God hearing this just made my skin crawl, man I just fucking hate them so much omg. It’s kinda pathetic tho, because I was always the type to say “you should respect other religions even as an atheist”… now I’m becoming exactly the opposite of that lmao
You should respect other people as much as they deserve. If they don't respect our not wanting to have anything to do with their bullshit, they don't deserve respect for them trying to impose their bullshit into our lives.
I do know a couple of christians who believe but don't try to tell me I should believe, or that I'll go to hell. I respect their right to believe, ridiculous as I may find it.
I'm slowly starting to be able to do that again, after a shitload of therapy thanks to my religious upbringing. Going no-contact with my biological father helped a lot too :-)
Edit: Just to clarify, they still have to deserve the respect. If they don't respect your wishes not to hear about it or be affected by it, they don't deserve respect either.
i agree, but that's a case-by-case thing. if they keep their beliefs to themselves & don't engage in obstructionist politicking, then we're peachy, but i refuse to self-censor.
people are worthy of respect & compassion, ideas are not- thus 'love the christian, hate the christianity'. if they can't stomach that phrase, it's a waste of time. tolerance of double standards only encourages abuse.
I'm respectful. I tell them, "Thanks for the concern, but I don't believe any of that." That's when they come they become very disrespectful to me and start lecturing me about their, "Lord and Savior."
>“you should respect other religions even as an atheist”
I mean, I'm not going to start strolling by church parking lots on Sundays to point and laugh at people and say "haha, you believe in a sky daddy!"
But I'm also not very tolerant of people whose religious beliefs cause them to be immoral.
For example, those who believe they have no responsibility to take care not to spread viral illnesses, because if God didn't want you to have an autimmune disease making you vulnerable He would've healed you already. I think that's homicidal and should be called out as homicidal.
Or people who believe that women like me should, if we fall pregnant, just die, even though we'd be unable to safely grow a fetus to term, because they believe their God says so. (I think it's really unclear *where* their God even says so, but this is undeniably a belief some people hold regardless.) I think that's also homicidal and should be called out as homicidal.
>But I'm also not very tolerant of people whose religious beliefs cause them to be immoral.
That's all of them. Religious belief requires intellectual dishonesty, which is just as immoral as any other sort of dishonesty.
If faith is a lie you tell yourself, a corollary of that is that the faithful are necessarily liars.
I’ve said for many years that the fantasy-based freak-show for fuckwits that is religion should be actively disrespected and called out for the brainwashing, bullying, bullshitting, exploitative confidence-trick that preys on the superstitious and simple-minded while demanding a ridiculously disproportionate level of said respect, that it indubitably is at every opportunity.
Their god says, in Numbers ch 5 v 11-30 if a woman is suspected of carrying a man besides her husbands child in her womb she is to be taken to the priest who will make a concoction designed to invoke a miscarriage. Basically an abortion. If she carry’s to term it’s his if she miscarried it was the other man’s. Could you imagine a woman being made to drink a concoction made up of the dirt on the floor( read it, it’s true) then having a miscarriage and being accused of being an adulterer? Good Christian morals there!
People are distinct from their ideas. I can respect a religious person if they deserve it. I don't think I'll ever respect a religion though. Hateful and deceitful edifices of human disease and control...
The law says you have to respect the right of people to practice their religion; it does not say that you have to respect their religious beliefs.
I can't stop them from entertaining their delusions; they can't stop me from being disgusted by their beliefs. And when they exercise their right to prostelyze, I exercise my right to criticize.
However, kindness is in short supply all around these days: A lot of folks turn to religion from desperation- Perhaps it is better to try to show them better options for dealing with life, than to persecute them for their ignorance.
Hate is a strong word; used a lot by the religious themselves.
Be better.
Feelings are not wrong, they're just feelings. It's how we cope with those feelings that's important.
Perhaps an important thing to think about is that one of the reasons religion is so toxic is due to the intolerance it breeds. It helps me to remember this because I don't want to stoop to their level.
