Discrimination Against Atheists?

[pacdiggity]

In a lot of ways, I'm an atheist. Don't hurt me!
I went to a christian primary (elementary/grade) school for 7 years and a christian high school for 1 year, and I went to church every Sunday for those 8 years. So don't say I know nothing about Christianity, I probably know about it more than most Christians do. After I left that community and started thinking more about the world, I discovered my true outlook on life. I am not a Christian anymore. I've noticed a lot of discriminatory things in the media in the last couple of years. Jews, Muslims, even Catholics, Protestants, and in some ridiculous cases, Buddhists, Hindus and Confucians. But this is something you almost never hear about.

I thought about this when in a heated debate with a schoolmate. He is a "devout" Christian, who in my opinion doesn't know anything about his faith. This is where the hypocritical thoughts I'll be talking about came from. I was talking about the idea that perhaps an alien set our evolution in motion, and he cracked and yelled, "You're a paganistic satanic scum who believes in nothing but the writings of an 19th century crackpot!" I don't even believe in this Satan fellow he was talking about, but still asked him, "If you know so much about Satan, then tell me what color he is." Naturally, he replied, "He's a big red man with two horns, goat hooves and a tail who always carries a pitchfork." I scoffed. Read the bible. Nowhere, and I mean absolutely NOWHERE, in the bible does it say any of these things. Back to the pagan remark...
I told him, "If my beliefs that the universe was set in motion by a collision between elements are any more ridiculous than yours that a large bearded man in the sky created everything in seven days, then I will take note of your insults." He didn't like this. He told the teacher on me. I'm in year 10 and he told a teacher on me for giving an intellectual argument.
Is it okay for Christians and the believers of other religions to mock the atheist? Debate.

[Irock]

We don't allow your kind around here. RMRK is a community for God.

[Djangonator]

RMRK and AMERICA.

[Zylos]

Sounds more like a Bean Bags thing than a debate topic, to be honest.

Also, answer is no, no more than atheists should mock Christians for believing in something they don't.

[Holkeye]

People who put old 4chan memes in their RMRK profile should be mocked, though.

[pacdiggity]

I didn't do it, some mod (possibly even YOU!) did it. Grumble grumble... If anyone wants to follow Zylos' suggestion they can move it to Bean Bags if they want. Also, can someone please change me back to Angry or Happy Pacman? I liked being happy. They spelt Vegeta wrong anyway.

[Irock]

People who put old 4chan memes in their RMRK profile should be mocked, though.

Agreed.

[Omiekins]

Honestly, I know it's really a different experience with religion depending on where you are in the world.  For instance, I hear people in the south will carve your face off with a crucifix until you PRAISE DA LAWD, but anyways.... 

Religion sucks.  It's cool to have beliefs, believe what you want, but organized religion sucks.  I don't know what to call myself...I certainly don't follow any biblical, monotheistic ideals or teachings.  I have beliefs, but they don't center around anything except what I myself have experienced and hypothesized based on those experiences. 

It's funny though, because growing up, I too got heckled by religious people. I even volunteered at a church just to be kind, and after I helped they were like... "YA GAWT TO BE SAVED, GIRL.  LET JESUS SAVE YOU.  GOD LOVES YOU." =A=  But you know....those same people who heckle others have even told me "Christians have it so hard because we can only confide in other christians =[ "  Which I find total bs, since every christian person I've ever known has always bickered at me about their ideals and beliefs, while telling me I'm wrong wrong wrrrrooong, even if I tell them "I respect what you believe in, but I don't share your beliefs."  orz

[Acolyte]

19th century crackpot? Who, Darwin? The guy who established the bedrock of modern biological science? If anyone's cracked, it's that kid. :|

I have no problem with religion. I have a serious problem with people hindering progressive thinking.

