Why do Christians tend to think Atheists hate God?

[Criada]

You are generalising here - possibly because of the Christians you have come across.

You say that 'many atheists used to be Christians'. This is true - it is equally true that many Christians used to be atheists! So we do understand the worldview!

 

[WarEagle]

I'm curious - in some of my conversations with Christians, I tend to get the impression that they think that atheists hate God.

I'm curious - why is this?

I'm not entirely sure how to say this without sounding demeaning (if you have a better of way of phrasing this, please, by all means, tell me - I'll edit my post), but how do you hate something that doesn't exist? (As, of course, Atheists do not believe that God exists, so this must be kept in mind when referring to anything involving atheism).

Again, sorry if this sounds demeaning or insulting - I do not mean it that way. I am simply curious.

Given the terrible and blasphemous things atheists here and on websites like internet infidels and infidel guy, as well as popular atheists like Christopher Hitchens, say about God, what other conclusion can we come to than that they hate God?

You ask how you can hate something that doesn't exist, if God doesn't exist, then why are you devoting so much of your time to criticizing Him?

If you saw somebody on the street talking about what an awful person so and so is, but then they told you that so and so doesn't exist, you'd say they should be in a mental institution.

So why do atheists do it?

 

[talitha]

So why do atheists do it?

Now there's a question that deserves an answer.....

 

[tapero]

i'm not quite clear how christians seem to forget they were once without God in their lives.

 

[kompia]

To trekkie1701c,

I'm a Christian but i do not think Atheists hate God. I just think they need God. That's it.

 

[Divinah]

I don't care if you hate him or not...

I think Lots of Athiests do, hate him...They "don't believe" with a little TOO MUCH ZEAL.

I mean, if I didn't believe in something...it would be the farthest thing from my mind...and I wouldn't be online debating about it and I couldn't care less who believed or not or what they thought of my not believing, you know. So simply true...it's funny as I say it... .

So that makes me think, y'all want people to try to make you believe, or something I dunno...maybe you could explain that one to me sometime.

Hey, but you know what I really came here to say...It's a joke for atheists, surely you'll appreciate...

GOD DOESN'T BELIEVE IN YOU...
SO THAT MUST MEAN
YOUR NOT REAL!

Okay, I just meant that is just a little jokie-joke-joke...in the words of Larry the cable guy...I don't care who you are...
THAT'S FUNNY!​

 

[cmarie423]

Probably because there aren't too many good athiest examples. Most seem really angry and/or scary. Theres an athiest that has a website telling kids to send him a video saying they give there soul to satan and than sending them a free dvd....than theres hitler and such. So we think of athiests as rather scary. If there was an athiest that actually did some good in the world...(maye there is) to show an example it would probably make you all seem alot better.

 

[HonkeyTonkMan]

I agree that athiests cannot hate God since they have no belief that He exists. I DO, however think that some (not all) hate the notion of God and hold a strong disdain towards Christians. Now, these are probably a small percentage of athiests that are, as another poster said, almost evangelical in trying to convince Christians that they are wrong. Just like the majority of Christians won't walk around the streets preaching. Those that do are also a small percentage.

However, when you go to web sites like athiest agenda, and see articles like "Update on the War on Christianity" and they sell T-shirts which say nasty things ...I mean, you have groups which go around destroying roadside memorials because they display a cross. Cmon man, that's an honest tribute from some heartbroken parent who lost a child in an auto accident, or a husband or sister or wife...They will destroy the thing to prove some kind of point. In reality all it's doing is rubbing salt in the wound of someone who is grieving.

THOSE kinds of things are what make Christians feel like some (again not all) athiests have a hatred, not towards God, but towards us.

 

[HonkeyTonkMan]

BTW here's a quote from atheist agenda in response to the death of Jerry Fallwell. (and I am by no means a fan of Fallwell buuut...)

"The fact that that fundy is dead, yeah I'm glad one more is dead. I don't "care" about what his family is going through."

sounds a bit like "hate" to me

 

[rockytrails]

I'm curious - in some of my conversations with Christians, I tend to get the impression that they think that atheists hate God.

I'm curious - why is this?