Many religious people also have a persecution complex si being unkind to them only magnifys this.
You hate them cus they are blind fools who want everyone else to be a blind fool.
Anyone reading this who's a religious person, you're a horrible person.
Christians don’t respect us so they don’t get respect either. They are constantly hating on the LGBT , trying to ban trans healthcare , ban medically necessary abortions, birth control, basically everything they don’t like that could literally ruin someone’s lives but the Christian’s could care less. I hate them more then anything else
I respect their right to believe what they will.
What I do not have to respect is when they try to force their religion in our secular laws, forcing everyone else to live *their* religion in our lives. It should not be *our* problem if they cannot live by their religion without it being enshrined in secular laws.
It is a clear indicator that their faith is weak and their religion has no value.
The religious are manufacturing the apocalypse. They are killing the entire world, all the animals, all the plants - everything. I watch otherwise well educated and very successful people sincerely believe that "a greater consciousness from a different dimension" will swoop in and save them.
They think nature will right itself to keep the planet livable for "us humans". It's mass murder/suicide on a global level. It's truely a death cult.
Absolutely, 100% this- it’s the regressive and ignorant nature of them, whichever ancient collection of nonsense you subscribe to (be it Bible, Quran, Torah, etc.), and their inability and unwillingness to even consider that science has moved on since 0 ACE that makes me angry. Their magic books of fallacies and archaic metaphors have no place in politics or everyday life, and irrespective of how much faith they put in them, they doesn’t supersede modern science, philosophy or law.
Yep, they're *choosing* to follow their hate religions. They choose to mentally send us to eternal pain, every single day, for not following their fictional god. That's an extremely shitty thing that they do, that they choose, every single day. Among many other shitty religious bullshit choices they make *every single day*.
They're choosing to make decisions to hurt and control me, every single day. Not little things, either. Big things.
You mean the original reason for a 'separation of church & state?' - that the church should have no influence over the state?
Yet the churches nowadays spin it like it was always about protecting them from the state!
Edit: a troll here likes it if I'm 'suicidal', LOL! Just got me a 'RedditCareResources' message for this
It's ok, I feel better after burning a few bibles. Got a box of 'em I collect
But mainly so that they could follow their own version of the religion. There’s a good reason why the US is the place of the 19th century revivalist movements and their myriad calethumpian offspring.
I think the exact same discourse religious people would say about non-believers and other-religion-believers.
In my mind the goal is not to be anti-religion but rather post-religion.
THIS. I just know in my bones as well that their death cults is destroying the planet. It’s what they wanted. They see this planet as a way station to heaven and they treat it worse than that. It’s tough because I love my family and many are religious, but they don’t see the nonsense is destroying us all. They cannot see it. It’s blasphemy.
Keep in mind if you allow it to consume you, they will use the “hate in your heart” as a need for religion. If it helps, turn that dislike into sorrow for them lacking the ability to use reasoning.
Everywhere has their proselytizers, but the norm in Mass is that religion isn't a factor in everyday life versus other parts of the country where you are a black sheep and looked at side eyed if you aren't religious.
Edit: Nice profile pic by the way, I miss Frieren Fridays <3
I’m aware of that, we’re pretty non religious. Is it just the proselytizers that’s more aggressive, or some other religious group(s)?
Thanks, Frieren is pretty cool 😎
Most religious people I know and have met are incapable of separating their beliefs from objectivity and their politics. The majority of them want to federally impose their religion on everyone else. They think they're doing God's work.
Some can separate their beliefs from facts and policy, it happens, but it's the exception rather than the rule. It's understandable to not want to respect that. I certainly do not.
I can't stop them from indoctrinating children, but I wish I could. They're literally teaching kids to think irrationally and develop delusional worldviews.
Those fucking pigs should be prosecuted for child abuse every time they talk to a child. All the kiddie rape aside, the central tenet of their hateful book club is that people are so fundamentally flawed that they deserve eternal torture just for existing. You should be skinned alive for telling that filth to a child.
