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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think the atheists on MN are a bunch of miserable whingers

568 replies

GothAnneGeddes · 21/03/2011 01:33

Every bloody week it's a new thread whining on about how terrible it is that there is religion in the world.

A prominent feature of such threads is the intolerance and stupidity of religious folk, yet threads by believers insulting atheists are very rare.

Besides, aren't you all meant to be so happy to be freed from the shackles of religion, that you're too busy having fun to moan?

OP posts:
Goodynuff · 21/03/2011 02:44

Happy athiest here Smile
I have no problems with other people having beliefs, as long as they don't use that belief system to tell me how to live my life, or what I should be allowed to do. I can ignore what I see on line, but I have a harder time accepting it in RL.
It is hard to explain to my extended family that I don't share their beliefs, even though I was raised in the church, (C of E) baptised and confirmed (under extreme duress!) They remind me that they will keep praying for my soul. They still pressure me to participate in services, do readings, ask me to help with fund raising....
It sickens me to drive home past a group of 40 to 50 Catholics holding up signs showing abortions, and chanting about sinners. Then I have to explain to the LO's in the back seat what they are seeing, because they are terrified.
I don't understand the vehement rantings about keeping Christ in Christmas. Other people celebrate differently. That should be ok.
The hardest thing for me to understand is when Christians say "It is all part of God's plan" to try and comfort someone who has just been through a tragic loss or horrific situation. How can you say that to someone, when they have just learned their child was molested? When they discover that someone has mugged an old lady? When you have just found out a friend has a terminal illness?
I think everyone should be allowed to hold their own belief system or not, what ever they decide. I don't think they should use that to tell someone else how to live.

cantspel · 21/03/2011 02:48

This thread isn't slamming atheists for their non belief tho. It is commenting on the familar theme in atheist threads of intolerance of any sort of religious view.

My words were

i have never seen a thread started to ram religion down the throats of atheists but there has been plenty started by the Godless to ram their non disbelief down everyones throats.

so where is the religious view in this thread? where is the challenge of athesism?

CheerfulYank · 21/03/2011 02:48

Yes yes Goody, you speak de troof. :)

Goodynuff · 21/03/2011 02:51

Thank you CheerfulYank Smile
And may I also say, I know lots of lovely Christians that do none of the things I have mentioned in my previous post. And I know some athiests that are total tools too! Grin

cantspel · 21/03/2011 02:52

Tortoiseonthehalfshell I said

I have never

Tortoiseonthehalfshell · 21/03/2011 02:56

Oh FFS, cantspel, are you being deliberately obtuse? You have some serious false equivalency issues here.

Firstly, you concede that non-monotheistic belief systems are religions, but conflate 'non atheist' with 'Godless', which says something about your own religious world view.

Secondly, atheists can't 'ram their non disbelief' down someone's throat. Apart from the fact that it's a double negative (it'd be nonbelief, surely), any such 'ramming' that you're referring to would take the form of criticising religious belief, or believers. You can't, as an atheist, really 'go on' about atheism, because it's not a belief system. "I don't believe in a deity or religious constructs. The end". All you can do is attack religions. Which is what GAG said happens; that atheists call religious folk intolerant and stupid.

If that happens, and I don't concede that it does, it is the direct equivalent of calling all atheists miserable whingers and illiberal. If you seriously can't see that - and even the OP can, by the way - then I give up.

CheerfulYank · 21/03/2011 02:56

It's probably just a personality thing Goody ...either you're a bag of douche or y'aren't, all beliefs aside. We obviously are not. :o

DillyDaydreaming · 21/03/2011 06:10

Contented Catholic here and each to their own where religion (or no religion) is concerned. It's up to the individual but yes I take your point OP and YANBU about asking for some respect for belief just as I (and I hope most others) respect no belief.

TrinityIsABunnyMunchingRhino · 21/03/2011 06:24

dont tar me with that brush thankyou
I dont whinge about religion

and I agree with tortoise, I'm not released because I was never there

nooka · 21/03/2011 06:31

I don't define myself by my lack of faith except where it's relevant to the conversation, which is generally speaking only when discussing religion, or occasionally ethics. Because it's not terribly important to me, being an atheist doesn't require me to do anything, or to approach life in a particular way in the way that being religious does (or should if it is a strongly held belief).

