• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!
  • Welcome to our archives. No new posts are allowed here.

Do you distrust atheists?

Amadeus said:
A poll not too long ago said that atheists are trusted less than rapists, and a more recent poll said that Americans would rather vote for a philandering president than an atheist president. This strikes me as very odd, as I don't recall atheists actually doing anything to earn the reputation of being untrustworthy.

Is there any particular reason atheists are not trusted?
Click to expand...

I don't think it's a matter of trust. I think it's a matter of religious people not being able to identify with atheists at a very basic level. They don't understand how someone can be atheistic, just as atheists can't understand how someone can be religious.
 
I hear people complain that atheists look down on them, but really its that Christians are into a lower reality, like praying and humbling themselves to something believed to be imaginary. The atheist becomes defensive, because that brand of humility is seen as negative to self-progress in life. Thus, it can be seen as looking down, but actually its a desire to avoid a philosophical downward spiral.
 
Amadeus said:
Is there any particular reason atheists are not trusted?
Click to expand...

The religious can't imagine an individual adhering to ethical behavior without "carrot and stick" consequences. The religious make a false claim of having objective morality and say that atheists can only be an untrustworthy, amoral bunch.
 
I've never heard an atheist, not even the most strident and vituperative of the species, tell anyone that if they do not share in the atheistic belief system they shall be damned for all eternity to reside in a fiery pit of torment. Who is the more likely person to be trustworthy? The one who does or doesn't make such prognostications?
 
I do not trust atheists.
.. primarily because I only trust in individuals, not groups or demographics.



my best buddy is an atheist, and I trust him with my life..... unlike many of the atheists we have running around this place, he's not a militant atheist asshole.
 
Thrilla said:
I do not trust atheists.
.. primarily because I only trust in individuals, not groups or demographics.



my best buddy is an atheist, and I trust him with my life..... unlike many of the atheists we have running around this place, he's not a militant atheist asshole.
Click to expand...

Every group has assholes.
 
Jayhawker30 said:
Something that the decent ones should be proud of. Being able to handle one's **** and be a decent person without the incentive of not being tortured forever is a quality that earns my respect.

On the flipside, those who only do right because such a monster is looming over their shoulders... well, certainly leave me a little wary.
Click to expand...

Their decency has no visible means of support, nor any rationale.
 
Maybe even theists dont believe in God. Its merely like a show of loyality. If you can believe in something you cant see, then you are the type of person who is a can-do person, the type who can follow orders and therefore a trustworthy person. An atheist my question an order or think individualistically. Someone who is like a sheep loyal is "good" because they ar enot individualistic. Even their sins are therefore forgivable, but a person who thinks for his or herself can never be forgiven. The individualist is always guilty. Its a kind of wolfpack mentality.
 
Nope, don't trust myself at all
 
LowDown said:
Their decency has no visible means of support, nor any rationale.
Click to expand...

Maybe they're just genuinely good natured people that aren't douchbags.
 
michijo said:
Maybe even theists dont believe in God. Its merely like a show of loyality. If you can believe in something you cant see, then you are the type of person who is a can-do person, the type who can follow orders and therefore a trustworthy person. An atheist my question an order or think individualistically. Someone who is like a sheep loyal is "good" because they ar enot individualistic. Even their sins are therefore forgivable, but a person who thinks for his or herself can never be forgiven. The individualist is always guilty. Its a kind of wolfpack mentality.
Click to expand...

I think you may have hit it right on the nail.
 
Amadeus said:
Sorry, I should have included the links.

In Atheists We Distrust - Scientific American
Americans Would Rather Vote For A Philandering, Pot-Smoking President Than An Atheist One
Click to expand...


Those "studies" are a clear and shining example of how organized religion in the USofA breeds ignorance, and outright stupidity among it's sheeple.

It is also that kind of ignorant mentality that causes some atheists to be militant and over-the-top when pressed.

American's are often times far less advanced than we wish to believe.
There's a large block of individuals who think the Earth is only 6000 years old.
There's a large block of individuals who think evolution doesn't happen.
There's a large block of people who think science class and science text books should include "intelligent design".

Truly sad, but not shocking at all. Read some of the threads and posts by people in the Religion section here at DP. Then tell me, is anything in those studies surprising?

Organized religion in the USofA has a very ugly and hypocritical alter-personality.
 
joG said:
If consistent, they would know that they cannot know and were therefore agnostic.
Click to expand...

They "cannot know" in exactly and precisely the same manner that they "cannot know" that Invisible Pink Unicorns aren't the creators of the universe. Cue the believers coming in to say that I am being mean. But it serves to illustrate in a very succinct manner: how you think "agnosticism" should apply, probably doesn't.
 
