Why do so many atheists seem angry?

[Swan]

Atheists do not enjoy people trying to convert them. They find it “annoying.” And I understand their position. God Almighty knows I may get sick and tired of getting Mormons trying pressure me into their church.

But so long as you can think without having your religion speak for you, I’m pretty sure they can prove to be nice people. I’ve met very nice and tolerant Atheists in the past, who I am still friends with, today.

Remember, they are not angry. In all honesty, it seems like religion (Christianity, especially) is just hanging on their last nerve.

Ironically Yours, Blade and Blood

First, I’ve read a lot of your posts and you seem to be a very intelligent, rational person. You try to understand others, have empathy, and are charitable. Very refreshing!

I’m a former Catholic, now agnostic. I have a very diverse group of friends, some of whom are atheists. I don’t find them to be any more angry than anybody else. But you hit the nail on the head with being fed up with “converters”. But who isn’t? No one likes to be told that they are wrong - not Catholics by Protestants, not Methodists by Pentecostals, not Jews by Christians, not Hindus by Muslims, etc, etc. It makes people angry, especially when done in a antagonistic way - which is way too common. And no one wants other peoples beliefs shoved onto to them. I’m a liberal and have a pretty live and let live philosophy. Most atheists do too. Think how Christians would feel if the next time you went to a steakhouse, a group of Hindus were calling you “god killers”.

 

[survive]

Should our national motto have been changed? Don’t you think it disenfranchises atheists?
Should our Pledge of Allegiance have been changed so that it now disenfranchises atheists?
Should the Boy Scouts still receive preferential treatment even though they discriminate against atheists?
…I personally would go so far as to say if Christians weren’t waging a war against atheists in the U.S. why did they go to the trouble to exclude them? Is that not offensive and aggressive on their part? Didn’t they go out of their way?

National motto?
How can the Pledge disenfranchise anyone? It’s a statement of patriotism. It has no control over any level of franchise whatever. Nor does it make any such claim or attempt.
Are the angry atheists really mostly former Boy Scout applicants who were discriminated against? I doubt it. I wanted to be a Girl Scout and practical issues blocked it, not a barrier between GSA and my extremely (then) anti-religious family, who were fine with the association. I knew many atheist/agnostic Girl Scouts and Brownies.
From what have we excluded atheists? They can immigrate, become citizens, vote and own everything religious people can. They are even welcome in church. As guests. Just as I would think we are welcome to visit, as guests, their gathering places. They can become President on the same terms as any other citizen.
In reality, atheists set the terms for the teaching of our children, for the content of mass media despite their small number, through a disproportionate amount of media consumption and advertising responsiveness, and for the dominant theories used in psychotherapy, due to a higher interest in that field of work. They are a small, powerful sector of America who react fiercely to any reminder the majority are among them. Yet we mostly greet them with love and warmth.

I can not count how many times over the years that Christians told me I was an evil bad man who is no different than being a child murderer because I didn’t believe in God. …Truth is people do not want to learn how to live with each other. Everybody must conform to one way and that way must be God, the Christian God.

I have never heard of anyone saying someone is evil and a child murderer for simply being an atheist.
Truth from my point of view is that we are the ones trying to live together. But we believe something that is central to us and some have solid, strong reasons for so believing. Thus to pretend not to be thinking about it would be absurd.

 

[survive]

And no one wants other peoples beliefs shoved onto to them. I’m a liberal and have a pretty live and let live philosophy. Most atheists do too. Think how Christians would feel if the next time you went to a steakhouse, a group of Hindus were calling you “god killers”.

As you seem to be in California, I’m surprised that you aren’t aware of how often and how combatively atheists, Danbrownists, Hindus, Gaianists and Wiccans accost Christians with harangues against meat eating, pet owning, Bible reading, marriage, churchgoing, crucifix wearing, grace saying, car driving and especially childbearing, but maybe every city’s different. I’d say it’s a frequent sight from Vancouver to Monterey.

