Study: Religious people harbour deep mistrust of atheists, about equal to rapists

[Oryx]

I'm going to (try to) post a neutral belief here.

Both creation and evolution are correct.

God created the planets and all needed material for life to begin. He probably created some of the first primitive lifeforms as well. After that, God gave them the ability to evolve and then watched as life evolved into what it is today.

Basically, its like giving a R & D department a massive amount of funds and no objective. Your going to get, hopefully, a lot of somethings out of it but you will have no idea what they will be.

I think a lot of religious people blend the two either like that, or by using another interpretation of 'one day', since I believe in the original language the word wasn't 'day', it was much more flexible, like 'one period of time'. Imagine each 'day' being billions and billions of years, and the process of creating man involved God evolving them from more primitive lifeforms.

 

[lx_theo]

I'm going to (try to) post a neutral belief here.

Both creation and evolution are correct.

God created the planets and all needed material for life to begin. He probably created some of the first primitive lifeforms as well. After that, God gave them the ability to evolve and then watched as life evolved into what it is today.

Basically, its like giving a R & D department a massive amount of funds and no objective. Your going to get, hopefully, a lot of somethings out of it but you will have no idea what they will be.

Its called Deism. Its the belief that many of the great thinkers of the Scientific Revolution used.

But its not neutral in any sense. In the mind of a purely rational and logical, there is still no reason to believe it. It could very well be correct, but there's still little reason to believe that over the thousands of other ways you could wrap an generally unsupported idea (rationally) around a theory like evolution.

Religion just isn't based on rational style thought. Some reasonable people have given me good reason for believing it, and really thats all a person needs. I just haven't found one actually supported by logic. Any attempts to put it into such terms has failed miserably. I can't say I understand the other train of thought it follows, but I can respect people's decision to make their choice. I just wished they didn't try to make it something it wasn't, or force it on others.

 

[Mr. X]

I really need to find out just what my religious beliefs fall under. Some people call me a Agnostic, some a Deist and a few call me a Agnostic Deist. Most of the time I just say Agnostic since more people know what it means.

 

[.:CoralSoda:.]

The results of the study don't really surprise me, there are a lot of religious people who think in that way. Not saying all do. I would never base my trustworthiness on religion or lack there of. It's not a good base at all because a person of a certain religion can be a horrible person and so can an atheist, it goes both ways. However, I feel like the study makes it seem like religious people think that atheists have the same views of an anarchist. Since they don't believe in God watching over them that they just fly off the handle and do whatever the hell they want, which isn't true.

 

[lx_theo]

I really need to find out just what my religious beliefs fall under. Some people call me a Agnostic, some a Deist and a few call me a Agnostic Deist. Most of the time I just say Agnostic since more people know what it means.

Many of them go together.

Agnosticism is simply the state of not rejecting the possibility of both there being a creator and there not being a creator. It focuses on the idea of absolute truth within the statements that there is none or there is one.

Like I don't believe in God, and choose to express my opinions as such. At the same time, I don't reject the possibility of their being a God, though rather see as a small possibility. In that light, I consider myself an agnostic atheist.

People can fall under as many groups as they want so long as their beliefs actually do mirror what they stand for. The problems come in when multiple organized religions, which distinctly separate themselves from one another, are involved. I've never heard of someone being of multiple organized religions at once.

Really, in the end, most of these words are not really categories that people should be labeled with and associated with the stereotypes of. These are words that should be seen as adjectives describing some of the details of one's personal belief system. At least they should in my opinion.

 

[Livewire]

The results of the study don't really surprise me, there are a lot of religious people who think in that way. Not saying all do. I would never base my trustworthiness on religion or lack there of. It's not a good base at all because a person of a certain religion can be a horrible person and so can an atheist, it goes both ways. However, I feel like the study makes it seem like religious people think that atheists have the same views of an anarchist. Since they don't believe in God watching over them that they just fly off the handle and do whatever the hell they want, which isn't true.

Trustworthiness is something you base around the character of a man, not by his religion. It's kinda obvious that whoever came up with this poll in the first place had some feathers to ruffle. Judging chrachter from a persons religion is foolish.

