45 replies to this topic

[Rusty Shackleford]

All one has to do is go to http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism to see that the topic title is true.

It is one religion bashing after another. Why is it so cool these days to be an atheist on the internet?

If you think that everything in the universe just happened by accident, you shouldn't think your opinion is more valid than someone who thinks that something outside of our universe had a part in its creation.

Nobody knows for sure why we exist. It's a question that's been asked as long as man could think. It is a question that is unanswerable.

I agree that people who say "this is the only way it happened" are crazy but the majority of people accept they don't know just like I'm sure the majority of atheists don't go to reddit to crucify believers.

Why not throw away the negativity, let bygones be bygones, and be a positive influence on life, the universe, and everything?

[Legolas]

The thing about your post Rusty.. it's exactly what is wrong with all religions and aetheism. I sense a lot of judgement coming from within you.

[acharya]

Why not throw away the negativity, let bygones be bygones, and be a positive influence on life, the universe, and everything?

All people in the world should practice this, regardless of which religion (or lack thereof) they belong to.

-- Acharya

[dirtycheep]

Just because one group of people on the internet are bashing one religion because they are Atheist doesn't mean everyone does. I feel everyone can belive whatever they want to, it's not fair to lump a group of people together just because of one small group.

[Pootiw]

I could see where atheism could fuel a healthy level of skepticism and cynicism, but negativity is a bit of a stretch. Humanists have tended to be some of the most caring people I have known. I think this rash branding of an entire school of thought is a bit out of line, and using a Reddit thread as your only evidence makes for a pretty poor argument on your part.

[whoablossom]

I don't think r/atheism is a very good example. I might be wrong, but I get the feeling that most of the people posting there are young folks from religious backgrounds who are new to atheism, so they understandably feel persecuted. The worst I've ever been treated was by supposed Christians. I think the phenomenon you are documenting is simply a human one, rather than something that can be attributed to any particular group.

[Aspirant]

I feel that the very nature of atheism helps proliferate negative values. I say this as a spiritual person.

By their very nature the atheist rejects all spiritualistic values. This instantly does actually mean that they must be attracted to or believe in materialistic values because we exist within nature here.

Many atheists want it both ways and they say to me: "Atheism is simply a lack of belief in God or god. Nothing more. Period." however they cannot just exist as a void. There are no voids in nature, except from unknowable black holes or quantum experiments.

So naturally the atheist adheres to materialistic values where the spiritual ones fail to exist. These values can hurt the spiritual person. Likewise they can help a similar atheistic person.

It really depends on where you are viewing it from. I percieve it as negative because I am spiritual and believe that religion is not only good but the only good aside from a lovely family. Some atheists are moderate and think religion is not bad or good thing, and that's fine. Others think that religion is the only thing wrong on the earth which is of course partly true when you consider all the fanatics out there.

The thing is, an atheistic person does not ASPIRE towards religion or spirituality and no one can make them turn that way. So they have a right to live in peace and happiness. At the same time I would argue that they naturally exude a negative presence to any spiritual person who does not know how to deal with it because they are naturally opposed to spirituality, thus it naturally harms the development of the spiritual person due to the Law of Affinities. If we want to develop well as a spiritual person it is helpful to become close with spiritual people.

All this being said I hope I did not offend any atheists. I've met many friendly atheists who keep moderate views on life and that is welcomed warmly. Much of the time their presence is more positive then a fanatical Christian.

[MortyLivingston]

Asking "Does atheism fuel negativity?" is as fair as saying "Does Christianity breed hatred?". Just because some of the more outspoken atheist are negative doesn't mean everyone is. Just because some Christians firebomb abortion clinics doesn't mean they are the majority.

[gague]

I dont think it fuels negativity. Religion does seem to embody a moral sense into people but I believe that athiests and non believers can be just as moral as those who believe in god.

[TripleFive]

I don't think it does at all. Using reddit to "prove" your point doesn't really help either.

r/atheist is a place for like minded people to talk among themselves, they in no way should water down their own ideals just because someone might get their feeling hurt or be turned off in some way.

I would say that most the people that post there would treat people of many backgrounds and ideals the same if they met them in person. I know I do.

[Thahamer]

I feel that the very nature of atheism helps proliferate negative values. I say this as a spiritual person.

By their very nature the atheist rejects all spiritualistic values. This instantly does actually mean that they must be attracted to or believe in materialistic values because we exist within nature here.

Many atheists want it both ways and they say to me: "Atheism is simply a lack of belief in God or god. Nothing more. Period." however they cannot just exist as a void. There are no voids in nature, except from unknowable black holes or quantum experiments.

So naturally the atheist adheres to materialistic values where the spiritual ones fail to exist. These values can hurt the spiritual person. Likewise they can help a similar atheistic person.

It really depends on where you are viewing it from. I percieve it as negative because I am spiritual and believe that religion is not only good but the only good aside from a lovely family. Some atheists are moderate and think religion is not bad or good thing, and that's fine. Others think that religion is the only thing wrong on the earth which is of course partly true when you consider all the fanatics out there.

The thing is, an atheistic person does not ASPIRE towards religion or spirituality and no one can make them turn that way. So they have a right to live in peace and happiness. At the same time I would argue that they naturally exude a negative presence to any spiritual person who does not know how to deal with it because they are naturally opposed to spirituality, thus it naturally harms the development of the spiritual person due to the Law of Affinities. If we want to develop well as a spiritual person it is helpful to become close with spiritual people.

