Why are atheists so disrespectful towards people with different beliefs than themselves?

Question

I come across so many atheists that always seem to go out of their way to disrespect anyone with beliefs different than themselves. Most seem to be so stubborn in their beliefs and believe they are "always right" I come across many atheists who state this themselves which is odd because I believe you should give everyone a chance to explain their belief so you can at least attempt to understand their perspective. Its as if they need to be the "alpha" they can't accept anything exists greater than themselves or even take the time to learn about different beliefs. why is this? they seem to be so bitter and hateful, I don't understand why. They laugh at people injuring themselves and death I just can't get my head around it wtf how can some be like that?

I understand the fact that I asked this question I'm gonna get a lot of people trying to be smart ass posting the opposite answer but please just try to explain why you are this way?

miramiraonthewall · Accepted Answer

um you are going to have to define "disrespect"

ill speak my mind and share my opinion about religion if we are on the topic, whether you like it or not. what you find personally offensive is an issue within yourself. I've never disrespected the individual who believes in something simply because they believe, but I will certainly disrespect the belief itself and explain why I feel so hostile against it, if I do.

disrespecting the believer: "youre a c*nt for being christian"

disrespecting the religion/belief: "I think christianity is one of the worst religions around."

having said that, I have met A LOT of ignorant, belligerent, conservative, bigoted, etc. people who believe in god. if you are one of those people, then I don't know what to tell you. I probably will "disrespect" you on some level, if this is the case.

i always give people the chance to explain. just because you don't like my critique or the fact that I disagree with you doesn't mean I haven't given you the chance to explain.

to insist that I haven't taken the time to understand other beliefs is ignorant on your part. like many atheists, I was raised in a religious home. I went to christian schools my entire life before college. I spent my youth learning about christianity and I read about a couple religions like wicca or buddhism. I read about things that fascinated me. however, I think you are under the impression that I'm going to change my beliefs just because I learn something new. no, my dear.

of course I "cant accept anything exists greater than" myself. THATS WHY IM AN ATHEIST. If I did accept that something existed beyond this physical realm, then I wouldn't be an atheist anymore, in which case you wouldn't be able to complain that I don't believe in a highre power...what's hard to understand about this? I'm confused.

I'm pretty much against religion in general, but also against any concept of god. that doesn't at all mean I don't like learning about other religions. honestly, in my experience, atheists are generally more educated about religion than "believers." for example, I know several atheist professors and students who have read older versions of the bible in other languages to have a better understanding of the scripture. I know atheists who know more about other religions than most theists. I'm pretty sure I read a study about this somewhere. perhaps it could just be my personal experience, but religious people, christians in particular, know less than atheists do on average about their religions and other religions.

Ive never known any substantial portion of atheists who laugh at injuries or death but a huge number of christians support torture, the death penalty, irresponsible wars, crusades, etc. funny how that works out, isn't it?

Im not being a smart ass, I just think you sound ignorant. however, there is a slim possibility that you have actually experienced what you claim to have perceived of atheists. in that case its simple: some people suck

selfishstars · Accepted Answer

There are people who are disrespectful toward people with different beliefs than themselves who identify as atheist AND who identify as theist/religious. And there are those who are respectful.

I've had many religious people be disrespectful toward me because of my beliefs, and a lot of them outright insult me. They say that I'm immoral, a bad person, a satan-worshipper, that I'm going to burn in hell eternally.

Most religious people are stubborn in their beliefs and a lot of them believe themselves to be "right" as well.

I'm more than willing to hear about and try to understand other people's beliefs, and I do so respectfully. I don't insult people for their beliefs, but I will challenge them if they say something I disagree with. Some people take offense to being challenged about their beliefs, but I don't think you should. That, in itself, is not disrespectful. I'm not trying to "convert" anyone to my beliefs, but I do enjoy a good conversation or debate about religion.

Further, a lot of atheists know a lot about religion, often more than a lot of the people who believe that religion. A lot of atheists were religious at one point, so they already know what the religion says, what the holy text says, etc. They often do a lot of research about religion because they like to be able to justify their beliefs when religious people attack their beliefs. In many cases, it's the research that they did into religion that led them to becoming atheist.

And the truth is, atheism means "a lack of belief in god(s)". There are strong atheists who will say that god doesn't exist, but a lot of atheists would be open to believing in a god if there was convincing evidence that one existed.

I'm not bitter nor hateful, and I don't laugh at someone injuring themselves or dying. I'm not even sure why you think that is or would be an atheist trait.

