So, why is atheism such a flame magnet anyway (in genaral)?

I've noticed that Atheism seems to be really controversial. Tell me, what is so bad about it? Its not belief, its lack of belief.

Because people who believe in the afterlife are concerned with the long term, as it were?

[1] This facsimile operated in part by synAC.

Depends where you are, I suppose. I certainly see it as much less controversial than any religion. On the Internet, however, due to all sorts of fourteen-year-olds wrestling with their budding contrarianism, atheism can be militant and damn annoying to deal with.

And better than thy stroke; why swellest thou then?

A lot of people base their moral systems entirely on what they think God says. A significant fraction of those people assume that everyone else thinks exactly like they do. Ergo, someone without a God is assumed to be someone without morals. (This can be incredibly infuriating, particularly when an atheist who does have morals is assumed to be secretly religious.)

edited 15th Apr '11 9:56:14 PM by feotakahari

That's Feo . . . He's a disgusting, mysoginistic, paedophilic asshat who moonlights as a shitty writer—Something Awful

I usually do not like to make fun of other people's misspellings (Heaven knows that I do more than my share of them) but the thought of atheism as a magenta flame greatly amuses me.

Carry on.

edited 15th Apr '11 10:02:00 PM by Carciofus

But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.

It's not atheism, it's "fuck your faith, you'll be so much happier as an atheist, religious people are stupid" anti-theists, most of which are probably between the ages of seventeen and twenty two.

@Kaschei: Crowning Moment Of Funny.

My name is Cu Chulainn. Beside the raging sea I am left to moan. Sorrow I am, for I brought down my only son.

Yeah, it's not so much the actual atheism. It's the condescending "oh, you silly people still belive in deities. How quaint" or outright "you people are morons for thinking something beyond the physical exists".

edited 15th Apr '11 10:11:02 PM by LoniJay

Be not afraid...

^ You reap what you sow. "So I was an atheist before? How silly of me!"

That's Feo . . . He's a disgusting, mysoginistic, paedophilic asshat who moonlights as a shitty writer—Something Awful

pretty much.

While there are some religious fruitcakes out there who want to burn the unbelievers. Most of the time hating is only directed at the Militant-Your-Beliefs-Are-Stupid-And-Here-Is-Why-Atheists, who frankly deserve it.

edited 15th Apr '11 10:18:10 PM by joeyjojo

hashtagsarestupid

Atheism is not in any way controversial where this one lives, so this one is still more than a little surprised that it seems to be treated as...unusual...in the net.

(sigh) It is certainly less controversial than most religions, for it does not put any demands. Now, militant anti-religionism is another matter, but for clarity's sake, it does not even have to be atheistic. All that atheism is is lack of belief in god/s. No more, no less.

Ohh, yes. And frankly, it is one of the most offensive things that can be said to this one in religion-related discussion. And yet this one hears this argument over and over. "If there is no God, why aren't you stealing and raping and killing for fun".

edited 15th Apr '11 10:24:22 PM by Beholderess

If we disagree, that much, at least, we have in common

@joeyjojo No, it isn't.

There's no justice in the world and there never was~

Atheism is not lack of belief, that's something else. Not sure of the word right now, but there is one for it. Atheism is explicitly a disbelief in deities, and some people take it to the extent that they look down on anybody who does believe.

If you've never had the misfortune to encourage a militant atheist, then perhaps you might wish to look around for one.

And no, Agnosticism is yet another thing, more to the point of not knowing rather than rejecting.

edited 15th Apr '11 10:24:26 PM by blueharp

Agnostic.

Agnosticism.

My name is Cu Chulainn. Beside the raging sea I am left to moan. Sorrow I am, for I brought down my only son.

Explicit disbelief would be anti-theism

Posted it into another thread once, hope it won't be off-topic here.

