Is misotheism to be "combated"?

[sidetrack]

I just read a wikipedia article on misotheism and oh boy do I feel a bit unsettled.Even though it’s defined as the hatred of God or gods the stuff under “terminology” shows that it’s not as simple a conept as it sounds.I’ve got a feeling that this is one of those things that people (and those of us as Catholics I guess) can (please not this word) justifably oppose (most of the time?) right?.I’m saying that latter sentance with some reluctance because of considering those with a nontheistic spirituality and the freedom of belief that people have (it’s how it’s expressed that causes arguement) even though there are cases when there no argueing (ex. demonic cults).Thank you very much so for your time and I’m so very sorry if I just “opened a can of worms” as the expression goes.

 

[James1215]

I think the world would be a better place if we all shared your caution and self-awareness when faced with people who seem to oppose our most precious beliefs. Given the way you ask the question, I think you have demonstrated an answer: generosity, charity and consideration, and we’ll all be a step closer to agreement.

I re-read that and need to add that I am not a misotheist, but I hold certain other convictions none the weaker as an atheist.

 

[Flavius_Aetius]

The thing about Misotheists is that “They come to us”. They don’t keep their hatred of God to themselves, no they are the most vocal atheists who openly admit that they argue on forms and with people about their beliefs not to understand it but to simply destroy the faith in others!

So yes it should be combatted, but it’s a battle you’ll never win. They come with a fanaticism that would match the most extreme theist and their only goal is to make you feel like a fool for worshiping something you can’t see with your physical senses and laugh at you when you try to argue back to them!

 

[tonyrey]

The thing about Misotheists is that “They come to us”. They don’t keep their hatred of God to themselves, no they are the most vocal atheists who openly admit that they argue on forms and with people about their beliefs not to understand it but to simply destroy the faith in others!

So yes it should be combatted, but it’s a battle you’ll never win. They come with a fanaticism that would match the most extreme theist and their only goal is to make you feel like a fool for worshiping something you can’t see with your physical senses and laugh at you when you try to argue back to them!

I disagree that we’ll never win. Just point out that they cannot see their mind with their physical senses and laugh at them if they say the mind is just the brain. Tell them they must be mindless!

 

[ThinkingSapien]

So yes it should be combatted, but it’s a battle you’ll never win. They come with a fanaticism that would match the most extreme theist and their only goal is to make you feel like a fool for worshiping something you can’t see with your physical senses and laugh at you when you try to argue back to them!

I’d encourage taking things on a case by case basis. It’s helpful to know what is fueling the emotion and motivation behind some one that has taken a combative role. When I think of the word “misotheistic” I think of a specific person that believed in Yahweh but felt betrayed because of the death of a loved one. He’d react negatively when ever some one would want to pray over a meal of give thanks. His disposition was present for a few years. After some time when he was able to better cope with the death of this person that had been close to him his negative reactions diminished and he eventually went back to the church.

My expectation is that if you encounter some one that is misotheistic then the person has a specific distressful experience that caused them to become that way. It may be an indication that the person is in need of emotional healing. Combating such a person may not be the best way to contribute to their emotional healing. But at the same time I acknowledge that there are limits to the extent of bad behaviour that one will toleration. So those emotions from being hurt are not a free ticket to to be supremely offensive.

 

[TheWatcher]

The thing about Misotheists is that “They come to us”. They don’t keep their hatred of God to themselves, no they are the most vocal atheists who openly admit that they argue on forms and with people about their beliefs not to understand it but to simply destroy the faith in others!

So yes it should be combatted, but it’s a battle you’ll never win. They come with a fanaticism that would match the most extreme theist and their only goal is to make you feel like a fool for worshiping something you can’t see with your physical senses and laugh at you when you try to argue back to them!

I’m not sure you can be a misotheist and an atheist.

Misotheists believe in God/gods, they just hate Him/them.
Atheists don’t believe in God/gods.

Anti-theists is the group I think you’re thinking about. People who hate religion and the belief in God. This includes atheists such as Richard Dawkins and PZ Myers.

 

[Sair]

I’m not sure you can be a misotheist and an atheist.

Misotheists believe in God/gods, they just hate Him/them.
Atheists don’t believe in God/gods.

Anti-theists is the group I think you’re thinking about. People who hate religion and the belief in God. This includes atheists such as Richard Dawkins and PZ Myers.

I’d second this, and also ThinkingSapien’s comments. One cannot hate that in which one has no belief.

