Atheist Stereotypes

[theorange4]

In case you haven't seen my previous post, I am doing this for a project in one of my college courses. It is a "community immersion project". As it is a prejudice and discrimination class, stereotypes are an important topic within the class. For my project, I hope to encourage discussion between atheists and Christians, two groups of people who don't always get along. I asked Christians on here to give stereotypes or misconceptions they feel that atheists have towards Christians. I also did the same with atheists concerning Christians. Here are the results I got from the atheists.

For those who have commented already, I have modified my post. If you'd like to modify or add to your response, you are free to do so.

1. Atheists don't have morals - Atheists do have morality, and cite empathy and examining the consequences of their actions as ways they determine their morality.

2. Atheists hate God - Atheists lack a belief in god. Therefore, they feel no hatred towards that they don't believe.

3. Atheists choose atheism so that they can have whichever lifestyle they desire without feeling guilty - Atheists do feel guilty for their actions because they have morality. See #1. Atheists choose the position of atheism because it is the one that makes the most sense to them.

4. Atheists know God exists, they just don't want to admit it - See #2

5. Atheism is a religion just like Christianity - Religion is a set of beliefs. Atheism only discusses one particular belief. Therefore, atheism is not a religion. The confusion is that oftentimes, atheists share similar beliefs about other things. However, those extra beliefs are not apart of atheism.

6. Atheists believe there is no god - The lack of belief in a god is what atheism is. That is not necessarily the same as not believing in god. Atheism is often thought of as the "null hypothesis", or default position. This is because a position of disbelief is what we hold onto until evidence comes about to support whatever claim is being tested.

7. Atheists think life is meaningless - Atheists do lead meaningful lives, and think one is capable of finding meaning in their life.

8. Atheists think you are big accident - See #2. Many atheists will cite evolution as the reason why we are here today. That is not the same as it being a "big accident".

9. Atheists can just choose to believe if they want to - Beliefs are a result of what you are convinced of as being true. These cannot easily be changed.

10. Atheists are trying to take away rights of theists - Atheists simply want the separation of church and state to be enforced where it may not be. This is often misinterpreted as taking away religious rights.

11. It takes more faith to be an atheist - See #6. Saying this is like telling a Muslim he exhibits more faith in not believing the Hindu Gods than he does for believing his God.

12. Atheists don't know how to be good, or even what good is - Atheists are capable of doing good and feeling god, and determining if something is good or not.

13. Atheists can’t have positive emotions and actions because they don't know what those are - See #12

14. Atheists only have the negative emotions and actions available to them - See #12


These are all the things that atheists have told me that they believe Christians often don't understand about atheists. Now that you know this, I have a few questions I'd like to ask.

1. Did you have any of these stereotypes or misconceptions about atheists before reading this post? If so, which ones?
2. Do you believe that any of these aren't simply stereotypes or misconceptions, but are facts about atheists? How so?
3. Knowing that these are stereotypes or misconceptions, do you feel that this will change the way that you approach an atheist in the future? How so?
4. Do you have any final comments?


If you could take the time to respond to this, I would greatly appreciate it, as the assignment is due this Friday. Thank you all and have a wonderful day/night/afternoon!

 

[Chesterton]

<Quote feature not working>

I honestly don't hold most of these as general atheist stereotypes, however I suppose any one or more of them could be true of individual atheists. I agree with three of them though:
&#12288;
#6 I've had lengthy debates in these forums about the definition of atheist. I think there should be a word for someone who believes there is no God, and I think the word is "atheist". However, atheists come up with lots of new terms like "agnostic atheist" and "anti-theist" and "strong" and "weak" atheist, etc., so it can be hard to pin them down on what they actually believe.

#8 Well, technically, with no mind responsible for the universe we would all have to be accidents in some sense of the word.

#10 I think some organized atheists are trying to take away some rights, e.g., public displays of the predominant religion of a community. And it's wrong because if I lived as a religious minority in a Muslim or Hindu country, I'd have no place telling them they can't publicly acknowledge the predominant religion just because I don't share it.

