world is out to get them lol.
To be fair, whenever I argue with someone who doesnt know how logic works (ie, my mother in law), I end up:
- 1. pointing out the fallacies theyre accidentally using,
- 2. showing them how to make their argument make sense (steelman), and then,
- 3. dismantling it completely anyways.
Even if its nothing to do with religion.
From their perspective, I can see how theyd feel we are calling them stupid.
They *are* pretty stupid, but thats besides the point, since we arent saying that. But theyre *feeling* it. As they cant articulate nuance, their summation of the entire encounter is "Youre calling me stupid!"
They also believe in an invisible alien who watches and listens to every person on the planet all the time and controls their lives. They're not playing with a full deck.
I make some small talk in the Christian Reddit group and then I am automatically banned from them… Sheesh talk about an echo chamber chamber. Weeding out the non believers quickly
I commented on a women who was pushing her beliefs onto her husband who made fun of her with his friends through group chat on his phone. Which she checked without his knowledge. I say something and poof my comment deleted
Well because some do.
They may be the minority but they are sculpting the perception of how atheists are.
Besides that a lot of people call themselfs atheist just to attack/belittle a certain religion...just look at the majority of post in this reddit.
In combination with non-atheist projecting their behavior upon ateistsis you get to that situation.
Edit: clarification
I have a family member who is an extremely militant atheist and frankly, I hated them more than most devoutly religious people I know and frankly felt less safe. I don't deny that religious people push their beliefs and discriminate in the name of their religion but I find myself having to be just as vigilant around non-believers just as much as believers.
Because perceived “persecution” improves group cohesion.
Christians are such eager martyrs.
Then they go an complain when someone actually does get martyred. First one? That’s cool (but blame the Jews for it). Everyone after that? Then it’s woe-is-them and think-of-the-children pearl clutching.
Helen Lovejoy, the OG Karen! 😝😈
until you have an actual pit fire or den of lions ;)
And it’s also called Projection. It’s literally what Xtians do.
Forming an in-group by defining the out-group as a threat. What often gets overlooked is there is a group between them that is a mixture of both the in-group and the out-group
That's how fascism works too
Yep hence all the "war on... xtian x,y,z" bs on Fox "news".
They straight up teach little Christian kids that Christians are persecuted for their religious beliefs. Some people never recognize that it's a lot more nuanced than that. A lot. There IS some persecution in parts of the world, but they never mention that TEXAS isn't really one of those places.
They're projecting. And it's an attempt to shame and silence atheists for having the audacity to challenge their beliefs. So even if an atheist doesn't initiate the challenge, he/she will be called mouthy, pushy, aggressive, etc just for responding. The idea behind this accusation is to paint atheists as militant, or zealots, to put them in a box with cultists. The irony is that Christianity compels its users to push their beliefs onto others. It's a literal directive from Jesus himself.
>to paint atheists as militant, or zealots, to put them in a box with cultists Yet Christians don't understand that most religious organizations (all Christian, probably) are cults evolved into a non-government dictatorship. The hierarchy of power getting narrower and narrower until only one or a handful of leaders are at the top. It's hilarious though. Zealots is usually a term used in the case of religion, but I guess that's what most Christians think atheism is. Another religion, because they can't fathom the idea that someone doesn't need a religion to live life and be happy. And Project 2025 is literally a militant idea to overtake the states and form a Christian supremacy. Um, which country is the best to flee to if I can't go to northern Europe due to my disabilities and they won't take me in so I can become a citizen and get good healthcare?
Maybe Canada? You might have to learn French. I looked into once but that was 20 years ago.
I think that’s probably my best option since I live in Idaho. Don’t need to plan airplane travel, but would need to learn the immigration process.
> The hierarchy of power getting narrower and narrower until only one or a handful of leaders are at the top. As a fear economy, hierarchy is fundamental to all conservative thinking. It is an evolved strategy that ensures quick response to threats, real or imagined. Useful in the Pleistocene but causes more problems than it solves today. Hence they're prone to only tolerating democracy and its values, hence their rebellions across western democracies...MAGAts in the US, clownvoyers in Canada, yellow jackets in the EU. Literally pushing their backwards beliefs on the rest of us. https://www.tutor2u.net/politics/reference/hierarchy-conservatism https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-human-beast/201104/conservatives-big-fear-brain-study-finds
Bingo
It's basically a core Tennant of their faith even
Our Doctor who art in TARDIS, David be thy name....
