I don't hate religionI I just ignore it. It does not interfere with my day to day living. Do some find it necessary to actually hate religion in order to be Non Believers?
It's not that I hate religion per se, but the things people do in its name, and the way they use a "good" god to justify their own worst impulses. And I hate the way religion tells its believers to deny truth, because that truth is contradictory to mythology- all while saying "the truth shall set you free". I hate the hypocrisy.
It causes both directly and indirectly death on an industrial scale
It corrupts laws and legislation in every country to benefit itself
It practices and preaches hatred and prejudice
It steals time and money from its adherents by extortion and threats
It attempts to forcibly destroy other versions of itself in favour of itself
It destroys families
It (and its "holy" books) advocates for the extermination of homosexuals, transsexuals, transvestites and anyone it perceives as being in any way different for its own definition of "normal"
It forces lies and ignorance upon children in order to defend its own preposterous claims
It defames women
It is racist
Look I could go on and on, but advise your simply paying a little attention to what is going on around you and by all means continue to ignore this filth if you wish to, but in all good conscience I cannot do so.
@armenpenkoch Typical incoherent abusive uninformed ravings of a desperate religious apologetic.
It wouldn't be any of my business, except that it effects me greatly. In taxes, in warfare, in division of our people - there are places in America where you can't run for office if you are an avowd atheist. That means they have less rights now than any other minority.
So, fuck religion. And, just like hating cancer - but not hating its victims, I just pity the victims of religion, I don't hate them - I hate their disease.
Hate does not work. If Christains hate gays and Atheist, they are the ones overindulge in hate and and most of us can call them on it.
I use love the disease to death, rather than hate. For hate is worst than anger and both are inefficient.
@Castlepaloma I completely disagree with that assessment.
Both hate and anger can be extremely useful, if channeled correctly.
Just because a lot of people haven't figured out how to do that, doesn't
make either one "inefficient".
Love does NOT conquer all. Never has, never will.
Religion often interferes in the lives of gay couples who want to get married or women who choose to terminate a pregnancy. These two issues are mainstays of the religious because they have no other argument for them except God.
I hate religion (not people) because it causes more derision than love.
I hat religion because those who embrace it don't realize that it is a choice, it is by definition "faith" and they feel that they have a RIGHT and a DUTY to share it with those who aren't interested.
I hate religion because it is the basis of all sexism.
I hate religion because it brings nothing good to the world. ... People do that, not religion!
I dislike organised religions and the people who attempt to "pass the message" Hate is a strong word and should be used reservedly, cool comment though, truth cannot be denied!
As an atheist since age 13, I don't hate religion.
Instead I despise the bigotry, racism, sexism, child abuse, anti-abortion laws, men controlling women's bodies, hatred, right-wing religious conservatives, violence and wars caused by religious extremism.
I don't hate religion. What I dislike is the way we are constantly beaten over the head with religion. When something happens in the news, and somebody escapes harm, the reporters appear to be prompting people to say it was a "miracle." They love to do stories about somebody's faith or how their faith helped preserve them. They boost shows like "God Friended Me," and "Evil," with what appears to be 2x the ads of other shows. They like to promote this delusion. That, I dislike.
In an interview with the star of "God Friended Me," he actually wondered who atheists pray to. What a putz.
I'm an anti-theist.
I believe ALL religion is EVIL.
It most definitely interferes with my life, and the lives of many others.
I used to believe in the whole "live and let live" thing.
Unfortunately, too many believers think they have some sort of right to
force their beliefs on everyone else.
They work tirelessly to influence public policy.
If they kept their delusions to themselves, I wouldn't have a problem with them.
Since they cannot seem to do that, I have a problem with them.
I have a BIG problem with them and their bullshit beliefs.
@armenpenkoch Yeah, don't really give a shit what you have a problem with.
Just because religious nut jobs aren't burning you at the stake does mean you are not being hurt by them. Everyone is hurt by religion. From the supporting of warfare, the hampering of science, to being brainwashed into climate denial and many other reasons you are directly harmed by these idiotic organizations.
Truth. Thankyou. Keep it up.
Because so much religion is not benign. If they would just live their lives and let us live ours there would be no problem. But, that is not that case. In the US, and other places around the world, Right Wing Christians are doing everything they can to use the government to force their beliefs onto the rest of us. They decry the evils of Islam, yet they want to do the same thing--only in the name of their god. This is why I cannot simply ignore it.
@armenpenkoch You are seriously advocating "out of sight out of mind" you are disgusting.
@armenpenkoch I live in the US and right now Right Wing Christian Evangelicals, who have the ear of tRUMPf, are doing everything they can to see that the government is used to push/enforce their religious agenda. And, to see that what they think is biblical prophesy is fulfilled concerning Israel.
Um yeah it does affect you, just because you ignore it and are unaware of how much it controls your world doesn't mean it isnt happening.
