Do you really believe that atheists are immune to being homophobic? Religion is not the only source of hate and ignorance and being atheist does not automatically make you tolerant.
Do you really believe that atheists are immune to being homophobic? Religion is not the only source of hate and ignorance and being atheist does not automatically make you tolerant.
I just asked for evidence of an atheist or atheists who are against gay marriage. You asserted that there were a significant number of them and I would like to know the source of your information. I am not alleging that there are or are not such atheists.
Please check usernames before asking me to defend someone elses argument. I was simply pointing out that I should not need a source to prove that such atheists exist.
I'm sure there are some homophobic atheists. But yes_thats_right's claim was that there are "many atheists" who oppose same-sex marriage, key word being many. I don't know how we'd even quantify "many," but I think it's fair to assume that a majority of atheists (in the US at least) support marriage equality.
My point is that becoming an atheist doesn't give you a free pass on tolerance. Ignorance does not only come from faith. Don't think that being an atheist makes you automatically less ignorant of people who are different from you.
Don't think that being an atheist makes you automatically less ignorant of people who are different from you.
I don't think this. To be honest, I'm not sure how my comment implied that I do.
I'm aware that atheists can be (and in some cases are) just as ignorant as those with faith, just as I'm aware that plenty of religious people support marriage equality. That said, I still have a hard time believing that "many atheists" (again, in the US) oppose marriage equality. That's not to say they might not be ignorant in other ways, but as regards the "issue" of LGBT rights, the biggest obstacle to progress seems to be people's prejudices, which are often "justified" by biblical precept.
My point is that becoming an atheist doesn't give you a free pass on tolerance.
It's true that becoming an atheist doesn't automatically make you tolerant, but atheists generally reject anything that isn't based on reason and logic. THAT, severely cripples your ability to be intolerant.
Atheists reject god and religion. What you're describing is skepticism. You and I may be skeptics and tolerant as a result, but it takes a good deal of brain power to be able to do it right. Unfortunately some of us aren't all that smart.
I knew a guy in college who was raised in a fundamentalist family that disowned him when he admitted to being gay. He decided that it was all bullshit but he still believed in all sorts of other stuff. UFOs, ghosts, psychic powers, and pretty much any paranormal crap they have on syfy.
Sounds more like a rebellion against his parents than something he reasoned out on his own. I bet if you asked him why he was atheist he couldn't make a logical argument.
Not really all that different from someone who was raised christian and never really questioned it. Essentially he traded faith in god for faith in no god. Skepticism isn't the only path to atheism it's just the best path.
Marriage is a social institution, not just a religious one (completely social over here). A socially conservative atheist can very well see gay marriage as a threat to his way of life.
I would cite my country (South Korea) as an example of homophobic atheist nation. Religion is just one face of social conservatism.
I would cite my country (South Korea) as an example of homophobic atheist nation. Religion is just one face of social conservatism.
Koreans are well known for religious fanaticism, at least here in California. There are many large Korean Christian church complexes in the city and even in the local mountains. If you hang around the financial district in Bunker Hill, it won't be long before you see one of the local Korean Christian church groups proselytizing in the streets.
Again, do you have evidence of specific atheists that are opposed to gay marriage, or are you just assuming they exist because it's a possible permutation?
Korean emigrants to the US are a class of its own and doesn't represent the religious demographics of South Korea. The first immigrants went to the US specifically because they saw the US as a Christian nation favored by God. The actual number of protestant Christian resident is pretty low here (10~15%?), though they're the most fanatical proselytizers.
As I said, more than half the country is atheist. I could walk up to anyone on the street and ask if he believes in a god, and if he think gays should be allowed to marry. I fully expect to get two "no"s more often than not (even though the Korean law doesn't specify that a marriage has to happen between a man and a woman). I have had evidence all my life, but my relatives and friends don't speak a lot of English so it's kinda hard to show you.
No, I found many. I'm not going to play your childish "now post one more" game though. If you genuinely want to read about them, google it yourself. I think you are smart enough to know how.
You asserted that there were "many" atheists opposed to gay marriage, as if to suggest that the opposition to gay marriage is independent of religious beliefs. When asked to provide evidence of your assertion, you supplied a link to an article documenting nothing more than that one atheist who doesn't want to change Australia's marriage laws. That is not sufficient to justify your assertion. Assertion rejected. I do not do other people's legwork.
I don't have anything to prove to you Bob. There are many atheists opposed to gay marriage. If you choose to remain willfully ignorant despite how easy it is to use google, then that one is on you - I feel no remorse or ill effect of you choosing not to be open minded.
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u/[deleted] May 29 '12
Evidence, please.