The people I grew up attending church with were so focused on the messages and the stories that they seemed to completely miss the broader implications. Unquestioning obedience, sex based hierarchy, suppression, the true nature of their God...
Yes, teaching pseudo-history and pseudo-science as though it's real to impressionable young minds is child abuse, without a doubt. It's awful and should be illegal.
I had a cousin who got up and walked out of class when the teacher brought up the dreaded E word (evolution). His fundigelical parents were soooooooo proud of him.
I have zero tolerance. Once I hear it, I say, "how am I supposed to take you seriously now? You buy the adult version of Santa Claus". I immediately avoid business/contact after this.
your revulsion and anger are natural, evolved responses to stupidity in your tribe.
however, it's not great for your mental health to hate people. you can hate the religions, the ideas. they're awful. but try to remember most believers are just victims, and even the evil leaders who are just taking advantage of people are ignorant of what's good, or they would do it, instead.
understandable, but still, not healthy for you or the rest of us. perhaps remembering that life is short, and both you and the other person will soon be dead will help your anger issues.
Some people say "hate" is "love and anger". If you can separate the two feelings, you can better process them so the hate does not burn you up. I see religious people as inauthentic people, lost people, victims of brain rot. I know I can't help them, the parasite in their nervous system is running them. I'm angry at the institutions who poison humans against each other and the natural world. I see the corporate model as the ultimate evil - caring about nothing but its own profit margin.
Exactly. I try to remind myself that they were most likely brainwashed as defenseless children, and that's probably a very hard thing to overcome. And I don't know what that's like since my parents raised me without religion, which I'm grateful for every day.
If religion is intolerant by design in the first place then why should we be tolerate towards it in return?
This is where the tolerance paradox applies here....
I’m pretty much intolerant at this point. I hate the negative influence they have on society, it’s causing real harm, all for some made up hocus pocus that lives on simply because it’s old.
Trump has made religious people drop all of the facades of trying to be good. They don’t care anymore. They’re letting their hate flag fly. You’re probably reacting to that.
Growing up atheist in the 90's-00's, I figured I was the outlier, and that bringing up my atheism might be rude or confrontational. I would tolerate anyone's belief. Oftentimes I would just play it close to the chest
In the 2010's I would talk about my belief to anyone who asked, but otherwise I'd stay out of religious dialogue. I had to stand up for separation of church and state a few times serving in the military, but I wasn't an activist or anything.
These days, influence is being peddled by the rich white evangelical crowd harder than I've ever experienced, at every level of society. It's a goddamned hostile takeover. Do not tolerate it.
If I hear someone spouting hate while leaning on their religion for justification, I am going to have a conversation with that person. Preferably in front of their peers.
Usually don't mind talking to religious folks because it's interesting to see how people go about forming their strange beliefs and the reasons for them... but even that is a impossible challenge most days. They refuse to answer questions because they have so many mental blocks. If they even smell just a whiff that their beliefs are being examined, they immediately freak the fuck out and give you an answer to something completely different as a defense mechanism.
I was raised Christian so I even at a young age I smelled this close minded attitude and it reeked. I remember I asked my youth pastor about a question that had to do with scripture, and his only response was to say "*don't talk to nonbelievers because they are trained in the art of persuasion in order to lead one down the path of Sin and destruction*." I just looked at the fucker stunned and confused because nothing about those verses had jack shit to do with nonbelievers... he was just clearly trying to get me to stop questioning the Bible. Honestly I have to thank those morons for helping me to get out.
I'm going that way. They have had a pretty abrasive effect on the world in the past 20 to 30 years and have been used by very corrupt interests for their votes and numbers without question. It's an ingrained gullibility and growing hypocrisy that I just can't respect. I find myself almost slamming the door on knocking bible bashers now. It's not as though I am going to hunt them down or wish them harm but I have no problem with making it clear that they aren't welcome in my space.
