Why Does This Happen?

[PsychoSarah]

I am so sick of other people telling me what I believe and then when I correct them, they try to state I am wrong. As if I don't know what I believe better than they do. Why on earth do people do that?

 

[znr]

The truth? Because you allow it to bug you? I know the feeling (different reasons, same compulsion). In reality, the pressure is coming from you (me too)

I am so sick of other people telling me what I believe and then when I correct them, they try to state I am wrong. As if I don't know what I believe better than they do. Why on earth do people do that?

 

[PsychoSarah]

The truth? Because you allow it to bug you? I know the feeling (different reasons, same compulsion). In reality, the pressure is coming from you (me too)

-_- how could the fact that it bugs me make people do it when I couldn't find out it bugs me until after it happens at least once?

 

[Golden Yak]

I am so sick of other people telling me what I believe and then when I correct them, they try to state I am wrong. As if I don't know what I believe better than they do. Why on earth do people do that?

Oftentimes, because if they accept what you say you believe is true, it contradicts what their faiths dictate about non-believers.

For them to even believe that you know your own mind and thoughts would require them to reject what they believe God says about your mind and thoughts.

Who are the ardent faithful going to believe? An atheist who says 'I just don't believe,' or scripture that says 'yes you do, you're just lying about it because you're a great big lying sinner.'

 

[Lollerskates]

-_- how could the fact that it bugs me make people do it when I couldn't find out it bugs me until after it happens at least once?

It is universal; it happens to Christians - even within the Christian community. I have been called a satanic heretic, plain heretic, and/or worse many times on here by my "brethren" for what I believe. I have seen it happen to Muslims, Buddhists, and pretty much any theist and non theist category. Heck, I have been a part of a Stoic/Nihilism showdown. The irony.

It is just people. You know people in general feel they know better than the next person. Some of us need to fit things in rigid boxes, when most of us are anything but.


Edit: are you talking about people telling you you are wrong about certain belief systems, or telling you that you are not what you claim to be (I think I am addressing the latter, maybe a little of both)?

 

[znr]

That's a riddle you can look at. I'm not trying to be an ass with my answer, but I really doubt people randomly hassle you; surely you're opening the door?

-_- how could the fact that it bugs me make people do it when I couldn't find out it bugs me until after it happens at least once?

 

[znr]

Yep. It's a bad character trait right across the board.

It is universal; it happens to Christians - even within the Christian community. I have been called a satanic heretic, plain heretic, and/or worse many times on here by my "brethren" for what I believe. I have seen it happen to Muslims, Buddhists, and pretty much any theist and non theist category. Heck, I have been a part of a Stoic/Nihilism showdown. The irony.

It is just people. You know people in general feel they know better than the next person. Some of us need to fit things in rigid boxes, when most of us are anything but.


Edit: are you talking about people telling you you are wrong about certain belief systems, or telling you that you are not what you claim to be (I think I am addressing the latter, maybe a little of both)?

 

[Gottservant]

Assuming people know something is a debating tactic, used to frame the conversation in the context of the knowledge that someone is assumed to have.

you invite this strategy when you talk to someone as if they don't believe anything, which is very easy to do - just assuming someone is silent when actually they are thinking can trigger this reaction

the point is part of actually knowing something is a function of being able to distinguish it from things you don't know

so in a sense, they are doing you a favour (even if its one you don't want)

just FYI, since I like you (a little bit, don't get any ideas here lol) I will point out that there is no way to ever truly like this particular part of the process of conversation, its just part of life - if you could like it, you would find people do it to you even more, I'm not saying give up, I'm just saying take it with a grain of salt before you end up putting it in the soup

 

[Paradoxum]

Because their pre-conceived belief about atheists don't fit with reality. So either they can be reasonable people and change their minds, or be close-minded and insist they are right. Some choose the latter.

I suppose some think they have a deeper insight into how other people think.

 

[BL2KTN]

Dunno. I'd need more specifics to be able to figure out what's bugging you.

 

[Gottservant]

Because their pre-conceived belief about atheists don't fit with reality. So either they can be reasonable people and change their minds, or be close-minded and insist they are right. Some choose the latter.

