As an atheist this is, quite possibly, the most common question I hear from people. Mostly, this is a stereotype that most people extrapolate because they are convinced we are angry at god, angry at Christians, want to destroy Christmas and, overall, are just scrooges. This is a stereotype that religious leaders have propagated for years. Pat Robertson, many times, has gone on his show and said that atheists are just angry miserable people that want everybody around them miserable.
Further extending the misconception is the deeply held mantra that there is no peace outside of God. Therefore if you do not believe in god, you do not have peace, if you do not have peace you are miserable and angry. Therefore it stands to "reason" that atheists are angry people.
To further complicate these far fetched ideas and circular and confusing reasoning, there is a percentage of atheists that are more anti theist than atheist and do a good job coming across as angry and out to attack all professing believers and destroy any form of religion. These people do little to further the cause of non believers because they are trying to violently destroy deeply held beliefs that is part of the fiber and being of countless people everywhere. In short, if you spend your whole time calling people idiots and doing your best to point out their perceived ignorance they will spend their whole time on the defense and in all likelihood will not hear a thing you have to say.
The flipside is that many atheists ARE actually angry and some with very good reason. But that is a subject for another day and another blog.
Recent events, however, made me wonder...who do Christians think they are asking ME why I am angry? What I want to know is why THEY are so angry??? If faith brings so much peace then why are they so angry at everything and everybody around them?
Why does two men or two women doing their thing in their corner of the world doing nothing other than breathing the same air as you breath make you so frothing at the mouth angry?
Why does a woman, that does not hold to your religious and moral views, deciding that she owns and controls her body make you so angry that you would not only consider murder but would cheer those that do more than consider it?
Why do you immediately jump to arguments of satanism and devil worshiping for everything and anything that does not meet your personal views? Rock and Roll? Devil's music. Television? Devil's box. Yoga? Gateway to witchcraft.
Why do you, if you have so much peace and happiness, get so angry at people with an education? Why is education feared and hated so much by so many people of faith?
Why does one man that you so profoundly disagree with being president make you say such ugly things in anger and hatred?
Why do you so desperately need your guns to the point that you look at those of us that do not feel the need of having one as though we are your enemies?
Why does a woman with an education in a position of leadership make you so mad you could froth at the mouth?
You claim to be a person of peace and happiness, your faith puts you in touch with the Divine One, but if we ask you a question or doubt the veracity of your faith you get ugly and angry and almost gleefully inform us of how long and how horrible our torment in hell will be?
Why am I so angry?
Please...PLEASE...explain to me...why are YOU So angry?
P.S. Please understand, these are generalizations that do not apply to all people that are Christians. But I have spent my entire life interacting with these very same people. I have seen preachers take an axe to a television in the middle of their sermon. I have seen churches take a big barrel and burn people's non religious music. I read the books that say yoga is a gateway to satanism and indeed it has been argued in school districts that tried to offer yoga to their students. I have dealt with the crazies that, rather than endangering their young people's mind with the perils of liberal worldly education they have their church schools and church "colleges" that offer little more than theology and how a woman should be submissive to their husband and cook and clean and raise the kids because that is all women are good for. So just because you are not one of these people, do not assume that they are not out there and that there are not a LOT of them out there.
2 comments:
I agree that there are plenty of angry athiests as well as plenty of angry non-athiests. Religion is something that divides us and people on all sides are passionate about it and their beliefs. So many people have been raised to think that those who do not believe as they do are wrong and will go to hell if they do not change their ways that I'm not sure it's a problem that will ever go away.
Religion divides but this video does not choose a side and I think that's quite unique and cool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaSkwRoIIcM
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