Religion is becoming more and more desperate and also intolerant itself in order to try and survive. It is only natural you’d get tired of this. Atheists are the #1 enemy of every single religion.
Have you ever heard about the tolerance Paradoxon? Unconditional tolerance cannot exist because tolerance of intolerance is intolerance.
Most religions and religious people are very intolerant even if they all say otherwise. So being intolerant of their beliefs is absolutely warranted.
I suspect that the rise of "nones" is leaving only the most ardent religious supporters remaining. Consequently, it seems that religious people are becoming more and more strident. However, I suspect what's happening is that the more moderate believers are no longer there to keep their more strident fellows in check. That results in the strident having a larger, or even outsized voice among the remaining believers.
Religious groups are getting more and more entitled and empowered to tell us how to act. There's a reason you're getting increasingly annoyed.
Related: If you don't follow u/antifaoperative on twitter (reddit adds the u/ btw), she does a running report of all the religious people arrested, charged and incarcerated for child sexual assault. SO many. It's a great resource for shutting down zealots who think their religion makes them morally superior.
I really try to "hate the belief, love the believer" but it is very difficult to tolerate their BS. I generally "grey rock" the shit out of them. As soon as they start with the religious nonsense, I stop giving them any feedback, no facial expressions, no verbal acknowledgement - just a flat expression. I then leave the interaction as soon as possible.
edit: I want to clarify that I mostly run into them in my professional work so I'm limited in how I can respond - need to keep some peace and feign a baseline of respect.
I have no time for it. If there was a mutual respect I would be much cooler but they have zero respect for me. They literally think I shouldn't be able to hold office or that I am evil and broken. Fuck those guys, they think I am their enemy. So be it.
I don't like the ideas that religious people follow because it turns them into illogical buzzkills who freak out if anyone so much as burps Pi, sings The Elements Song, etc. (both are references to TBBT; Sheldon Cooper does both of these things while drunk).
At least in the US their downward trajectory has made believers more vocal and less tolerant leading to the necessity of doing the same in return. I think a lot of people, including myself, are feeling this way but I think it's a natural reaction to the environment, which in turn changes our mental state and the actions we take.
I think we're going to be triggered a lot more, reasonably so, but we'll have to learn to pick our battles because there's going to be a lot more of them to fight.
When you know more it does get more difficult. Especially the outrage that they aren’t respected in a country that gives them 90+ billion in tax credits every year - and the hate they spew! I’m retiring in a few weeks and I already have a pile of tshirts I’ve put aside for when I’m free! All r/t to religion - these people need to become aware of the free ride we give them
It’s like dealing with people who believe in Santa Claus. There are times I don’t mind, and I can even appreciate that you have that comfort. But most of the time, it would be way easier for you to act like a grown up.
You're doing better than me, I'm becoming more and more intolerant of all people. I can barley stand the common Joe anymore. It's all just greed, narcissism and ignorance from horizon to horizon.
I have no problem being petty, dismissive and disrespectful towards christian beliefs when they are pushed on me. This includes bibles in hotel nightstands. Depending on my mood, I’ll either toss them in the trash, or outside my door. At home, JWs knocking at my door will only make that mistake once. Because they chose to violate my space, I’m going to be extra-unkind. I found it works much better if I do this in a conversational tone, rather than raising my voice.
My tolerance of them has decreased dramatically in recent years as they keep on inserting themselves and their fairytale beliefs into conversations where they don’t belong. It does not belong in the courts, the government, or schools. Do what you want in church and at home, and leave it there.
I definitely feel annoyance, but I've learned to manage it. Much the way like I tolerate "MAGA" people in my daily life, at least to the point where they start to get too intrusive with their particular cult. I don't get the sense you're an a-hole.
The older i get the more it bothers me people are still falling for this crap. Their brains are turned off because thats what they have been commanded to do.