It may be that from a believer’s perspective, active disbelief in God/gods - ‘strong’ atheism - constitutes a hateful act, but this perception comes from a place of firm belief in and emotional commitment to a personal God. Although it’s fair to say that, read dispassionately, the Bible portrays several characteristics and actions of God that might justifiably inspire an intense dislike, if one believed them to be true. It’s also quite true that outspoken atheists are often disdainful of religious belief and practice in general, considering it to be pointless and even absurd. I don’t think this is misotheism, though.

Although the word is often used casually, hatred, as such, is an intense emotional response generally inspired by a sense of hurt, betrayal or deep disillusionment. This is perhaps the experience of those who have invested in religious belief but have, in one way or another, had their hopes dashed. Disappointment is not the promise made by most religions, so it can come as a terrible blow to someone who expected better things. I would suggest that, in order to feel actual hatred towards God in such circumstances - as opposed to falling into indifference and disbelief - one must retain a firm belief in a personal God who has wilfully caused one to suffer.

 

[Flavius_Aetius]

I’m not sure you can be a misotheist and an atheist.

Misotheists believe in God/gods, they just hate Him/them.
Atheists don’t believe in God/gods.

Anti-theists is the group I think you’re thinking about. People who hate religion and the belief in God. This includes atheists such as Richard Dawkins and PZ Myers.

Yes Anti-Theist would be the better word to use. It simply a rarity to see anyone outright admit to being anti-theist, most of the time the either label themselves atheist or don’t bother labeling themselves to anything.

 

[jochoa]

I just read a wikipedia article on misotheism and oh boy do I feel a bit unsettled.Even though it’s defined as the hatred of God or gods the stuff under “terminology” shows that it’s not as simple a conept as it sounds.I’ve got a feeling that this is one of those things that people (and those of us as Catholics I guess) can (please not this word) justifably oppose (most of the time?) right?.I’m saying that latter sentance with some reluctance because of considering those with a nontheistic spirituality and the freedom of belief that people have (it’s how it’s expressed that causes arguement) even though there are cases when there no argueing (ex. demonic cults).Thank you very much so for your time and I’m so very sorry if I just “opened a can of worms” as the expression goes.

I think it is important to consider many different levels of relations:
According to my understanding of the Law of Love,
We, each, can have zero tolerance and fully oppose any thought/behavior that is not of Loving God in our personal self.
If we have been granted authority over the misotheist, we can justifiably admonish him/her and have little tolerance for the thoughts/actions before inflicting a ‘just’ punishment.
If the misotheist seeks our companionship, we can justifiably admonish him/her and have some tolerance/patience for the thoughts/actions before denying companionship.
If the misotheist seeks our assistance, we can justifiably admonish him/her and have great tolerance/patience for the thoughts/actions before denying assistance.
None of the Above Perspective: If the misotheist is not in our life, we cannot justifiably admonish him/her, and we should demonstrate the peace, happiness, and energy that comes from always being patient, kind, and motivated for God to the self, others, authority, and material, so that they may desire and seek our assistance, companionship, authority, and Law!
If the misotheist seeks to act on misotheistic principles towards us, we should do the same as in the none-of-the-above scenario.
If the misotheist’s actions are breaking the law of the land, though we should forgive them and not judge nor seek repentance from them, we could report them to protective agencies of the land to possibly prevent future harm to others.

I hope this is of assistance! I appreciate you sharing such a thought-provoking question. My understanding and faith of/in the Truth is greater from pondering the question!

 

[James1215]

I disagree that we’ll never win. Just point out that they cannot see their mind with their physical senses and laugh at them if they say the mind is just the brain. Tell them they must be mindless!

I know this is a tangent, but I can’t resist. We can see the entire brain with numerous different scanning technologies, and we can impair or assist functions of the mind with surgery or chemical manipulation on the brain. That does suggest a connection worth pursuing! Asserting that the mind is separate from the brain is more dodgy, surely, as you are left believing that the mind is invisible and undetectable outside the self. When you stop having thoughts, like when you are unconscious, does it just go away? Are we then mindless?

 

[CasusPacis]

It does seem difficult to combat, because Misotheists, by nature, admit the existence of theological truth, no matter which religion they stem from. The problem is not their denial of God, but their abject hatred of their nature, and desire to defame their presence.
I believe one of the oldest recorded examples, (beyond the multiplicitious mythological/legendary cases of god-rebels in pantheistic religions), is in Scandinavian mythology, where multiple kings decried the gods when they failed to protect them despite their prayers and offerings, and henceforth denied them worship and had them shamed publically until their deaths.

In many of these old religions, even in early precursors to Abrahamic faiths, the gods were capricious and hateful, especially fond of punishing mankind in much the same manner as a man stomping on an anthill. Given a belief in such beings, it follows that certain willfully and morally independent individuals would see such gods not as rightful paragons, but savage and primal dictators ruling through power and fear, and no more fit to lead the human race than any man or woman.

