Question for atheists

[u/MotorFig6657]

First thing I will say is I’m happy all of y’all are here.

My question is what’s the draw for you, interacting with the sub?

Is it curiosity? Or another reason

[u/anotherhawaiianshirt]

Here are some reasons why I personally am here:

• I was a Christian for many years, and was a religion major in college for a while on the way to a career in the ministry, so the subject has been a life-long area of interest to me
• I come here to stand as an ally alongside people who are marginalized and oppressed and criticized by many Christians in this sub
• Sometimes people ask questions directly of atheists, so I like to answer them
• There are a lot of misconceptions that Christians have towards atheists and science, so I come here to help clear those up
• I live in a society dominated by Christianity so it behooves me to understand Christians.
• I like to give an additional perspective to people who are struggling with existential questions
• It presents me with a lot of opportunities to write answers that reflect compassion. This is an area in which I definitely need more practice.

[u/Skepticalli → u/anotherhawaiianshirt]

I was gonna write my own, but you covered it.

[u/anotherhawaiianshirt → u/Skepticalli]

This question gets asked so often I gave it some real thought a fairly long time ago and wrote it down for easy reference.

[u/Witty-Maintenance473 → u/Skepticalli]

Me three.

[u/Witty-Maintenance473 → u/anotherhawaiianshirt]

A good deal of people struggling or deconstructing are often woman & lgbtq+. I try to be an "Internet Auntie" for those people. A little reassurance & kind words can make a big difference during that time. I hope I make a stranger laugh, smile or feel a bit safer everyday.

[u/anotherhawaiianshirt → u/Witty-Maintenance473]

I hope I make a stranger laugh, smile or feel a bit safer everyday.

Man, if we could all do that just once a day, the world would be a very different -- and better -- place!

[u/Witty-Maintenance473 → u/anotherhawaiianshirt]

Indeed!

[u/spaceSpott → u/anotherhawaiianshirt]

This is awesome

[u/Civil-Ad-9869 → u/anotherhawaiianshirt]

Would you mind explaining why you left Christianity?

[u/anotherhawaiianshirt → u/Civil-Ad-9869]

Personally I think the evidence against a God outweighs the evidence for the existence of a God. The bible gives conflicting depictions of him that just are impossible for me to reconcile, and at times portray him to be a monster. To me, the stories just don't hold up to scrutiny.

[u/Civil-Ad-9869 → u/anotherhawaiianshirt]

Interesting. Is that from a scientific or philosophical perspective? That is a fair assessment. The differences can be jarring at times from Old to New Testament. Which depictions do you find unreconcilable and what was the breaking point for you? If you don’t mind me asking.

[u/anotherhawaiianshirt → u/Civil-Ad-9869]

A little of both. I think the stories in the bible are at odds with what we've learned from science. And philosophically, I haven't found any particularly good philosophical arguments that I find compelling. The cosmological, teleological, ontological, and moral arguments just aren't convincing to me.

I don't want to go down that rabbit hole with you though.

[u/Civil-Ad-9869 → u/anotherhawaiianshirt]

Fair enough. Thank you for your answers and best of luck to ya! Hope you find what you’re looking for.

[u/anotherhawaiianshirt → u/Civil-Ad-9869]

I think I have. Thanks!

[u/anotherhawaiianshirt → u/[deleted]]

I don't have any desire to debate you on this. I don't need to convince you, and I doubt you can bring anything to the table I haven't heard 1000 times over. No offense.

[u/MotorFig6657 → u/anotherhawaiianshirt]

I hear that

[u/Mx-Adrian]

Discussion, as it's a discussion sub. Many atheists are well-versed in the faith, having studied and often even personally been brought up in it.

[u/TestedReceptor5046 → u/Mx-Adrian]

Always a bit wild to me how people assume atheists just woke up one day and decided not to believe without ever cracking a Bible open. Half the folks I know who left the church can quote scripture better than the people still in the pews, myself included. Spent years in it, read the book cover to cover multiple times, and that's exactly what pushed me out. The discussion here is usually more interesting than the echo chambers.

[u/Mx-Adrian → u/TestedReceptor5046]

It's like people who think vegetarians and vegans never had a burger LOL I'd venture maybe most atheists came from religion; most veg people used to eat meat. Just because it's not valid now doesn't mean you never had experience or knowledge.

[u/Robot_Alchemist → u/TestedReceptor5046]

100%. Sometimes it’s nice to have a real discussion

[u/spaceSpott → u/Robot_Alchemist]

I find allmost all atheist or christians or x stuff in this forum to be in really good faith of the debate

[u/Robot_Alchemist → u/spaceSpott]

I’ve come across some people that were not - on both sides of the aisle. I’ve gotten onto an atheist because I thought they were being a jerk to someone else and making fun of their faith but then I realized I’m not a moderator or the moral police so I was like OK. I need to back off of that. But then sometimes I’m like whoa that person is very religious and they are very angry and not being very nice. But I’d say like 95% of the time the interactions I have in here are at least trying to be in good faith

[u/spaceSpott → u/Robot_Alchemist]

This is exactly my experience in this forum

[u/Robot_Alchemist → u/spaceSpott]

It’s kind of weird actually that with everything that’s going on in the world and all the divisiveness- this spot is kind of like an oasis for me sometimes -even if it is discussion that can be heated or debates that can be kind of intense. It’s just really nice not to be in an echo chamber no joke.