I'm not entirely sure how to say this without sounding demeaning (if you have a better of way of phrasing this, please, by all means, tell me - I'll edit my post), but how do you hate something that doesn't exist? (As, of course, Atheists do not believe that God exists, so this must be kept in mind when referring to anything involving atheism).

Again, sorry if this sounds demeaning or insulting - I do not mean it that way. I am simply curious.

your God is your self .
and that shows hate for the real God.

 

[Digit]

I'm curious - in some of my conversations with Christians, I tend to get the impression that they think that atheists hate God.

I'm curious - why is this?

Heya Trekkie,

I feel that this is a inaccurate blanket statement. To be honest, would you not be better asking the person you were talking with why he feels you hate God? Obviously he has a reason, whereas and I think I speak for the majority of us, we try not to judge others. We don't always succeed, but we try not to.

If you don't believe God exists, then that is by far your choice, and it carries no connotations with it. However, and perhaps this is where the issue arises, when you mock, deride and ridicule us for our beliefs or God, we do feel that we are under attack. Naturally.

In fact, considering Atheists do not believe in God, and you say how you can hate something that you don't believe exists, I would ask does it make sense to blaspheme? I mean, what do you mean, when you say, "Goddammit!" or "Jesus Christ!" surely it's as meaningful as saying, "thickledemippywhips!" or some such? As you can see, despite our positions and beliefs, often things carry over into our lives and mannerisms. You may feel we think all Atheists hate God, but it is in actual fact only a side-effect of the way some Atheists act in regards to God and religion, just as another poster pointed out about Dawkins. His is hardly a message of neutrality, in regards to God, it is one of anger and condemnation. It definitely sounds like He doesn't like God, despite not believing in his existence.

Just a last point, I don't believe that Sauron from Lord of the Rings is real, but I do certainly dislike him. So it also doesn't follow that belief necessitates a feeling towards a character.

All the best, God bless (even though you don't think He will).
Digit

 

[eolculnamo2]

I personally try and react to athiest in the way 1 peter 3:15 tells us to, which is with Gentleness:

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,"

The truth is, is that Christians aren't supposed to be a part of this world so we typically think of non-Christians as part of this world. So if you're an athiest, you're not of God and need to be baptized and become apart of the Church.

If you don't, our thinking is, is that you did not accept the truth and we may act in a similar way as someone would who would be thinking of the athiest hating God.

 

[dawnsday]

I personally try and react to athiest in the way 1 peter 3:15 tells us to, which is with Gentleness:

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,"

The truth is, is that Christians aren't supposed to be a part of this world so we typically think of non-Christians as part of this world. So if you're an athiest, you're not of God and need to be baptized and become apart of the Church.

If you don't, our thinking is, is that you did not accept the truth and we may act in a similar way as someone would who would be thinking of the athiest hating God.

I totally agree that we shouldn't be jerks, like we see nowadays so often. I do have one thing though...

We are supposed to be part of the world. we are IN it, not OF it. Therefore we need to be IN the world, aware of the happenings, involved in things and not seperated or hidden away as if the world will give us a disease.

We are not supposed to be OF it, meaning, IMO, not a product of the things society puts towards us, not following it because everyone else does, but seperating our HEARTS and actions from those that most think acceptable. We are supposed to rise above the greed, the hate, the "immorality" (to me that is not gay people and abortion, but disrespect to our bodies and constantly giving into desire, of any form).

Unfortunately, I would have to say, though many many christians in these days try to seperate themselves by not being involved in all things secular (which is wrong, because Christ did not do that and all that breeds is ignorance), most christians actually are OF the world, only they justify it with biblical quotes out of context and deeming themselves worthy of judgement on others.

No wonder Atheists don't understand what our problem is, when a mass amount of us go around "preaching" and making false observations about "sinners and heathens" yet exhibit the same selfish characteristics of those without religion.

Maybe if we stepped out of our little boxes and LISTEN to what other people have to say instead of deeming ourselves knowlegable enough to know what's in their mind (atheists hate god, they know god exists and deny it, they are satanists, they just don't want to believe, etc---some things i hear christians say), they would respect us more and in the end maybe an example of Christ in Us will be something to give them reason to consider believing. Maybe not though, but at least we will have been smarter and more christ-like in the meantime.