I don't think this list will change the way I approach atheists because I've encountered most of the ideas before and have discussed them with atheists.

 

[oi_antz]

In case you haven't seen my previous post, I am doing this for a project in one of my college courses. It is a "community immersion project". As it is a prejudice and discrimination class, stereotypes are an important topic within the class. For my project, I hope to encourage discussion between atheists and Christians, two groups of people who don't always get along. I asked Christians on here to give stereotypes or misconceptions they feel that atheists have towards Christians. I also did the same with atheists concerning Christians. Here are the results I got from the atheists.

Hello, I had no knowledge of what an atheist is until I began talking on this website a few years ago. I had never just been in a situation where the word atheist was used, so I did not even know what it meant.

1. Atheists don't have morals

I don't believe this is true.

2. Atheists hate God

I don't believe this is true in all cases, but that it can cause someone to find comfort in atheist beliefs.

3. Atheists choose atheism so that they can have whichever lifestyle they desire without feeling guilty

Ditto, sometimes atheism might be one way a person has discovered that they can feel comfortable with their sinful nature, but it is not likely to be the cause of atheism in every case.

4. Atheists know God exists, they just don't want to admit it

I believe this is true.

5. Atheism is a religion just like Christianity

Almost, except atheism by definition is not religion. Atheists can behave as poorly as religious people do, from contention and pride of their identity. Resulting in flawed logic, biased reasoning, irrational perception etc, which is most often objected to in religious cultures.

6. Atheists believe there is no god

Yes, this is true. It is a belief that gods are most likely not real. This may be certain (gnostic) or uncertain (agnostic).

7. Atheists think life is meaningless

Anyone who thinks otherwise is speculating.

8. Atheists think you are big accident

If it is intentional, what would they call the intention if not God? If it is not intentional and not accidental, what is it?

9. Atheists can just choose to believe if they want to

This is true. They think instead that believing conflicts with something else they want more.

10. Atheists are trying to take away rights of theists

I don't believe this. If I see it happening, it is usually some sort of attempt to demonstrate the same happening against them, or someone with a chip on their shoulder abusing their position of authority (eg school teachers persecuting Christian students).

11. It takes more faith to be an atheist

No opinion. I have never experienced it.

12. Atheists don't know how to be good, or even what good is

Makes no good sense.

13. Atheists can’t have positive emotions and actions because they don't know what those are

Must be too much fluoride in this person's drinking water.

14. Atheists only have the negative emotions and actions available to them

These are all the things that atheists have told me that they believe Christians often don't understand about atheists. Now that you know this, I have a few questions I'd like to ask.

1. Did you have any of these stereotypes or misconceptions about atheists before reading this post? If so, which ones?

See above.

2. Do you believe that any of these aren't simply stereotypes or misconceptions, but are facts about atheists? How so?

See above. Ask if you need more explanation.

3. Knowing that these are stereotypes or misconceptions, do you feel that this will change the way that you approach an atheist in the future? How so?

No. Words are cheap. They can only fool themselves about these things.

4. Do you have any final comments?

It's your thread

If you could take the time to respond to this, I would greatly appreciate it, as the assignment is due this Friday. Thank you all and have a wonderful day/night/afternoon!

I hope it helps

 

[grasping the after wind]

1. Atheists don't have morals

No. my stereotype is that atheists don't have an outside authority for their moral beliefs.

2. Atheists hate God

Yeah this one is tricky but I would say my stereotype is that atheists hate religion. . I have been bombarded by atheists claiming that religion is the greatest evil on the face of the earth despite the overwhelming evidence that dedication to a utopian political philosophy is actually the cause of the greatest harm to humans.

3. Atheists choose atheism so that they can have whichever lifestyle they desire without feeling guilty

No. Most people, not just atheist, make choices so they can do what they want and choosing atheism is not necessary for that purpose.