I find it interesting that you make a post about atheists being disrespectful, and then you make all these generalizations and assumptions about atheists. I find that disrespectful.

kls2011 · Accepted Answer

im an atheist, I do not disrespect other religions nor do I put them down for it... as you have come across rude atheists so have I with chritians, ramming there belief down my throat

not taking into consideration that I don't care, I haven't come across one atheist who goes door knocking to try and change people I find a lot of chritians just plain rude, not that I'm saying they all are but I could jam the dam bible down thier friggen throats sometime thankfully I am an atheist or id be condemed to hell for it :)

journeyman1126 · Accepted Answer

Most atheists have no opinion of people who are of some other belief system. Belief isn't a sin in the atheist's eyes.

It just happens that most of the groups out there attempting to stomp all over everyone else's civil liberties happen to be religion based.

Here's my opinion as an atheist. Most of the people I know who are intolerant to other people's views tend to use the Bible as their basis for being the Know All Be All experts on how other people should live.

Every Sunday they walk into church, get chastised for all the horrible things they've done, and then offered redemption. Monday morning when they get to work, they're high and mighty again.

They completely ignore almost everything that Jesus said about dropping the whole judgmental attitude that was picked up in the Old Testament. He was supposed to be the Ghandi of Judaism. The Buddha. The peaceful soul offering a way to enlightenment, kicking the shopkeepers out of the synagogue, spending time with criminals and prostitutes, feeding the poor. He washed his follower's feet.

Most Christians I know go by the motto "I'm not perfect, just forgiven" and are just in it for themselves. No Heaven for you if you don't act like we do.

When you tick off an atheist and they respond in kind, after being told they have somehow earned an eternity of hellish torment even if they're good people, you kind of get what you deserve, in terms of harsh ridicule.

As far as why I'm an atheist, the majority of it has already been stated above. In addition to that, though, I don't feel that there's any real basis for religion. In the case of Christianity, the New Testament wasn't even put together until 70 years or so after Jesus died, and they left out whatever they felt like. There's a gospel of Mark that discusses Jesus spending the night alone in a room nude with a teenage boy. Why isn't that in the Bible? Homophobia?

The idea that a human mind could ever conceive of an explanation for whatever power created this Universe is laughable. Nearly every religion is built upon simple pagan beliefs in the Sun's power, the spirits of the earth embodied in the actions of the weather, the changing of the seasons, etc. and in fact the religion most Americans follow is probably adopted from the Egyptian gods. link

This is all in a response to an evolution in the human mind which allowed us to explain infinity and imagine a creator. There is a part of the right temporal lobe that when activated by magnets placed in a helmet, cause people to see angels, spirits, etc. and proves without a doubt that the spiritual experience is based right between our ears. link

I respect whatever you believe. It's your right.

ElijahCynicism · Accepted Answer

I often say anti-religion has become a macho thing.

Atheism has become a trend among psuedo-intellectual teenagers who like to posture their superior abilities of free-thought. And you were very on point in saying Alpha, but I believe aimed in the wrong direction - not that they want to appear better than a god, but than their common man. The 'Alpha Male' fights an opponent to prove he's stronger, as does the trendy Atheist debate to prove he's more logical (for logic has become their dogma).

Its not without analogy within religion itself; in fact, born directly out of what it is analogous of. In the late 1800s and the early part of the 20th century, it was extremely common for people to out-christian each other by being more ethical and more god-fearing, and of course, loudly opposing their beliefs on everyone, especially children. This birthed a new wave of thought that pointed out its hypocrisy and with the growing times, free thought was enabled and took off like wildfire. My father is an atheist, and I think atheism and the ability to be atheist was extremely important.

But it found its way into popular culture through metal, and has permeated the teenage and young-adult mind since the 1990s, and we young can be so proud, no? And eventually transformed into a direct allegory of its predeceasing competition.

This cycle has gone on for centuries. In old Rome, it was the Roman religion over Christianity; In old Briton, it was Christianity over Nordic religion, in late feudal Europe, it was protestantism over catholicism; hell, the french even had a period called 'The Age of Enlightenment' where they all thwarted religion with their new logic and science. Then the Romantic era swept the lands and provided a return to religion, where it was religious man over enlightened man.

At least now days you don't get killed for saying the wrong thing, hahaha. So, not all atheists are like that, but the ones who are AREN'T MY CHOICE COMPANY. But that's why. The thought train never stops. We'll find something better to brag about in 2050.

TheGoodTheBadTheHOT · Answer

Eh, atheists just believe in one less thing than those who follow a religion. If anything, they react in a way akin to how they are perceived by the religious community's. I've had a christian or Muslim trying to shove their beliefs down my throat more than any atheist.

You talk about atheists being disrespectful when by following a religion, you have assigned them as 'nonbelievers' who are lost souls, doomed to suffer eternal damnation purely for having a different opinion. Talk about disrespect.

You talk about bitterness and hatred, look at the wolds major religions. How many fights have there been due to them? How many deaths have they caused? Just look at Israel and It's surrounding Muslim states. Talk about bitterness and hatred.