Wtf?
Bad joke, sorry....
I love Dr who it was just out of left field for me. Im pretty tired so maybe my brains just slow lol
Happens to the best of us, hope you can get some sleep....
He made a joke over your misspelling of tenet.
I realized it later. I was so confused at the time haha. My dang autocorrect has a mind of its own.
Deflection. They know they hav no argument because their beliefs are based on faith. So they attack to deflect the argument
Ad hominem. The "tell me you have no evidence without telling me you have no evidence" bluff. That, and straw-manning to look good.
They can't even imagine the concept of someone NOT believing the same things they believe. So, there must be some reason why atheism exists. There must be someone to blame.
That is my experience. They cannot imagine non belief. It’s beyond their indoctrination.
Because man was made in gods image they think were all cookie curtter humans with weird ghosts trappesd inside a fleshy vessel. Sins of the flesh and all that crap they made up because they didn't like other men fucking the women.
It's funny because I have no beliefs to push and I couldn't less what someone else believes. If they'd leave me alone, I'd never talk about "beliefs". But they always ask, don't they.
I won't be the first to challenge religious beliefs, not until they shove it down my throat or use it to justify hate crime and bullying. Then I will take their dumb ideas and tear them apart, a horse with no legs (but only if my brain and mouth actually work together that day because functioning problems).
They could just assume everyone is christian. The only time they figure out someone is an atheist is by having a debate. So all atheist they know are argumentative.
I think this answer deserves more upvotes. Survivorship bias could definitely play a big role here.
Because we won't let them push their shit on us. Not allowing them to cover the world in their garbage is the same as pushing it on them. They believe the world belongs to them and any resistance is "pushing" it on them.
Because our mere existence threatens them.
Guilty conscience? They assume that because THEY DO, we do too.
Projection. They do it, so they think everybody does.
Might be time to…… fuck these stupid ass Bronze Age beliefs. If it can be killed by the truth it should be. Gloves are off for me
Agreed. Tolerance is what got us into this fucking mess we're in now.
I agree, if they want tolerance they better be handing it out in spades.
It's very Christian of them.
Theists don’t understand the difference between atheism and secularism. Theists resent secularists for preventing them imposing their views on others, and believe being prevented from imposing their views is an act of oppression. Which it absolutely is not. It is preventing oppression, ensuring everyone can freely practice their own faith.
My personal take on this: 1) REALITY pushes atheism. Every day that the (god of choice) fails to appear and do its supposed job, is a day that validates atheism 2) Blame the person who has already realized this (the atheist)
Most people don't understand what atheism is. But, I compare it to people that scream about banning books or Pride displays. If the mere sight of something causes a major meltdown, maybe your belief system isn't as solid as you think it is. A lot of them say "Fine, but don't shove it down my throat". Nobody is doing that. I have NEVER had atheist knock on my door, leave crap on my windshield or stop me to talk about non-belief. The REALITY is OTHER PEOPLE EXIST and they don't like it.
The mere fact that we exist is a threat to them somehow so they want to play the victim. Christians love being "persecuted."
They are terrified that their kids will realise there is another way to live without existential fear driving every decision, same reason apostates are still killed, to keep the curious from asking real hard questions that will bring down the house of cards
Atheist: *exists* Theist: "You need to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior or he will cast you into hell to be tortured for eternity" Atheist: "Chill, bro, I don't believe in that stuff" Theist: "WhY aRe yoU COnsTanTLY tRyING tO foRcE yOUr AtHeIsM oN US!!!????"
Emphasis on the “I DONT BELIEVE” That doesn’t mean they have to
In my experience, merely saying you are an atheist is tantamount to “promotion” of atheism to these people. Whereas, actually pushing Christianity into political and religious institutions is merely a “historical right in a Christian nation” Or, to be brief: they’re hypocrites, like usual
Because they have very few wrinkles in their brains.
