For atheists... Why do you oppose religion and God?

Question

After reading some responses given to other questions, I'm curious as to why athiests are against religions and God, and why people are so angry about God if they don't even believe in Him. I am a Christian, my best friend is Athiest, and I understand why he feels the way he feels. I'm just wondering about other atheists. Thanks!

Answer 1

I don't have any opposition or anger towards God. I don't believe in him. I have opposition & some anger towards some of his followers who us a book to justify their hatred, bigotry, racism, wars, and anything else that can find. Followers that write & change laws that require all to follow. Followers that interfere in the gov't, schools, and the private lives of others.

Answer 2

We are not angry "At God", we are angry about the stupidity and outright evil that is being perpetuated by God's followers...



God is a myth... It doesn't matter if you call it Ra or Thor or Christ...



The fact that people, in this day and age, are still using the supernatural as a CRUTCH in order to justify their existence is a sad and outright pathetic thing...



God's played a roll in the far reaches of humanity's past because back then, we were unable to understand such things as why the sun rises and sets and why winter comes before summer...



We were frightened little bunnies trying to cope with the big wide world...



But now that we KNOW that the earth revolves around the sun and that the tilt of the earth is what causes the seasons to change has eliminated the NEED to say that everything is caused by 'God'...



People that need to believe that they are special little snowflakes in the eyes of their big 'daddy' figure in the sky are allowing their own low self esteem and inability to accept the insignifigance of humanity in general, and themselves in particular, because if they actually accepted that they are nothing but an ant on the back of an elephant they would kill themselves!



Small minded people that can't accept reality still cling to myths and fairy tales to keep themselves on a pedestal.



Perpetuating your mythology because you’re too scared to accept reality is slowing down the evolution of humanity as a whole and is continuing the hate and violence that we SHOULD have grown out of hundreds if not thousands of years ago.

Answer 3

Not all atheists are against religion and God. But, we feel that it is not needed. All of the benefits of religion (wishful thinking, charities, meditation, etc) can all be achieved without any religion. And people kill each other all the time because the other person does not worship the same "God". Religion causes more harm than it cures.



Think of it this way. If I tell you that I have a leprechaun who created the world and grants wishes, and who watches every single person in the world and sends them to a good or bad place when they die, would you believe me? If you asked to see the leprechaun, well he's invisible. You just have to believe that he's there.



Now, you don't believe in that - of course not. But do you HATE the leprechaun? Are you now against me because I believe in it? No. you simply don't believe he exists. You aren't REJECTING him or OPPOSING him, you just don't think he exists.



Hope that cleared it up a bit :)

Answer 4

I hate religion because people blindly believe it and do so much 'in the name of religion.'



Suicide Bombings



Terrorism



Genocide



Teaching Creationism as Science



Refuting scientific evidence because in contradics religious texts



Forcing relgious beliefs on others without evidence



Double standards - religions are some of the richest organisations in the world yet their followers are some of the poorest



Thats just to name a few! I guess if religions kept to the church and didn't negatively affect others in society then the most I would do is disagree with religion. I would like to state that doesn't mean I hate those who are religious because for the very most part I don't.

Answer 5

Why are you so blind to what an atheist is?! greater to the factor in case you don't be attentive to what an atheist is why are you so illiberal, hate crammed, bigoted and persecuting in the direction of them?! ATHEIST - somebody who would not have faith in a God – any God – no longer purely the Christian one. yet that would not advise they do no longer carry sturdy ethical or religious ideals! they might persist with any faith that would not have a god and there are multiple those! Like BUDDHISM – religious coaching from Buddha and his followers that via destroying greed, hatred and fantasy (the reason of all suffering) guy can attain suited enlightenment! the place do you think of christianity have been provided that's techniques of a soul and afterlife from for goodness sake? They stole it from the pagan tribes and peoples which existed hundreds and hundreds of years in the past christianity! From the stone age with the aid of vikings, Egyptians, Maoris, Aborigines, American Indians and surprisingly the chinese language, all of them had difficult funerals and grave products to speed the soul into the subsequent existence with convenience! upload christians and muslims jointly and that they volume to easily under a third of the international inhabitants maximum folk of something is created from atheists and religions without gods!! so as that they are contained in maximum folk right here! Your thought on atheist is so nasty, so incorrect and so biased which you will desire to look at who's twisting your suggestions like that and commence staring at why they're doing it!

Answer 6

I oppose no religion but I do oppose forced religious belief. I do like having people tell me I should believe in their god because then i will not go to hell. I also dislike being called a bad person because I do not believe there is a god. Its not the religion I oppose its the followers who are completely intolerant of anyone with different beliefs.





The Bard~

Answer 7

Because religion is inherently illogical, and as such is a detriment not only to the believer but to society as a whole -- which means to my progeny. So, I have a direct personal interest in seeing religious nonsense extirpated, once and for all, as does everyone else on this planet. The race progresses by the use of logical thought. But faith, which is the essential ingredient of any religion, is the intentional rejection of logical thought: it is a belief in something for which there is not only no evidence, but a fair amount of contradictory evidence. Since the ability to use logic is the defining characteristic of the species, to reject it is to choose to become an animal.

Answer 8

I'm not angry about god and I don't oppose religion and god.

People should be free to believe whatever they like.

What I am angry about and oppose is having those beliefs introduced as legislation so that they,to a small part,have an effect on my life and that some want to teach their religion as fact when there is no evidence to back up their claims.

Answer 9

I don't oppose God. I just don't know for sure who He would be, if He exists. It's not God that angers anybody. It's the people who think they already know everything there is to know about God and feel justified in preaching their "knowledge" to people who just don't want to hear it when the message is, "If you don't believe what I believe, you'll regret it." That's what pisses people off, although most Christian simply conclude that we're all liars and because we refuse to adopt their convictions as our own, we must hate God.