Believe it or not, atheists tend to know more about a religion than the average believer of said religion, because they will learn about it (admittedly to expose flaws) but they also do so because they have a desire to learn, something which in many cases is restricted by religion.

Its interesting how you say atheists laugh at death and pain. Well, I will have a sorrowful smile if the pain or death was caused by stupidity, call me heartless, but I like to appreciate the humour, and often the irony, of darwinian natural selection. However in most cases, death and pain is not something to be laughed at. Although, that being said, let's not forget about the thousands of public executions of 'heretics' and 'witches', or as I like to say 'innocents' preformed by the worlds religions over countless years. Talk about... Well I'm sure you know where I'm going by now.

Alright, now that most of your points have been responded to with some rebuttal from me, I'll now explain my stance on religion. I neither accept or deny the existence of a god or deity due to there being no evidence to support either claim. I am however opposed to most if not all of the corrupt, power hungry tales woven by equally power hungry men that are in the form of the worlds many religions. Christianity and Catholicism for example are derived from texts that were written over period of 300 years after the death of 'jesus' and since then has been translated and edited countless times to suit the church's wants.

So yeah, that's all I have to say for the moment.

Thiezz · Answer

> I come across many atheists who state this themselves which is odd because I believe you should give everyone a chance to explain their belief so you can at least attempt to understand their perspective.

I can't speak for the people you've met, but I have seen (and at times been a part of) many debates on the subject of religion, some of them between very intelligent and well educated people (I won't claim to be part of this group :p). This is what I've learned:

* Neither party is going to change their mind.

* I've seen just about every argument for and against the existence of a god.

* Every argument that I am aware of in favour of the existence of a god has already been refuted.

There really is no point in listening to everyone's beliefs and perspectives because the chance that they're going to say something significantly different from what I've already heard is close to zero. There are a few billion theists on this earth, so I have neither the time nor the motivation to debate them one by one. Most of the time I'll simply assume that I'm right and they're wrong. Some might consider that a sign of arrogance, but let's be honest, if we had to have an in-depth discussion about beliefs with everyone we encountered, it would take days just to do some groceries.

> Its as if they need to be the "alpa" they can't accept anything exists greater than themselves or even take the time to learn abou different beliefs. why is this?

Define greater. The vast majority of people comes into contact with people who are intellectually superior to them on a daily basis. I have no doubt that there are many people on this earth who are smarter, more educated, stronger, and faster than me. How is that not belief in greater beings? The universe is a big place, I'll even accept the possibility that there are aliens out there who are vastly superior to humanity in every relevant aspect.

I think you're misunderstanding the issue here, people are not atheists because they refuse to accept a gods authority, they're atheists because they don't believe in gods. It's not about wanting to be 'alpha'.

As for taking the time to learn about different beliefs, in my experience atheists are more knowledgeable about religions in general than theists, who seem to focus only on their own religion, and sometimes not even that (a common joke is that the fastest way to become an atheist is to read the bible).

> they seem to be so bitter and hateful, I don't understand why.

I don't know about others but I tend to respond rather hatefully when theists try to push their ideas/teachings/divinely inspired morals/whatever down my throat, or mistreat others (telling homosexuals they are evil and going to burn and suffer for an eternity seems particularly popular even amongst those claiming their religion to be one of love).

> They laugh at people injuring themselves and death I just can't get my head around it wtf how can some be like that?

Could you be more specific?

garethwill · Answer

it is not that Atheists are angry it is because of the intolerance of many religious people and to say well i am religious and i am not intolerant is a cop out the the most highest, also most of the points that most people in general are angry about are valid points.

in the US right now teenagers are homeless for been gay, then there is the genital mutilation of baby girls and boys.
children are denied medical treatment because of their parents religion and then are protected under the law even if their child dies in some parts of the world. then there are institutions like the Jehovahs witnesses and the catholic church have hidden paedophiles and paedophilia claims.
then there is the are the people that kill in the name of it and to say oh they are extremists or they are not real Christians, Muslims and Jews etc. that is a cop-out they do it in the name of their individual god using the rules that is in their religious book.
then there is the mistreatment of women in fundamentalist Christian, Muslim and Jewish households when they are told to submit to their husbands even if they are getting beaten. you could write a series of books on why atheists get angry at religious people.
then there is the arrogance that most religious people exude when you say i don't don't believe in your religion then you get a lecturer about how their god it true it's the only truth and if you don't believe in it your going to burn in hell or in some extremes you don't deserve to to live. and also every they tell you is that the whole of the universe was made for man and then when an atheist says that man is just another animal on a tiny speck in the vast universe that it was not made for us and religious people laughably say that atheists are been arrogant.

so yes when an atheist gets angry there is a reason for it and this idea that we should not be angry at the injustices thrown at humanity is really saying stop arguing and submit to my will and my unsubstantiated claims of reality.

this was a claim thrown at the civil rights movement that they where just angry and they needed to stop been angry and do what you are told. well no i believe in human rights not religious theocracies.