I'm not very keen on insulting people in general, so it's not often that I will be derogatory in the way that the OP has been here, or indeed as some atheists are on occasion (although it should be pointed out that some people simply have a very 'no holds barred' way they express themselves in general).

But religion can encroach on people's lives and it isn't unreasonable to not want it to do so, or to complain about it. When that encroachment affects children then it's not unreasonable for parents to be quite angry about it.

nooka · 21/03/2011 06:35

I guess I could say that I was 'released', as an ex-Catholic, but I rather think that conflates hedonism with not subscribing to a religious view point. Some would see that as insulting, as it ties in to the opinion expressed by some religious people that to be an atheist is to have no morals. Personally I think that's a rather lazy and unthinking view point rather than an insulting one.

meditrina · 21/03/2011 06:44

One of the things I find surprising about MN is the extent of the lack of respect for the beliefs of others.

This is the first thread I've seen with a title that denigrates atheists, but there are frequent threads which have titles which denigrate not just Christians but Christianity as a whole (I notice that anti-religious tone isn't directed against other faiths - I have yet to see for example, Judaism, Hinduism or Islam described as "superstitious crap" in a thread title).

I do not find it a pleasant characteristic of the site, as it shows prejudice and intolerance. real debate around the specifics of the manifestation of either religion or faith in society does not require stereotypes and name-calling.

If you think it is wrong in the title of this thread, I hope you might object to it in other thread titles too.

JanetPlanet · 21/03/2011 06:45

I'm all for being intolerant of religion. IMO if you're religious you're either stupid/insane/ill informed. Why should people respect religion. It's a load of bollocks. The world is a wonderful place without imaginary friends.

DillyDaydreaming · 21/03/2011 07:04

And THAT is offensive JanetPlanet - get thee back under the bridge. Some people find a great deal of peace from religion and some don't. My feeling of a greater spiritual power has always been there - for you it has not vive la difference and all that.

JanetPlanet · 21/03/2011 07:06

Religion offends me so touché

JanetPlanet · 21/03/2011 07:08

Why are you offended that I don't respect the fact you have an imaginary friend that makes you feel better when bad things happen? Why should I respect people who think a magic man made the world and everything in it?

BaggedandTagged · 21/03/2011 07:14

Well you just made yourself up..........Grin...so does that make you your own imaginary friend?

DillyDaydreaming · 21/03/2011 07:15

I am offended because I respect your right to not believe and I am not offensive about it - indeed I don't need to be offensive. I find it strange that you do.....

DillyDaydreaming · 21/03/2011 07:16

Yeah I am talking to an imaginary person in Janet. Good point baggedandtagged.... oh well - life calls and breakfast. Byee.

ginmakesitallok · 21/03/2011 07:17

It's because we don't have the love of God in our hearts and don't have that smug contentedness that we're better than everyone.

meditrina · 21/03/2011 07:20

These last few posts really say it all.

TyraG · 21/03/2011 07:28

DH and I are both agnostic, I was raised Catholic, but didn't like what I saw/heard so I left. My ma is Catholic, my aunt is Jewish, I have friends who are JW's, LDS, Pagan/Wiccan (whichever you prefer), Atheist, and Buddhist. I could give a crap about their religions, they are good friends and good people and that's all that matters.

I have on occasion talked to them about religion, but for the sole purpose to find out more about the religion and why they do and
believe what they do.

DS is in Reception at a church school and I'm glad he is, DD will be going to the same school when she starts Nursery in Sept. I think it's important for them to learn about religion (I want them to learn about all religions) so they can make an informed decision when they are older about what they do or don't believe. I don't want them to just blindly follow DH and me because of our beliefs (or lack thereof).

JanetPlanet · 21/03/2011 07:29

Dilly you respect my right to think that religion is bollocks but you just want me to shut up about it is what you're saying.

TyraG · 21/03/2011 07:34

When I say I could give a crap about their religions, I didn't mean it in a negative way, I just meant that I don't care what religion they are.

Wamster · 21/03/2011 07:34

YABU. I am an atheist. It simply means that I do not believe in a god. I only believe in what I can see, hear, smell. touch and taste.

It amazes me that others are not the same.

On a separate note, I despise religion.