All this being said I hope I did not offend any atheists. I've met many friendly atheists who keep moderate views on life and that is welcomed warmly. Much of the time their presence is more positive then a fanatical Christian.

I don't see your point here. It sounds to me that you understand that judging the whe based on a minority population is bad. In turn the majority of this post seems to be judging atheism based on the. Skiers held by a small portion of them.

[Goonigoogoo]

Forcing your beliefs on anyone is negativity regardless of your religion or lack there of. Be kind to one another, that's the true "religion". Wars and land have caused more wars in this world than any other reasons. Petty if you ask me. If i believe in God A and you believe in God B then so be it, why does my belief bother you and vice versa. It boggles my mind why people can't live in peace with their neighbors, when we look back at ourselves in the distant future we'll be laughed at by future generations for thinking the way we do today.

[LastOne]

With any religion out there you'll have the extremist. These people have viewed their belief to be the one and only true religion and the rest of the world that doesn't fall in line are simply heretics and are to be dealt with. Personally I would view a sub-section on reddit as the view of all atheists, as most people have already mentioned.

[locke]

First of all, you have to understand that reddit is a community based on specific 'subreddits' for a wide area of topics. The atheism subreddit is just a place for like minded individuals to share their stories and opinions. Consider that most of these people have had a life full of 'bad' experiences with religion and finding a place like that is very liberating for them. But, just like in any online community that's based on a specific subject there will be a phenomenon called 'circlejerking' and reddit is probably the king in this area. People will just post stuff that everyone else agrees with, and thus resulting in a never ending loop of confirmational bias and self approving feelgoodery. Like someone said above, /r/atheism is a place populated by young people who recently 'came out' and now feel that they should shout at the world about their experiences. I highly doubt that they are 'negative' or disrespectful towards a Christian or any other religious person in real life.

[Magic Pixel]

I don't think atheism fuels negativity, but rather a more realistic view of the World and the Universe. Of course, that might sound like negativism to those who believe in afterlife, but personally I would rather be pleasantly surprised to discover the afterlife when I die, than the other way around.

[crunchycrack]

I think atheist people should be free to think whatever they want. The only thing that matters to me is that they don't have to be hostile to the convictions of people who believe in creationism. None holds the absolute truth of the universe and ridiculing creationism or evolutionism dosen't make you sound like a more clever person.

[Alaska7]

Basing your views on atheism upon a single section of a single website is not the most comprehensive example..

I don't believe that atheism naturally breeds negativity, just as religion doesn't. Although there are some bitter atheists that take to a certain "missionary atheism," as I like to call it, online by spreading virulent messages about certain religions or firm believers, these types of negativity arise in believers and non-believers alike. Honestly, the anonymity of conversation over the internet is what allows for the negativity more so than these belief (or non-belief) systems!

[soulglazed]

In general, I'd say no but in some people, yes. No matter what religion or view out there, whether it be extremely positive or extremely negative, there's going to be people that go about it in a way that fuels negativity in another person. I put it in the same catagory as any religions: it can have a positive or negative impact depending on what manner it's brought up. Probably a vague way of saying it right there but there will always be people that follow or believe in something and throw it on others in an aggressive manner and there will always be people that just flat out won't understand certain things and both of those circumstances CAN bring out some negative energy. Overall though, as far as the 'concept' of atheism goes, no.

[ngoexcuses]

Its not atheism fueling negativity; Its a group of radical atheists influencing negativity towards atheism. A group of radicals which most people hear about lead them to the assumption that all people of that group are bad.
Some people are negative towards Christianity because of groups of people like those from the Westboro Baptist Church, who are extremely rude and condemn everyone with a different set of beliefs.
Another example are the jihads and Muslim extremists who have given a bad name to Islam and cause people to stereotype people of that religion or people that look like they are Muslim as terrorists and evil people.
In general, its not a concept that influences negativity. It is the extremists who give a bad name to that concept thereby influencing negativity.

[Protager]

All one has to do is go to http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism to see that the topic title is true.

It is one religion bashing after another. Why is it so cool these days to be an atheist on the internet?

If you think that everything in the universe just happened by accident, you shouldn't think your opinion is more valid than someone who thinks that something outside of our universe had a part in its creation.

Nobody knows for sure why we exist. It's a question that's been asked as long as man could think. It is a question that is unanswerable.

I agree that people who say "this is the only way it happened" are crazy but the majority of people accept they don't know just like I'm sure the majority of atheists don't go to reddit to crucify believers.

Why not throw away the negativity, let bygones be bygones, and be a positive influence on life, the universe, and everything?

Because religious people are not letting bygones be bygones. Aren't you paying attention to the political climate in the USA? Religious citizens and politicians are constantly attempting to influence public policy through legislation. By the way, rejecting the idea that the universe was not created by a prime mover, god, does not automatically imply that it happened by accident.

Accident implies some sort of volitional act. In other words, someone attempted to do, or failed to do, something and a harmful thing happened. I would not apply this same definition to the "formation" of the universe because it was a nonconscious act. It just happened based on the laws of the physical universe which scientists are still attempting to unravel.