About theism, atheism and cat in a bag

Not trying to offend anyone, just think that it is not a bad way to explain the definitions. Please correct me if I'm wrong

• Theist: There is a cat in the bag (complete with description of size, colour, length of whiskers and food preferences of said cat)
  • Polytheist: There is a whole bunch of kittens in the bag
• Atheist: There is no reason to suspect that there is any cat in the bag. I do not believe there is a cat in the bag
• Agnostic: I have no idea if there is a cat in the bag
  • Strong agnostic: There's no way to tell whether there's a cat in the bag

  • Agnostic theist: But believe there is one

  • Agnostic atheist: But believe there isn't any
• Antitheist: There is no and cannot be any cat in the bag
• Deist: Existence of cats and bags implies that there must be a cat in a bag somewhere
• Misotheist: That's some ugly cat
  • There is a cat in the bag, and that cat is ugly
  • (pointing on Theist's description of cat) That would be some ugly cat
  • I hate cats, period
• Ignostic: Define cat, bag, what does it mean to be inside it, and then we can talk
• Apatheist: Who cares about cat?
• Pantheist: The cat and the bag are one
• Scientist: Tries to open the bag

edited 15th Apr '11 10:30:25 PM by Beholderess

If we disagree, that much, at least, we have in common

Tvtropes have a perfectly serviceable page on atheism.

As for why atheists aren't liked much, I sorta imagine if somebody walks into a sports bar and people asks which team he supports and he answers that he really isn't a sports fan.

edit: reread the thread and made adjustments. mostly it was directed at blueharp, people who lack a believe in god are by definition atheists.

^I like cats, :)

edited 15th Apr '11 10:41:18 PM by nightwyrm_zero

One should read the thread properly before claiming that people in it are redefining atheism as such.

edited 15th Apr '11 10:33:33 PM by kashchei

And better than thy stroke; why swellest thou then?

Most of the flames comes due to the already mentioned stuff, plus that on the internet, the echochamber effect tends to turn a lot of atheists and the more extreme conservative sects of christians into this lovely frothing mix of napalm that ignites on contact with each other's views.

-Sigh-

Atheists explicitly do not believe in a god. Agnostics explicitly have no clue whatsoever if there is a god.

Most people that think they're atheist are actually agnostic.

My name is Cu Chulainn. Beside the raging sea I am left to moan. Sorrow I am, for I brought down my only son.

I like the explanation of Misotheist

Christopher Hitchens doesn't help the perception of atheists. really, I love the man but he can be very inflammatory for no reason.

Is using "Julian Assange is a Hillary butt plug" an acceptable signature quote?

@KCK: Well this one was raised catholic and never got flamed for his lack of beliefs as a child unless he got onto one of his rants about things being 'unscientific'.

I can't speak for anyone else but I would still like punch Richard Dawkins in the face even while complimenting him on his theories of Gene-centered view of evolution.

edited 15th Apr '11 10:45:02 PM by joeyjojo

hashtagsarestupid

Forgot Dawkins, another atheist being a dick for no reason.

Is using "Julian Assange is a Hillary butt plug" an acceptable signature quote?

"Most people that think they're atheist are actually agnostic."

You can make the same reductive argument for any creed whatsoever, since most people, regardless of denomination, question their faith and do not espouse their beliefs with absolute certainty.

And better than thy stroke; why swellest thou then?

nightwyrm zero, well, I'm just going by what I dimly recall from a long-ago philosophy class, where the professor defined atheism as the explicit disbelief/rejection of deities, and presented a few other words to cover other situations.

Not believing may seem similar, but it's really not. Same with agnosticism, that's more believing there is a lack of evidence than a simple lack of belief.

I suppose if you wanted to, you could find it in terms of atheism, but still, most atheists I've encountered are more on the rejection side than the lack of belief.

And the problem is more the person says "Sports suck!" than just not being a fan.

edited 15th Apr '11 10:47:27 PM by blueharp

Forgot Dawkins, another atheist being a dick for no reason.

Umm.. Pole Pot?

edited 15th Apr '11 10:46:57 PM by joeyjojo

hashtagsarestupid

So is the claim here that atheists have the same morals as believers, and it's offensive to claim otherwise?

“Love is the eternal law whereby the universe was created and is ruled.” — St. Bernard