Why are Christians angry at Atheists?

[Zzyzx]

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Atheists (self-identified) compose about 1.5% of the US population, Agnostics account for another 2.5% (and a total of "unaffiliated" 16%).

A great deal of hostility and anger, if not outright hatred, is directed by Christians toward Atheists in particular.

Why?

[Nickman]

Because we challenge their deeply held beliefs, and that makes them furious. How dare them atheists question my beliefs!

[connermt]

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Atheists (self-identified) compose about 1.5% of the US population, Agnostics account for another 2.5% (and a total of "unaffiliated" 16%).

A great deal of hostility and anger, if not outright hatred, is directed by Christians toward Atheists in particular.

Why?

Why are christians angry at gays, evolutionists, muslims, jews, the color of the sky....
Christians don't seem to like anyone other than "themselves". And even then, there's issues with some of their 'brothers & sisters'.
IMO, christians are anti-everything that threatens their faith and personal relationship with their deity.
Maybe the fear that they're taught in church has bled through into other parts of their lives?

[ElCodeMonkey]

The teachings of the Bible pre-suppose that anyone not Christian is a terrible person. There are huge lists in the Bible sticking "unbelievers" with all kinds of other terrible adjectives. Terrible, unbelieving people do terrible things. Further, it is well established in the Bible that these unbelievers do terrible things to believers and do whatever they can to choke them up in their faith and lead them astray into ever more evil. It's very hard-coded in the Bible. I remember feeling this way quite clearly. A self-professed atheist was FAR worse than anyone else. It meant they are very specifically set on a mission to deceive and corrupt. They've made a pact with the devil himself. It's hard, as a Christian, not to have contempt for such people and to see them as the enemy.

[Zzyzx]

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It seems some people can't help but demonstrate their lack of patience and respect for other individuals. This comes across as "rude". So if, hypothetically, someone says "Yawn" or "yeah right" or "Oh really?" or "Yada yada" or "blah blah" for example, this would be fruit demonstrating a "root" of impatience and dismissal of another person's beliefs.

I consider such comments as a sign of personal feelings of insecurity or inferiority and an admission they have no reasoned response.

It's called being rude and disrespectful and can certainly be seen as being uncivil or in some cases an attack.

Perhaps that is the best they have to offer " the best of their reasoning?

We could all do better by leaving out the words of emotion and simply focusing on facts no matter how much anyone else gets emotional. I'll leave it to everyone else to determine who is being rude and who is not.

I seek to do exactly that " stay with the issue and avoid making personal comments or relying on emotion to try to make a point. If anyone sees me doing otherwise, kindly send a PM to berate me.

Though I would find it interesting if Otseng could provide percentages of people banned or shackled who wore/wear the different labels of "Agnostic" or "Christian" or "No Identification" etc. Perhaps it would be interesting if not proof of anything. After all, no "REAL" Christians would find themselves shackled or banned. And no "REAL" atheists... wait... that doesn't even make sense

Based on several years debating here I have never seen anyone on probation or banned unless they flagrantly disregarded forum rules and guidelines. Those who claim to suffer discrimination are delusional and/or are making excuses for their behavior and their lack of debate skills.

[Zzyzx]

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The teachings of the Bible pre-suppose that anyone not Christian is a terrible person. There are huge lists in the Bible sticking "unbelievers" with all kinds of other terrible adjectives. Terrible, unbelieving people do terrible things.

Does "the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree" apply here -- or "know them by their fruits"?

I agree that the bible condones or encourages hatred of (or killing of) people who worship competing "gods" or who do not worship "gods."

Further, it is well established in the Bible that these unbelievers do terrible things to believers and do whatever they can to choke them up in their faith and lead them astray into ever more evil.

I encounter that attitude frequently " "Don't say things or ask questions that would infringe upon my faith." Perhaps refusal to hear opposition is indication that "faith" is a fragile thing that cannot withstand opposition " as though one would "lose their faith" if they had to think about it (which may well be true " and may account for fear of questions).

It's very hard-coded in the Bible. I remember feeling this way quite clearly. A self-professed atheist was FAR worse than anyone else. It meant they are very specifically set on a mission to deceive and corrupt. They've made a pact with the devil himself. It's hard, as a Christian, not to have contempt for such people and to see them as the enemy.

A common tactic in any sort of combat (intellectual or physical) is to demonize the enemy. Public emotion can be manipulated to hate the opposition.

Much effort is expended in organized / commercial religion in an effort to demonize the opposition. Worshipers of competing "gods" (or the same "gods" in different ways) are bad enough, but at least they believe in gods. Atheists must be even a greater threat since they don't worship "gods" at all.

