Atheist Attitudes
Myths About Atheism and Atheists
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Very often, believers object to atheism based upon the attitudes they ascribe to atheists. Believers commonly regard atheists to have a generally negative attitude about life, about the universe, about religion, and even about themselves. These attitudes, in turn, are believed to be the source for atheism itself - people who have bad feelings in life aren't likely to be open to the positive message that religion is thought to offer.
But are such assumptions really justified? Are atheists really such negative people that they have developed bad attitudes about everything around them? Do such attitude really lie at the root of their disbelief in God? That's what some believers certainly try to argue, but in reality there is little evident to support such assumptions.
-->You refuse to accept that you sin.
This is simply untrue - atheists do not think that they are perfect. Like everyone else, atheists try to do the right thing, yet know that they sometimes fail; so being an atheist has nothing to do with refusing to acknowledge that we do make mistakes and do choose the wrong thing at times.You must think that you are so sinful that God would find you unacceptable.
A statement like this is almost certain to come from a Christian, particularly a Protestant. It has long been an important aspect of Christian doctrine that all human beings are depraved sinners and know that they are depraved sinners, unworthy of forgiveness or eternal life.You are so proud that you would never admit that you are wrong!
This particular idea about atheists doesn't specifically address atheism itself - it doesn't come out and say that atheism is wrong nor does it argue that theism (much less any particular type of theism) is more reasonable. Instead, it is a very personal attack on the character of the atheist being addressed. But why?What are you atheists so angry about?
This common perception about atheists is particularly unfortunate because, I am sad to say, it is so often true. Yes, there are quite a few atheists out there who are angry - but to address the question, what are they so angry about?Are all atheists just communists?
A common complaint made by theists, typically those of the fundamentalist variety, is that atheism and/or humanism are essentially socialist or communist in nature. Thus, atheism and humanism should be rejected since socialism and communism are evil. However absurd, this charge is made far too often to ignore or dismiss.You're just trying to convince yourself
There are a couple of misconceptions tried up in this statement. First, it assumes that atheists are engaged in some sort of large-scale conversion effort. In fact, that isn't really true. This site, for example, is not designed solely or even primarily with the conversion of theists in mind.
