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Do you distrust atheists?

Amadeus

Amadeus

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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?
 
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?
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I don't know, I never gave anyone's religion or the lack thereof much thought. More or less, to each his own.
 
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?
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How would you want to trust anyone that was an atheist and looked down on people because they believe?

;)
 
I don't trust anyone.

Trust is earned, not given. You start out with exactly 0 trust from me when I meet you.
 
I don't know many atheists in RL so this has to be based mainly on my experiences here and in my experience I don't see self professed atheists as being any more dishonest, or whatever, than anyone else. In fact, there are atheists here that I would trust more than some of my fellow believers. I, honestly, truly and sincerely do not think that not believing in God must mean you are an immoral, untrustworthy person. That has not been my experience at all.
 
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...

No controlling spiritual authority.
 
joG said:
How would you want to trust anyone that was an atheist and looked down on people because they believe?

;)
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There are atheist who look down on believers, just as there are believers who look down on other believers for believing differently.
 
joG said:
How would you want to trust anyone that was an atheist and looked down on people because they believe?

;)
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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.
 
Amadeus said:
There are atheist who look down on believers, just as there are believers who look down on other believers for believing differently.
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Looking down on those that believe differently are consistent. Atheists aren'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.
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As long as they know they are only believers they would be okay, though, Pascal might have doubted it. ;)
 
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...
That might come from the area of not being able to trust one to do the right thing?

We, well, most all, know how we'd like to be treated in society, maybe they're sayin' atheists can't be trusted because they lack the judgement to do the right thing, IDUNNO, I never heard of that.
 
GottaGo said:
How are they not consistent?
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I think that some atheists target certain religions. And as a former MEAN atheist, I tended to target Christianity/Judaism more than others. Mostly because I didn't like how people in my society were clubbed over the head with it.

I still do that, but I try to be nice about it.
 
Amadeus said:
I think that some atheists target certain religions. And as a former MEAN atheist, I tended to target Christianity/Judaism more than others. Mostly because I didn't like how people in my society were clubbed over the head with it.

I still do that, but I try to be nice about it.
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Just as those who have a religion tend to target specific religions (or lack there of) for their venom. Both sides are inconsistent, not one of the other.
 
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...

What polls? When? Where? Links???

How were the questions phrased?
 
Put it this way, None of the other presidents throughout our country's history have forced every person to convert to their form of Christianity. Same way with an atheist president. An atheist president would be able to focus more on the nation and the people which is what really matters as president.
 
joG said:
If consistent, they would know that they cannot know and were therefore agnostic.
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So, those who follow a religion claim to know something they also cannot know. That makes them any more trustworthy? ;)
 
GottaGo said:
So, those who follow a religion claim to know something they also cannot know. That makes them any more trustworthy? ;)
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Actually, most religions require only belief, thinking that knowledge is illusive.
 
joG said:
Actually, most religions require only belief, thinking that knowledge is illusive.
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And that would differ from those who don't believe, how? It is their belief that tells them that an entity doesn't exist.

Either or, how does that make them less trustworthy?
 
joG said:
How would you want to trust anyone that was an atheist and looked down on people because they believe?

;)
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How would you want to trust anyone that was a theist and looked down on people because of what they do or don't believe?
 
LowDown said:
No controlling spiritual authority.
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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.
 
joG said:
Actually, most religions require only belief, thinking that knowledge is illusive.
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Atheism has nothing to do with knowledge. Look at the word: a- theism. The suffix A- indicates the absence of something. Examples: asexual = absence of sex. Agnostic =Absence of knowledge (or gnosis). Thus, atheism = absence of theism.

You fall into the same trap that many theists fall into by presuming that atheists and agnostics are different groups. When in truth, they are overlapping groups. Some atheists are agnostic. Not all of them, though. Some actually believe there is enough evidence to be certain that god does not exist. Others, however, make no claims about certainty, but do not believe in a god due to a lack of evidence to support such a seemingly illogical (and not to mention very self-absorbed) hypothesis. These atheist make no claim to having knowledge, but are in a state where theism is absent.

There are also agnostic theists. Those who believe but recognize that their belief is not cold hard fact, and they recognize the fact there is no way to know for sure if their beliefs are correct.

Generally speaking, all rational people are agnostic, regardless of whether they are a theist or an atheist.
 
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