Mumsnet Talk

While there are sometimes interesting threads where atheists and believers discuss and debate religion, it seems to me that increasingly atheists only come onto threads here to poopoo or disrespect the beliefs of others.

Am I right about this and if not then what is the reasoning behind the posts where atheists call the beliefs of others rubbish etc?

mumsnet is a huge power trip

people with knowledge to impart have power

athiests can crack on with themselves - becuase you can't prove faith...becuase erm...

hold on

just...a...minute....it's FAITH

I don't generally post on the threads in this section because I have no belief and I am an atheist. However my belief is no less valid than your belief. So whilst I don't goad or laugh at you I have the right to say I disagree.
I may think you are deluded but you can think exactly the same about me.
I am an instinctive atheist rather than an intellectual atheist so I always feel slightly dim when discussions like the thread about evidence for Jesus happen.

Because being a deluded believer does not give you the right to cosy little 'believers only' threads.

Because it's hard to stand back and not comment when you find a subject so completely ridiculous and objectionable as I find religion.

Because we all have a right to say anything we like on any thread we choose.

Take your pick.

It's probably just too defficult to resist sometimes.

Defficult? Wonder what they believe?

The problem with most atheists I've come across is that they can't seem to make a point without using insults, sarcasm and ridiculing to make it.

They also seem to think they have a God given right () to ram their non-beliefs down people's throats while crying out about believers trying to ram their beliefs down people's throats.

It's the sneery bully boy language and hypocrisy that I can't deal with. That's why I don't discuss religion with them.

Oddly enough, Walter, those are exactly the traits I find in "believers". Which is why I avoid faith threads: you just can't reason with some people .

No you can't Harriet!

I agree. I am currently hovering somewhere between atheism and faith, not sure which side I'm going to come down on (was atheist, am not baptised or anything) But I don't understand atheists coming on to threads where people are trying to work out a point of doctrine or something which is intrinsic to Christianity and just going 'but it isn't true'. For a start it is philosophically unsound, and is also a bit pointless. It's sort of like going on to a thread where someone is talking about which crime novel to read and saying 'all crime novels are shit, you should read something by P G Wodehouse, or contributing to a conversation about what to do with kids all day as a sahm by saying 'you are stupid to be sahm, get a job.' It's not that you don't have a right to contribute, but it's not very constructive, it's annoying and it's not going to achieve anything.

It's different where the thread is a genuine debate about whether God exists or about whether organised religion is a good thing.

Because, It is a quick and easy way for someone to make themselves feel superior (in their minds). It is free too and requires no qualifications, knowledge or experience.

But Cardinal there are threads where exactly that happens. Baby names is a frivolous example. Relationships is a better example. People often come on saying my DH is lovely apart from when he is drunk/abusive/unfaithful and so on. They believe in their relationship. Light will dawn that it isn't a great relationship and the problem isn't really the one that was presented.
Shall I choose X or Y? Have you considered Z?
To us atheists, your belief is no more explicable than an instinctive belief i. the superiority of Persil over Bold.

I think the difference is that faith and religion are more complicated, and often people have been on quite a journey to come to the realisation that there is or may be a God and that Christianity works for them before they start a thread.

So at the moment, I'm trying to work these things out for myself. I've been mulling it over for maybe a couple of years, read a few books, and letting things chime with what I learned during my degree (History and Philosophy). As yet, I do not 'believe' as such, but I think religion can be valuable in real terms (even if there is no God) can be very psychologically healthy. It can also be deployed in a very disturbing, destructive way but isn't that true of anything which has power?

I have come to the conclusion that it is more likely than not that there is a God, although I know I will never have all the answers. So if I'm asking a question about something very specific, I'm not really interested in someone saying 'yes but it's not real'. I've kind of got past that stage. Responses like that also bring the risk of the whole thread descending into an A level philosophy class, when actually OP wanted to know what others think about a very particular situation. The main problem is that the terms of reference can be very different.

Because people use the title atheist when they actually mean anti-religion.

Someone who is simply atheist has nothing to gain from posting on a theology thread. Someone who is anti-religion can make them selves feel superior by coming on to a thread like that.

yes agree with ethelb. It would be like a non-dog owner posting about dog ownership. [disclaimer - not the perfect analogy]

It does get a bit tedious, esp. at the time of a new Pope.

And they always seem to be preoccupied by sex. Odd.

I think "atheists" come here because they have faith the size of a mustard seed.

They protest too much

It's just a sign of change in "belief landscape". One side represents the history, the other the future. One side tries to defend the respect they once had while the other is trying to drive the new message home. In simple terms think bantering in Utd vs City of 90's era.

Surely, if your faith is THAT strong, it will not take a couple of Mumsnet atheists to make you doubt it? Why do you think your God needs defending from attack?

Hang on, which one's City and which one's Utd?

Nobody said god needs defending from attack. But really, the atheists lying in wait to pounce on a thread and go on about delusions and fairy tales gets irritating, not least because it's so utterly tedious.

And the smugness makes me want to tear my eyeballs out! Not because they make me doubt or believe anything differently, but because they're so annoying!

Also, what Ethel said.

I try very very hard to resist going anywhere near faith board, because I realise is deeply offensive telling you it's a pile of rubbish. However, it is tempting <childish>

But why is it so tempting? That's the part I don't understand!

I wouldn't go on a thread about non-belief and insult all of the posters so why do atheists find it so difficult not to extend the same common courtesy?

It depends on what you think constitutes "poopoo and disrespect", I suppose.

Ime, pretty much anything you say that points out the inconsistencies and irrational tidbits in their belief system will be perceived as "disrespect", presumably because respect = never questioning anything in their world.

Cardinal - re "It's sort of like going on to a thread where someone is talking about which crime novel to read and saying 'all crime novels are shit'"

Actually, it's like going on a thread where someone is talking about which formula to use and saying "Formula is shit. Here are all the reasons why breast milk is better".

I don't understand why it is tempting either.