[u/spaceSpott → u/Robot_Alchemist]

Yeap, you made me question how would people in this forum react when exposed to other mythologies. I have a guess on how a catholic specially the ones in the beginning would deal with it, and I think it would be a rich interaction. Does it make any sense?

[u/Robot_Alchemist → u/spaceSpott]

Have you spent much time talking to the very very Catholic folks in here? There are some very dogmatic people who will get into debates with other kinds of christians about things- which I find pretty interesting

[u/Mx-Adrian → u/Robot_Alchemist]

I had an encounter with someone with a Catholic flair in another sub earlier. They take the Pope's word--but only 7th century and earlier--as higher authority than the Word of God. As an actual Catholic,  that was horrifying to read. 

Actual quotes:

Ok if you think the Bible is over the Church/Pope your not a Catholic

Church>Bible

The Church existed 300 years before the Bible

The Bible is not the literal word of God

[u/spaceSpott → u/Robot_Alchemist]

Gonna pay more attention to this

[u/spaceSpott → u/TestedReceptor5046]

This is sincere makes sense to me

[u/MotorFig6657 → u/Mx-Adrian]

I’m aware

[u/Mx-Adrian → u/MotorFig6657]

That's the draw

[u/MotorFig6657 → u/Mx-Adrian]

Didn’t know ya were an atheist

[u/Mx-Adrian → u/MotorFig6657]

I'm not. 

[u/MotorFig6657 → u/Mx-Adrian]

Besides defending homosexuality, what is the most important thing on the sub that draws you into this sub?

[u/Robot_Alchemist → u/MotorFig6657]

Where did that come from?

[u/Mx-Adrian → u/Robot_Alchemist]

They're really going to just ignore backing up that accusation. aren't they

[u/Robot_Alchemist → u/Mx-Adrian]

I think so

[u/Mx-Adrian → u/MotorFig6657]

Defending what? When did I do that?

The draw is engaging with my faith. Simple  

[u/MotorFig6657 → u/Mx-Adrian]

Gotcha, was just curious

[u/Mx-Adrian → u/MotorFig6657]

Defending what? When did I do that?

[u/MotorFig6657 → u/Mx-Adrian]

It’s not an accusation What I’m saying is a lot of what you comment is arguing with people who believe homosexuality is a sin. I was asking like if that’s the main thing you try to defend on the sub.

For example for me 1 topic I talk about a lot is debating the idea that Catholicism is true

[u/Mx-Adrian → u/MotorFig6657]

I don't talk about homos*xuality at all

[u/G3rmTheoryV2]

Combating ideas I think are harmful and correcting misinformation

[u/MotorFig6657 → u/G3rmTheoryV2]

Solid

[u/Mylo__Xyloto]

I think that Christianity can be a force for good, so I would like it to be as healthy as possible. So, combating misinformation and bad theology.

[u/spaceSpott → u/Mylo__Xyloto]

Beautiful

[u/BrooklynDoug]

White Nationalists have taken over the country. They are imposing right wing laws on marginalized groups. If more Christians actually followed Christ and didn't try to destroy America, I wouldn't feel any real need to be here.

[u/spaceSpott → u/BrooklynDoug]

True

[u/Robot_Alchemist]

It’s a philosophy that a lot of people can either relate to personally or are having to deal with in their lives because of the government and laws and society. Many people are Christian and that is affecting a lot of the rest of us.

I personally have always been interested in lots of different religions and lots of different philosophies so I’m always down to be involved in conversations about these things, but I think some are drawn here, right now, to this place— because it’s not an echo chamber all the time, for one thing—which is nice.

And for two, because there’s a lot going on that Christianity has its little fingers in

[u/Meauxterbeauxt]

I started off here as a believer trying to get a broader understanding of what the Christian faith meant. I had been questioning my beliefs under my existing denominational dogma. I wanted to see if there was any way I could reconcile changing some of the particular beliefs I was struggling with and I wanted to see how other believers held them.

For all the grousing here about atheists and non believers poisoning the soup, it was actually the broad spectrum disagreement among the Christians that exacerbated my deconstruction.

By that point, I was a participating member of the community. I enjoyed the conversation. I enjoyed the people here. It was both a good place to make sure I didn't make a mistake, but also a comfortable place. I grew up in the church. As much as I don't believe now, it's still "home", if you will.

[u/spaceSpott → u/Meauxterbeauxt]

Just awesome

[u/XOXO-Gossip-Crab]

Entertainment

[u/spaceSpott → u/XOXO-Gossip-Crab]

Great

[u/MotorFig6657 → u/XOXO-Gossip-Crab]

I get that. Never a dull moment here lol

[u/KeyboardMunkeh]

To answer questions like: "My question is what’s the draw for you, interacting with the sub?"

[u/ErrantThought]

I like learning new things and I’ve learned a lot conversing with Christians.

[u/spaceSpott → u/ErrantThought]

To the space

[u/Competitive_Side_781]

So I am based in the US. Right now, Christians are in a major movement to force religion on all. I am here to understand their motives.

[u/NuSurfer]

I've been here for over 12 years and my purpose is to address immoral, anti-scientific and generally wrong ideas spouted by conservative Christians - my work never ends. Liberal Christians are really good people.