[pacdiggity]

Yeah, he meant Darwin, the renowned scientist who shaped the way we think about the history of life. The kid has worse anger management problems than me, and if you've been reading all of my posts... well, he's a pretty angry person. I don't have a problem with religion either, but I do have a problem with people who try and keep us back in the Dark Ages. People who don't allow progress in the world and deny anyone else to feel differently than they do.
Consider this: if those people hadn't done that over a thousand years ago, then the Dark Ages never would've happened and humanity would be at least 400 years more advanced. But hey, that's history for you.

[Acolyte]

Uh....you might wanna slow your gears on that one. The Dark Ages happened because the vikings sacked Rome and burned pretty much any useful text they could find. Though, if religion didn't have such a stranglehold on the later people, we could have made a lot more progress to date. Several philosophers and scientists back then were afraid to publish things, for fear of being ostracized. Take Copernicus for example. The only reason his work survived was because of Galileo, and then Galileo got excommunicated for his troubles. Who knows how many other brilliant thinkers were stifled by the church at the time.

[Sophist]

Who cares? Tell him if that's what he wants to believe then he should just go right on doing it and ignore him. It's almost pathetic how any minority will eventually start bitching how they're being abused.

[pacdiggity]

You are right, and I was quick to discriminate myself. However...
Wasn't it the goths that took down the Roman empire? And surely if that did CREATE the Dark Ages, surely there were other civilizations to STOP the Dark Ages? And even before then, the Romans, Greeks, Vikings, Egyptians, Byzantines, Ottomans, Chinese, Japanese, even indigenous Australians all set back academia for hundreds and in some cases thousands of years because they had Gods to worship. I'm not saying the advancement in life didn't begin until Darwin happened, but it was and still is slowed to a snail's pace.

[Sophist]

The theory that religion set back technology is grossly overstated.

[pacdiggity]

Religion didn't set back technology. In fact, it may have motivated some notable advancements. Just postulate, for one moment, that religion never existed, and people only thought about science and the nature of the universe rather than the origin and purpose. The Roman empire being destroyed did set back the world, as did the destruction of the Greeks. But if they didn't have religion, they might not have had to fight against others. They could've lived and worked together, helping the world rather than destroying it.

[Omiekins]

Before that, christians actually went around defacing/destroying pagan places or worship :s  I remember reading about that in a myth, religion and ritual class I took in college D:

[Acolyte]

But religion also has its place. Religion unified the nomads of prehistory, and it gave needed hope to the people of the Middle Ages after the plague.

[pacdiggity]

I think we can agree that both religion and atheism have served both positive and negative roles in history.

[Djangonator]

haters gon hate

[MagitekElite]

Clearly that Christian hasn't read the Bible. Satan is never described as a big red man with horns and a pitchfork. 

Though I don't meet many Atheists being discriminated against, I'd like to say I'm sorry you experienced that. Some people are just ludicrous.

I think Djangonator's post summed it up, "haters gonna hate". From experience and seeing it happen to my father (he's also Atheist) I'd have to give you the suggestion of not feeding the "troll" and ignore him. Again, I'm sorry you had to experience that.

I'd like to ask something, if that's okay. If not, please ignore the spoiler xD

[spoiler]

...if God is powerful enough to create people (in religious views) why can't he also be powerful enough and wise enough to have created the universe? Or anything else people use against religion? He is a God after all, it really makes no sense to use those things against an All Powerful Being in the sky who, according to religion, created the very planet your (in a group, not toward anyone in particular xD) feet are on? Whose to say that He didn't make the universe form the way it did? Whose to say He, the Mighty God, didn't create Science or anything else? Like Evolution? Whose to say that didn't come from His Plan? I'm just asking because Gods aren't supposed to have limits, that's to gods, not God. God can do whatever He/She wants...isn't that the point of a God figure? I mean that's what separates Him/Her from normal beings...[/spoiler]

I hope that never happens to you again,

Magi~

[Arrow]

HungryPacman is the best name you've had so far.

[pacdiggity]

Wacca wacca, bitches.

[Afro Samurai]

I was forced to be christian, now i am atheist. doin just fine