Agnostic.com

41 15

I was told by a Christian that atheist stay stressed cause they always doing research on everything. What do you think?

So there is a Christian girl that knows I’m an atheist. She spotted me at the library one time when I was doing research on all the different type of religions and their similarities and decided to bother me. She told me that atheist must stay stressed out with all the research we do. So I told her it’s a bad thing now to want to be educated and know what is real and what isn’t real? I mentioned to her that things must be stressful for her, considering her belief teaches eternal hellfire and her always needing to ask for forgiveness and always doing things just right if she doesn’t want to go to Hell. Her life must be stressful to think everyone around her is going to Hell all the time. I told her that there was nothing wrong with learning and wanting to be educated. That’s what the human brain is for. It’s not my fault she doesn’t care about her mental health and refuse to bother to educate herself by feeding her brain knowledge, yet just accept things on blind faith from a book written by Bronze Age people from thousands of years ago.

EmeraldJewel 7 Jan 29
Share

Enjoy being online again!

Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.

Create your free account

41 comments

Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.

0

Some people don't find the search for knowledge stressful. Some of us actually find learning stuff fun. Weird, huh.

0

I have siblings who suffer from more forms of Catholic guilt and worry than I could possibly survive. They also use their 'faith' to escape responsibility regarding the awful mess we are making of the planet, saying things like 'It's in god's hands'. I ask why they don't care about the future for their grandchildren and they actually believe it'll all be fine cuz the magic man in the sky will fix it. Totally baffling to me. I prefer reality and science.

0

As opposed to worrying about everything, every thought, every action because you might burn in hell for eternity!? ROFLMAO!

2

Well stated & the perfect comeback! Gaining knowledge isn't stress, IMHO, being ignorant & flailing for a solid foundation is.

2

Well, if ignorance is bliss, then the converse might also be true.

LChar Level 1 Feb 2, 2018
2

Some think ignorance is bliss, I'm not one of them. I naturally question things. I think that tendency is both innate and taught. I can't imagine not being intellectually curious.

I seldom meet people like that but, in general, I think arguing with them is pretty pointless. Similar to arguing about politics.

One of the things that allowed us to become who we are as a species is that we retain into adulthood the innate sense of curiosity that most mammals lose on becoming adults. That should be celebrated, not denigrated, as in Martin Luther & other xtian writers' hate of reason. Never stop learning, never stop growing!

1

I think you reacted perfectly. She approached you and you gave her an honest answer. as long as you aren't mean about it, I think what you said is great. I try to talk to people who approach me for a minute to determine if they are there to look down on me or if they are genuinely curious, because I don't want to scare someone who is questioning- they might be trying to find an opening to know what an atheist is really like, or just wanting someone safe to talk to and breaking the ice. I hate the whole "angry athiest" label. I want to be asked questions. You are educating them. I can see how sometimes they see our behaviour as crazy as we see thiers lol.

2

Research increases knowledge, not stress. Christians just pass their own beliefs on to a book of myths and live in ignorant bliss. I still prefer knowledge.

2

It's only stressful when you are stupid

0

I personally don't engage in these sort of conversations, as they always lead to the same end , and its rarely pretty. I just make an excuse and get off as there is nothing to be gained by a -lose /lose head banging conversation, on either side.

2

I have found on the 'whole,' Christians do not like to think deeply. One of my daughter's has told me for most of her adult life (40yr), that I 'put to much into everything!' And so far as I can see, not one thing I have said or done has changed her Evangelical mind!

Does she believe that 'anything', dinosaur or anything else, has ever come back from the dead? What did JC do to make the champaign dinners for the "multitude", wave his magic wand over the stale bagel and can of outdated sardines? Too foolish to be even funny!

@Diogenes she has very responsible job, is very helpful, if asked, and smart, but she gravitates toward conspiracy theories and Fox...when in a discussion, she can repeat (with force and overtalking) their talking points, to support her position! I believe, that if you develop a habit of blocking out information that offends your senses, then the information you can only let in is going to be one sided. She is almost completely having a one pointed view! Since we pick up traits from our parents inadvertently, she must have picked up my 'controlling' parenting when I was responsible for 5 children, and had poor parenting skills! I learned and changed...starting 50 yrs ago. I don't forsee a change in the works, here for her!