4. Atheists know God exists, they just don't want to admit it

I'm sure some do but I don't think that anywhere near all do. So I would not characterize my attitude as being a stereotype.

5. Atheism is a religion just like Christianity

No way. There are a few people that I would call proselytizing atheists that act about their atheism in the same way as some religious zealots act about their religion but atheism is not a secular religion like communism or climate change fanaticism are
.

6. Atheists believe there is no god

This is no stereotype but fact. Many deny they believe this because they want to get debating points against theists by saying the theist can't prove there is a god and they don't have to prove there isn't one because they are only saying they do not believe there is one not that there is not one. To me that is simply dodging the obvious truth that they not only do not believe there is a god but that they believe there is no god.

7. Atheists think life is meaningless

Some do some don't but it is not necessarily a trait of an atheist

8. Atheists think you are big accident

Never thought about atheists in that way. Many believe in randomness but accident is a very different concept than randomness.

9. Atheists can just choose to believe if they want to

Not a stereotype of an atheist but a position about the human condition. We all atheist, theist and agnostic can and do choose to believe whatever we wish to.

10. Atheists are trying to take away rights of theists

No. many atheist and theist try and succeed in prying rights away from people but it is neither a religious or atheist trait it is the trait of a busybody.

11. It takes more faith to be an atheist

No, It takes an equal amount of faith.

12. Atheists don't know how to be good, or even what good is

No, we all have an innate sense of right and wrong that cannot be overridden by our belief system. It must be ignored in order for us to harm others but we find it fairly easy to ignore it.

13. Atheists can&#8217;t have positive emotions and actions because they don't know what those are

Same answer as no. 12

14. Atheists only have the negative emotions and actions available to them

That is just silly. Whose engaging in stereotypes now? Isn't this whole exercise based upon a stereotype not of atheists but of theists?

 

[Lukaris]

I think the following lists of virtues & sins (or negative qualities perhaps) can be shared by Atheists, Christians, Non Christians etc.


The 7 Corporal Works of Mercy
To feed the hungry
To give drink to the thirsty
To clothe the naked
To shelter the homeless
To visit the sick
To visit the imprisoned
To bury the dead


https://www.fisheaters.com/lists.html#9


[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Click on the sin for a more in-depth review. Related topics are listed below.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Pride is excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Pride is also known as Vanity.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Envy is the desire for others' traits, status, abilities, or situation.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Lust is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Anger is manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury. It is also known as Wrath.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Greed is the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. It is also called Avarice or Covetousness.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Seven Contrary Virtues:
humility, kindness, abstinence, chastity, patience, liberality, diligence[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Contrary Virtues were derived from the Psychomachia ("Battle for the Soul"), an epic poem written by Prudentius (c. 410). Practicing these virtues is alledged to protect one against temptation toward the Seven Deadly Sins: humility against pride, kindnessagainst envy, abstinence against gluttony, chastity against lust, patience against anger, liberality against greed, and diligence against sloth.[/FONT]


http://deadlysins.com/virtues.html

 

[theorange4]

Thank you all for your responses so far! I appreciate it and it is all helpful. Please keep in mind the proposed questions I have in mind in terms of the stereotypes.

 

[TheyCallMeDavid]

I don't believe this list of 14 are misconceptions except for 12,13,14 . Other than those, there are elements of truth to the rest either by the Atheist admissions themselves and/or by the very ideology of atheistic Secular Humanisms affirmations in conjunction with the evidence currently played out in American Culture. I personally don't have any misconceptions regarding Atheists as ive shown in recent CF Formal Debates ( http://www.christianforums.com/f1135/) with the evidence of #1 thru 11 being true thru independent scientific studies / formal Secular Humanism affirmations / and as played out sociologically in todays atheistic Secular Humanist Americana. I don't believe 1-11 are misconceptions about Atheists so it wont change the unambiguous facts about this people Group nor my take , and in addition to independent evidence, the Bible itself speaks explicitly about this People Group in great detail (Romans 1: 18-24 for example) .