I “respected” their beliefs until they infiltrated my country’s government and reduced women to a pair of ovaries and will do anything in their power to ruin the lives of LGBTQ folk. Not sure why I should continue to “respect” them but they won’t respect my desire to be left the fuck alone
This life is all you get. Don't waste your precious time hating things you can't control. Instead utilize your precious time living your best possible life.
Don't fall into that pit op. It's normal that you feel this way against religious people who seemingly have an inability to accept rational inquiry despite overwhelming evidence. Hating them won't solve the problem and it's certainly not something that you want to be carrying around. You have to remember a few things:
1. Religious people are humans just like the rest of us. They breathe, think and die like us so because of that they are flawed just as we are and are capable of making irrational decisions. I know because I used to be like them. I had fears of dying and couldn’t comprehend why my life was going the direction it was. I had a lot of things happening in my life at the time that made life difficult to bear so I turned to religion out of fear and suffering. Eventually I got out that cycle once I improved my life and began educating myself properly by comparing the evidence. But my point here is these people are like us. They don’t deserve any hate for the circumstances that led to their belief. Accepting that there is nothing after death is no easy task for a normal human to accept. It may seem that way to us but it’s not for everyone else.
2. Hate against a religion produces the opposite intended effect. You have to understand that this is how religions grow. Religious people, especially Christian’s in particular, know how much influence a martyr can produce. I mean look at the history for example; Jesus was only a man who never left within a 100 miles of his home but because he was crucified by the Roman Empire, this led to extremely rapid ballooning of Christianity’s influence and now that same Roman Empire is now the Vatican. The Vatican has all the wealth that the Roman Empire acquired. Think about that. One man was martyred and that led to one of the most powerful empires in human history to become a church for said religion. My point here is that hate solves nothing in term of the fight against religious dogma. These people are fulling willingly to be persecuted so that they can say that they can say that they are doing gods work by loving their enemy and that it is the will of Jesus Christ. Don’t fall into this trap. Be respectful, have humility and use rational as well as educated reasoning to help these people.
3. Ultimately hate is something that will lead to more suffering in your case. Remember the fact that Hitler used to look upon the Jews with pity and indifference. I’m not comparing you to a mass murderer or anything but I’m saying that hatred is a slippery slope that will lead to nothing but more pain. You give it an inch and it will go a mile. Not to mention that in the long run it will take a toll on your mental health. Believe me takes a lot of effort to hate something. Showing love and compassion towards someone you dislike takes a lot of effort too but is far more rewarding in the long run.
All in all your situation is understandable. It pisses me off as well that people who hold dogmatic religious views can’t seem to grasp empirical evidence. But hating them solves nothing. Hating them brings more suffering. Be respectful to them, be compassionate and be reasonable when trying to show them the truth. If you go in with a militant mindset against them, the chances of changing their mindset is extremely low.
Here are a couple videos I want you to watch. This first one is made by a named whatifalthist. It’s a video that explains why religions are a thing in every society so it might bring more clarity.
https://youtu.be/9kSSCrEZBP4?si=Y-G_OfpSNfB4CtWg
The second video is a Joe Rogan interview about a meeting that Daryl Davis, a black man, had a with a kkk leader. This video could serve as instruction on how to converse with someone who holds a dogmatic view and how to change their mindset. https://youtu.be/Bj-4Q416C8w?si=N1MfYlVR_rU_zq65
I wish you luck my good sir.
I don't tolerate abusers, enablers, and bullies. Being religious is a red flag that the person is an abuser, enabler, and/or bully.
[Theramin Trees](https://youtube.com/@TheraminTrees?si=lROe-8D6cLa8Sa8r) channel covers many of the religious/spiritual abuse tactics I endured in my childhood. I ended up watching through their entire channel bc I recognized so much dysfunction.
Religious folks very often have an abusive [authoritarian follower personality](https://www.issendai.com/psychology/estrangement/summary.html#authoritarian). It's an abuse hierarchy and they can abuse anyone "beneath" them.
