A Question

[Atherosclerosis]

Atheists:

An honest question here, which deserves an honest answer—why are so many (not all) atheists obsessed with convincing theists that God doesn’t exist?

Note: this is not meant to be hostile or insulting to any atheists. It is simply meant as an honest question.

[rbarton]

[Replying to post 20 by Cephus]
Cephus, You must of been reading my mind on the ghost thing, man you are good!

[Alueshen]

Atheists:

An honest question here, which deserves an honest answer—why are so many (not all) atheists obsessed with convincing theists that God doesn’t exist?

Note: this is not meant to be hostile or insulting to any atheists. It is simply meant as an honest question.

I didn't read through all three pages so perhaps this has already been stated, but as a non-theist my answer to your question is, first of all, that I don't believe most atheists spend their time, outside of message boards like these, trying to convince theists of anything. Frankly in all but the most progressive areas its culturally very risky to admit you're an atheist (I live about an hour south of the Mason Dixon Line and it's fairly risky here), but the answer to your question is that all values are based upon beliefs, beliefs have consequences and we take action and support ideas in the public square based on what we believe. When people value ideas based on religious tradition rather than evidence it affects everyone. Evolution, homosexuality, birth control, abortion, euthanasia and even climate change (to name just a few) are ideas influenced based upon faith, even when the evidence is clearly contrary to Christian thought (again, even if it's the minority, they tend to have the most influence).

Now having said all of that, it's not that I necessarily oppose religion, but support values based on evidence which in turn informs the beliefs we hold to be true.

EDIT: I should mention that non-religious people also believe bad ideas with which they base their values contrary to evidence.....

[Danmark]

Atheists:

An honest question here, which deserves an honest answer—why are so many (not all) atheists obsessed with convincing theists that God doesn’t exist?

I take issue with the assumption that many atheists are "obsessed" with convincing theists a god does not exist. I'll ask a similar question. Why do theists want to convince non theists a god exists?

Tho' I don't find the idea that some non theistic 'god' in some very vague and undefined sense may in some way be one with the universe, I find the idea of that a specific, 'God' as described by the Abrahamic religions, or some other 'made in man's image' type of God exists absurd in the greatest degree. The fact that a majority of Americans still believe this stuff seems so strange that I have a visceral reaction and want to say something about it. To me it's no different than people claiming squirrels are in charge of the government or that the Sun revolves around the Earth.

In essence I think arguing for the truth is important. I think false beliefs are dangerous.

[wiploc]

... why are so many (not all) atheists obsessed with convincing theists that God doesn’t exist?

I don't grant your premise. I don't know any atheists obsessed with that.

I do know some who like to respond when theists float bad arguments, and bad theist arguments happen a lot.

[Divine Insight]

Atheists:

An honest question here, which deserves an honest answer—why are so many (not all) atheists obsessed with convincing theists that God doesn’t exist?

Note: this is not meant to be hostile or insulting to any atheists. It is simply meant as an honest question.

My answer to this would be that they are not obsessed at all. On the contrary they are simply reacting to an extremely arrogant and highly accusatory religion that openly proselytizes and evangelizes its degrading accusatory agenda.

Both the Bible and it's evangelical followers, accuse atheists (and other non-Christians) of being fundamentally immoral people who are in dire need of "salvation". When the atheists react to these false charges the evangelists then accuse them of "rejecting God", or "rejecting Jesus" etc. They also claim that Jesus is the "truth" as the Bible itself claims.

So it's only natural for the atheists to reply by simply saying, "Prove it, or shut up".

And there is no way to prove that the Bible or Jesus hold any "truth" at all. And so that's where the arguments lead. Atheists demanding proof and pointing out the myriad of absurdities in the dogma, whilst theist desperately try to make excuses for the absurdities in the dogma proclaiming that it's the truth, even though they can't show a single solitary reason to believe it.

If Christianity was not such an accusatory religion out to degrade and demean everyone who refuses to worship its lies, there would be no problem.

