http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/petermontgomery/7522/global_lgbt_recap__religious_leaders_support_persecution_as_countries_vie_in_homophobia_olympics/

Unlikely. We don’t have a plethora of historic twaddle telling us how evil homosexuality and other sins are.

The op is a bit vague. Will antiests join in the current trend in Gay bashing ? unlikly athiests tend to be nice people who respect others (obviously not Hitler, Pol Pot or Lenin) Will Athiests be next to be targeted by mad and evil religiously/culturaly inspired laws, quite possibly lots of mad religious types preach that athiests should be punished/killed.

Best to speak up for the victims of these laws and not allow their proponents to go unchallenged , even if one only posts on the internet .

Will Athiests be next to be targeted by mad and evil religiously/culturaly inspired laws, quite possibly lots of mad religious types preach that athiests should be punnished killed.

We recently granted asylum to an atheist who was under threat of death in their own country.

Ah.. I hadn’t read it that way. Well, probably yes then.

unlikly athiests tend to be nice people who respect others

How exactly do you arrive at that conclusion?

unlikly athiests tend to be nice people who respect others

Like Wopppit, you mean?

unlikly athiests tend to be nice people who respect others

How exactly do you arrive at that conclusion?

They do not have a higher being telling them that people who don’t follow their orders are evil wrong doomed to burn in hell . With no higher autority you have to acknowledge that people are ends in themselves and should be respected as such.

I saw a programme about the anti-gays laws in africa is astounding that things like that are still happening in this century.

I don’t believe in a god but don’t really like to call myself an atheist… probably use agnostic if am pushed for an answer.

As out of all the people I know the religious ones, (Muslims, Hindus and Christians) I have had many interesting conversations about their beliefs but not one of them has even been offensive about my lack of faith or tried to convince me that their viewpoint is the only correct way.

On the other hand nearly all the people I know who openly describe themselves as atheist continuously try to shove their view down others throats an tell people they are wrong and seems massively ironic to me that not having a religion has practically become a religion in itself which the main belief seems to be to make fun of and attack the beliefs of others.

With no higher autority you have to acknowledge that people are ends in themselves and should be respected as such.

Do you ?

Why ?

ultimately self interest if you do not treat others with respect they will not do the same for you , if their is no large gang to ostrasise minority or vunerable or different groups then each individual tends to treat each other individual as they would wish to be treated.

Yeah but atheism is just forming another large gang…

The human race will never agree on everything so i think we should just focus on stopping the extremist views of any religion/cult/political party from harming us, the problem is not what religion or idealism the extremists base their view on it is the fact their views are extreme to the point of harming/killing people.

People who go to church and mosques and as a result hold moderate beliefs that sex is for after marriage and don’t eat pork are not causing the problems.

the problem is not what religion or idealism the extremists base their view on it is the fact their views are extreme to the point of harming/killing people.

Not sure you can really separate the two. My wife works in Nigeria and has to conceal the fact she is an Atheist – even amongst normal ‘moderate’ people it is deeply frowned upon at best.

Religious belief is used as a justification for torturing and abandoning children who are declared witches. It’s **** up.

wiggles i agree unless those who hold those personal views believe they have the right to impose them on the rest of us or that holding such views exempts them from the laws of the land . in this country see the churches campaign against marriage for all and the b and b owners who believe equailty legislation should not apply to their business .

I agree with what you are saying but it just feels like atheism is no longer just a passive view of I don’t believe in god but getting close to an ideology that its followers seem try to force on others, which is exactly what they abhor organised religion for doing.

Grum-

The point is people like that aren’t moderate though are they?
They may be in their country but overall they still hold extreme views.

Crankboy. Didn’t wiggles just say that that his experience’s are the exact opposite from what your describing.
In this country at least, thats for the most part how it is. Wringing your hands on STW is going to make F all difference to whats going on in Nigeria, and other places. In my day to day life I see more intolerance and bigotry from this new breed of atheists than I’ve ever experienced from those with a sincere religious belief.

