are atheists guilty of intolerance?

[ReginaForbes]

I was reading the comments in an article on a Christian news website and of course as with any "open" forum there are the atheists posting their usual diatribes..."Christians are bad, hateful, intolerant...blah blah blah" but it got me to thinking... this atheist went out of their way to go to a clearly Christian news site and make verbally abusive posts. How is their behavior considered in any way tolerant? How can they accuse Christians of being narrow minded when they themselves are proclaiming that atheism is the only right way to believe? Well of course when I pointed out the hypocrisy, the atheist promptly freaked out and accused me of being a racist bigot. Excuse me but aren't the majority of believers people of color? Because most atheists I've ever seen were white. And while I'm at it, if someone hates ALL believers (regardless of religion) doesn't that make them antisemitic because they hate Jews as well? Plus why the special attention to Christians? What is it about Christianity that atheists just can't stand? Are they guilty of the same things they accuse Christians of being?

 

[evenifigoalone]

I think they are guilty of polarized thinking and double standards. Well, the ones with that kind of attitude. I've known and talked to plenty of nice and respectful atheists. The other ones, the ones that will rage at any and every religious person because they "hate closeminded people", are ironically some of the most closeminded people I've ever spoken to.

I think it's behavior and not ideology that makes you intolerant.

 

[jasonc]

I was reading the comments in an article on a Christian news website and of course as with any "open" forum there are the atheists posting their usual diatribes..."Christians are bad, hateful, intolerant...blah blah blah" but it got me to thinking... this atheist went out of their way to go to a clearly Christian news site and make verbally abusive posts. How is their behavior considered in any way tolerant? How can they accuse Christians of being narrow minded when they themselves are proclaiming that atheism is the only right way to believe? Well of course when I pointed out the hypocrisy, the atheist promptly freaked out and accused me of being a racist bigot. Excuse me but aren't the majority of believers people of color? Because most atheists I've ever seen were white. And while I'm at it, if someone hates ALL believers (regardless of religion) doesn't that make them antisemitic because they hate Jews as well? Plus why the special attention to Christians? What is it about Christianity that atheists just can't stand? Are they guilty of the same things they accuse Christians of being?

rarely do I say this but anti-semetism is about ethnicity, If I hate an arab I am anti-semetic. besided being a jew is a religion not genetic.though it does have a ethnicity to it.

david ben gurion despised Judaism. good luck calling the founder of modern isreal anti-semetic

 

[Obadiah]

Sadly it goes both ways. The atheists have their intolerant people. But also an awful lot of Christians are very intolerant and very vocal about it. Then there are well known cult groups that call themselves Christians who are extremely intolerant. (Think Westboro Baptist Church.) Most people not closely involved with Christianity don't see the difference between, say Westboro Baptist Church and the nice little local church down the street where people sing hymns and fellowship with each other, never causing any problems. We rebel against the intolerant atheists and they likewise rebel against the intolerant Christians. Just like a bunch of little babies in the kindergarten sandbox.

 

[ReginaForbes]

Babies in the sandbox...I like that! It's a good way to put it.

 

[Obadiah]

Babies in the sandbox...I like that! It's a good way to put it.

Uh huh. As you can see, all you have to do is try to have a rational conversation with one of them and.... well, good luck with that.

 

[jasonc]

Uh huh. As you can see, all you have to do is try to have a rational conversation with one of them and.... well, good luck with that.

trolls are special people.

 

[Kathi]

I was reading the comments in an article on a Christian news website and of course as with any "open" forum there are the atheists posting their usual diatribes..."Christians are bad, hateful, intolerant...blah blah blah" but it got me to thinking... this atheist went out of their way to go to a clearly Christian news site and make verbally abusive posts. How is their behavior considered in any way tolerant? How can they accuse Christians of being narrow minded when they themselves are proclaiming that atheism is the only right way to believe? Well of course when I pointed out the hypocrisy, the atheist promptly freaked out and accused me of being a racist bigot. Excuse me but aren't the majority of believers people of color? Because most atheists I've ever seen were white. And while I'm at it, if someone hates ALL believers (regardless of religion) doesn't that make them antisemitic because they hate Jews as well? Plus why the special attention to Christians? What is it about Christianity that atheists just can't stand? Are they guilty of the same things they accuse Christians of being?

One word "Satan".

 

[Gary]

Sadly it goes both ways. The atheists have their intolerant people. But also an awful lot of Christians are very intolerant and very vocal about it. Then there are well known cult groups that call themselves Christians who are extremely intolerant. (Think Westboro Baptist Church.) Most people not closely involved with Christianity don't see the difference between, say Westboro Baptist Church and the nice little local church down the street where people sing hymns and fellowship with each other, never causing any problems. We rebel against the intolerant atheists and they likewise rebel against the intolerant Christians. Just like a bunch of little babies in the kindergarten sandbox.

That's where I encounter a majority of my problems when witnessing. People don't understand the differences between denominations. Westboro, Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, etc, they lump them all together into one group.

Truth be told, I did the same thing before allowing Jesus into my life.

 

[evenifigoalone]

trolls are special people.