The final comment I have is : #1-11 are excuses / untruths / incorrect / provable based on Atheist internal and external evidences / and are pity party sympathetic pronouncements . In conclusion, its Atheists themselves who have misconceptions about their own ideology, constructs, philosophy, and religious Secular Humanist persuasion because they cant see the Forest for the Trees and are relegated to believing in and following deceptions in order to maintain their desired stand which is the jettisoning of the Creator who made them in his image. No greater crime exists.

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to your Study.

 

[bling]

In case you haven't seen my previous post, I am doing this for a project in one of my college courses. It is a "community immersion project". As it is a prejudice and discrimination class, stereotypes are an important topic within the class. For my project, I hope to encourage discussion between atheists and Christians, two groups of people who don't always get along. I asked Christians on here to give stereotypes or misconceptions they feel that atheists have towards Christians. I also did the same with atheists concerning Christians. Here are the results I got from the atheists.

For those who have commented already, I have modified my post. If you'd like to modify or add to your response, you are free to do so.

OK

1. Atheists don't have morals - Atheists do have morality, and cite empathy and examining the consequences of their actions as ways they determine their morality.

Hitler had “morals”, so that just cannot be right.

2. Atheists hate God - Atheists lack a belief in god. Therefore, they feel no hatred towards that they don't believe.

How can you “hate” someone you do not think even exist?

3. Atheists choose atheism so that they can have whichever lifestyle they desire without feeling guilty - Atheists do feel guilty for their actions because they have morality. See #1. Atheists choose the position of atheism because it is the one that makes the most sense to them.

That might be a part of some atheist’s reasoning, but motive is very hard to determine.

4. Atheists know God exists, they just don't want to admit it - See #2

Nonbelievers cannot “know” God exist and atheist would fall in the group of nonbelievers.

5. Atheism is a religion just like Christianity - Religion is a set of beliefs. Atheism only discusses one particular belief. Therefore, atheism is not a religion. The confusion is that oftentimes, atheists share similar beliefs about other things. However, those extra beliefs are not apart of atheism.

I would consider that as being true, but if they say they are not who am I to call them liars.

6. Atheists believe there is no god - The lack of belief in a god is what atheism is. That is not necessarily the same as not believing in god. Atheism is often thought of as the "null hypothesis", or default position. This is because a position of disbelief is what we hold onto until evidence comes about to support whatever claim is being tested.

Some do and some don’t, yet call themselves atheists.

7. Atheists think life is meaningless - Atheists do lead meaningful lives, and think one is capable of finding meaning in their life.

They can have an objective .

8. Atheists think you are big accident - See #2. Many atheists will cite evolution as the reason why we are here today. That is not the same as it being a "big accident".

If you take out intelligent design what are you left with?
If it all begin randomly than what popetuates it does not matter.

9. Atheists can just choose to believe if they want to - Beliefs are a result of what you are convinced of as being true. These cannot easily be changed.

The nonbeliever can refuse to the point they will never accepting since everything has been done that can be done.

10. Atheists are trying to take away rights of theists - Atheists simply want the separation of church and state to be enforced where it may not be. This is often misinterpreted as taking away religious rights.

I do not see that much concern in the atheist I talk with.

11. It takes more faith to be an atheist - See #6. Saying this is like telling a Muslim he exhibits more faith in not believing the Hindu Gods than he does for believing his God.

That is hard to proof to a skeptic.
Is it harder to believe a lie than the truth when you are confronted with the truth?

12. Atheists don't know how to be good, or even what good is - Atheists are capable of doing good and feeling god, and determining if something is good or not.

That is hard to proof to a skeptic.

13. Atheists can’t have positive emotions and actions because they don't know what those are - See #12

Do not agree at all.

14. Atheists only have the negative emotions and actions available to them - See #12

No
These are all the things that atheists have told me that they believe Christians often don't understand about atheists. Now that you know this, I have a few questions I'd like to ask.

