Do Atheists Hate God?

[Crouton]

I still don't think it should be 'classed as a religion'. Maybe I'm a bad atheist or something but it's not like we come together once a week in groups and discuss 'hating God' as some here seem to think we do. It's just a matter of no religion existing in our lives. I don't even see it as a social group like Unity said. I've never actively sought out socialising with other atheists, I surround myself will all types of people constantly no matter what religion they follow. I just don't quite follow what you're getting at here.

"Atheists are a group of like minded people who have the same ideas. Same with Christians, Muslims etc etc. That's why I class it as a religion"

So any group of people with like-minded thoughts and ideas are a religion?

 

[Smelnick]

So any group of people with like-minded thoughts and ideas are a religion?

To an extent, yes. That's how religions is defined.

re·li·gion   
[ri-lij-uhn] Show IPA
–noun
1.
a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
2.
a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.
3.
the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.

So maybe calling atheism a religion is a little off. However, they're still a group of people with similiar ideas and ideals. It's still a group with like minded ideas, that has some extremists.

 

[Crouton]

Oh well, I guess some people may think atheism a religion but I personally see it as being very contradictory and will never see it that way. To me it is a way of avoiding religion, and to call that a religion is just crazy.

 

[Swiftstrike]

It is a misclassification to identity a group of individuals with a like-minded belief/value structure as a religion.

They could be a nation, a subculture, an advocacy group, etc.

Atheism is just the absence in the belief of a supreme being(s). Most Buddhists, by technical definition, are atheists along with some other religions. What separates atheism is the lack of agreement beyond that tenet. They don't meet together and discuss their disbelief, there are no special ceremonies to celebrate the entrance of new atheists...It just exists.

I can see atheists' argument logically though. I think embittered active atheists exist more as a result of these individuals viewing religions as tools of control rather than beneficial contributors to society. To them, the concept of god(s) is a lie, one of the greatest lies in human history, and they might feel the need to compel others to see "truth".

Religion is incredibly powerful and manipulative on a society. Consider in the past how civilizations used polytheistic deities to consolidate power, justify authority and wars, and establish a basis for common law.

I mean the concept of god(s) has evolved so much over time, and is used to explain reality and establish normative behavior for societies.

I still think religion will evolve even further, civilizations went from ancestral spirits, polytheism, to monotheism. It will likely change even further over time.

A good example of how influential religion is...most individuals practice the same religion as their parents. I would argue that if an American child that was born from two practicing Christians was plucked from birth, and raised in the Middle East they would be Muslim. Today children that are adopted from China are brought over, and usually raised as Christians and grow up as practicing Christians. However, if they were adopted in India they would likely be Hindi.

I am surprised most individuals do not think about those types of scenarios. Most individuals blindly accept the faith they were raised in, and rarely deviate from that path.

I thought long and hard about the religion I was raised in and after consideration felt that agnosticism was a good route. I have examined Buddhism a bit since it seems very...logical.

 

[Crouton]

It is a misclassification to identity a group of individuals with a like-minded belief/value structure as a religion.

They could be a nation, a subculture, an advocacy group, etc.

Atheism is just the absence in the belief of a supreme being(s). Most Buddhists, by technical definition, are atheists along with some other religions. What separates atheism is the lack of agreement beyond that tenet. They don't meet together and discuss their disbelief, there are no special ceremonies to celebrate the entrance of new atheists...It just exists.

I can see atheists' argument logically though. I think embittered active atheists exist more as a result of these individuals viewing religions as tools of control rather than beneficial contributors to society. To them, the concept of god(s) is a lie, one of the greatest lies in human history, and they might feel the need to compel others to see "truth".

Don't you just love it when someone else says exactly what you were trying to say but is smart enough to word it so it makes sense.

 

[Merricles]

If you are an athiest, and you 'hate' god, well I hate to tell you this but you are NOT an athiest.

 

[shelgarr]

True Merricles. If God doesn't exist than what is there to hate, yes? So, if there's no God, there's no Jesus, and therefore crosses fail to have religious meaning!

 

[Ziggy]

I never saw bad things in the world and wondered why there wasn't a god.

I never felt like I was different because my parent's pushed something onto me that I didn't understand.

I just never believed it, I generally came to my own conclusion.

I do not hate God because that would just be stupid.

 

[Bubbles]

As an agnostic atheist, I don’t hate God. I’m skeptical of His existence, but I have no problem with Him. If I do have a problem, it’s with His fan club – fundamental, hypocrites who try to whore off their religion to me and tell me that I’m going to burn in hell for not believing in God, for not agreeing with them and that I’m a sinner for living my life a certain way. Uh judgmental, much? If heaven is full of douchebags like that, I’d much rather go to hell.

Of course, not every Christian is like that. I have friends and family that are Christians. Many of them are decent, hard working people. It’s not fair to paint them with the “fundamental nutjob” brush, just like it’s unfair to paint all atheists with the “they hate God” brush. You know what I mean?

My personal reasons for not believing in a God are pretty simple – I just look at everything around me. I pick up the newspaper and what do I see? Floods and earthquakes killing thousands of people, famine, poverty, people killing each other over stupid shit like religious differences (which is so sad and pathetic since almost all religions basically preach the same shit - peace, love, forgiveness etc), children dying from starvation. I dunno, it just makes it extremely difficult for me to believe in a God.

 

[lilmisshissyfit]

I think of myself as an athiest because i don't believe in god, it's not that i hate god, how can i hate something that i don't believe is real? plus i don't hate religion, i have friends from many different religions, catholics, christians, muslims, hindus, buddist and probably more, they respect the fact that i'm none religious and as friends they do not preach their beliefs at me, the same as i don't tell them what they believe in isn't real, why would i? who says i'm right and they are wrong? we all believe in our own truths and that should be respected.