 

[That_one_guy]

:twocents: Here’s what I think.
Atheism is angry in general.It is the very nature of the beast.These folks are disenchanted by the the concept of how many wars are fought over the issues of religion.("They don’t believe in the book that we got over here, so that makes them bad.)
The idea that Christ has done away with all the preconceived notions of how to appease ‘the gods’ is a foreign concept.With Hollywood and the so-called idea of progressive politics many abominations are being promoted as fashionable and even desired for the better good.
The way to deal with these poor misguided individuals is to live your lives as close to the ideals of Christ as you possibly can.
They will be around always.Strutting and yelling and pointing fingers.This is what they do. It’s like the bully who has no real argument with any weight behind it.They call names and try to divert the attention elsewhere.
We all know the love of Christ is a very real and even almost tangible ideal.We strive for this and the honest Christian tries to live their life in as compassionate manner as possible in order to convey the face of Jesus to a world obsessed with power and financial security.
The atheist has chosen to be lost.I personally believe this to be a fact.It’s like when the apostles were told to wipe the dust off their feet when a house refuses to accept what they have to offer.(Casting pearls before swine comes to mind)
My paternal father said to me that the best revenge is to live your life well.I relate this to the atheists in that by following the ideas that Christ set before us;i.e.,charity,faith,and hope,these people will (hopefully)see the fruits of our labors.A steady job;a happy family;a loving spouse; good children;etc.
These are the things that convey the message more than preaching or over-intellectualized apologetics.It is the way we live our lives.
To quote dctalk,…“the biggest cause of atheism in the world today are Christians;who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and deny him by their lifestyle.THIS is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

 

[MerryAtheist]

I’m basing my observation on the results of Flair searches on Facebook…

My facebook is set to US english, I don’t know if the same flair copies over to other types of english. I don’t know what the flair for other languages is.

Here’s a list of the the buttons that appear on the first page of results for typing in different things:

[indicates description of picture or context comment]
Atheism:

-Atheism: because babies are tasty!
-Reject Christ recieve bacon
-Atheism is a non-prophet organization
-Viva la evolucion
-I wish talking to an invisible man in the sky would help me with my problems
-As a math atheist, I should be excused from this
-My idea of “help from above” is a sniper on a roof
-WWFSMD
-Stop shoving God down my throat; you’re triggering my gag reflex
-Weapons of mass destruction [Bible and Koran]
-I don’t believe in God thanks, have a nice day
-Puritanism: the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, might be happy
-[unreadable quote]
-Merry atheist
-Religion is against my religion

Well, that caught my eye.

 

[MerryAtheist]

Also, I try to avoid getting angry because it upsets my dog.

 

[godfree12]

Also, I try to avoid getting angry because it upsets my dog.

Christians are angry at Jews for killing Jesus

Muslims are angry at Christians, Jews, Hindus, etc. etc. for being Infidels. And especially Jews for stealing the Holy land

Hindus are angry at Muslims for being angry at them because their Hindu

Catholics are angry at Protestants for protesting the True church, and for resisting their attempts at owning community land andfor reading the Bible differently. Catholics are mad at Muslims for stealing the Holy Land.

Protestants are angry at Catholics for owning all the land in the middle ages, and selling indulgences for construction of the Vatican.

Calvinists are angry at everyone who challenged Calvin

Anglicans are angry at Catholics for not allowing divorce

Jews are angry at Christians for killing off 6 million of them off, and saying the messiah has already come. And think they’re the chosen people so they think they’re better than everyone.

Eastern Orthodox Christians are mad at Catholics for excommunicating them.

Everyone is angry at atheists because they don’t believe in God,

Atheists are angry because they been oppressed since the beginning of the Bible. Those poor gentiles, or were they the philistines?

So, there are more angry religions than atheists.

 

[Walden]

Rosa Parks didn’t give up her seat because she was weak and insecure? That is an interesting take I must say.

Be careful not to confuse your inconvenience with real discrimination. There is no Jim Crow for atheists.

 

[Eucharisted]

Why do you think so many atheists come across as “angry?” I recently did a Flair search on Facebook for “atheism” and practically every one what came up went along the lines of “Get your f****** religion out of my life!” One even had a stick figure throwing the symbols of world religions into a trash can.

By contrast, searching for “Jesus” returned mostly things along the lines of “Jesus is my hero!” There were obviously a few sacriligious jokes but very few if any against atheism.

Just wondering if you have observed the same things, and if you have any guesses as to why this seems to happen.