3. Knowing that these are stereotypes or misconceptions, do you feel that this will change the way that you approach an atheist in the future? How so?

no

4. Do you have any final comments?

What would it take for you to have “faith” in a Benevolent Creator?

 

[Sketcher]

In general, I try to find out what a particular atheist believes before making an assumption. Not all of the stereotypes will be true of all atheists. Neither will all of these refutations. A few I'd like to talk about:

2. Atheists hate God - Atheists lack a belief in god. Therefore, they feel no hatred towards that they don't believe.

4. Atheists know God exists, they just don't want to admit it - See #2

9. Atheists can just choose to believe if they want to - Beliefs are a result of what you are convinced of as being true. These cannot easily be changed.

I've talked with a good number of self-proclaimed atheists who actually do fit these stereotypes. While I would agree they are not true atheists, it really does make me wonder why so many people who like to claim a more intelligent path rant about God so much, as if they believed he did exist. They rant about God as if he were some evil being, yet they claim he doesn't exists. I don't see the point in devoting the mental energy to that topic. After all, I don't rant about how evil Darth Vader and Palpatine are. Related to this is when some atheists have an aversion to people praying for them. If you don't believe that the being we pray to exists, why have a problem with it? In the cases of such people, the opposition would be gut-level, rather than rational. In which case, the primary reason they don't believe is that they don't want to.

3. Atheists choose atheism so that they can have whichever lifestyle they desire without feeling guilty - Atheists do feel guilty for their actions because they have morality. See #1. Atheists choose the position of atheism because it is the one that makes the most sense to them.

For a number of them, this is an undeniable factor. Though some people with similar motivations may choose another life view than atheism in the end. When that is what starts the journey, I have to question the rightness of it.

5. Atheism is a religion just like Christianity - Religion is a set of beliefs. Atheism only discusses one particular belief. Therefore, atheism is not a religion. The confusion is that oftentimes, atheists share similar beliefs about other things. However, those extra beliefs are not apart of atheism.

Fair enough, but the courts ruled that atheism should be treated as a religion to afford atheists the same rights that religious people enjoy. If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, don't get bent out of shape about people calling it a duck.

6. Atheists believe there is no god - The lack of belief in a god is what atheism is. That is not necessarily the same as not believing in god. Atheism is often thought of as the "null hypothesis", or default position. This is because a position of disbelief is what we hold onto until evidence comes about to support whatever claim is being tested.

Well, there are "positive atheists" who believe there is no God, and there are "negative atheists" who simply lack belief in God.

8. Atheists think you are big accident - See #2. Many atheists will cite evolution as the reason why we are here today. That is not the same as it being a "big accident".

If no deity exists to guide and give purpose to evolution, then how is evolution not one big, continuous accident? Or the Big Bang, for that matter?

10. Atheists are trying to take away rights of theists - Atheists simply want the separation of church and state to be enforced where it may not be. This is often misinterpreted as taking away religious rights.

Yet many oppose free exercise, which is guaranteed in the Constitution.

11. It takes more faith to be an atheist - See #6. Saying this is like telling a Muslim he exhibits more faith in not believing the Hindu Gods than he does for believing his God.

This attempt at refutation only stands if it can be better argued from reason that the Hindu gods exist than it can be that Allah exists. I suspect that whoever gave you that only read the title of "I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist," but didn't take in the philosophical arguments against atheism within that book.

12. Atheists don't know how to be good, or even what good is - Atheists are capable of doing good and feeling good, and determining if something is good or not.

There's a difference between everyday morality, which I expect people of any faith to get, and being able to justify morality at the philosophical level while assuming there is no God. What I have experienced in dealing with atheists is that they hit an emotional wall when I ask them why ____ is wrong if there is no God, and why it ultimately matters. I think that is telling.

 

[theorange4]

Thank you everyone that has responded to this post! I hope that this will meet the requirements of this project. I did enjoy reading your responses.

You may still respond if you'd like. If you are interested, I will post a link once I turn in my assignment, to the website that I got the atheist stereotypes, as well as them responding to Christian stereotypes. I will post the link if you are interested. Again, thank you so much for responding!