Shpongolia · Answer

Interesting, I find it to be the opposite. When I tell people I don't believe in God, they get offended and assume I'm a faithless, pessimistic, untrustworthy, heathen. I'm atheist mostly because I've seen "saved" religious fanatics turn to true animosity in their crusades to guilt-trip people into becoming bible fanatics like them. I encountered a few of these zealots who've used their guilt and fear tactics to get me to be as churchy as themselves, but because they were such a$$holes about it, their plans backfired.

DerekParrish · Answer

Some Atheists behave that way. I don't care what someone believes in but I do hate the attitude people have going around saying so and so "is bullsh*t and I'm right and you should share the same beliefs as I do..." and so on. Such people are closed minded ignorant folks. I've heard this from both Atheists and Christians. They probably feel like what they believe is truly the truth and nothing but the truth. When I truly know something I know any other answer is wrong and have the tenancy to correct people no matter what the subject matter is. I think it's the same for these people except we are dealing with beliefs and not knowledge. Some of them are open minded and I respect that more than a person's belief.

WeaponZero · Answer

in my experience the people who actually respect other people's different religious beliefs are few and far in between, regardless of the religion (or lack thereof) in question.

admit you're an atheist and you'll have every devout christian within earshot trying to convert you.

admit you're a christian and you'll have every atheist within earshot telling you how much of a fool they think you are.

the only answer is keep your beliefs to yourself and never discuss them openly with people who aren't close friends. that's what I do.

Amanda75 · Answer

Well your question is flawed. That's like saying why are religious folks so disrespectful? See how silly and ignorant that sounds? Sure some atheists can be rude but so can some religious people.

I'm an atheist and could care less about what religious people believe. I know my truth to be well... true and there's no convincing me into changing my belief. Just like I don't go around putting down religious people for theirs. What's the point? If they are happy believing in a god well then who the fuck am I to say don't believe in he/she/it/Just

And we laugh at people injuring themselves? Again, it has nothing to do with being atheist. It has everything to do with being an asshole. Some of the nicest/coolest/loving people I know are atheists.

sketchy · Answer

Christians can't accept that God might not exist, any more than atheists can accept that He might. You just have to accept that most people are very closed-minded when it comes to religion. There's really not a lot of point trying to discuss it - you're never going to convince someone that their religion is wrong, and you'll likely just end up offending them - which is precisely why religion is traditionally a taboo subject.

jsm1966 · Answer

There hypocrites themselves! They expect people to respect their beliefs but don't care to respect others. You don't have to practice any religion to be compassionate towards any human being. The same goes for people who practice religion. I am Roman Catholic and ashamed of fellow Christians who behave the same manner. Doing revengeful acts, caring more for materialistic things and acting like snobs!

Betwyn · Answer

I find this is true, but on the flip side, most "believers" don't understand atheists and say they are going to hell..

so, meh.. its a wash..

Believers think its better to believe in something then nothing..

Atheists think its stupid to believe in that which is not true...

No real middle ground to be had...

AndiArthropod · Answer

I'm not an atheist but I don't believe in god, I just have faith that things happen for a reason. That belief helps me. But I have never met anyone who is an atheist that is disrespectful, laughs at pain/death, or is "always right". I have met many Christians that are "always right", my way or the highway, and are very judgmental. They are not all like that though same with atheists.

Log1414 · Answer

I'm not an atheist but I've decided that the only atheists that we ever here from are the atheists. I mean, the ones that don't care about others beliefs and respect people aren't going to care talking to others about religion. The only ones that are going to go out of their way to talk about it are the a**holes who enjoy going around telling people who believe in God they are idiots

naturally · Answer

I agree, In Australia there is this sort of snide demeanor towards Christian people. As if we're people of lower caliber or intelligence for believing what we do.

It's mostly my gen, gen Y that are atheists.

dIO_oIb · Answer

I throw rocks at anyone who has different ideals than me.

themastaplan · Answer

when did an atheist ever start a war against another religion...i think you're taking this out of context here lol

Anonymous · Answer

We're all athiests to hundreds of other gods and religions. Athiests are just ahead of the curve and know it's bullsh*t.

Deus_ExMachina · Answer

They are trying to read in the dark without a candle. I don’t fault them for not believing.

TsubasaCorrupted · Answer

The same reason Christians tend to be disrespectful to others with differing beliefs

Anonymous · Answer

the answer is simple they believe they're smarter than everyone else they have the reputation for being dicks thinking they can't be wrong thinking they're always right

Anonymous · Answer

the same reason christians cram their religion down our throats

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