Churches don't pay taxes, they support bad ideas that become laws: prohibition of alcohol, the drug wars, anti pornography laws, anti-sex worker laws, anti-gay laws, anti-trans laws, anti-immigrant laws, promoting racism and sexism, anti abortion laws.. They cause enormous political friction which ends up wasting tax payer dollars.
Non believing has to do with God's existance9, it has nothing to do wirh religion itself. There are godless religions that are antiscience and bad for society. Scientology, forexample.
You may think differently if you were a woman. I would say religion affects their lives quite a bit with abortion laws, birth control laws, sexual shaming and the like.
It has been my experience that most believers consider their religion as an excuse to try to control the behavior and rights of others. That, alone, is enough reason to speak against it. And then there are a myriad of other good reasons which fall into line behind that one, such as its deviation from truth, from morality and decency, its greed, and its capacity for shielding the depraved from justice.
@armenpenkoch That may well be the case, but the joke would be on the banker. I live well below the poverty level.
Religion is one of the most destructive forces invented by mankind. Why would I not despise a disease.
The concept of religion can be used for good. I have known some people who legitimately become better people because of their beliefs. Unfortunately the majority have used it to force their way of life on others. I have no problem changing my ways because of empirical scientific evidence. Eating healthier, not smoking, wearing seatbelt's all come to mind. But being forced to behave in certain ways because of belief in an invisible friend in the sky doesn't sit well with me. And all to often the power wielded by the leaders of congregations is perverted and used for personal reasons. Priests molesting children, evangelical preachers leading crusades against anything that will whip up fear and line their own pockets. Jim and Tammy baker come to mind as well as Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggerd, Robert Tilton, and on and on. So to answer your question No I don't hate religion even though I am a non believer. I do hate the abuse of power that inevitably comes with it
Religion congregates people....violent theocracies violent cults ignorant greedy voters and some sweet people like Quakers but loyalty to the false concepts of prEyer, magical thinking and the non-existent alleged gawds is too high a price to pay for social justice or alleged morals masquerading as ETHICS
You hit the bullseye in your final line, "...the abuse of power...." Covers a lot of ways to screw things up.
I really don’t know any atheists who hate religion myself included. Theists on the other hand seem to hate all religions except their own. They are by far the greatest haters of religion. I’m glad you don’t find it an issue in your day to day life. Women on the other hand are facing refusal by some employers to cover birth control. And their right to an abortion has already been limited by state laws. They may soon be denied abortions all together. Religion is responsible for this state of affairs.
Also consider the millions of dollars in taxes we lose because they don’t pay taxes. Think of what could be done to improve our day to day lives if they paid their fair share.
If I am forced to carry an unwanted parasite to term,and/or be criminalized because of my actions, nooooo, that wouldn't do anything to my "day to day". If I have to tithe to be "saved", and have almost no money to start with,and i/my kids go hungry, no problemo. If I have to shun my gay relative because the church says he is evil, what, me worry? Aaand etc.....
I do not waste time hating them, but I hate the evils they preach, and avoid it all all costs
i refer you to the crusades, the spanish inquisition, the westboro christians and the fact that in about seven states it is still illegal for atheists to run for public office.
how nice for you that religion doesn't interfere with your day-to-day living. that is most certainly not true for everyone. i had it easy; i was just chased, hit, yelled at, called "dirty jew," denied jobs, subjected to random idiocy and falsely accused of killing a fictional character from another religion, and that was just for being jewish, not for being an atheist,. other people are ostracized from their families and communities, murdered, otherwise persecuted in real time. religion affects their day-to-day lives.
all that (and much more) notwithstanding, no, hating religion is not a prerequisite to atheism. however, one can quite reasonably hate what religion does, and recognize how it often spreads hatred itself. i don't waste my time on it. i am more interested in the separation of church and state.
g
~'without religion good people do good things and bad people do bad things: but it takes religion to convince good people to do bad things'~
Totally true ....thank you for being so succinct
i always wonder if some non believers/atheists feel this way because religion has never affected their lives. it still seems to show a lack of empathy though. of course i hate the organization that told me i was broken, naturally “sinful,” and dirty all my life. i hate them for taking away my childhood by telling me i was destined to grow up to be a pedophile and then spend eternity in fire because i’m a gay man. there’s no salvaging the religions built on books that order people like me to be stoned, even if you pick out the “good parts.”
there’s more nuance to this than people like to talk about though. i’ll take the stance that i hate religion because of what i’ve been through and the society i live in being mostly christian, but i don’t hate something like janeism (if i’ve spelled that right). i think religion as a whole is unnecessary, but i only hate the ones built on teachings full of disgusting bigotry and violence.
Some of us have been hurt very badly by religious people because of their religious beliefs. It can be very hard to let go of that.
It's the ignorance, hate, greed and violence carried out in the name of religion that sickens me.
Truth brother.....