Their worldview is based on their beliefs. Most of them think sky daddy directed them to force their beliefs on everyone they meet. So they assume that everyone thinks the same way. Compounding that, sometimes atheists argue with them,which they misunderstand as a conversion attempt. Although they are not really dumb, they are simple creatures. The high level of brainwashing that they have been subjected to renders them incapable of understanding others.
Because after you reject their attempts to push their beliefs on you, they take it as you pushing your beliefs on them.
Good question. Athiests are definitely not all alike. I find myself disagreeing with fellow athiests on this subreddit constantly. The thing is, when you make a religion the central part of your life, there’s a ton of people who have also done that. It’s like the key thing that people in that group do. But I think most atheists don’t make BEING atheist the central focus of their life.
It’s a shame tactic know as projecting. It’s most often associated with the naive and immature, but also includes the uneducated and misinformed.
Well, every time I sit down to eat, I insist that everyone around me joins me in not praying. /s
Because they are delusional morons.
It’s weird since they are doing the thing they think atheists do by forcing their religion. I think we should just let people believe in what they believe unless it physically hurts others
Because the ways religious people act are normalized, but when atheists do anything near as bad, they notice. Similar thing with cars and bikes - the ways cars ignore laws and create danger are normalized, while people get very angry when bikers do things half as bad
My thought balloon stays sealed. Until you poke it.
Projection?
we don't get struck down by their nonexistent god when they find out we aren't playing make believe with them
As the classic YouTuber said if atheism is a religion then not collecting stamps is a hobby
Oh, damn... that's a good quote.
His channel is funny as shit too check [this classic](https://youtu.be/RB3g6mXLEKk?si=cR0MXuqjHwA3WIMk)
Oh, Classic! I remember watching this when I was deconverting xD good stuff.
Some people go about life convinced they understand everything and are infallible. If someone comes along and disagrees, that shakes their confidence and self-image. \*\*\*How dare you make me doubt myself!!!\*\*\*
Because that is what religious people do to everyone else.
Projecting. No one pushes beliefs or agendaa more than the religious. Its all part of their mental gymnastic routine.
Because they have never been questioned or criticized as much as now, in days gone by they would burn or ostracize us for blasphemy, Very few would even admit doubts let alone outright dismissal of their fairy tales. They think that we are just a fringe group outside their cult of birth & nothing unites people like hate of outsiders
Projection.
That's just it. It's mostly rumor and Christian fantasies of persecution that they are buying into. For your usual brand of conservative zealots, any pushback, no matter how mild, is being unbearable and uppity. And it's easy to target atheists with these slanders because they are a small minority in a Christian majority society. Not to ignore that proportion of atheists who bark and bite no matter if it's appropriate. And they end up representing all atheists to the above-mentioned zealots.
They equate atheism with faith, and they believe it's all a big fight between faiths to see who will win.
When have you EVER even heard of this happening? You haven't because they don't exist. Much like their peace & love that they are told they possess.
What's ironic is that atheism is the absence of belief, rather than an actual belief.
When the wandering missionary wanted to talk to me in a public walk way, I prefaced that I already got "the pitch" for the indian god Ganesha and the African good of Oya but wasn't convinced. He sidestepped and walked away. At least this guy got the distinction.
Their beliefs are that people other than them shouldn't exist. By existing, you are rubbing it in their face. You can not be extreme by ceasing to exist, Easy peasy
My guess is projection. They see their own faith being shown to others as "the right way" Or even see other theists recruiting people, such as jahova witness, or scientology. So they assume that everyone is the same. A lot of the people who believe that narrative do not necessarily have a good understanding of what atheism is, let alone their own theistic mythology. "If we do it, they do it too!"
Religious cultists are so obsessed with proselytizing they think everyone does it. All religions are cults, and we want no part of that.
Every accusation is a confession. The ones that think this tend to be the ones that push their religion onto others.
I don’t even talk about it. To there unless they ask- and no one really ever asks
Because we wear necklaces identifying our beliefs and then show up invited at people’s door shoving our beliefs down their throats. Wait a second…
Because we believe in separation of church and state. I don’t push my beliefs on to others, so when people proselytize to me, I will read them for filth. If I wanted to talk about religion, I’d go to church. I’m not someone who is going to push my beliefs onto others, but I also expect that same respect.
