LogFAQs > #953172279

Wii_Shaker posted...

I definitely can relate to fellow atheists that have grown to become more tolerant of those who practice religion.

I think many atheists find themselves rejecting religion for personal or ethical reasons. Some religions or at least denominations can come off as oppressive or manipulative. The amount of suffering that has been accomplished in the name of religion is unquantifiable. Though to completely write off entire groups of people based on what they believe is nothing short of bigotry.

Many atheists I see online tend to act as though they have the intellectual high ground without realizing the amount of good and cultural significance that has come from the structure religions can provide. Art, architecture, and countless points of inspiration.

Atheism is susceptible to the same follies that have plagued religion in the past and if modern atheists are not careful and responsible it, too will grow into a force that highlights the darker aspects of humanity.

I still identify as an atheist after many years but my understanding of atheism has changed dramatically as my world view has matured. There are also many things that I have experienced that cannot be explained through religion or science. To a degree, my own skepticism has allowed me to find cracks in my own beliefs and question it's very validity. Moving forward, I have found that acceptance of the people who hold strong beliefs has no impact on what I identify as my personal truth, whatever that may be or become.

Internet Atheism was just a response to how rampant Christianity was pre-internet. Before then, majority of the people we face were Christians and there would be ostracization if you were revealed to be a non-Christian (this was pretty common with many other atheists I met online). So with the internet allowing free exchange of thoughts, Atheism started having far more influence than it had before because lets face it, religion in general under scrutiny tends to fall apart the more you pick apart of it. Of course this led to the unfortunate side effect of being "edgy" and many internet Atheists having the asshole stigma with it. But yeah that was the internet in its infancy and now I think Internet Atheism definitely calmed down, and in its place are the "anti-sjws" that are following the exact same trend.

But yeah I'm in the same position with regards to having more tolerance to those who hold religious beliefs, hell my wife is Roman Catholic. Most of this is just talking to people outside of my circle and seeing how many people benefit with the thought of a higher being or an afterlife... even if its a placebo effect or not. Most of my closets friends are Christians... though I know most of them aren't "religious" in the sense of going to church every Sunday(or Saturday) or church gatherings. I think that's what we're seeing an increase of, Christians who are irreligious... which I think is only a good thing but I can understand why some Christians would have an issue with it.

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DI MOLTO!