Militant atheist-vegans are the real threat 😉

I am not sure that you can safely define people as a group the absense of a belief system.
Nor can o see a great deal of intolerance or bigotry directed by athiests at the religious do you have examples?

Athiests share an absence of belief which is hardly an ideology. How is it being forced on anyone?

I’m not saying that is what atheism is, as it should be an absence of belief which is essentially passive.

But there are a number of Facebook pages for example, that people post links to on my feed which are just pointing out contradictions and making fun of religions in the name of atheism.

Nor can o see a great deal of intolerance or bigotry directed by athiests at the religious do you have examples?

Every Woppit post EVA!

Whilst it’s impossible to condone the content of the genuinely horrendous link in the OP, it’s a whole world away from the gentle community of Christians in this country. Not that it’s all scones and tea here either – my uncle is an Invernesian minister and he’s been run out of more than one parish for his unremitting Presbyterian outlook.

I know a good number of church-goers and on the whole, they’re a decent bunch. I don’t agree with their beliefs but that doesn’t make them wrong and me right, or visa-versa.

All the comments about militant atheists above is more a reflection on the less tolerant approach being shown by the religious as fewer people adhere to their arcane philosophy. The natural reaction when under threat is to fight back, if anything atheists feel more persecuted these days as the remaining religionists become more extreme, vocal and irrelevant. All in my humble, one man on his own, definitely nothing divine about it, personal opinion of course.

I am not sure that you can safely define people as a group the absense of a belief system.
Nor can o see a great deal of intolerance or bigotry directed by athiests at the religious do you have examples?

Every single religious thread I’ve seen on here has featured intolerance in spades. So much so, in fact, that it’s pretty rare to see religious people chipping in. Seriously, are you trolling?

God told me to be an atheist,I don’t think he wanted me in his club 🙁

No I am not trolling and it is hardly intollerence to question someones beliefs. Intollerence is when you punnish people for holding different beliefs impose beliefs on others or deprive someone of rights because of belief.

it is hardly intollerence to question someones beliefs

It’s not intolerant to question someone’s beliefs, but it is also none of your **** business.

It’s not intolerant to question someone’s beliefs, but it is intolerant to rant about how awful and reprehensible they are and it’s very rude to insult everyone who holds them constantly.

And it’s monumnetally ignorant and also pretty ridiculous to compare the majority of UK Christians with child-abandoning witch-fearing Nigerians.

Molgrips I am very sorry if you think that is what I have done.

And it’s monumnetally ignorant and also pretty ridiculous to compare the majority of UK Christians with child-abandoning witch-fearing Nigerians.

I wasn’t. My point is that the religious in this country claiming they suffer intolerance and bigotry is pretty over the top. No-one is persecuting them for their beliefs – at worst they are being mocked, not really the end of the world.

I was pointing out that on a global level Christians and atheists in this country are basically very free to do/say what they like. Not true in an awful lot of places in the world sadly.

Wringing your hands on STW is going to make F all difference to whats going on in Nigeria, and other places.

If you’d like to make a difference in Nigeria – http://www.steppingstonesnigeria.org

Crankboy and grum, I was using the generic ‘you’.

It’s up to you if you think any of it applies to you personally 🙂

It’s not intolerant to question someone’s beliefs, but it is also none of your **** business.

That rather depends on the context of the discussion.

It’s not intolerant to question someone’s beliefs, but it is intolerant to rant about how awful and reprehensible they are and it’s very rude to insult everyone who holds them constantly.

I’m not aware of anyone who “constantly” does this. Oh and most, although not all, criticise the belief rather than the person. But what can I say, some people are just dicks theist or not.

And it’s monumnetally ignorant and also pretty ridiculous to compare the majority of UK Christians with child-abandoning witch-fearing Nigerians.