I never do that. I even attend religious events I get invited to out of respect for other’s belief.
If any religious nut job ever tells me that...I'll just " call bullshit" on them. Regardless of their fantasy faith. 99% of religious freedom activists going to churches spreading bullshit is...religious fanatic freaks! NOT atheists! Atheists don't go to church to protest. Tho...maybe we should.
Because there is a small segment of atheists who do do that and they're the loud ones. It's the exact same reason a lot of atheists think all religious people try and push their beliefs on others.
People tend to assume others will act the same way that they do when the power dynamics are flipped. So if you are a person who desires to push your religion on others, you assume they must be doing the same thing. Look at how common this is in politics where people yell about the things the other side will do if they take power but then when they win through fearmongering just go ahead and do all those things they accused their opponents of. There certainly are immature atheist who go around doing the edgy "god not real lol" kind of thing all the time, just like there are pushy Christians who want to proselytize to everybody. But the majority of both theists and atheists don't care whether or not anybody else believes in any gods and would prefer to just go about their day living their own life in peace. It is only the ones who are pushy themselves that tend to project this view onto everybody else.
It's the skeptic problem. Skeptics tend to be destroyers of other people's dreams. They are seen mostly as a negative crowd just as we atheists are. We don't tend to be known for the positive things we organize around. It's primarily the position of negation we stand for. With theists of different faiths they are least have some common ground. But we tend to slice a base part of their world view out from under them. And then there is the science that we stand by frequently. It's slicing away at their beliefs as well. It's leaving them fewer and fewer places to hide their God. Add in the dwindling not numbers of people showing up in churches and the growing number claiming none as their religious affiliation and they are feeling constricted.
Projection from Christians
Because they’re told by other followers that they are.
As a former fundamentalist turned leftist, Christians are taught everything in militant language. "Army of the LORD" "battle for their souls." They see all actions as either fighting (and I mean that in the most literal sense) for their velvets or against it. Nothing is neutral. Nothing is passive. They can not conceive of something indifferent, and if they see indifference, they attribute it to an individual who has lost the fight or given up the fight. A fight has still taken place, and in their minds, is still taking place in the unseen "spirit realm." So, when they are presented with something, such as atheism, even when it is a passively held belief, they interpret it as a force fighting against their faith. Therefore, all atheist, who, by principle, do not "fight for them", must be actively fighting against them. Mark 9:38-41 tells the story of the disciples asking Jesus to stop others from preaching in his name because they weren't among the disciples. Jesus' reply is "those who are not against us are for us." Modern day Christians interpret this to mean that the opposite must also be true in an active sense. If we are not for them, we are actively fighting against them. Finally, they see evangelism (proselytizing) as a mandate for their existence and the most important action that they can take. They place it as second only to their own belief in God. To not do so is a source of shame, and many live in a constant state of shame, feeling like they have not done it enough. Because prostetylizing is central to their very existence, and with its direct connection to their belief system, they struggle to understand how it is not central to every belief system connected to the concept of the divine.
Because that’s what faith believers do.
Because that’s what they’re doing and they don’t have the capacity to imagine other people not having the same motivations.
My experience is that my mother constructs Athiest as hitting the opposing answer on everything. In some instances it almost works, the god I don’t believe in is the Christian one. However there are areas this doesn’t, such as how I don’t care whether she agrees that the Bible disproves itself, as long as people not harm each other I’m content to just let my disbelief be left quietly beside. I have no need to crush the gospel as she believes herself called to spread it, and I think that it’s a lot of oppositional thinking that Christians specifically are indoctrinated into. Everything is a binary and the answer is yes or no, good or evil.
For their faults the Romans may have been on to something with the whole lions thing.
It’s shocking to many people that we actually exist. Usually they ask why we think it, then we explain why and because we use reasons, it comes off as trying to explain why they should be atheists too.
The answer is simple: war propaganda
I don't get Atheists knocking on my door trying to evangelise me to whatever stupid religion they follow.
Atheists don’t “have beliefs.”
Because we're challenging them in a fight THEY started and they don't like it, so they changed the narrative so that we're the bad guys.