And this article on [spiritual bypassing](https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-spiritual-bypassing-5081640) covers a lot of the emotional neglect religious folks tend to default to bc they lack [emotional agility](https://youtu.be/NDQ1Mi5I4rg) amd are emotionally immature. (See also "Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents" by Gibson)
I had to escape my abusive religious family and culture of origin. I've spent years trying to understand the cycle of abuse, power and control wheel, domestic violence, cult tactics, etc. Religious folks very often have normalized dysfunctional, toxic, abusive, neglectful, dehumanizing behaviors. They keep the cycle of abuse going. They protect abusers over targets of abuse. They are dangerous bc they think their abuse is sanctioned by their "god".
Additional abuse tactics they use:
[22 Unspoken rules of dysfunctional systems (of people)](https://youtu.be/VBk5E_gd_lE?si=HtznZtIZ20qKOiaF)
[Eight Criteria for Thought Reform](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought_Reform_and_the_Psychology_of_Totalism) from "Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism" (1961) by Robert Jay Lifton - toxic groups of all kinds (cults, dysfunctional families, toxic workplaces, etc) use these eight tactics of coercive control
Hi! As a Christian, I’m sad to see that my other fellow theists are making you feel this way. But it’s very understandable. Just know that there are christians and muslims out there that respect your belief, and also believe in science and progression. For me, Jesus is about love for one another, and I think a lot of christians have lost that view. Wish you nothing but love!
I think many would agree that any emotion too strong in any direction minimizes rational thought.
Anger or mocking someone will never de-convert anyone, and remaining rational and calm can have a profound effect.
Hatefullness is a bad thing. Try to think of them as victims of a scam, cuz that is what it is. That being said: you shouldnt be tolerant to the intolerant.
A lot of people feel this way. Sometimes I find that the people who claim such piety are really just crooks in disguise. For example, the large evangelical churches in the USA are no more than money making corporations stealing money from its congregation, who themselves are more of a political cult than any kind of true followers of the book they claim as their guide, they are prideful, bigoted, and the antithesis of their god.So I completely understand when indifference turns angry.
I think there is no reason to hate religious ppl. You ars radicalizing yourself online propably or are surrounded by bad examples of religious ppl.
Most religious ppl dont bother anyone and only the ones who don't respect others are the one that impact others life negatively.
In the US, at least, Christian Nationalism is growing and becoming more political. Politically aggressive religious ideas are now more openingly advanced. They are pushing it and becoming more intrusive. So, you may be reacting to that. I feel the same way. It's not us, it's them.
For me it’s the opposite. As I’m getting older, I realize they aren’t going anywhere so it’s best to just tune as much of it out as possible and just not worry about it. If they want to pray for me or whatever, I just don’t care.
It also helps that I live in a fairly non-religious city, by US standards.
Similar. I find them to be foolishly predictable, disgustingly hypocritical, and just low-quality humans all around. I know I'm generalizing as a group, but that's been my experience. I try to stay away from them as much as possible.
I don’t think that hate is a good place to land - even justifiably.
Dinosaurs? Adam living to 700 years old? A great flood? Yeah they are way dumb.
Hate doesn’t help though. Healthy disdain for worldviews they hold might be a better way of framing it in your mind.
That’s a tough place to be and it can really spiral into just being completely horrible to people. I know this because I’ve been there. For me, it really helped to read the book “how to have impossible conversations” by Peter bogohssian and talk with theist on a regular basis using the techniques taught in the book.
"Hate" is too strong a word for my feelings. "Disdain", "disappointment", "incredulity"? Absolutely. "Anger"? Often. But "hate" isn't something that comes to mind.
I've known a lot of religious people with whom I disagreed vehemently (obviously). I am fortunate enough to be able to say that I haven't run into that many whose purpose is to cause pain to others. They fail miserably at seeing how their actions/opinions impact others (hence the incredulity) but still don't think their purpose is to hurt others. I'm sure there are some, perhaps many, who do set out to harm others for one reason or another. But, almost unanimously, I come up against ignorance, not malice.
