Luiseach

Now this is what really confounds me - the idea that atheists (or lesbians, gays, frankly anyone who doesn't conform to the perceived 'norm' of a society) are to be excluded from humanity...because that's what it amounts to, doesn't it?

Again, I'm just exploring ideas here, but is there something about religion (or any other ideology) that encourages intolerance of deviations from itself? Is it all just a matter of what the Bible (or other sacrosanct handbook) says? Or does religion (or any other ideology) in fact attract some people who have an intolerant world-view already in place? It's hard to say.

For instance, when my husband first told his mother that he had a girlfriend (couple years ago now), her first question wasn't 'Oh, how lovely...what's she like? what's her name? is she nice? do you like her? etc......it was....'Does she go to Church?' The answer, of course, was 'No, she doesn't go to Church, mom'. That was the end of that conversation...so much for openness, eh? We think that her main interest in me was based on the possibility that I could convince her errant son the errors of his atheistic ways. Ha! :-D

However, neither of us has been disowned by my mother-in-law. She seems to respect us despite our non-belief, which in my opinion is a point in her favour. AND she gave us a wicked set of non-stick pots and a pile of nice cutlery as wedding gifts...so obviously, we haven't been banished to Hell just yet. ;-)

lpetrich

One of my pet hypotheses is a sort of natural selection of cultism -- those which are the most dogmatically certain survive the best because they are the best at discouraging skepticism about their beliefs.

Asha'man

Religion has always been a tool to control people, to manipulate their thoughts, to dictate their actions. One of the biggest directions of control is morality. People have been taught that morality is from God, that God is the supreme provider of justice, and that without belief in God, there is no basis for morality.

Think about that for a second: if theism is the only real basis for morality, then atheists must all be amoral.

We here know better, that there are plenty of reasons to behave in a civilized fashion despite a lack of belief in God. But those poor deluded theists don�t know that, they have been brainwashed to think that is impossible.

So they fear us.

They assume that we are all pedophiles and rapists, murderers and thieves. Does that sound familiar to anybody?

AspenMama

Asha'man-- I agree with you. I've met very few xians who think otherwise. Even those who have treated me well and know that my morals and ethics are top-notch, believe deep down that I am not the owner of these morals-- they have argued to me that such ethics come from society's deep-rooted xian values instilled in me whether I liked it or not.

There are many other assumptions that are made about atheists-- that we are all depressed and generally unhappy, and that atheists are similar to an organized group-- and all share the same political viewpoints and outlook on life.

I think that my purpose here and in general is to fight these assumptions in the most meaningful and effective way that I am able.

Luiseach

I agree with Asha'man as well. And you too, AspenMama, come to think of it.

And to think that I've heard people say that getting atheists to agree about something is akin to herding cats. :-D

TollHouse

I think there's something too that. They are defensless against satire.

so-crates

I think one reason why believers have a strong dislike towards atheists is the lack of conviction in their own belief. They want everyone to believe the fairy tale in order to make it true. If they meet a normal, rational person who doesn't hold their beliefs it upsets their worldview quite a bit.

That, and the political nature of many Christians who feel threatened that 'atheistic values' (even though there aren't any, really) will become dominant in the government, schools, etc.

Thanatoast

One of the major factors that I think might contribute heavily toward theists rejecting/disowning friends and family members is the belief in the afterlife, and the conditions placed upon one's supposed "eternal destination".

Consider: when an evangelical christian is confronted with someone who says they disgaree with the entirity of their theology, that means that person will not be with them in "heaven" with all the other, "true-believing" evangelical christians.

What this means is that continuing the relationship in "this world" means continuing a relationship with someone who is destined for hell when death eventually comes (the parousia being another possibility, from their perspective).

Rather than agonize over this perceived condition, choosing to constantly preach and harrass the unbeliever, the evangelical decides to "let go and let god". The believer simply cannot handle the emotions relating to the belief that this person, no matter how close they may be, will be eternally separated from him/her. Eventually, the believer will recognize the persistence in the other's unbelief, and, feel that it is best to end the relationship at that time, in "this world", rather than waiting for their entry in the "next".

This is not to say that simple bigotry and herd mentality play their part, but I believe this little theory of mine might have some merit.

Note: this does not only apply to evangelical christians, but most likely to a number of other sects and faiths. E.C. is merely what I'm most familiar with.

Grad Student Humanist

I have a similar point of view on the issue. I think most sincere believers would first of all be disappointed and sadened to hear that a close friend or family member was an atheist because to them it means that person is going to be spending an eternity in hell (or at best, not in heaven).

I also think that most believers find it hard to conceive of life without their God belief, so it's hard for them to relate.

I have not told my mother that I'm an atheist because it would only pain her. She knows I'm not religious and don't go to church and she's ok with that, but if I were to take that extra step and announce my atheism I know it would hurt her greatly. So I don't.
I am also confident, however, that she wouldn't disown me or love me any less, so maybe in that sense I'm luckier than some other atheists.

Thanatoast

Grad Student Humanist states:

That's good to know. There are plenty of people who would not be so lucky.

But I'd be curious to know if such a reaction would be based solely on your mother's own personality (and love for her son), or on the theology and/or style of teaching in her particular denomination (or congregation).

I doubt that could ever be conclusively determined, though.