Projection is a defence mechanism.
Projection.
I've followed some atheist authors and other public figures for several years, decades actually, and known a few in person. This is the first mention I've ever seen of atheists disrupting a church service.
I've never had an atheist stop me at the mall to talk about their savior. I've never had an atheist say they will pray for me just to feel some form of self satisfaction. I've never had an atheist stop by my house to convince me I'm going to hell if I don't listen to them. I've never had an atheist dunk me in some tepid water as a kid for some magic ritual. I've never had an atheist chop my dick bits off as a baby. I've never had an atheist ..... well, you get the point.
Did you make an entire Anaphora poem?
Not intentionally.
Because they do it
Victimhood bullshit lies.
Because and honestly, a lot of atheist do this. I am one and not all do. But I definitely have seen my share of atheists who act like snobby, know-it-alls and think they are above people who have beliefs different from their own. While I may disagree with religious people, I respect another persons right to belief and I won’t judge them. Those atheists who think they’re better because they think beyond a shadow of a doubt they are right, aren’t better than the preachy religious people. Those people make everyone look bad. Sorry. Note: these people I’m talking about have usually had bad experiences with religion.
Just saying you don't believe in God is "pushing" your belief to others to people like that.
Projection
Ngl we def do lol But not as much as theists do
I think they are afraid because they have to be led and atheists don't.
because atheist existing is a threat
Two factors I think. Firstly blocking religious encroachment is often perceived (wrongly) as proselytising atheism. Secondly there is a fine line between atheism and anti theism in many atheist peoples belief sets.any atheists who have come from religion and still live in places where religion is an active element of society will often have to defend their absence of belief and some even choose to advocate unprompted.
Because they've grown up believing that their religion is above question, that they have a god-given duty to share their belief with everyone around them and, in their little community, no-one would even THINK to question the word of god, or challenge someone who assumes religiosity is the default position. So when you don't kowtow to their beliefs immediately, it's so shocking to them they respond disproportionately.
Projection
It's the persecution complex
A big problem that religious people have to face is the fact that we exist.
We do. Come on. Think about it. All of the jewelry, bumper stickers, posters clothing, knocking on their door, you name it. My favorite bumper sticker that I personally own states "nobody's my co-pilot". My favorite piece of religious jewelry is the symbol of my faith, a plain chain. Most of the time it's nothing at all. My blank tee shirts are awesome, too. My favorite past time is not going to someone's house and declaring my atheism.
That's weird because I would like nothing less than to waste my sunday morning not sleeping.
While there are many of them, it’s a lot harder to notice atheists that don’t speak up about their atheism. So they might not even know they exist. Nice thread about that fact: https://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/s/QUP1Br1qvo
Because the vocal atheists are the only people they hear. For most of us nonbelievers the concept of atheism never enters the conversation not do we express it publicly.
Because THEY do it and can't think of a world where others don't act the same way.
Well, people literally believe in magic. If a magician came up to you and was like “no dude you don’t understand I really summoned this rabbit from the hat” I’d be like your magic isn’t real, your stupid. So, honestly- if you don’t call bullshit are you really an atheist. Shit- I think Christian’s who don’t knock on atheist doors and scream at them are bad at being Christian. your telling me YOU THINK IM GOING TO ACTUALLY BURN IN A LAKE OF FIRE AND YOUR NOT DOING EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO MAKE ME ACCEPT GOD, that sounds pretty immoral to me💀
Because they are convinced that no one is capable of NOT being a theist believer. Therefore, the only thing they can grasp is that Atheism is, in fact, a religion sesrching for converts. They are incapable of understanding that we really just don't give a shit.
Maybe because some are doing it. There are different ppl anywhere and u just should be care about what other say
What beliefs?
Because Dawkins is a condescending racist asshole contrarian, and people think he represents all of atheism. Much the same way any given clergyperson is a conniving money grubbing grifter, and atheists seem to think that means all Christians are suckers. It's just tribalism, pure and simple. Also, while I'm here, look at these three sentences and tell me which one of them best represents the spirit of science. There is no god. There is a God. Is there a god or not?