Even with the more popular and less anthropomorphic/wrathful notion of God today, there are those who refuse to reconcile an all-knowing, all-benevolent being with all the evil in the world.

Most of those people choose atheism or apatheism, but some choose to believe in that god nevertheless, and to place them in the same theological position as the Adversary is usually placed. An enemy of humanity, and our freedom and happiness.
This was likely the root of the popularity of belief in the devil, whether it was Satan or Lucifer, because such a being allows evil to take metaphysical, causal form in a world ruled by benevolence and kindness.

Of course, this is all from a historical/philosophical/sociological perspective. I don’t even know any misotheists in person, even though I share some of the same hang-ups that lead to their burning hatred. It would be interesting to compare the ways we differ.

 

[Charlemagne_III]

One cannot hate that in which one has no belief.

I do not believe in atheism, and I hate it.

I hate it because I believe it is the devil’s work.

To paraphrase Christopher Hitchens:

God is great, how atheism spoils everything!

 

[dshix]

It does seem difficult to combat, because Misotheists, by nature, admit the existence of theological truth, no matter which religion they stem from. The problem is not their denial of God, but their abject hatred of their nature, and desire to defame their presence.
I believe one of the oldest recorded examples, (beyond the multiplicitious mythological/legendary cases of god-rebels in pantheistic religions), is in Scandinavian mythology, where multiple kings decried the gods when they failed to protect them despite their prayers and offerings, and henceforth denied them worship and had them shamed publically until their deaths.

In many of these old religions, even in early precursors to Abrahamic faiths, the gods were capricious and hateful, especially fond of punishing mankind in much the same manner as a man stomping on an anthill. Given a belief in such beings, it follows that certain willfully and morally independent individuals would see such gods not as rightful paragons, but savage and primal dictators ruling through power and fear, and no more fit to lead the human race than any man or woman.

Even with the more popular and less anthropomorphic/wrathful notion of God today, there are those who refuse to reconcile an all-knowing, all-benevolent being with all the evil in the world.

Most of those people choose atheism or apatheism, but some choose to believe in that god nevertheless, and to place them in the same theological position as the Adversary is usually placed. An enemy of humanity, and our freedom and happiness.
This was likely the root of the popularity of belief in the devil, whether it was Satan or Lucifer, because such a being allows evil to take metaphysical, causal form in a world ruled by benevolence and kindness.

Of course, this is all from a historical/philosophical/sociological perspective. I don’t even know any misotheists in person, even though I share some of the same hang-ups that lead to their burning hatred. It would be interesting to compare the ways we differ.

I do not believe in atheism, and I hate it.

I hate it because I believe it is the devil’s work.

To paraphrase Christopher Hitchens:

God is great, how atheism spoils everything!

5-year old thread: Please make a new one if this is a subject you’re interested in discussing.

 

[CasusPacis]

5-year old thread: Please make a new one if this is a subject you’re interested in discussing.

Sorry about that. Found the topic on a search and totally didn’t see the timestamp.
Won’t reply again. Thanks for the heads up though!

 

[dshix]

Sorry about that. Found the topic on a search and totally didn’t see the timestamp.
Won’t reply again. Thanks for the heads up though!

No problem, it’s a common mistake. I figured I’d let you know now before you began to wonder why in the world the OP wasn’t responding.

 

[fisherman_carl]

I’d second this, and also ThinkingSapien’s comments. One cannot hate that in which one has no belief.

It may be that from a believer’s perspective, active disbelief in God/gods - ‘strong’ atheism - constitutes a hateful act, but this perception comes from a place of firm belief in and emotional commitment to a personal God. Although it’s fair to say that, read dispassionately, the Bible portrays several characteristics and actions of God that might justifiably inspire an intense dislike, if one believed them to be true. It’s also quite true that outspoken atheists are often disdainful of religious belief and practice in general, considering it to be pointless and even absurd. I don’t think this is misotheism, though.

Although the word is often used casually, hatred, as such, is an intense emotional response generally inspired by a sense of hurt, betrayal or deep disillusionment. This is perhaps the experience of those who have invested in religious belief but have, in one way or another, had their hopes dashed. Disappointment is not the promise made by most religions, so it can come as a terrible blow to someone who expected better things. I would suggest that, in order to feel actual hatred towards God in such circumstances - as opposed to falling into indifference and disbelief - one must retain a firm belief in a personal God who has wilfully caused one to suffer.

I’m not so sure that you can’t hate something you don’t believe in. I mean I don’t like Romulins or the monster under your bed, but that doesn’t mean I believe in them. You can still dislike the idea of them or what they represent even if you don’t believe in them.