The religion is the problem, not the atheists.

The religion "casts the first stones" of accusation.

In fact, atheists seldom argue that religious people are immoral. Although they might point out immoral religious people just to show the hypocrisy of it all. But atheists don't attack religious people by attempting to belittle them (like religious people do toward atheists - necessarily so because of their evangelical agenda)

Atheists are the defenders of truth.

Theists are the offenders who have no truth. All they have are ancient unwarranted and ungrounded negative accusations to make toward people. All they basically do is regurgitate lies that have been told over 2000 years ago and proclaim them to be truth when in fact, there is no evidence to support that any of the lies in the Bible hold any truth at all.

If it weren't for the evangelical, proselytizing, and accusatory nature of this religion they wouldn't be in a "war" with atheists.

The negativity lies solely on the hands of the religions promoters. All they need to do is accept that some people don't believe the nonsense and that would be the end of it right there. But they refuse to do that.

[GISMYS]

[Replying to post 25 by Divine Insight]

Knowledge of God is planted into our DNA God's Word says we have no excuse to not know that God is real we have all creation as proof. Romans 1:18-22==For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not [n]honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools.

[Divine Insight]

[Replying to post 25 by Divine Insight]

Knowledge of God is planted into our DNA God's Word says we have no excuse to not know that God is real we have all creation as proof. Romans 1:18-22==For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not [n]honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools.

Paul was a very troubled man. He was clearly suffering from extreme guilt. And he also lived in a time when superstitious nonsense was everywhere.

Why you would accept the words written by this clearly troubled man as being words from any God is beyond me. Besides that Paul says in your quote above is clearly false today. It may have seemed true to Paul in his day because those people were ignorant of everything and even believe that God caused diseases as curses on people who had sinned.

Paul's words came from an extremely ignorant time in human history. He claims that people who don't believe his nonsense are fools, but in truth he was the fool. There is actually no excuse to believe in a God. And especially not Paul's God. Paul believed in the immature jealous egotistical and male-chauvinistic God of the Old Testament. A God who would be convicted as a dangerous psychopath today if he did the things he did in the Old Testament. In fact, just look around. People like ISIS, the Taliban and Al Qaeda are behaving precisely as the God of the Old Testament commended people to behave, yet almost all Christians today totally reject those behaviors as being extremely immoral. Christians themselves have recognized the extreme immorality of the Old Testament God.

Not only are there good reasons for rejecting Paul's God, but there is actually no good reason to even remotely believe in his God.

Why you would call the sick ramblings of a guilt-ridden troubled man "God's Word" is beyond me. Do you think that God is also a sick demented being too?

I guess you must since you had started another thread proclaiming that we need to be saved from this hateful monster God.

It's a shame people believe in a God that they are so afraid of. I'll never understand that one.

Show me a loving God and I'll at least consider it as being potentially interesting. But if your going to preach of a hateful God that we all need to be "saved" from then forget it. You've lost me already. I have no desire to believe in or worship any hateful demonic male-chauvinistic jealous God.

You'll need to find a better God myth if you want to convince me that there might exist a God.

The Biblical God himself is a fool. And this is why we can know that it's nothing but superstitious nonsense. Surely you don't believe that you were created by a fool do you?

[Zzyzx]

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[Replying to post 26 by GISMYS]

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[GISMYS]

[Replying to post 26 by GISMYS]

God has given us choice= we can choose to believe God's Word or we will believe satan's lies we must choose! we do not want to hear God say to us==The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God,�
They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice;
There is no one who does good.

2
God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there is anyone who understands,
Who seeks after God. Psalm 53:1-2

[Danmark]

[Replying to post 26 by GISMYS]

God has given us choice= we can choose to believe God's Word or we will believe satan's lies we must choose! we do not want to hear God say to us==The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God,�
They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice;
There is no one who does good.

2
God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there is anyone who understands,
Who seeks after God. Psalm 53:1-2

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