 

[theorange4]

Here's the post that I obtained the stereotypes from:

Hello Everyone



Here's the post where people responded to Christian Stereotypes

Christian Stereotypes




Hope you enjoy.

 

[seashale76]

In case you haven't seen my previous post, I am doing this for a project in one of my college courses. It is a "community immersion project". As it is a prejudice and discrimination class, stereotypes are an important topic within the class. For my project, I hope to encourage discussion between atheists and Christians, two groups of people who don't always get along. I asked Christians on here to give stereotypes or misconceptions they feel that atheists have towards Christians. I also did the same with atheists concerning Christians. Here are the results I got from the atheists.

For those who have commented already, I have modified my post. If you'd like to modify or add to your response, you are free to do so.

1. Atheists don't have morals - Atheists do have morality, and cite empathy and examining the consequences of their actions as ways they determine their morality. I don't believe that atheists don't have morals.

2. Atheists hate God - Atheists lack a belief in god. Therefore, they feel no hatred towards that they don't believe. Of course atheists lack a belief in gods, however, that doesn't mean some atheists don't hate the idea of God.

3. Atheists choose atheism so that they can have whichever lifestyle they desire without feeling guilty - Atheists do feel guilty for their actions because they have morality. See #1. Atheists choose the position of atheism because it is the one that makes the most sense to them. Well- I don't believe this stereotype.

4. Atheists know God exists, they just don't want to admit it - See #2 This statement doesn't even make sense. I don't know why anyone would pretend to not believe in God if they really did.

5. Atheism is a religion just like Christianity - Religion is a set of beliefs. Atheism only discusses one particular belief. Therefore, atheism is not a religion. The confusion is that oftentimes, atheists share similar beliefs about other things. However, those extra beliefs are not apart of atheism. I don't think that atheism is a religion.

6. Atheists believe there is no god - The lack of belief in a god is what atheism is. That is not necessarily the same as not believing in god. Atheism is often thought of as the "null hypothesis", or default position. This is because a position of disbelief is what we hold onto until evidence comes about to support whatever claim is being tested. This is true (the part I bolded). I call the rest agnosticism.

7. Atheists think life is meaningless - Atheists do lead meaningful lives, and think one is capable of finding meaning in their life. I don't think that atheists believe life is meaningless either.

8. Atheists think you are big accident - See #2. Many atheists will cite evolution as the reason why we are here today. That is not the same as it being a "big accident". Right- because I believe in evolution as well- and I'm a believer. I don't see what evolution has to do with this.

9. Atheists can just choose to believe if they want to - Beliefs are a result of what you are convinced of as being true. These cannot easily be changed.- I agree with the part I bolded here and not the statement.

10. Atheists are trying to take away rights of theists - Atheists simply want the separation of church and state to be enforced where it may not be. This is often misinterpreted as taking away religious rights. I don't believe that statement is true of atheists either.

11. It takes more faith to be an atheist - See #6. Saying this is like telling a Muslim he exhibits more faith in not believing the Hindu Gods than he does for believing his God. That is a common idea lobbed at atheists. I'm not sure I believe it.

12. Atheists don't know how to be good, or even what good is - Atheists are capable of doing good and feeling god, and determining if something is good or not. Well- that's rubbish. Anyone can be good.

13. Atheists can&#8217;t have positive emotions and actions because they don't know what those are - See #12 That doesn't even make sense.

14. Atheists only have the negative emotions and actions available to them - See #12 That's mentally deficient.


These are all the things that atheists have told me that they believe Christians often don't understand about atheists. Now that you know this, I have a few questions I'd like to ask.

1. Did you have any of these stereotypes or misconceptions about atheists before reading this post? If so, which ones?
2. Do you believe that any of these aren't simply stereotypes or misconceptions, but are facts about atheists? How so?
3. Knowing that these are stereotypes or misconceptions, do you feel that this will change the way that you approach an atheist in the future? How so?
4. Do you have any final comments?