Of course, I know this is separate from the actual logical question about God’s existence.

Where God is not, there is no good.

 

[survive]

Christians are angry at Jews for killing Jesus
Protestants for protesting the True church, and for resisting their attempts at owning community land andfor reading the Bible differently. Catholics are mad at Muslims for stealing the Holy Land.

Protestants are angry at Catholics for owning all the land in the middle ages, and selling indulgences for construction of the Vatican.

Calvinists are angry at everyone whochallenged Calvin

Anglicans are angry at Catholics for not allowing divorce. Everyone is angry at atheists because they don’t believe in God,

Not true of anyone I know.

Jews are angry at Christians for killing off 6 million of them off,

The only time I know of anyone did that, it was pagans carrying out a political/economic design invented as a way of organizing society without God, by a circle of atheist university students.

And think they’re the chosen people so they think they’re better than everyone.

Eastern Orthodox Christians are mad at Catholics for excommunicating them.

They’re OK with this one. None ever acts angry around me.

Atheists are angry because they been oppressed since the beginning of the Bible. Those poor gentiles, or were they the philistines?

This so contrary to fact it’s hard to know where to start. Atheists didn’t exist during the writing of the OT and were extremely rare in NT times. The Philistines were the aggressors, and they were polytheistic pagans, not atheists. Their temples are well-documented and more are unearthed all the time.
Neither OT Jews nor NT Christians nor most of the Christian peoples since the beginning have ever been inclined or in a position to oppress atheists even if they had been able to locate any. Atheism arose among the rich and powerful and has been linked to totalitarianism, behavioral control of populations and social Darwiism ever since the Industrial Revolution or sooner.

So, there are more angry religions than atheists.

Not many.

 

[godfree12]

The only time I know of anyone did that, it was pagans carrying out a political/economic design invented as a way of organizing society without God, by a circle of atheist university students.

So what religion were all the Germans who did massacre the Jews? Don’t say Atheist.

 

[survive]

So what religion were all the Germans who did massacre the Jews? Don’t say Atheist.

Pagan. Hitler believed in Thor, Odin and Freya and expected his supporters to go to Valhalla and his enemies to be reincarnated or even end up in Niflheim. He routinely decried the popularity of Christianity, saying it weakened people, and said when his plan was finished the world would be pagan. He actively looked for ways to add West Asian elements to his paganism. His top men consulted with the Dalai Lama. Every Christian church and denomination opposed him and faced oppression and persecution for doing so. Many died, including the widely-quoted Dietrich Von Bonhoeffer (The Cost of Discipleship). However, toward the end, some churches and congregations did end up seeking compromise. Today many Christians want to live that turn of events down by resisting pressure to compromise in the face of attack again.
This is part ofthe reason attacking us doesn’t make us go away.

 

[godfree12]

Pagan. Hitler believed in Thor, Odin and Freya and expected his supporters to go to Valhalla and his enemies to be reincarnated or even end up in Niflheim. He routinely decried the popularity of Christianity, saying it weakened people, and said when his plan was finished the world would be pagan. He actively looked for ways to add West Asian elements to his paganism. His top men consulted with the Dalai Lama. Every Christian church and denomination opposed him and faced oppression and persecution for doing so. Many died, including the widely-quoted Dietrich Von Bonhoeffer (The Cost of Discipleship). However, toward the end, some churches and congregations did end up seeking compromise. Today many Christians want to live that turn of events down by resisting pressure to compromise in the face of attack again.
This is part ofthe reason attacking us doesn’t make us go away.

Hitler did not kill one Jew, the Christian German people and soldiers did.

 

[The_Otaku]

I have observed this too.

Could it be the result of internal tension between the natural law written on their hearts, that prompts them to seek God, and their personal pride that keeps calling them to reject this path?

I think that’s exactly what it is…at least for the ones who have been into athiesm long enough that they realize that it’s truly done nothing good for them when they look back on their lives. I also think some of them are angry because they see that our faith makes us happy, while their non-faith and disbelief doesn’t do anything for them. They think we’re crazy and are lying to ourselves to give a false sense of security. Yet, they’re angry that we feel that sense of security and peace, even if fake, in their mind. When they see us being built up and them going nowhere it frustrates some of them.