@Freedompath I think you have figured out your daughter, with her Fox News and her over talking to drown out any other conversation. Wise people will avoid talking with your daughter. Who would talk about anything on Fox anyway? There was a program on PBS last night about the fire at The Triangle Shirt Waist Factory in 1911. This is not a pleasant film to watch, about girls leaping from the 12th floor and coming down, like torches, with their clothes on fire. The point here is not about the macabre- but about being informed- about how it relates to current events and crimes of today. And PBS has 'many' different subjects; hypothetically, it could be about Roman coins next.

@Diogenes ...funny thing about other things that I know she enjoys, is documenteries and yet, that is not where she draws her evaluations for real life matters! Something about Fox news, seem to change the way people perceive life. One of my sons, has this same perpensity. If you try and suggest other news sources, they discount it! Which brings me to the 'fact'...for years we could not go to Dr office, PT, even hospital waiting room, without Fox news. If I ask could the channel be changed...no! Somebody, somewhere had a hand in this? Some people even took that tv clicker that can be coded and changed that Fox channel in public places! Fox. has really dumed people down!

@Freedompath I live north of Toronto. Ya, we get Fox, but we also get one that is more dimwitted than that, CP24, and that one is on in very many pubs.('Seriously', a damned good reason to stay out of booze joints.) I call it the "Happy Channel". It is a nonstop 'serenade' of every vulgar thing that has happened in the world. And for radio, CHFI; this station advertises their, "perfect music mix". Let's see, 'their mix-thing' is 15 advertisements in a row followed by a few seconds of howling- Music? I seem to have missed the "music" part. Yes, these ugly sounds are at fitness, grocery stores, and other places that a person must enter. But there are papers here that actually have 'news' coverage, yes, sometimes slanted, but aren't they all? Haven't seen a copy of NY Times in a long time. And when a person is at home, there is the internet, and music and features from all over the world. It's a choice.

@Diogenes ...that's enough to make a person crazy! I really hate a lot of what will be in stores here...it is sure not background music! No wonder the big portion of the world has gone mad...

A study was done, about early 2000's I believe, that showed that people who primarily watch FoxNews for their information on current events are consistently incorrect about said current events. In other words, watch Fox & become misled. What is truly amazing, & it is being shown so much today with our late-night tv hosts, is that folks who watched "The Daily Show" had a better grasp on the world & current events than not only Fox viewers but even most of the other networks news!

@phxbillcee I know...it boggles the mind! I love the Daily Show! I must hope that my daughter, somehow, somewhere, will see the light! If not, I must accept reality and love her... even if it must be from a distance!

@Freedompath Yeah, as the xtians say, (but seldom really mean), "Love the sinner, hate the sin." She will always be your daughter but must travel her own path, as must we all.

1

I think that basically it is too difficult for someone of faith to even put themselves in an empathic situation with someone of no faith or even with someone of a different faith as the storyline is almost always
'we alone have the right faith '
That is a difficult position to hold because it means that you have to resist and sometimes battle against losing your own faith - I htink it must takea lot of energy to keep yourself always in top dog position as you can't rest for a minute with all those 'others' out there 'against' you.

1

I have come to realise that life if full of secrets and lies. After all, if someone asks you a very personal question, you don't have to tell them the truth if you don't want or need to... I used to think that no scientist ever told a lie because they could prove things by demonstration, but now that we have the internet it has become apparent that some scientific demo's were just magic tricks in disguise, but most of us didn't have the knowledge to see it. To me, religion is a load of ancient nonsense that was written down thousands of years ago, Science might be a load of modern nonsense written down last century... take your pick..

I think you have a point, there is a platform now, that everyone can use to promote themselves and their thought process, and since no one starts out knowing a great deal, we must struggle through with millions of people at different stages of learning! Then there people who are hung up in one stage! It really taxes the senses trying to hold one's own mind and still try to understand where the other person is coming from!

Unlike religion, which tends to not only be unchanging but promotes that, science, even if it promotes an incorrect view, will tend to correct itself. Since to be valid science it must be falsifiable & peer reviewed B.S. will eventually be found out & corrected. Religion states that there can be nothing to correct, that, for instance, the bible is inerrant, therefore no new knowledge is needed or wanted.

1

It depends on why someone is doing research. Researching to prove an "answer" can be very stressful because the material found will likely support both sides to a degree. Using cognitive thinking in research searches for facts, and the culminate effect points to the "answer." One is human-driven;the other is fact-driven.

