Why I'm not an Atheist

[AFK]

I am an Atheist, I just happen to not give a fuck if anybody knows it or not, and really could care less about the religion of others.  I mean, I think it's pretty silly to get worked up over phantom sky-faeries, but if it makes people happy, meh , who am I to ruin their fun?

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

I see atheism as a positive statement of belief: "I believe there is no God." The safest path, if presented with "maybe there is a God and if there is he wants to to worship him as part of this religion" is to go along with it on the off chance that they're right (assuming there's nothing outrageous about the religion beyond believing in a sky pixie). Atheism means deliberately taking the less safe path, because you're all being ridiculous and seriously, you guys. As obnoxious as loud atheists are, they're not much louder than converts to other beliefs.

Damning with faint praise? 

I guess the fact that atheism isn't "less safe" in my region has a lot to do with my bafflement. I mean, most people assume that you're not religious unless you say you are.

The idea of going along with religion in case they're right doesn't really make sense to me. People apply that principle to virtually no other aspect of life.

It was one of the popular arguments for religion for a while. It doesn't work so well anymore, in part because we're more open to the idea that maybe brown people or our ancestors aren't COMPLETELY fucking idiotic, but also because Christianity has fragmented so hard that the odds you pick the right deity and denomination aren't much better than if you don't bother to participate in the lottery.

The husband is a loud atheist. There are times I wish he was not.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I hear the "religion is bad and here's why" argument sometimes, but then I look around at other human systems and note that it really doesn't seem to be specific to religion at all.

[Pæs]

I'm apolitical because of how many wars politics keeps causing. I think we should stop teaching politics to our children.

[Chelagoras The Boulder]

I hear the "my religion was bad and here's why i'm going to vent my lingering frustrations with the traditions i was brought up in to you " argument sometimes, but then I look around at other human systems and note that it really doesn't seem to be specific to religion at all.

Fixed

[Suu]

I consider myself a Gnostic these days. Which is basically playing Russian Roulette with whomever is manning the Prayer Desk at a particular moment. You never know who you're gonna get, and this weekend was a prime example of that: I win the Street Painting Festival, and then I get a kidney stone that puts me in the hospital. That to me sounds like Loki had the white courtesy phone this time.

However, my big issue with Atheists is their form of activism. I do not agree with the petitioning and abuse of the ACLU in order to remove something with a cross on it that's been standing since before they were born (We have a memorial in Woonsocket from WWI that is a marble cross. Atheists, from NOT EVEN RHODE ISLAND from like, Cleveland, tried to sue the city to have it removed. O_O) I don't agree with them goading fights for the sake of doing it. In my opinion, an Atheist should acknowledge and respect that others around them have religious faith and simply respecting that. Taking it to the next level of offending people is just wrong.

[msok]

 I flip so hard back and forth and all over the place. when it comes to picking a faith its like trying to pick a starter pokemon, half way threw the game I just delete everything and start over to get a new one. sometimes the same one I got before. Im trying REALLY hard to stop the pattern but... I like the struggle I guess. I dont think a person can even be a religion its impossible for two people to look at something the same. I cant echo any metaphysical beliefs. discord strikes a hell of a cord with me.
    I think I was an Atheist once but it didn't do anything for me, I'd much rather pretend to be a God even if I was making it up.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I'm apolitical because of how many wars politics keeps causing. I think we should stop teaching politics to our children.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I hear the "my religion was bad and here's why i'm going to vent my lingering frustrations with the traditions i was brought up in to you " argument sometimes, but then I look around at other human systems and note that it really doesn't seem to be specific to religion at all.

Fixed

Yeah, I think you about nailed it. And I think that possibly I don't "get" atheism because I wasn't raised religious.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

I hear the "my religion was bad and here's why i'm going to vent my lingering frustrations with the traditions i was brought up in to you " argument sometimes, but then I look around at other human systems and note that it really doesn't seem to be specific to religion at all.