I was actually raised Christian and regularly attended church and church functions for 18 years. The experience was not a bad one, but I find the messages to be wrong, not only logically, but morally too. I used to play the, "I don't use that part of the Bible." card, but slowly I came to the realization that I might be lying to myself, so I explored my doubts and came to what I perceive as a rational conclusion. I continue to explore my doubts as well as the things I feel pretty certain about and since I began doing that, life has taken on an attribute of clarity that I could have never achieved by taking knowledge on faith alone.



I wouldn't strictly call myself an atheist, but I could never really get it to make sense, even when I was told that God doesn't have to make sense if He doesn't want to. It's not my job to question God. I'm just supposed to follow and trust that I'm not being deceived by a fanciful concept that they call, "truth."



I oppose religion in the same way an umbrella deflects the rain and I speak out because I'm willing to share my umbrella, but I'm not going to force it over anybody's head and I'm definitely not going to tell them how miserable they're going to be in the rain when they seem to be enjoying themselves just fine already.

Answer 10

I'm against religion because on the whole it's a bad thing rather than a good thing. That's as simple as I can put it. I'm not angry with "god(s)". Deities don't exist. I don't get mad at imaginary characters (unless I'm watching a movie and then sometimes I think "oh, that awful villain, how could they" but remind myself that it's only a movie).

Answer 11

I just don't truly understand how you COULD believe in it, I know that some Christians (probably yourself) don't understand how you couldn't believe it. I feel no anger towards God, because I can't, since in my mind he is completely false.



I don't look down of Christians, unless they look down on me. However I do have tendency to think 'What the hell is wrong with these people?', lol, which I know I shouldn't, but it's difficult for me to get my head around Christians- or more so, Catholics.



I have found that a large percentage of Christians DO look down on atheists- so I have a tendency to be apprehensive of them.

Answer 12

I'm not angry about an imaginary being. I am not happy with some Christians trying to legislate their morality (most notably, but not limited to, voting against same sex marriages). I'm also not happy with students coming out of school and thinking that "belief" is the same as science or that creationist claims actually hold water.

Answer 13

I don't think Atheists are neccessarily against religion or God, it's more that they are for logic, rationality, and reason.



Many non-Christians have faced a deluge of judgement and intolerance from certain groups of Christians, and that is more the cause for any kind of anger you might be perceiving.

Answer 14

Of course everybody should be free to believe what they wish. Why are you guys so hostile to THAT.



We become angry when people try to force us to believe things or are hated or judged because we don't believe things. On paper it looks like just a difference of opinion and requires no anger. In reality it gets people killed. Whether you like it or not, the 9/11 hijackers were very devout religious men doing what they deeply felt was a very pious act. And yes, it made me angry.



(just one example)

Answer 15

>For atheists... Why do you oppose religion and God?



We don't oppose God, we simply don't think he exists.



We do oppose religion however, and the 'why' is because we see religion as causing a large amount of damage to our society and civilization. I happen to have a video on the subject that can explain it more easily than I can:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4fQA9mt-Mg

Answer 16

I do not believe in god



I oppose organised religion because it takes the place of thought and freedom.



I see many though by no means all Christians as bully's. I burn of a little steam here I cant in my daily life.

Answer 17

I'm not angry with god or religion, I'm distraught about religious people telling me I need to base my life on their religion without giving me ANY good reason why I should believe it.

Answer 18

I'm angry at your version of god(s) like I'm angry at the easter bunny. What I do get angry about is people pushing their beliefs as law, as science to be taught in public school classes, and as reason to discriminate against others.

Answer 19

Saying I oppose God is like saying you oppose Santa (assuming you don't believe in him). I don't necessarily oppose religion, but it angers me when people try to push religion into schools and politics.

Answer 20

Have you ever had a history class? Religion brainwashes a massive amt of people into doing horrible things to others! Then convinces them that they're being 'helpful' or 'loving'.

Answer 21

I cannot and am not angry @ anything, what is not out there.

But, i get sometimes really mad, when some imbecile uses the word God, as it did something, or said??? something.

and they abused against people.

Answer 22

We don't oppose god because we don't believe in something that doesn't exist.

We oppose religion because it worships something that doesn't exist.

That was easy, wasn't it?

Answer 23

It is not possible to be opposed to or to be in opposition to something that does not exist.

Are you opposed to the giant green and purple invisible lizards that live inside your head that you don't believe are there?

see how silly that is?

Answer 24

It's not "opposing" to insist on evidence before we take your claims about the supernatural seriously.



You must un-ask the question.

Answer 25

Because in part of the tragic results of faith based

initiatives such as 'Abstinance Only'.



http://www.newwest.net/main/article/the_failure_of_abstinence_only_sex_education/

Answer 26

Which posts, specifically, did you see that were "angry at god"?

I'm curious...

Answer 27

I oppose wilfull ignorance anywhere I find it, whether it is religious in nature or not.

Answer 28

I have no anger towards anything which does not exist, that would be a little pointless.

Answer 29

because we're waiting for you to catch up so we can move on to the next stage of civilization



the Age of thinking for yourself & using your own will-power

Answer 30

Eh, I have nothing against G_D, just your version of G_D.

Answer 31

Generalize much?

Answer 32

If you read the bible properly you'll likely understand

Answer 33

It doesn't bother me until religious types decide that entire countries need to live by their religious rules, that schools need to teach their dogma...

Answer 34

I find most atheists are very fanatical about their religion (yes, their religion, that is what it is!)