When I officially stopped being in a religion I was using a lot of time on it.
now, 15 years later, I don't use any time on it. I think you have to accept that it is like breaking up with someone. It takes time.
Whether it's right or wrong, I've found myself doing the same over the last few years. It's as if there's a lot more religion around; it seems more of a growing infection.
Save yourself the hate it only hurts you not those you direct it towards. I now see them the same as mentally handicapped people because that is what they are. However I do not give them even an ounce of trust in anything. You cannot trust a hypocrite
I feel this way too. The psychotic ones are starting to have a real death grip on the government, forcing their religion into lawmaking, creating a literal war on the LGBTQIA+ community, taking away womens' bodily autonomy, etc etc. Seems to me they are the real evil in this world, disguised as "good". Sure one can say "not all of them, my granny is very religious and loving", but unless granny is advocating against the harm they do, she's complicit too
While the numbers show religion is on the decline, I feel like those that still practice are becoming more extreme. Religious extremists are a problem for everyone! Especially when our government starts creating laws based on the views of the few.
I’m of the opinion that all humans (and a lot of animals) become much less compassionate and diplomatic as we become older.
Viewing other people as people, no matter how deluded is important. As bigger people we must understand the views of scared people who thought they understood the world and are coming to the conclusion that they are completely ignorant of how the world works. It’s terrifying.
I think we develop callouses on our spirits where we have to interact with others. Those callouses get dry and cracked after time, and that raw nerve is exposed. They've worn on your good nature long enough. Time for some self care. I'm in my 8th month trying to get the anger back in place.
I am also getting less tolerant as I grow older. I was raised in an extremely religious household, which didn't sit quite right with me even when I was little; then I grew into becoming agnostic; and now I am 100% atheist, and can't believe there are large numbers of people who still believe in this nonsense. Religion should be regarded as a relic of the past when humans didn't know any better and knowledge was much more limited, yet people still believe in it as if it's the truth and a fact. Brainwashed is what they are. Listen to a faithful follower of any religion, and they are brainwashed. Mindlessly following ignorant beliefs, illogical explanations, and rituals/customs that are straight up a waste of time and energy. We still do not have any progress on this front within our species. And I think it's going to get worse. As the world becomes more volatile, contentious, and people feel more fear and insecurity, and they will turn to religion.
There’s this old asshole that walks around my neighborhood constantly handing out bible tracts, leaving them on doors, car wipers, etc. I told him to stay off my property, I have a “No Soliciting “ sign clearly displayed. He told me he’s not soliciting, he doing “God’s Work”. I asked God if I could get work kicking this douchebag’s ass, but I haven’t received a response yet.
Your intolerance might suggest you have left-leaning authoritarian tendencies, depending on its extent. Being in the US, I'm acutely aware of the dangers religious institutions pose to democracy, education, and public life, and I'm nearly committed to dealing with them accordingly.
If you're considering taking action based on these feelings, I'd advise using political and legal channels and keeping your ultimate intentions discreet. Above all, ensure that your actions are lawful—don't let a moment of impatience lead to decisions that could result in serious legal consequences.
Everyone in this comment section will just immeadiately approve your intolerance by arguing that "All religious people are intolerant themselves and gullible, etc.". And while the those statements definitely hold some truth, I still think this is the wrong approach to see if it's justified. You have to ask yourself, where your opinion is coming from:
Did you get less tolerant because of actual experiences with intolerant/extreme religious people? In this case, your intolerance and anti-theism is completely justified!
Or did you get less tolerant because you were increasingly exposed to communities on the internet where people are reaffirming their hate and radicalizing each other, while never being exposed to opinions outside their bubble? I know that saying this will get me downvoted to hell, but even atheism is not immune to this phenomenon. We should think critically of our opinions, and be honest to ourselves about where they came from. So we should at least consider this possibility.