I also think jealously and envy is a factor as well. They want to be able to enjoy belonging the way Christians belong with eachother. While athiests can gather together, their belief system isn’t productive in building up eachother, while Christianity does do that- it builds us up. They realize their athiesm is counter-productive, and that all it will achieve for them in seeking it together is a resolution to continue believing in nothingness after life. Their situation doesn’t improve because they’ve chosen to believe there’s nothing to improve other than their earthy life. Ours lives do improve, because Christ heals, converts, and brings people back.

Their souls yearn for what we have, but they refuse to acknowledge God in order to get it. They stay the same, and their complacency bothers them because they’ve made up their minds that there’s nothing more to life than living it well, and if they cannot do even that (due to their own failing, the failing of others, society, etc), then there’s no value to it, and if there’s no value to it, then there’s no reason not to be angry and bitter as both society, life, and the God you don’t believe in, have turned their back on you.

 

[crowonsnow]

Be careful not to confuse your inconvenience with real discrimination. There is no Jim Crow for atheists.

You’re right. Atheists in America have never been legally separated, just legally less than equal.

 

[crowonsnow]

So what religion were all the Germans who did massacre the Jews? Don’t say Atheist.

It is a fact that they were all baptized Christians, mostly Lutheran and Catholic. Angry too maybe. But that’s another thread.

 

[KingAlfred]

"Why do so many atheists seem angry?

They’ve pinned all their hopes on the world of Man, which is risky business. That world is full of vice and suffering. Accordingly, they’re disappointed most of the time, which is, in itself, *demoralizing. *

 

[crowonsnow]

Christians are angry at Jews for killing Jesus

Muslims are angry at Christians, Jews, Hindus, etc. etc. for being Infidels. And especially Jews for stealing the Holy land

Hindus are angry at Muslims for being angry at them because their Hindu

Catholics are angry at Protestants for protesting the True church, and for resisting their attempts at owning community land andfor reading the Bible differently. Catholics are mad at Muslims for stealing the Holy Land.

Protestants are angry at Catholics for owning all the land in the middle ages, and selling indulgences for construction of the Vatican.

Calvinists are angry at everyone who challenged Calvin

Anglicans are angry at Catholics for not allowing divorce

Jews are angry at Christians for killing off 6 million of them off, and saying the messiah has already come. And think they’re the chosen people so they think they’re better than everyone.

Eastern Orthodox Christians are mad at Catholics for excommunicating them.

Everyone is angry at atheists because they don’t believe in God,

Atheists are angry because they been oppressed since the beginning of the Bible. Those poor gentiles, or were they the philistines?

So, there are more angry religions than atheists.

That pretty much sums up the entire thread.

Even the gospel Jesus character got angry. Didn’t he punch fig trees, toss tables around and assault people? I’ve never done any of those things.

 

[Fran65]

I can not count how many times over the years that Christians told me I was an evil bad man who is no different than being a child murderer because I didn’t believe in God.

I’m sorry you have had that experience. People can call themselves what they like. What they are is written in their hearts and in their actions.

Angry atheists? I’ve met a few. I don’t know if they are representative, but I guess that anyone that spends time on a board arguing something is going to be passionate about it, otherwise they wouldn’t bother. At least atheists are engaged in important questions…unlike many others who are apathetic and completely switched off from the spiritual realm.

 

[Dameedna]

Excellent thread. So far, athiests are angry in accordance with the following reasons(according to the people who have responsed).

1. Athiests are rebellious “children”
2. Athiests are unable to accept their pride
3. Athiests are irrational
4. Athiests are athiests because they lack a believe in God(errr…yeah…)
5. Athiests react against hate directed at them.
6. Athiests are ignorant.
7. Athiests cannot acknowlege worthiness
   8 An athiest is angry because the know when they are guilty of a crime they are not forgiven(sheesh…huh?)
8. Athiests are insecure
9. Athiests cannot love, because they are afraid
10. Athiests don’t like confrontation - They are afraid of argument and debate
11. Athiests are bullies
12. Athiests are Jealous and envious
13. Athiests are misguided…

I haven’t responded to this thread myself.

Do I need to?

I would suspect this thread has answered itself.