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LINK What Name Comes to Mind When You Think of Atheism? Many Americans Say… “Satan” | Hemant Mehta | Friendly Atheist | Patheos

Who is the first person who comes to mind when you think of atheism?

Mind you, that doesn’t mean the person is the most famous atheist. Just the name that comes up when you think of the word.

The Pew Research Center asked that question, along with similar ones concerning the major world religions, and they just released the responses. It won’t surprise you to learn that Buddhism prompted Buddha (55% of respondents said that) or that Catholicism led to the Pope (47%).

Perhaps it’s a bit surprising that 21% associated Billy Graham with Evangelical Protestantism, more than any other single person, given that he died in 2018 and stopped preaching regularly long before then, though many of the more prominent evangelicals today are better known for politics than religion.

But when it came to atheism, the one name that came to mind more than any other was… SATAN!

snytiger6 9 Mar 19
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15 comments

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3

Christopher Hitchins

3

When I think about atheism, what comes to mind is freedom to think and be, not a person''s name.

I wonder why some people are terrified by the idea of thinking for themselves. Do you have any idea?

@anglophone Not fitting in, fear of being judged, and being an outsider maybe.

@Betty That fits. I will need to get my head around it. Thanks.

2

The first person? Richard Dawkins.

I wonder why evangelical Christians are so obsessed with Satan.

Anyone that doesn't think and believe like them are considered evil, and evil's name is Satan.

@Betty Good point!

2

Satan depends on God, no god no Satan. Therefore he is not an atheist. I think of Michaelangelo, or any of over a thousand important and smart people.

3

Hitch.

3

Satan isn't a person - not in the Bible - and doesn't exist in reality. At least Buddha and the Pope were/are real persons.

4

May be a bit 'off topic here' but here goes anyway.
According to the "original (LOL what a huge joke imo)" transcript of the Goat-herders Guide to the Galaxy, Satan, a.k.a Lucifer ( from the Latin name Lucius btw meaning Bringer of Light) was cast down by God for the Sin of Giving Light, Reasoning and Self-awareness to Humans, the ONE thing God did NOT want humans to have.
Keeping in mind that the ENTIRE Goat-herders Guide to the Galaxy is nothing more than a plagiarized compendium of Myths and Legends then the Gift of Fire, Light and Self-awareness that caused Prometheus to condemned to being Chained to a cliff and having his liver and entrails pecked out EVERY day for Eternity and having them grow back again each and every night, then I say Hail unto Satan ( Lucifer) for YOU were and ALWAYS will be the First Atheist for you DEFIED and Stood against the Oppression of God.

Cast down for the sin of wanting to take the place of god. I'm not sure the mythical god did not want humans to have light.

@DenoPenno Light as in Knowledge not as light to see.
And according to Chapter 6, verses 12 thru 14 of the 'original' " Lucifer desired not to be as a God but desired that Man have Knowledge ( Light), Reasoning and Self-awareness and for that and that alone was he cast down by God."

6

First that comes to mind to describe an atheist is: “normal”

Mvtt Level 7 Mar 19, 2021

How about SANE

@Healthydoc70 agreed. Sane, is better.

@Healthydoc70 I only wish "sane" was "normal".

@snytiger6 77 million voted for Trump. I'm afraid sane is just not a fact associated with many Americans. The Ad says America does Duncan. Could it be Roundup soaked GMO food and the sea of serious chemicals we "swim in"?? And Trump was/is all about Monsanto/Dow and fossil fuel. Trump even said he "digs" coal. You know. the mercury polluting digging.

@snytiger6 Forgot. Could it be SATAN????

Healthy.

@snytiger6 But WHAT is NORMAL?
Is it not that what one considers to be "normal" another may consider to be NOT normal and vice versa?

7

How could they think Satan, when Satan believes in God. Satan and God, from what I understand, are constantly fighting for our “souls” hence Satan believes in god

9

There is no specific name that comes to my mind in relation to atheism. I simply associate it with intellectual and moral maturity.

Bill Maher comes to mind...

EXACTLY

4

my own. i don't seek out reading material or viewing material about atheism. if i come across it, fine. if i like someone and s/he turns out to be an atheist, cool.

g

5

The first word that comes to mind is intelligence, other words would be science and progress I know that is not a person but that is the first word when I think of atheist.

8

This country is full of MILLIONS of really stupid people. It always has been, but thanks to "social" media they can organize and share their stupidity.

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Total lack of education. Anyone with an actual thought process knows that in order to believe in Satan, you have to believe in gods and religion, making you a theist, not an Atheist. But then if they had a thought process, they wouldn’t be able to believe the Bible was anything more than a popular work of fiction.

The American religious are taught that atheists don't really exist. They are taught atheists just want to sin or that they are mad at God, so they pretend not to believe. It's the height of arrogance to discount the thought process and study many atheists go through to come to their lack of belief.

@RussRAB Shit then IF that be case WHAT are waiting for, let's get sinning like we are supposed to do.

3

Hail Satan!

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