Doing research to educate myself about different things and to get familiar with different beliefs.

@EmeraldJewel go with fact-driven and keep what you trust and discard those you don't. You'll get a general idea. Good luck and have fun. Learning is fun

2

Hi Emerald. This may sound like I am agreeing with the Christian. Noooooo! The truth will not "set a person free"; it will very often depress. Still 'knowing' is better than going to a cartoonish La-la-Land.

1

I don't know what makes you stressed, but I'm stressed that we're all spralling towards the great void of nonexistence, and even our best efforts can only slow the fall. Then I remember that stress is damaging to my health and stess out even more. Then I have a panic attack. So fun.

"great void of nonexistence"! I have no idea what is near at hand- and Nature, if it is cognitive, has never sent a messenger to tell us.

Well, yes, we all eventually "spiral towards...nonexistence", & death is a bummer, but I surely won't stress over it. It's like stressing over gravity because I can't fly (on my own).

1

Ignorance is far more stressful than knowing the truth. I’d rather think out a problem and find the best possible solution than wait for a non-existent deity to “show me the way” 😉

1

I've been researching and analyzing things most of my life. Never felt stressed, even when working to a tight deadline.

2

well, they can be obsessed with the same fairy tale.

Oh, they're not obsessed with the same fairy tail, everone has their own little spin on it- and if the stories are just barely different from the other person's, they're going to burn eternally. Gotta hope ya picked the right story!

I'm a happy heathen

@LeighShelton I am NOT a "happy heathen"; wish I could find a female heathen to argue with and laugh with.

it would be nice

@Diogenes you could find a Christian female and then you would get at least half of what you're after lol.

@LeighShelton NOT that kind of "argue"- that kind of arguing usually causes me to blow up. I like to be around someone with a brain- and I pretend that I have one too. LOL

I'm only trying to help mate lol

0

I simply have no deities. Nothing to research, I just don't believe. No stress. I'm not out to convince anyone of anything, it's a free country believe, or don't, I don't care. Next time you see Kitten, tell her to talk to a few more people.

4

Christians sound so sad, silly. I love learning. It sounds like you stood your ground. Religion is big business, and, they have to keep selling.

1

Some ppl with religious views are anxious about their doubt, always looking for validation and attacking anything that seems to produce positive results from a non theist approach (I.e. your researching).

2

Im sure she was speechless lol

Yep!

1

those kind of people desire somebody to lead them because their brain is different than ours, people that think are always trying to understand new ideas and concepts.

dc65 Level 7 Jan 29, 2018
2

Fear is the most stressful thing there is. Death I'd bad enough but then add the element of eternal pain only makes it unbearable. The meaning of life for the religious is to do what they're told so they won't have to suffer that eternal pain. The real meaning of life (all life) is to evolve and for us humans that means learning. The more we know of this world the more we can appreciate it.

My niece is a Jehovaha's witness. We were at a family reunion and her daughter said she was graduating from HS (home schooled). We asked if she was going to college and my niece said no because they didn't believe in higher education unless it was for a job! We all wonder how these people can be so ignorant.

What's sad life they live....

@AtheismIsLife Funny, they think it is we who have the sad lives.

@Atheistman I disagree. My degree was in European History. I already had a job but was living in Europe and was fascinated by the history. An undergraduate degree in this field gets you nowhere. It has, however, helped me to add a more informed opinion on this site.

Also, what happens when one retire's? Does what one has learned no longer matter?

@Atheistman I attended with the University of Maryland European Division. I worked for the school and attended for free. Also, because of the GI bill I actually got paid to go to school. A big perk of studying Eur. history and living there is I got to go places (like 2 weeks in Rome) where the history was made.

The main professor had a unique way of teaching. There were no 'normal' exams or papers. At the start of class he would have several questions on the board. We were to pick a couple of main questions and a couple of smaller ones. When exam time came we entered the classroom and started writing (for 3 hours). No test papers just what we wrote. He told us that for this field one usually go on to graduate level and one must know how to write. Also, there was non of the usual names and dates. Mostly causes and effects. After 35 years I still retain a lot of what I learned. Also, the internet didn't exist then.

I apply my knowledge in life and in places like this site.

Write Comment
You can include a link to this post in your posts and comments by including the text q:19438
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.