Hmmm but it’s all part of the same belief system though isn’t it so whilst they aren’t the same thing they are part of the same spectrum.

Hmmm but it’s all part of the same belief system though isn’t it so whilst they aren’t the same thing they are part of the same spectrum.

You won’t mind me sticking you in the same pigeonhole with Jimmy Savile, Josef Fritzl and Ian Watkins then? I mean, you’re aren’t the same but you’ll fall somewhere on the same spectrum.

Lots of the churches out there were founded by UK missionaries and maintain links with UK churches. Not sure you can really disassociate them completely.

unlikly athiests tend to be nice people who respect others

Oh mercy!!! Given the bile spouted by woppit and his disciples at anyone who dares express an ounce of faith I’ll take it that you are new.

Nor can o see a great deal of intolerance or bigotry directed by athiests at the religious do you have examples?

Examples? so a search on woppit’s posts. You will find plenty examples.

That rather depends on the context of the discussion.

The context of the discussion is usually atheists slagging off believers, on here.

Number of threads started by atheists insulting or attacking the religious = loads

Number of threads started by religious people criticising atheists = 0

Number of POSTS in which religious people criticising the beliefs of athiests = 0

I’m not aware of anyone who “constantly” does this. Oh and most, although not all, criticise the belief rather than the person

There’s (usually, with a few wonderful exceptions) very little intelligent debate on the subject on here. Most of the antagonists seem to be ridiculing a half-understood belief system, in such a way that a personal attack is implicit if it isn’t explicit. Which it sometimes is.

It’s almost as if the Christians have been taught to turn the other cheek. What a great lesson that is, I wonder where it came from?

Hmmm but it’s all part of the same belief system though isn’t it so whilst they aren’t the same thing they are part of the same spectrum.

That’s just ridiculous.

Number of POSTS in which religious people criticising the beliefs of athiests = 0

Well since in the context of a thesitic debate athiests have no beliefs it would be absurd to come up with any other number.

There does however seem to be an belief put forward by those of relgious disposition that they are somehow a put upon minority whose beliefs are somehow worthy of special treatment which is patently absurd on both counts. Just remember what theists used to do in this country and still do in others to those who challenge their beliefs. Oh and I am far from ignorant (although also far from an expert) on theistic matters.

I doubt that woppit or his disciples speaks for all atheist just as I am sure the vast majority of Christians in this country are appalled by the churches opposition to marriage rights for all and the ” African” general attitude to homosexuality.

Well since in the context of a thesitic debate athiests have no beliefs it would be absurd to come up with any other number.

Wrong. Atheists BELEIVE there is no god. And besides you know full well what I meant, splitting semantic hairs doesn’t change anything.

I’ve met some very nice religious people and some very nice atheists.

I’ve met some pretty awful religious people and some pretty awful atheists.

On STW I have seen a lot of over the top religion bashing, always siting the extremes, suicide bombers, Nigerian witch killing etc. This place treats religion the way the Daily Wail treats immigrants.

Wrong. Atheists BELEIVE there is no god

Well in the same way that I believe that Russells Teapot doesn’t exist.

Now what was it you just wrote.

Most of the antagonists seem to be ridiculing a half-understood belief system, in such a way that a personal attack is implicit if it isn’t explicit.

The words “hoist” and “petard” spring to my mind, but there being no athiest doctrine for you to reference, I’ll thank you not to tell me what I do or do not believe.

Examples? so a search on woppit’s posts. You will find plenty examples.

I keep asking for that. Go on, be the first…

In the meantime, here’s a brave man: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25858397

The words “hoist” and “petard” spring to my mind, but there being no athiest doctrine for you to reference, I’ll thank you not to tell me what I do or do not believe.

You’re side-stepping, but I didn’t tell YOU personally what you believe.

I said that atheists BELIEVE that there is no god. Which is true, that’s what defines atheism. There’s no doctrine obvioulsy but that doens’t mean it’s not a belief.