If you could take the time to respond to this, I would greatly appreciate it, as the assignment is due this Friday. Thank you all and have a wonderful day/night/afternoon!

Here are my actual stereotypes, if they can be called that. I'm likely not typical.

The occasional atheist (I truly hate generalizing) on-line can come off as:
-bitter
-angry
-assuming that being an atheist bestows critical thinking on a person
-confusing their reasons for being an atheist with what atheism actually is (which is simply a lack of belief in any deities)
-being obsessed with gods/theology/all topics religious they don't believe in

For every on-line atheist poster for whom one or more of the above is true, it isn't true for many others. I further hesitate to extend any of that to all of the numerous atheists that don't post on message boards dedicated to atheism or religious topics at all.

 

[dcalling]

I was once an atheist, from my personal experience only #6 is true,
6. Atheists believe there is no god

In case you haven't seen my previous post, I am doing this for a project in one of my college courses. It is a "community immersion project". As it is a prejudice and discrimination class, stereotypes are an important topic within the class. For my project, I hope to encourage discussion between atheists and Christians, two groups of people who don't always get along. I asked Christians on here to give stereotypes or misconceptions they feel that atheists have towards Christians. I also did the same with atheists concerning Christians. Here are the results I got from the atheists.

For those who have commented already, I have modified my post. If you'd like to modify or add to your response, you are free to do so.

1. Atheists don't have morals - Atheists do have morality, and cite empathy and examining the consequences of their actions as ways they determine their morality.

2. Atheists hate God - Atheists lack a belief in god. Therefore, they feel no hatred towards that they don't believe.

3. Atheists choose atheism so that they can have whichever lifestyle they desire without feeling guilty - Atheists do feel guilty for their actions because they have morality. See #1. Atheists choose the position of atheism because it is the one that makes the most sense to them.

4. Atheists know God exists, they just don't want to admit it - See #2

5. Atheism is a religion just like Christianity - Religion is a set of beliefs. Atheism only discusses one particular belief. Therefore, atheism is not a religion. The confusion is that oftentimes, atheists share similar beliefs about other things. However, those extra beliefs are not apart of atheism.

6. Atheists believe there is no god - The lack of belief in a god is what atheism is. That is not necessarily the same as not believing in god. Atheism is often thought of as the "null hypothesis", or default position. This is because a position of disbelief is what we hold onto until evidence comes about to support whatever claim is being tested.

7. Atheists think life is meaningless - Atheists do lead meaningful lives, and think one is capable of finding meaning in their life.

8. Atheists think you are big accident - See #2. Many atheists will cite evolution as the reason why we are here today. That is not the same as it being a "big accident".

9. Atheists can just choose to believe if they want to - Beliefs are a result of what you are convinced of as being true. These cannot easily be changed.

10. Atheists are trying to take away rights of theists - Atheists simply want the separation of church and state to be enforced where it may not be. This is often misinterpreted as taking away religious rights.

11. It takes more faith to be an atheist - See #6. Saying this is like telling a Muslim he exhibits more faith in not believing the Hindu Gods than he does for believing his God.

12. Atheists don't know how to be good, or even what good is - Atheists are capable of doing good and feeling god, and determining if something is good or not.

13. Atheists can’t have positive emotions and actions because they don't know what those are - See #12

14. Atheists only have the negative emotions and actions available to them - See #12


These are all the things that atheists have told me that they believe Christians often don't understand about atheists. Now that you know this, I have a few questions I'd like to ask.

1. Did you have any of these stereotypes or misconceptions about atheists before reading this post? If so, which ones?
2. Do you believe that any of these aren't simply stereotypes or misconceptions, but are facts about atheists? How so?
3. Knowing that these are stereotypes or misconceptions, do you feel that this will change the way that you approach an atheist in the future? How so?
4. Do you have any final comments?


If you could take the time to respond to this, I would greatly appreciate it, as the assignment is due this Friday. Thank you all and have a wonderful day/night/afternoon!