i am an athiest?

[cheyenne]

i am an athiest,but i respect all religeons,do other religeons respect athiests.???news 24 1105pm.

[dysmal]

They would probably respect you more if you could spell.

[el duerino]

no most don't unfortunately. we are either satanists, possessed, infidels, or misguided sheep who need to be saved. Either way they're a pain in the ass.

[sarah1234]

I have very strong religious beliefs and my husband-to-be is an atheist. We get along fine. We don't avoid the subject or anything, we have some very interesting conversations and respect our differences.

[cheyenne]

i typed this after a few beers last night,after watching a news item.sorry about the spelling it should read religion.its a pity you dont have any point of view on this matter apart from pointing out somebodys spelling mistakes.[abuse removed]

[RevShirls]

I can't speak for other religions, but I assume that those with more liberal views within most religions would respect atheists. Fundamentalists within any group, whether it be within politics, religion, atheism, academic circles etc tend to have difficulty in respecting those with different views from themselves.

[FP]

Vinny, well said with your reply to dysmal. I got an equally rude answer to a question on student loans I posed in the people and places section. Why do some people go out of their way to spoil this site with their irrelevant and childish answers? I too am an atheist but it has never caused any problems with my religious friends and we all respect each others views. Rev.Shirls is so right. It is just fundamentalists from any groups that are so blinkered to other peoples points of view.

[el duerino]

you would think so, but unfortunately in my experience religious persons, if not outright antagonism, almost always have a very superior attitude towards atheists. I hate to say it rev but I have found very few liberal religions. Its in their very nature as corruptive social traditions not to be liberal.

[Alej]

I agree, to be honest in my opinion the kind of people that need religion are too ignorant to listen to 2 points of view at the same time. The very fact that they try to convert athiests shows their lack of respect. If you are religeous and reading this thinking its unfair, tell the others at your church to stop trying to 'save people' and insult us athiests by telling us we are lost sheep - ie stupid, its the other way round. If someone says their going to pray for me ill flip

[jills]

it's all about mutual respect really...something which I find to be sadly lacking in our 21st Century society. I'm a non-believer but to be honest, I really don't know many people who are particularly religious. A few friends go to church as much for the social aspects as anything else. We seldom discuss religion, it seems largely irrelevant these days to my family and friends. I absolutely respect peoples right to believe in whatever god/idol they chose, and expect them to treat me in the same way. As with any aspect of life (not just religion), people who try to force their views on others are rude, arrogant and blinkered, but that's their problem.

[jills]

P.S. RevShirls......have read lots fo your answers in recent weeks, and you are a breath of fresh air to the clergy as I know (knew) it. Your attitude is open and understanding, you offer real advice and help not platitudes and cliches. I have had little involvement with the church since my childhood, but people like you do make me think there's a definite place for religion in the world (despite my comments on it being largely irrelevant), as I don't doubt you would offer comfort, solace and guidance to those who needed it, regardless of their beliefs. Scotlands loss is Swedens gain! x

[el duerino]

Personally I think that people should have that attitude towards each other with the absence of religion. Therefore religion provides nothing.

[jills]

religion provides comfort for millions of people. You cannot therefore say it provides nothing. That's just factually wrong. Yes, possibly everyone should have that attitude, but they (we) don't, and it is unrealistic to expect it. This is not some sort of Utopia, it's the real world.

[el duerino]

I am willing to think ice cream provides more comfort around the world than religion. Therefore religion is less useful than ice cream? No, religion does provide something, a hideous social chimera for people to hide their prejudices, ignorance, and hatred behind. No this is not Utopia, but it won't get any better if we continue to accept limiting belief systems. We will never move forward with organised religion providing such an easy costume for human failings.

[jills]

religion may well, by your definition, by less useful than ice cream (LOL) el duerino. But if religion, this social chimera, were removed, would these human failings also vanish? Or, would people find another cloak, such as nationalism, patriotism, egotism. While I agree religion is used as a reason for conflicts of all proportions, I can't believe that removing it would remove the issues (prejudice, ignorance, hatred), nor would it make them any easier to deal with and resolve.

[cheyenne]

i opoligise for any abuse used against the person with the first answer.i just found his/her comments about spelling very small minded,when other people have taken the time to answer and contribute to a very interesting subject.i must point out that there was not any swearing involved what so ever.

[jills]

good question tho vinny100....., even if (or maybe because??) it was after a few beers!

[jills]

3 stars...what a surprise, LOL!

[el duerino]

well I would rather have a bowl of ice cream rather than a fictional being of great malice dictate my life to me, especially if it was mint choc chip ;) You are right in that there are other cloaks for humantiy to hide behind in its less favourable guises - but are you then saying that religion is a lesser of two evils? Merely because others exist we should not try and remove one in particular? Religion is particularly insidious because of its insistence on faith, which for most poor ignorant souls out there translates to unquestioning dogma and adherence to a book that is thousands of years old. It is only in the last decade or so that freethinkers have been at large to criticise and lambast religion for the goat in goats clothing that it actually is, and even now it holds some special place in society. Soon once again it will be above open reproach due to tightening laws on incitement to religious hatred - watch and see. Basically religion is the worst of these phenomenon because it disguises itself in different forms. Christianity is the most adaptable form of religion, precisely so it can fit in and thrive whatever the enviroment, it's a social parasite.

[cheyenne]

sorry jills,my finger slipped.lol

[NoGood Boyo]

I don't know if atheists are right or if believers are right. Does this make me a 'di-agnostic'?