 

[Briar]

[...] but I have met plenty of atheists who try to push their values both on me specifically and on a general larger crowd. [...]

just to add: i have met several people like these online. i recall even one atheist saying something along the lines of, "i wish i could just show all those bible-thumpers that their god doesn't exist!"
of course, i don't generalize atheists as being people who are like that, just as not all christians are self-righteous and close-minded.
i'm a christian myself, but i was an atheist once for quite a long time, so i do know that the stereotypes some of us christians have on atheists aren't true. i have myself experienced discrimination as both an atheist (before my conversion) and a christian. they're just petty instances, but still worth noting.

 

[Livewire]

just to add: i have met several people like these online. i recall even one atheist saying something along the lines of, "i wish i could just show all those bible-thumpers that their god doesn't exist!"
of course, i don't generalize atheists as being people who are like that, just as not all christians are self-righteous and close-minded.
i'm a christian myself, but i was an atheist once for quite a long time, so i do know that the stereotypes some of us christians have on atheists aren't true. i have myself experienced discrimination as both an atheist (before my conversion) and a christian. they're just petty instances, but still worth noting.

Stereotypes in general aren't really true. Regardless of who they describe. I know hypocritical Christians and hypocritical atheists. Now granted, I know more Christians than atheists, but whatever.

 

[Dopefish7590]

Here is an interesting one:

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dai...ists--about-equal-to-rapists--says-study.html

What do you think. Do you agree with the study's results? Explain.

I am a Christian... And I trust many atheists... Because judging how trustworthy someone is based off of what they believe is just stupid. We may get into debates often, but it's not like they are any less human than I am... I don't agree with the study results at all.

 

[Halmtier]

Think of it this way: If it was suddenly proven that god did not exist, 100% undeniably... would you go out and kill everyone around you and rape people, or just keep living pretty much like you used to?

I assume everyone would pick the second one, as religion being there or not isn't required to make a person have morals or not. Sadly, some religious people can't see this and assume a higher power is needed to force you into obedience, or else you will automatically start causing mayhem.

 

[Pudz]

This does, of course, make me wonder how followers of a non-theistic faith are perceived in these studies. By strict definition, a Buddhist such as myself is technically atheistic.

Curious.

 

[Shanghai Alice]

I honestly wonder how it is the other way around.

Looking at several of these threads, it seems like people seem to harbor equal feelings towards religious, believing them to be lunatics, bigots, or psychopaths simply for being religious.

Of course, I'm not trying to say that all atheists despise/mock believers (because, as we all know, generalizations are always false (even that one) and you can't label millions of people with one ridiculous sentence), but I'm merely wondering if a similar argument can be made against "bigoted" atheists.


These threads were fun to read once, twice, maybe even three or four times. However, after being on PC for a year and a half, the whole "Theists are bigoted lunatics!" thing is starting to get old. It goes both ways, <Insert Your Favorite Ideology Here> is no better than the rest of us, and ripping into <Insert "False" Ideology Here> for being intolerant/bigoted is, to put it simply, utterly hypocritical.

But hell, this will fall on deaf ears (blind eyes?), because I know that I'm not the first to be sick of this, and this thread definitely won't be the last.

Still, PC. Come on.

 

[dylanj70]

This has been pretty much true in my experience. Most religious people I know hold much greater (often misplaced) trust in people who share their views than those who don't. But I think it's more those who share their religion or one very similar than just a religious belief in general.

Also, I've never met a Christian who trusted a Muslim or Scientologist, so I think they're a step below athiests on the trust scale.

My best friend is a christian who always visits church on sunday, does all the other stuff etc, yet I have a very strong atheistic views on religion. We have our debates and we spend most lunchtimes trying (In vain :D) to persuade eachother to our way of thinking (Among pokemon talk aswell of course XD).
We never succeed but it's always a good thing to do and we both enjoy it.

But also, our third best friend is a Muslim and religion has never stopped us from being friends :) So, all this stuff about "christians don't trust Muslims or Atheists" is total rubbish, as in my school, we all just accept eachothers beliefs (or Non-beliefs) and they never get in the way of our personal qualities, which is what I think the world should be like. Everyone should not use a belief (religious or otherwise) as a barrier to stop friendships being formed.