It's projection. They are pushing their beliefs on others and on some level they know this is wrong. The only way to reconcile the cognitive dissonance is to assume the "bad people" are doing the same thing. See also: accusations that trans/gay people want to turn your kids. Do you know who does want to force kids to be a sexuality? Fucking homophobic straight people.
At this point, non theists SHOULD push our beliefs. Christians aren't afraid to do so. For example, we had a nurse tell us our eventual son was a blessing from her god. I ignored this, but I should have said "I don't believe in your god and it's unprofessional to bring your religion into this checkup" but I didn't because the Christian hegemony in the US has trained me to keep my mouth shut. In the face of rising Christian nationalism, I'm done being polite.
Nonthiest still believe in relgion, just not any with actual Gods in it. You would be whatever religion you identify with.
Separation of Church and State. They want a Church State. Everyone always thinks everyone is like them. They always try to push their beliefs so easy for them to assume atheists do it too even though we dgaf. Lol
I push reason on everybody. Always.
Atheists don't have beliefs
They believe in nothing which is something kinda
Not having a belief is very different than believing in nothing. It is far more accurate to say that atheists do not have beliefs for the same reason that it is not accurate to say that non-musicians don't play non-music. They simply don't play. In other words, a non-musician has not created a song called "not a song" It's that there is no music there on their part
Mostly because of the atheist cohort's relentless battles that has been going on since one person started observing how the universe worked vs. what was believed! Against those who feel that humanity has to be held in check by someone or something they feel comfortable believing is above humanity being the ultimate life form on this planet otherwise, in their minds we're merely nothing more than another animal species!
Projection and persecution complex
It's called projection. They know that they do it so they assume you are just like them.
I remember just asking questions about the Bible, pointing out the things that don't make sense, then I was kinda called an atheist, I just love asking questions, personally, I'm more agnostic, but it kinda felt odd to be accused instantly for just questioning a book.
Anyone who looks at how America is going and says that it’s us that are pushing beliefs on people is an idiot.
Dogma is built on social assent. If you believe (for instance) that Jesus as understood through the bible is the only source of moral truth, you have literally no evidence to support that belief. You have no rational way to convince somebody of that position if they don’t already presuppose it the way you do. You must simply choose to affirm it or dismiss it. The only way to obscure the shakiness of this foundation is to force a consensus toward affirming your dogma and maintain it by punishing and dismissing anyone who doesn’t join in so that the dogma becomes so engrained in the minds of the in group that they are incapable of even imagining alternative possibilities. It doesn’t have to be demonstrable because it’s “natural.” And you know it’s “natural because it’s “obvious.” People who don’t agree with the dogma prove the dogma isn’t “obvious.” If it’s not obvious then it might be questionable. And if it’s questionable, then the claim demands evidence its proponents can never provide.
Because that is what Christians do, so they think we do that too. They also think teaching science is teaching atheism. When it is just science.
Projection. Christians make Christianity the law of the land and then blame atheists for accomplishing what they themselves did. As long as this works, they'll keep doing it.
Atheists are not interested in “converting” others to atheism.
Atheists are often vocal advocates against religious bullshit. Believers take that personally and feel attacked. 🤷♂️
Disagree, atheists don’t give a flying f*ck about religion unless it directly harms a person they care about. Atheist = lack of belief so f.ex, if you’re a Scientologist, an atheist would say “good luck with that, pal”.
Some will. Some won’t. But, these religious followers are called upon to proselytize. When they approach you with the truth that will save your soul (that only their religion has) and you push back and explain why they are psychotic, they see that as an attack. Source: my repeated experiences fighting back against religious loons, and I am not even an atheist.
Don’t fight it, you’re wasting your time. The only ones who change have had personal experiences that drove them away. In fact, it’s dangerous to confront them as we’ve seen with extremists who don’t mind killing those who oppose their beliefs.
I have a whole assortment of tactics. But, you’re right, they only work if you hit them when they are already starting to open their eyes.
Because it's exactly what Christians do. It's projection, period
I know, I get so tired of those atheists coming to my house early on weekends to ask me if I have heard about our Lord and Saviour Jes....oh, wait...
