Why do some people have such a hard time believing that a person can be an atheist AND be a compassionate person too?
I was in a brief scuffle with a conservative over universal health care. I said I’d be more than happy to pay more in taxes so that everyone could be covered.
I said “But that’s me, a bleeding heart, compassionate atheist for you!”
She almost choked! “Compassionate and atheist don’t belong in the same sentence!!” She yelled.
I asked why not, but she hasn’t answered.
Why would someone feel this way?
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And she has won’t answer. Hitler was a deeply religious man who saw no contradiction in his faith and his policies.
Because their own morals are so deeply based on external pressure, threat of punishment and promise of reward, that she thinks she would be sinning constantly without those external forces, and she is projecting her own moral flimsiness on atheists.
Because they don’t know any better. They have never considered that there are plenty of atheists, and agnostics, doing good, compassionate deeds on a daily basis.
Some examples: doctors, veterinarians, people who volunteer to do all sorts of things from rocking babies who were born to drug addicted mothers in the pediatric section of the hospital, to people who join The Peace Corps, to pet-sitters, to people who regularly check in on their elderly neighbors, to people who organize Pride parades, to people who volunteer to feed people at homeless shelters.
People who think like the woman you mentioned are just garden variety ignorant people.
She’s scrambling mightily not answer. She’s throwing out pictures of Obama in her mad attempt. She’s hurling insults. But she never answers.
Same reason some think conservatives are all troglodytes and gun owners are ignorant rednecks making up for a small cock. They simply only see black and white and can only follow the narrative they have been fed. In other words.. they can’t think for themselves and/or it would damage their precious image among their peers.
I’ve never heard of that “mindset” personally. Most non-thinking conservative Christians I know merely retort to “if you read your Bible it’s in there…”
There is no use arguing with someone like that. We conservative Christians have many similar attacks from other conservative Christians like you describe. I’ve been screamed at for playing Beatles music at a church event (Obladi-Oblada) and a Don McLean song, American Pie.
I am sure there are many enlightened atheists and compassionate atheists. I respect their position except for those who think they are morally justified at mocking believers, as some actually DO advocate.
It’s what they WANT to believe since their belief in a supreme being is so strong.
Some people seem to think that if a person does not believe in “God,” then they must believe in the devil. They just can’t fathom this idea that there is no such entity, no such ANYTHING either way.
I don’t know ANY Christians who believe atheists believe in the devil.
I DO remember when American Atheist literature would capitalize the word ‘Devil’ but spell “God“with a lower-case ‘g’ This was just to piss Christians off, I think, or maybe shock value directed at them.
Where did “believing in the devil” come in @Yellowdog?
It came from what @kritiper said just above me.
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