Why do religious people seem to have a bigger problem with atheists

[edhopper]

than other believers whose beliefs are completely contrary to their own?

Not to generalize, but I have encountered this often.

I have talked to conservative Christians who are bugged by The Nones more than all the Muslims, Jews and Budhist.

"As long as you believe in something." Strange concept.

Thoughts?

[elleng]

1. No good reason.

[Major Nikon]

2. The answer is simple

They know it's all nonsense, which makes open defiance of their belief system the biggest threat to the religious privilege they can't imagine themselves without.

[Jamastiene]

3. The whole Jews for Jesus thing is popular where I live.

They do not like ANY other religion than extremist right wing Christianity where I live. I haven't met any that have a bigger problem with nonbelievers than they do with Jews, Muslims, and in a lot of cases, even Catholics and Mormons. They get all uptight about Catholics and Mormons where I live to. We have exactly one Catholic church and one Mormon church in my whole home county. There are no non-right wing type churches here. We don't have any UCC or MCC type churches at all. Someone would have to drive 75 miles west to attend one those churches.

Anyone who is Jewish and wants to avoid an hour of misery listening to the high powered used car salesman style pitch about Christian churches they should be attending to save their soul, keeps their head down or learns to say Merry Christmas like they mean it.

It sucks here, in other words. People stop you in the aisles at the grocery store to demand you tell them which church you attend. I tell them I go to church online at a church in another state. That usually shuts them up.

That is an interesting question. I would like to know why there are some that have a problem with nonbelievers more than other religions. I know they hate atheists and agnostics where I live. At times, I have leaned toward agnostic and sometimes toward atheist and have always caught hell for it. When I tried Buddhism for a while, I just got the usual uninvited sermon from random people about going to Hell. It wasn't any different than the crap they give me for agnostic or atheist.

[edhopper]

6. I feel your pain

Christin cn be so "un-Christian"

[Mariana]

17. Only if you define "Christian" to mean "a good and kind person".

It does not mean that.

Anyway, the Bible says that Jesus very clearly instructed his followers to recruit, so Christians who do so *are* following Jesus's teaching.

[edhopper]

22. Jesus said a lot of things about acting kind, helping the underpriviledged

not seeking revenge and how the rich are sinners. They don't follow those instructions.

[Mariana]

23. That may make them bad Christians.

It doesn't make them non-Christians.

[edhopper]

24. But I said act

"un-Christian" not non-Christian

[Major Nikon]

10. I grew up that way

I decided a long time ago I wasn't going to continue that way. I have no problem whatsoever telling them I'm an atheist or just telling them it's none of their business. If you feel like people polite after they have abandoned any sense of that word, just tell them thanks for the sentiment behind the sermon, but no thanks. I'm not buying what you are selling.

The only reason they think their tactics will work is for the moment within the confines of their ever shrinking mindset they have privilege. But that privilege shrinks a little more each day and the more extreme their tactics get, the more they insure its demise.

[RockRaven]

4. It's a bit like asking why BBQers have a bigger problem with vegetarians than

those who insist that Eastern North Carolina-, or South Carolina-, or Memphis-, or St Louis-, or South Texas-, or East Texas-, (etc, etc)-style BBQ is better. [If anyone truly knows people who think that a non-meat-eater is MORE RIGHT than a meat-eater who is cooking their meat wrong, let me know, that sounds like a potentially interesting story]

You might be in total opposition to this other party, by the rules of your game, but *at least they are playing the same game* whereas atheists, like vegetarians in the other scenario, are flipping the game board because they reject the basic premise.

[Nay]

14. What you said. And you said it better than I was going to -- if you are already a believer,

Christians know their attempts to convert you start at the baseline of "there is a god."

Atheists don't even believe there IS a god, so first the Christian has to convince you that there is such a thing as a god, THEN convince you that Christianity is the specific religion you need.

They usually don't have the wherewithal or the intellect to stand there and convince an atheist that there is a god. Often, they are stunned to discover an atheist in the neighborhood. Here's an actual conversation I had:

Christian: Have you heard the Word of Jesus?
Me: Yes, but I am an atheist.
Christian: (in shock) Why are you angry at God? What happened in your life?
Me: Uh, I don't think there is a god at all -- how could I be angry at something that doesn't exist?

[Cartoonist]

5. God is the common denominator

As long as you don't question the existence of God, you belong to the same gullible club.

[edhopper]

7. Budhists don't believe in God

Hindus believe in many, and yet...

[Cartoonist]

9. Do they have a problem with nones?

I don't think so.

[edhopper]

15. I mean

Christians don't mind Buddhist as much they do atheist.

[Cartoonist]

16. They think Buddha is a God

They made Jesus a God, so why not Buddha?
Mohammed is a demigod, sort of.

[edhopper]

20. They do

just read a post on Facebook by a Christian who thinks the "young people who think religion is BS" are foolish and stupid.

[Cartoonist]

21. Do Buddhists have a problem with nones

I would think they'd be indifferent.

[LastDemocratInSC]

8. For the same reason that people who like carburetors don't like fuel injectors

Or something like that. Or maybe not that at all.

[3Hotdogs]

11. a no god is more frieghtening because of the emptiness it evokes. If you chose the wrong god,

at least there was the possibility of after life existence. No god means you are completely alone. You can't ask for help in your math test, you can't ask for help, defeating your opponent on the football field, you can't even ask His help to kick Muslim asses. You ain't gonna meet the family again in 50 years. No front row seat in the heavenly palace next to Jimmy (who's next to Billy) or Billy (who's next to Pope Succus.)

You ain't even gonna sit next to the priest or pastor who buggered you or your kid because there ain't no Heavenly Throne or palace.

All that stuff comes to be sad, lonely and fearful.

[trotsky]

12. They hate the atheist who questions why some women have to cover their heads...

more than they hate the religious group that forces them to cover their heads.

Religion. Yay.

[AtheistCrusader]

13. If you believe in something, you're probably easier to convert. Camel's nose in the tent and all.

[guillaumeb]

18. The variability of human nature.

My view is to respect others, or not, for what they do.

[Iggo]

19. Fear.