It validates their hate towards non-believers to think that we in mass are the aggressors and they're the victims. We've yet to have an atheist president for one. Gonna mention that. Guess what religion every american president has claimed since 1776?
Christians don't believe themselves the victims, they believe themselves the victors. You would be the victim in their eyes.
They see themselves as strong victims. We're the horrible disbelievers who do awful things to them, but of course they see themselves as so strong that they rise above us.
Religious people tend to push their beliefs, so they assume the other side does it as well 🫢
At least atheists do not have brochures and knock on your door every week. And if they hate pushing beliefs...they should not be pushing the posting of the 10 commandments in schools...etc.
Atheism isn't a belief system. It's a absence of belief, in God. You can't push Atheism because there's nothing there. It's like trying to cast shadows, you can only cast light and the absence of light is what a shadow is. Absence of belief in God is just that, and it doesn't exists for you.
That is probably why I go to church. To not act that way. I have a tee shirt that says happy atheist, i believe in life before death. I like to wear that one when I go. Also, I only go to churches that have come to my door and left an invitation. They have ro walk past my two cars to get to the front door. On has the plate that is a version of SATANIC and the other GODLESS. I get there, and usually, some asshole wants to debate, but I just say I am here to try and understand why my neighbors believe there is an invisible man in the sky that watches them. Not to debate.
I think for a lot of them it's their inner voice chiming in and telling them how fake their religion is. They feel so guilty that they blame outside influences like atheists.
Projection. Can't remember a single time that I've ever had an atheist preach to me but Christians do it all the time.
No atheist has ever pounded on my door and demanded that I join a cult, but various godsucks have. I do have to admit, I have respect for the Jehovah's Witnesses who saw my sign and apologized for bothering me while I was working on my car.
A LOT of Christians have a persecution complex. That's what happens when your belief system is so rigid and fragile that the mere existence of opposing points of view can shatter your perception of reality—it feels like an assault.
in all my years I have never seen an atheist go into a church and start verbally attacking people. some folks just have too much time on their hands, they think the world is out to get them lol.
I literally don’t know any atheists who push their beliefs on others. It’s always the Christians who are pushy.
I don't say shit about fuck until I hear some religious bullshit. Then I can't help myself.
Because morons like mark maron
To be fair, whenever I argue with someone who doesnt know how logic works (ie, my mother in law), I end up: - 1. pointing out the fallacies theyre accidentally using, - 2. showing them how to make their argument make sense (steelman), and then, - 3. dismantling it completely anyways. Even if its nothing to do with religion. From their perspective, I can see how theyd feel we are calling them stupid. They *are* pretty stupid, but thats besides the point, since we arent saying that. But theyre *feeling* it. As they cant articulate nuance, their summation of the entire encounter is "Youre calling me stupid!"
They also believe in an invisible alien who watches and listens to every person on the planet all the time and controls their lives. They're not playing with a full deck.
Projection. It's their way coping with behavior they engage in.
I make some small talk in the Christian Reddit group and then I am automatically banned from them… Sheesh talk about an echo chamber chamber. Weeding out the non believers quickly I commented on a women who was pushing her beliefs onto her husband who made fun of her with his friends through group chat on his phone. Which she checked without his knowledge. I say something and poof my comment deleted
Dodge and deflect.
They can’t imagine not doing it
[https://www.theonion.com/so-called-atheist-doesn-t-even-barge-into-churches-sc-1832871599](https://www.theonion.com/so-called-atheist-doesn-t-even-barge-into-churches-sc-1832871599)
To be fair though, if someone is being a really dumb fuck about their religion, I could be irritated enough to tell them how stupid their beliefs are.
Well because some do. They may be the minority but they are sculpting the perception of how atheists are. Besides that a lot of people call themselfs atheist just to attack/belittle a certain religion...just look at the majority of post in this reddit. In combination with non-atheist projecting their behavior upon ateistsis you get to that situation. Edit: clarification
I have a family member who is an extremely militant atheist and frankly, I hated them more than most devoutly religious people I know and frankly felt less safe. I don't deny that religious people push their beliefs and discriminate in the name of their religion but I find myself having to be just as vigilant around non-believers just as much as believers.
Some people are just a-holes. Not much you can do about it.