I suppose some think they have a deeper insight into how other people think.

No, God is first and foremost a cause if you choose not to believe you were caused, then there is a conscious choice to be wilfully ignorant of something.

The problem is not that people try to guess what that willful ignorance is of, the problem is that they attribute it to the belief in atheism when in fact the belief in atheism is not the root, but the outcome of a general hatred of everything represented in that cause.

You may say "no I was caused, I just don't believe in God" but before you identify that cause as something, its not possible to distinguish it from God

which is why believers say "there is a god" and atheists call us "idiots"

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I am so sick of other people telling me what I believe and then when I correct them, they try to state I am wrong. As if I don't know what I believe better than they do. Why on earth do people do that?

Can you provide an example of this?

 

[digitalgoth]

I am so sick of other people telling me what I believe and then when I correct them, they try to state I am wrong. As if I don't know what I believe better than they do. Why on earth do people do that?

It's because you're a girl. It's culturally assumed you need to be led, or have been led down the wrong path. The cultural assumption is you're not smart enough to think on your own.

You find this kind of gender issue in all "faiths" because pretty much all the female-empowered ones were wiped off the planet, so culturally your opinions and beliefs are invalidated against a patriarchal model.

 

[bhsmte]

I am so sick of other people telling me what I believe and then when I correct them, they try to state I am wrong. As if I don't know what I believe better than they do. Why on earth do people do that?

With some people, when you disagree with them, they need to label you as something or tell you what you truly believe, in order to feel better about their own belief.

We see this on CF all the time.

 

[bhsmte]

-_- how could the fact that it bugs me make people do it when I couldn't find out it bugs me until after it happens at least once?

I agree, it needs to happen before it becomes an issue, correct?

 

[bhsmte]

That's a riddle you can look at. I'm not trying to be an ass with my answer, but I really doubt people randomly hassle you; surely you're opening the door?

This site and the posts from many would prove you wrong in my opinion. For many, opening the door is as simple as disagreeing with them.

 

[PsychoSarah]

It's because you're a girl. It's culturally assumed you need to be led, or have been led down the wrong path. The cultural assumption is you're not smart enough to think on your own.

You find this kind of gender issue in all "faiths" because pretty much all the female-empowered ones were wiped off the planet, so culturally your opinions and beliefs are invalidated against a patriarchal model.

Uh, what? It isn't as if I am the only person this happens to, and it doesn't show a gender pattern at all.

 

[digitalgoth]

Uh, what? It isn't as if I am the only person this happens to, and it doesn't show a gender pattern at all.

I was basing that on your original post, which I interpreted as:

I am so sick of other people telling me what I believe and then when I correct them, they try to state I am wrong. As if I don't know what I believe better than they do. Why on earth do people do that?

So I assumed you individually were the one affected by this, and I was giving one of the possible contributors to that.

If you were meaning, "why do people tell [people] what [they] believe even when they have clear reasons" then I would say it's because some people have an agenda and people who don't do it aren't threatened by what you believe.

 

[RDKirk]

Uh, what? It isn't as if I am the only person this happens to, and it doesn't show a gender pattern at all.

Because you're young.

 

[Paradoxum]

No, God is first and foremost a cause if you choose not to believe you were caused, then there is a conscious choice to be wilfully ignorant of something.

I was cause by my parents.

The problem is not that people try to guess what that willful ignorance is of, the problem is that they attribute it to the belief in atheism when in fact the belief in atheism is not the root, but the outcome of a general hatred of everything represented in that cause.

I'm not an atheist because I hate anything. I'm an atheist because I don't see a good reason to believe in God.

I used to be a Christian, and I slowly lost faith. I tried to keep faith as long a I could.

You may say "no I was caused, I just don't believe in God" but before you identify that cause as something, its not possible to distinguish it from God

which is why believers say "there is a god" and atheists call us "idiots"

Well it's possible to say that I don't know what the cause of the universe is. It could be God, but I don't believe in God at this moment, so I'm an atheist.

I do have a vague idea or two about the explanation for the universe.