Fixed

Yeah, I think you about nailed it. And I think that possibly I don't "get" atheism because I wasn't raised religious.

I was raised by Anglicans.  Religion is something you do behind closed doors, and you wash your hands afterward.  So, yeah, nothing to rebel against.

[The Johnny]

1st reply pre-thread-read (i did read OP though)

What i do not like about atheism is its inherent vindictiveness... to me it personally reeks of angry teenager that is trying to "ill-show-you-people!!!". It's more a matter of tone rather than posture, I can emphatize with "silent atheists" that don't run amok among the world preaching it or thinking they are so special and "radical" thinking their belief makes them better people.

In fact the goddamn tone of of "holier than thou" directly parallels to "smarter than thou" which each respective clan generally represents... "oh, im a miserable fuck bordering on sociopathy, but im religious so that makes me righteous" contrasted to "oh, im so intellectually superior, me is uber-menschen!!!"... NO, BOTH OF YOU, SHUT THE FUCK UP. I dont care what your belief system is (anymore), what i care about is what you DO, not what you SAY. If being religious, or being a-religious gives the same conclusion of you being a monster then what difference does it make?

I'm agnostic, because believing god doesnt exist is as good in the scale of critical thinking as believing god exists. Stop bothering me with your silly answers to silly questions, monkeys, im KIND OF busy doing things that dont pertain to invisible unperceptible beings!

[The Good Reverend Roger]

The reason I WISH I was an atheist...

[The Johnny]

I used to be an angry atheist, like these assholes were telling me stuff I had to do and stuff I wasn't allowed to on account of god and that pissed me off. And another part of me took offence to the precise level of dumb but then I mellowed and jaded and shit and nowadays I don't tend to get pissed off at retardedness much. There's too much of it and not enough rage. Laughing at any bits I come across is a much more enjoyable way to spend existence.

See this is kind of what i was refering to, ex-angry-atheist grew out of it.

Not mocking you, just meta-referencing my above comment.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

The reason I WISH I was an atheist...

[Pope Pixie Pickle]

1st reply pre-thread-read (i did read OP though)

What i do not like about atheism is its inherent vindictiveness... to me it personally reeks of angry teenager that is trying to "ill-show-you-people!!!". It's more a matter of tone rather than posture, I can emphatize with "silent atheists" that don't run amok among the world preaching it or thinking they are so special and "radical" thinking their belief makes them better people.

In fact the goddamn tone of of "holier than thou" directly parallels to "smarter than thou" which each respective clan generally represents... "oh, im a miserable fuck bordering on sociopathy, but im religious so that makes me righteous" contrasted to "oh, im so intellectually superior, me is uber-menschen!!!"... NO, BOTH OF YOU, SHUT THE FUCK UP. I dont care what your belief system is (anymore), what i care about is what you DO, not what you SAY. If being religious, or being a-religious gives the same conclusion of you being a monster then what difference does it make?

I'm agnostic, because believing god doesnt exist is as good in the scale of critical thinking as believing god exists. Stop bothering me with your silly answers to silly questions, monkeys, im KIND OF busy doing things that dont pertain to invisible unperceptible beings!

haha. bolded is pretty much where I stand. I describe myself as a hardcore agnostic for reasons that are- it winds up the uber-atheism crowd, and I'm pretty much seen by theists and atheists as a secular humanist, being as I don't know, can't prove either argument and I think the world at large has have more important things to think about, like STOP BEING DICKS TO EACH OTHER. I used to be pretty fucking outlandishly pagan though until about 18 months before I went talky head gremlin crazy and occams razor'd my way through the bonkers using SCIENCE.

Both my  religious acquaintances and my atheist friends think my stance is weird tho. they are all BUT ORIGINS! WHY ARE WE HERE? and I'm all quit your navel gazing and encourage people to be less of a dick. Incidentally this is why I like Buddhism and Taoism but without the woo, as it's about ethics.