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by msummers10 on April 2nd, 2007
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You're reading Why are so many atheists so disrespectful towards religion? Aren't they supposed to be "all accepting"?
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Comments
That's a very general statement.
by PrettyPirate on April 2nd, 2007
Is it wrong when describing the atheists that are very disrespectful towards religion(not counting that the simple "act" of being an atheist is disrespectful)?
by msummers10 on April 2nd, 2007
How is being an Atheist disrespectful? Disrespectful to whom?
by PrettyPirate on April 2nd, 2007
msummers10 - it is comments like these that would lead to an atheist saying something you consider disrespectful. It is disrespectful simply to be an atheist???? Simply to state what we do (or don't) believe??? Are you able to see that you have just, yourself, been both disrespectful AND intolerant?
by Friartuck on April 2nd, 2007
An atheist could not understand. It's disrespectful to God, and to VERY many people throughout the world, no matter what their religion may be.
by msummers10 on April 2nd, 2007
I will make no further comment, because I'm sure they will be disrespectful. Your comments will stand by themselves and others can judge who has disrespected who.
by Friartuck on April 2nd, 2007
Friartuck: THAT'S THE POINT OF THE QUESTION!!! You complain about our point of view being intolerant. Your atheism is intolerant of our religious views. Notice the question is phrased "SO MANY atheists". It doesn't say just "atheists". It was about the disrespectful(again, besides them just being an atheist) atheists.
by msummers10 on April 2nd, 2007
@msummers10: Please don't assume to tell me, or any other person, what they are capable of understanding. Your attitude is disrespectful to the VERY many people throughout the world who are Atheists, and who have the right to believe what they do. I find it quite amazing that you claim to be Christian, yet you're so intolerant of other people's viewpoints. You've just displayed the very characteristics you condemn others for. "They scream about tolerance not being a one-way thing, and yet they see only one way". That sounds like more of an accurate description of your attitude than it does of any Atheists I know.
by PrettyPirate on April 2nd, 2007
Thanks M10. You've demonstrated my own point beautifully. :-)
by Friartuck on April 2nd, 2007
You are just as guilty as I am of being intolerant. My view is that you're view is wrong and disrespectful to religious people. Your view is that I'm intolerant to your view and disrespectful. In the other's eyes, we are each intolerant and disrespectful. If I've offended you with my viewpoint, I'm sorry to be the one to give you a dose of your own medicine. I would ask you to forgive me, but after reading all of your responses, it wouldn't be worth anything.
by msummers10 on April 2nd, 2007
msummmers: it's clear you just came out swinging, ready for a fight. Now you have one, and you're talking about giving people doses of their own medicine, etc... Is this how you want to represent your faith in public? This is quite offensive -- and you started it, you can't claim to be just responding to what's going on already here. "Blessed are the peacemakers", not "Blessed are those who come out shouting their preconceptions as loudly as possible".
by Stableboy on April 2nd, 2007
No. Just because YOU think that an Atheist's beliefs are wrong and disrespectful does not make it true. None of the people who have responded to your answer have made sweeping and offensive generalizations about Christians as a whole. Religion does not offend me. I support people who have differing beliefs to my own. I don't, however, support people who make ridiculous and hypocritical statements about a group of people that are unfair and untrue. I would have been prepared to forgive you, msummers10, but obviously, the forgiveness of an Atheist isn't worth a damn to you.
by PrettyPirate on April 2nd, 2007
"isn't worth a damn"? Nothing could ever be. I'm sorry for stating an opinion. The atheists' responses to this answer are an example of the neverending "circle of intolerance". They don't like that I don't like that they don't like that I don't like that they don't like that I don't like...
by msummers10 on April 2nd, 2007
I think the uproar is actually over the fact that everything you stated in your answer that you dislike about Atheists, you then went and displayed yourself like an unstoppable rebel force. I am not afraid of accountability. I am not a hypocrite. And I am not intolerant of different beliefs. msummers10, if you knew anything about me other than that I'm an Atheist, you would understand how offensive your answer is. I'm actually going to a seminar on Judaism this afternoon - why would an intolerant and ignorant person bother doing something like that? I respect your beliefs, I really do. But I think you should think long and hard about whether or not you actually afford others the same amount of understanding and respect. From where I am standing, you refuse to see Atheists as individual people, but rather a collective group of people who can all be summed up in a few short words. It's no better than saying "All black people are great dancers", or "All Asian people love stir-fry".
by PrettyPirate on April 2nd, 2007
Again, LOOK AT THE QUESTION!!! It says SO MANY atheists, not ALL atheists. My answer was perfectly legitimate. It's all the crazy responses to the answer that made me start answering in generalizations.
by msummers10 on April 2nd, 2007
Again, you're missing the point. Re-read your answer. Who exactly might consider it offensive? Basically, anyone who doesn't already share your viewpoint exactly. Where is the intolerance, then? You're not here to find common ground, to listen, to share your faith, you're here to announce that you know the Devil's middle name, and it's "atheist". There isn't a shred of open-mindedness or tolerance in your answer, not even a glimmer that you might consider atheists to be intelligent or sincere. It's just a sweeping, vicious generalization. Really, this is all about your ego -- it has nothing to do with God, or faith, or Jesus' teachings, or atheism.