[ElCodeMonkey]

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The teachings of the Bible pre-suppose that anyone not Christian is a terrible person. There are huge lists in the Bible sticking "unbelievers" with all kinds of other terrible adjectives. Terrible, unbelieving people do terrible things.

Does "the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree" apply here -- or "know them by their fruits"?

I'm not sure how you mean. That phrase generally refers to a child being like his parent. But I wish Christians would learn this concept of judging a tree by its fruit rather than judging their fruit bad by their proclamation of faith. If you know a tree by its fruit, then clearly it's the fruit that matters--not the faith. I believe Jesus tried to get away from religion entirely. Boy would he be upset if he could see what he started!

I encounter that attitude frequently " "Don't say things or ask questions that would infringe upon my faith." Perhaps refusal to hear opposition is indication that "faith" is a fragile thing that cannot withstand opposition " as though one would "lose their faith" if they had to think about it (which may well be true " and may account for fear of questions).

Ya know, that was always one of the "other people" that would have such a problem. My faith was very secure and I was quite confident no one could take it from me. It was the "weak" ones who couldn't withstand atheist opposition or crumbled under pressure. I knew my stuff better than that. God was a given and what he wanted was clear from the Bible. The idea "God doesn't exist" wasn't even worth pondering.

A common tactic in any sort of combat (intellectual or physical) is to demonize the enemy. Public emotion can be manipulated to hate the opposition.

Oddly enough, this is done very subtly through the word-choices of the Bible. It's not usually very pronounced as a teaching to fight against the atheists. But by lumping them in such lists as the ones below, it certainly categorizes them with all the other evils.

Luke 12:46
He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

Romans 15:31
Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers

2 Corinthians 4:4
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers

2 Corinthians 6:14
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?

Matthew 17:17
You unbelieving and perverse generation, Jesus replied

Hebrews 3:12
See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart

Revelation 21:8
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars"they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

Revelation 22:15
Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

2 Timothy 3:2-4
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God"

What's funny about that last one, is if you finish reading the verse you'll see it was talking about "Christians" who are "having a form of godliness but denying its power." Such people as described in the list do not have a "form of godliness" unless they actually claim to serve God in some respect. Otherwise, what would it be referring to? Certainly not their attempts at being moral! So really, it's a list of Christian people who think they're "saved" but never learned to actually behave respectfully which was the real message of Jesus from the beginning until people kept adding in all the believing and unbelieving junk.

Matthew 7:21-23
21 Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles? 23 Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!

[Zzyzx]

Does "the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree" apply here -- or "know them by their fruits"?

I'm not sure how you mean.

Sorry. I was referring to many Christians following the discrimination, exclusiveness, and supposed superiority presented in the bible -- to believe that they are "different" (let's say to be diplomatic) from infidels, heathens, worshipers of (other) idols or (other) false gods (all competing god beliefs), non-worshipers, etc.

The same "not far from the tree" can be illustrated by those who emulate their "god's" reported emotional displays of hatred, anger, jealousy, killing, warfare, genocide, etc.

[YahDough]

Probably for similar reasons the LORD is angry at atheists. They don't pay attention. They deny their Creator. They sin in ignorance. They (try to) mock God and those who proclaim Him. etc. etc. etc.

But it's the LORD's anger that brings on the big trouble.

Ps:21:9: Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.

Hey...you asked the question.

[ElCodeMonkey]

Probably for similar reasons the LORD is angry at atheists. They don't pay attention. They deny their Creator. They sin in ignorance. They (try to) mock God and those who proclaim Him. etc. etc. etc.

But it's the LORD's anger that brings on the big trouble.

Ps:21:9: Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.

Hey...you asked the question.

Yes, "They". Them vs Us. All Atheists are this way, right? They must be else they'd believe. That's a common Christian misconception. So wrong in so many ways. Atheists don't mock God any more than they mock ogres and troglodytes. They don't believe in God to mock him. What they mock is the willingness of people to believe what they were told with zero evidence that it's accurate. The best evidence I got so far for choosing the Bible over any other religion ultimately comes down to emotional appeal. You believe because you feel. So do the Mormons about their book and so do the Muslims about theirs. You're no different. At that, the Atheist mocks. Not at God. Not at Morals. At the willingness and desire to believe something that evidence so clearly contradicts. Beyond that, each atheist is unique. Some are terrible and some are great. Just like Christians. Some are terrible and some are great. Let's move past us and them. Atheists aren't all blind and they don't all mock "God" or morals any more than all Christians are great and wise and leave little boys pants on.