I've said my piece, just think about it :)

 

[TRIFORCE89]

My best friend is a christian who always visits church on sunday, does all the other stuff etc, yet I have a very strong atheistic views on religion. We have our debates and we spend most lunchtimes trying (In vain :D) to persuade eachother to our way of thinking (Among pokemon talk aswell of course XD).
We never succeed but it's always a good thing to do and we both enjoy it.

But also, our third best friend is a Muslim and religion has never stopped us from being friends :) So, all this stuff about "christians don't trust Muslims or Atheists" is total rubbish, as in my school, we all just accept eachothers beliefs (or Non-beliefs) and they never get in the way of our personal qualities, which is what I think the world should be like. Everyone should not use a belief (religious or otherwise) as a barrier to stop friendships being formed.


I've said my piece, just think about it :)

This Charlie Kelly person has to get out more and meet some decent people.

I'm a Catholic. My employers are muslim. I go to university and in my program... well, I'm the only Christian there. lol I don't mistrust any of them over their religion

 

[Oryx]

I honestly wonder how it is the other way around.

Looking at several of these threads, it seems like people seem to harbor equal feelings towards religious, believing them to be lunatics, bigots, or psychopaths simply for being religious.

I have to be on this side as well. Religion is something that many people grow up with, as a part of themselves, not something they decide on. So those people haven't consciously rejected atheism, they just never thought about it. However, most people that are atheists I would guess weren't raised in atheism, they came to be atheist after scrutinizing religions. This would make them more critical of people that haven't come to the 'revelation' they have, and more likely to think of them as superstitious and misguided.

 

[arbok]

throw my views in here. I'm an athiest but I like to think I'm a liberal one.
I'm fine with religion and I understand it helps a lot of people but I don't like it when facts are ignored or changed to suit their needs and I certianly don't apretiate past attempts by Chritians to convert me. Arguements about people coming from monkeys is also irritating as it shows those people don't know or understand evolution at all. It's not "Monkeys turned into people." and anyone who thinks that simply needs to do more reseach.
I hope i'm not coming off as too negative here but bare in mind we're on a pokemon site which some religious people claim is demonic. Those are the people I wouldn't leave my children with.

 

[dylanj70]

This Charlie Kelly person has to get out more and meet some decent people.

I'm a Catholic. My employers are muslim. I go to university and in my program... well, I'm the only Christian there. lol I don't mistrust any of them over their religion

Why are you insulting me because of my group of friends? It has nothing to do with the topic :/


It's boring at our school lunchtime and we have nothing better to do. Get over it. -__-

 

[TRIFORCE89]

Why are you insulting me because of my group of friends? It has nothing to do with the topic :/


It's boring at our school lunchtime and we have nothing better to do. Get over it. -__-

Huh? I thought I was agreeing with you.

I was talking about what the person you quoted (Charlie Kelly) said. He said he hasn't met any Christians who were trusting toward Muslims. You gave a counter-example, I agreed and gave example too.

I didn't insult you at all.

 

[2Cool4Mewtwo]

Looks like I've posted here earlier, but my views have changed a bit since that time.

I "mistrust" atheists (if you can call it that), because many of them have a kind of superiority complex ("my opinion is more logical than yours"; "your opinion is dumb because you can't prove it"), and many of them are actually fervently anti-religious as opposed to just not believing it. Of course I'm not generalizing atheists, but MANY atheists that I've met in various forums are vehemently defensive about this particular issue.

I have to admit, though. It's scary when some Christians say stuff like, "playing with poker cards will make you go to hell." Yeah, I'm looking at you, parents. (Funnily enough, they haven't said anything about pokemon)

I guess they could say the same about our lot, but personally I don't start jabbing at other opinions unless they provoke me in some way.

 

[TRIFORCE89]

I have to admit, though. It's scary when some Christians say stuff like, "playing with poker cards will make you go to hell." Yeah, I'm looking at you, parents. (Funnily enough, they haven't said anything about pokemon)

I don't attribute that to religion. In Italy, where the Vatican is, card games (with wagers) are a big part of the culture.