And the internet's a playground for them because they can get away with pretty much anything short of stalking and death threats online. Kinda like bigshot highschool kids before they get smacked in the face by the reality of adult life.

Not that I want the internet policed. No, that doesn't work. We just have to accept that trolls will always exist as long as the internet does, and learn how to deal with them...and the answer to that is, you don't. Ignore them and don't react to their taunting. They'll learn that they won't get the rise out of you they're looking for and they'll leave you alone. Works for me every time.

 

[jasonc]

And the internet's a playground for them because they can get away with pretty much anything short of stalking and death threats online. Kinda like bigshot highschool kids before they get smacked in the face by the reality of adult life.

Not that I want the internet policed. No, that doesn't work. We just have to accept that trolls will always exist as long as the internet does, and learn how to deal with them...and the answer to that is, you don't. Ignore them and don't react to their taunting. They'll learn that they won't get the rise out of you they're looking for and they'll leave you alone. Works for me every time.

these are the humans we are working for.

resistance is futile, there is the collective that will police all that stray.

 

[Gary]

And the internet's a playground for them because they can get away with pretty much anything short of stalking and death threats online. Kinda like bigshot highschool kids before they get smacked in the face by the reality of adult life.

Not that I want the internet policed. No, that doesn't work. We just have to accept that trolls will always exist as long as the internet does, and learn how to deal with them...and the answer to that is, you don't. Ignore them and don't react to their taunting. They'll learn that they won't get the rise out of you they're looking for and they'll leave you alone. Works for me every time.

That's the best advice ever for dealing with bullies.....on or offline.

 

[gr8grace3]

I was reading the comments in an article on a Christian news website and of course as with any "open" forum there are the atheists posting their usual diatribes..."Christians are bad, hateful, intolerant...blah blah blah" but it got me to thinking... this atheist went out of their way to go to a clearly Christian news site and make verbally abusive posts. How is their behavior considered in any way tolerant? How can they accuse Christians of being narrow minded when they themselves are proclaiming that atheism is the only right way to believe? Well of course when I pointed out the hypocrisy, the atheist promptly freaked out and accused me of being a racist bigot. Excuse me but aren't the majority of believers people of color? Because most atheists I've ever seen were white. And while I'm at it, if someone hates ALL believers (regardless of religion) doesn't that make them antisemitic because they hate Jews as well? Plus why the special attention to Christians? What is it about Christianity that atheists just can't stand? Are they guilty of the same things they accuse Christians of being?

From the doctrinal believer, they can't stand Jesus Christ.

From religion(most of Christianity), they can't stand,"thou shalt NOT and thou shalt." Religion has no Idea of the true,"Shalt nots" and "shalts."

 

[Jesse]

Sadly it goes both ways. The atheists have their intolerant people. But also an awful lot of Christians are very intolerant and very vocal about it. Then there are well known cult groups that call themselves Christians who are extremely intolerant. (Think Westboro Baptist Church.) Most people not closely involved with Christianity don't see the difference between, say Westboro Baptist Church and the nice little local church down the street where people sing hymns and fellowship with each other, never causing any problems. We rebel against the intolerant atheists and they likewise rebel against the intolerant Christians. Just like a bunch of little babies in the kindergarten sandbox.

The difference is, the Christians should really know better and be convicted of the bashing of others like we do.

 

[Gary]

The difference is, the Christians should really know better and be convicted of the bashing of others like we do.

Could you give an example the bashing you're referring to?

 

[reba]

why is being intolerant something to be guilty of?

 

[evenifigoalone]

Mean intolerance as in more along the lines of disrespecting others for no reason aside from stuff that shouldn't matter so much.

 

[Jesse]

Could you give an example the bashing you're referring to?

I was quoting Obidiah's post, he was commenting on the OP, which was in reference to comments on an article on the web. In those types of articles just as many Christians do bash other people who have differing opinions, it is easy because it's social media, I sometimes wonder if we would say the same if we were standing in the same room.

 

[Obadiah]

I was quoting Obidiah's post, he was commenting on the OP, which was in reference to comments on an article on the web. In those types of articles just as many Christians do bash other people who have differing opinions, it is easy because it's social media, I sometimes wonder if we would say the same if we were standing in the same room.

Yeah, some would say the same. Look at WBC as an example, with their street protests and their "God hates (insert name of whoever they are protesting here)" signs. I also think of some of the videos I've seen (some even posted on this forum) of a certain kind of street preacher who love name calling and spewing hatred. Those are just a couple of examples of the kinds of things I can just imagine turn so many away from us.

We can't control what the atheists do, but we can teach and encourage our own to be better examples of the love of Jesus.

 

[Jesse]

why is being intolerant something to be guilty of?

Intolerance is not something to be guilty of, again I was referring to the OP and comments Christians make on open forums.

Intolerance is actually a good thing and we, as Christians, should be intolerant of certain behaviors, definitely Christ was intolerant of behaviors. Yet, in our intolerance of other people's behaviors things like using foul language, emotionally abusing them, telling them they are stupid or idiots is the bashing I am speaking of.

This is what I was speaking of my post.