X Factor said:
Not all atheists are like that. Granted, there are atheists here that express such profound contempt for believers that I would not trust them anywhere around any of my friends or family who are believers but there are, at least, an equal number (and maybe a greater number - we just don't hear one way or the other from them) that can and do respect others beliefs.
Click to expand...

What I think you should realize is that most of the atheists here are far, far more outspoken on this forum than we are in real life. I have a beef with organized religion, but not believers in general. I come here to vent that frustration about the stranglehold religion has over our society. My entire family and most of my friends are religious, so it's better for me to get all of my debating done here so I don't damage any relationships in real life. I talk about religion just about never around the religious.

LowDown said:
No controlling spiritual authority.
Click to expand...

So are you saying that if you found out tomorrow god didn't exist you would start raping, murdering and pillaging? Is the only thing that keeps you from being a gigantic piece of **** the fear of being punished in the afterlife? If so, you're really not a good person. I choose to be a good person because I appreciate life and respect my fellow human beings, not because I'm terrified of any consequences. You're taking orders from a guy who has personally ordered the rape and murder of millions of people. I'm an honorable, moral person, so I could never do that.

joG said:
If consistent, they would know that they cannot know and were therefore agnostic.
Click to expand...

Being atheist doesn't mean we reject the possibility of god existing, we simply have zero evidence to believe it's the case, so we don't. My conviction that there is no god is about as strong as your conviction that there is no invisible pick rabbit standing behind you. If anyone would like to present evidence that a deity exists, here I am, go ahead.

There's nothing inconsistent about not believing bronze age stories until there's some kind of evidence to back it up.
 
Last edited:
RabidAlpaca said:
What I think you should realize is that most of the atheists here are far, far more outspoken on this forum than we are in real life. I have a beef with organized religion, but not believers in general. I come here to vent that frustration about the stranglehold religion has over our society. My entire family and most of my friends are religious, so it's better for me to get all of my debating done here so I don't damage any relationships in real life. I talk about religion just about never around the religious.



So are you saying that if you found out tomorrow god didn't exist you would start raping, murdering and pillaging? Is the only thing that keeps you from being a gigantic piece of **** the fear of being punished in the afterlife? If so, you're really not a good person. I choose to be a good person because I appreciate life and respect my fellow human beings, not because I'm terrified of any consequences. You're taking orders from a guy who has personally ordered the rape and murder of millions of people. I'm an honorable, moral person, so I could never do that.
Click to expand...

I think it should be pointed out that very few people posting here probably express their views on any political topic IRL in the manner that they do on debatepolitics. I very seldom see people talking socially the way people talk here, on any subject.
 
Dezaad said:
They "cannot know" in exactly and precisely the same manner that they "cannot know" that Invisible Pink Unicorns aren't the creators of the universe. ....
Click to expand...

Prove it.

;)
 
joG said:
Prove it.

;)
Click to expand...

Prove what? That the two notions should be treated equally?

If two ideas have the same amount of evidence, they should be treated equally.
The notion that God exists has the same amount of evidence that the notion that Invisible Pink Unicorns exist does.
Therefore, the notion that God exists should be treated equally with the notion that Invisible Pink Unicorns exist.

That was easy.
 
Dezaad said:
Prove what? That the two notions should be treated equally?

If two ideas have the same amount of evidence, they should be treated equally.
The notion that God exists has the same amount of evidence that the notion that Invisible Pink Unicorns exist does.
Therefore, the notion that God exists should be treated equally with the notion that Invisible Pink Unicorns exist.

That was easy.
Click to expand...

So now we have Pink Unicorns, Atheism and the Gods all with the same probability.
The decision-matrix is easy then, when we know, what the Pink Unicorns do to disbelievers. Pascal solved it years ago.
 
joG said:
So now we have Pink Unicorns, Atheism and the Gods all with the same probability.
The decision-matrix is easy then, when we know, what the Pink Unicorns do to disbelievers. Pascal solved it years ago.
Click to expand...

The Invisible Pink Unicorns punish disbelief trebly what the invisible sky god of the Bible does. Pascal should have believed in Invisible Pink Unicorns, but alas, he might now be suffering a fate worse than hell. I do worry about him so... Because apparently I have reason to wonder whether he might be being punished. By an infinite number of possible vengeful entities that might insist on being believed in.
 
Dragonfly said:
What does "god" do to disbelievers? And please provide proof.
Click to expand...

In none of the cases is any "proof" available, as far as I have seen. So I guess you'll just have to ask the priestess. But it does not really make much difference, unless there is no benefit and no punishment in promise, which for most of the Gods or Buddhism, for that matter, is the case.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom