Do atheists prosthelytize?
Do atheists try to convert people to their religion?
Update:How ironic it is that I have to explain to you, God, that defining atheism as a relgion does, in fact, define it as a religion. Was there a typo in your response?
Comments
They never miss the opportunity to attack a query from a Christian, nor to have leading queries of their own, on Answers, for certain!
It never ceases to amuse me just how passionately atheists defend their lack of faith and disbelief. While there may be some question as to whether atheists have a religion or "religion", all semantics aside, there's no question that they defend and prosthelytize their faith with a religious/"religious" zeal befitting the most devout Christian. I've always expected atheism to be a quiet belief system, as it is presumably based on logically drawn conclusions, or scientific ones. Atheist responses to questions of a Supreme Being certainly refer incessantly to logic and science as the means for their belief. However, most of these responses to the question of God put forward by the "armchair atheists" who reply to these questions are neither logical, nor scientific, and, in my opinion, do the cause more harm than good.
Take logic, for example. As you, the originator of the question, have pointed out in a reply to another query, there's an axiom called "Pascal's Wager", which concludes that it is logical to believe in a divine being, and to follow a religion. Pascal’s Wager is the basis for modern game theory, in fact. However, respondents to the question of divinity or the lack thereof never allude to this fundamental axiom, or its contrary view “the Atheists Wager”, in their logical debates, either to disprove, logically, the former or reinforce, logically, the latter. It’s as if they don't know if the axiom at all. This implies ignorance in the atheist belief system proposed, and mechanically espousing that belief in a Supreme Being is "illogical" falls flat without support and evidence in defense of that belief if a logical premise is to be relied upon.
Second, let's take the scientific approach, which revolves around the postulation of hypotheses and subsequent disproval and modification of a hypothesis until a law is arrived at. Is there a "Law of the Absence of Divinity"? While there is no conclusive scientific proof of a "God"'s existence, scientifically, lack of definitive proof for something does not definitively disprove it. On the contrary! Lack of definitive proof implies the possibility of existence. Hence, the existence of a "Supreme Being" is a hypothesis. As such, scientifically, shouldn't every atheist in fact be an agnostic?
Where is the logic? Where is the science? Where, for that matter, is the curiosity to explore and consider, with such an emotionally based conclusion? It's ironic, but most atheists seemed to have their faith steeped more in ignorance and emotion than the typical Christian. It’s as if they are still in their “terrible twos”, when they close their ears and eyes and repeat “no” over and over.
I DO SO loathe Christian prosthelytizing! I also find many of the tenets of Christianity contradictory and unreasonable. Atheists appear to agree. However, Christianity appears to be the one belief system with which atheists are aware of, and which they attack over and over. It appears that they hate Christianity, rather than to have concluded a Supreme Being does not exist. It’s not an attack on the concept of a Supreme Being or the Divine, but an attack on the one belief system of Christianity, alone. The level of emotion and vitriol inherent in the atheist response is not representative or supportive of a belief system based on logic and science.
Atheists, for what it’s worth, I do support and fight for your right to believe the way you do, and will continue in my fight and support for that. However, fighting for people to draw their own conclusion tends to be more fulfilling when they draw conclusions based on education, experience, learning and thought, not blind ignorance and mule-headed stubbornness.
Anyone with a strong belief or non belief will explain in detail their reasons for their stance, especially in a forum dedicated to it.
There are those that are firmly rooted in their beliefs (and non) and respects others religions while learning more from them...
Prosthelytizing on Yahoo answers will typically be laughed off and not taken seriously
*edit* to the cat below me.....in the same fashion your non-belief is not respected by the majority of believers as well and I'm sure you accept that fact kindly
Prosthelytize Define
What religion would that be? Whether or not it is defined as a religious belief, would not define it as a religion.
Not exactly.
Trying to win someone over to Christ implies a love and compassion for the individual, that winning them over is going to result in salvation and prevent calamity. Also, it implies a mandate from God. Sometimes in order to do it, it involves being critical of their beliefs but for a constructive purpose. Its kind of like trying to persuade someone to move from a house because its unsafe and is going to fall on them eventually.
Atheism on the hand, is not a religion, but the denial of it. They seek to tear down faith only on the basis of hatred for it. They do not seek the welfare of the individual. In many cases there is an absence of respect for the person. So to them, religious life isnt like a house that is going to fall down and bring the person to ruin. Religion is like a house that they feel is of old design and bad color. So they just start swinging their wrecking ball at it while youre still in it!
Atheists dont seek to create but destroy.
The basic flaw is that atheists do not have a religion. Some do try to convince others that there is not God, but they really don't care what you believe as long as you don't try to force it on them.
The only two groups that prosthelytize are Christians and Politicians.
I really don't care if people have religion. i just want them to know I don't respect it. at all. I respect you and your right to practice it, but that does not mean I don't think it is the stupidest belief in the world. Keep it out of politics.
What is an atheist religion?
That's like asking a celibate monk who he's shagging, or a teetotaller if he drinks doubles.
Actually, bad analogies....
What is the atheist "religion"?