by Stableboy on April 2nd, 2007
And THAT viewpoint offends you, doesn't it? (Yes or no)
by msummers10 on April 2nd, 2007
Just a sec. Your generalizations began directly after this innocent enough comment "that statement is very general". That's a pretty short, sensitive fuse you have there M10! Why don't you summarize with "Some atheists can be... Also, some Christians can be... Some Muslims can be... Some Hindu's can be..." and conclude that "people can often be intolerant of other people"? Instead you chose to launch a fairly hateful tirade and are now trying to say it's the fault of those who began reasonably disagreeing with you...
by Friartuck on April 2nd, 2007
Dude - replace "atheists" with "blacks" in all your above statements. Of course we find it offensive. Not out of intolerance for the Christian faith, but out of intolerance for your judgemental bloody-mindedness!
by Friartuck on April 2nd, 2007
Stableboy, you might want to reconsider your "Devil's middle name" idea, because the devil is FAR from being an atheist. The devil has stronger faith than any person other than Christ has ever or will ever have. He knows that God exists.
by msummers10 on April 2nd, 2007
@M10: How can that viewpoint be anything BUT offensive? If that isn't the most flawed logic I have ever heard of, I don't know what is. What you're saying is that "Those that don't agree with my beliefs 100% are disrespectful, offensive, intolerant hypocrites". Can you not see the blatant hypocrisy in that statement? Once again, NONE of the people who have argued against you and DEFENDED their own beliefs have made any sweeping generalizations about Christians. How very ironic that the very people you claim to be so damn intolerant are the ones showing the MOST tolerance in the face of supreme ignorance.
by PrettyPirate on April 2nd, 2007
Friartuck, in retrospect, that may have been a better way to respond. But, that's not the way things happened. I haven't been hateful. I hate no one. But, just to clarify(not to start another argument), it was your first comment that got things started.
by msummers10 on April 2nd, 2007
Sorry big fella - the guy who throws the second punch is not the guy who started the fight. Yes, it may have been a much wiser answer though, yeah?
by Friartuck on April 2nd, 2007
No, it wasn't. It was this statement: "Is it wrong when describing the atheists that are very disrespectful towards religion(not counting that the simple "act" of being an atheist is disrespectful)?" in response to my comment: "That's a very general statement" (in response to your answer) that started this.
by PrettyPirate on April 2nd, 2007
Ok. Disrespectful to and in the eyes of religious people. The same way my viewpoint is disrespectful to you. I would hope that's the part of the comment that you are mainly referring to, and not the question posed in it.
by msummers10 on April 2nd, 2007
msummers: I'm one of the most vocal supporters of religious tolerance on AB -- I'm constantly wading in to defend whatever religion is under attack this week... but when people of faith come out swinging like this it makes it very difficult to defend religion as a viable and valid use of the human heart and mind... sometimes I feel like I'm defending the lunatics in the asylum from frightened villagers with sticks and torches. Please be helpful: think clearly, speak respectfully, avoid attacking others, keep your comments focused on the merits of your faith rather than the shortcomings of everyone else. This kind of thing just reinforces the simplistic view that religion is for self-righteous fools -- a view I do not share.
by Stableboy on April 2nd, 2007
Alright. Ignoring the comments, what's wrong with the answer itself IN RELATION TO THIS QUESTION?
by msummers10 on April 2nd, 2007
*clutches at head* msummers10, Atheist's are disrespectful in YOUR eyes. When are you going to stop with the generalizations? I know COUNTLESS religious people who do not view my own belief's as an affront to their very being. They respect that I am an individual with individual belief's. Your viewpoint is disrespectful because it is ignorant, offensive, intolerant and judgemental. Just accept that this whole argument was spawned from YOUR intolerance. You do speak on behalf of every single Christian on this planet, just as I do not speak for every single Atheist.
by PrettyPirate on April 2nd, 2007
"they are afraid of accountability" is a generalization about a group which can't be supported by any reasonable argument. "They are hypocrites" is a harsh judgment which is completely unsupported by any argument. "They scream about tolerance not being a one-way thing" seems to be simply made up from thin air. Who screams? What are they screaming? Who are they screaming it to? Basically, I don't see anything in the answer which offers a sound argument, in addition the spirit of the answer is angry, judgmental, and narrow-minded. Beyond that, it's not well written, doesn't support it's points with argument or evidence.
by Stableboy on April 2nd, 2007
Alright.
by msummers10 on April 2nd, 2007
Hey Stable - Answerbag locked up while I was trying to say pretty-much the same thing! I lost it all. I think you summed it up a little better than I had anyway! Kudos...
by Friartuck on April 2nd, 2007
and religious groups dont?
by DiSTurBiA on May 31st, 2008
I sense alot of anger on both sides here.
by Legend of my mind on January 24th, 2010