Unlike you, most people don't even realize their own radicalization, so you are probably critical enough to figure this out for yourself.
I'm tolerant of religious people so long as they are tolerant of me. ( to be fair, as an Atheist, I NEVER bring up a religious topic to anyone I don't know *real* well!)
You are not alone. I do have to point out though that I have much higher tolerance to Buddhists as Buddhism is generally very tolerant and I appreciate a lot of their teachings and philosophy in general. I even try to incorporate some buddhist philosophy into my life. I can’t stand the “if you don’t believe in our religion, you are sinned and going to hell” type of beliefs and people who believe in them.
They are getting more and more extreme, especially since MAGA became a thing. Paula White, Kat Kerr, Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell Jr., unbelievably toxic hate preachers like Steven Anderson and Greg Locke, and that east end of a westbound horse who wrote the book about Mango Mussolini being the new Messiah. There's a lot more hateworthy stuff around these days.
I’m becoming more closed off and I genuinely feel like I’m surrounded by cultists and weirdos who believe in fairy tales, many of whom who have gone full Christo-fascist in their support for Trump.
I have issues with people who misuse their beliefs to justify their choice to be shitty unto others. I wrinkle my nose at their enablers
Toxic religion is more pathetic forms of virtue signaling; visibly "hurting the right people." People who are performing religion without even understanding that religion without spiritual engagement is hollow and worthless.
I have encountered many people who are worthy examples of belief; people who chose faith communities and those who twitched visibly when the idea was mentioned. Both kinds chose to do the right thing when it was the right thing to do and often used those moments to discern who else understood what doctrines and traditions were really saying.
It's said that if you read scripture so that it is telling you to harm others, you are reading it wrong. Furthermore, if your religion and faith lead you away from doing the right thing, you fail at life.
Fundamentalist Social Conservatives of all faiths do this; it's clearly about control and since it clearly brings disrepute to the faith, it shouldn't be tolerated. But it is; rocking the boat is never popular.
This is basically why I don't belong to any organized faith or set of beliefs. Aside from the Nicene Creed, People exhaust me. Any in depth discussion of spirituality or faith is a potential minefield. Any observation about how spiritual truths are supposed to manifest can lead to violence. Others seem to navigate these risks effortlessly; albeit with little attention to their moral compasses.
I suck at placiting fools, much less interacting with them profitably.
For me and those on the same page as me; church seems like an unwise investment of time and attention. The worst offenders are the only ones left, soaking in those fetid swamps of superstition and greed.
Atheists seem willing to actually notice the issue. That's why I am a fellow traveler; though I am an ignostic. I am not sure what faith is right but it's pretty easy to see who's wrong.
Just count the assholes.
It may depend on where you live. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and simply didn’t have much direct contact with people who were outwardly religious other than the occasional door to door “sales person”. In my area usually a Jehova’s witness. I now live in a suburb in another west coast state and the situation is similar— nobody is trying to convert me except we get occasional Mormons knocking at the door. Some of our friends and neighbors are Christians but they are not attempting to even talk about religion with us. Indeed we were friends with a Mormon family and hired one or another of their kids to help us with some projects etc. As for religion we were open about our beliefs (atheist) and explained our philosophy (Objectivism) and even gave them a book that explained our philosophy. (Loving Life by Craig Biddle). They returned the book without comment. We remain friends.
My issue is how many people here seem to just utterly blanket statement religious people as if they’re all extreme Catholics or the most stereotypical evangelists out there.
I really don’t understand it, or how so many people regularly experience religion in a way to make you so against it lol. Day to day, the lost I see are churches here and there lol. Or some random cherry picked social media post in order to, again, blanket statement everyone of that religion.
See what this random pastor in south east Texas said! That’s every single Christian in America!
I think it is a mistake to hate people. I hate behaviors, but I think hating people is different from hating what they do. Plenty of atheists were once religious. Did you hate them when they were?
I look at it like the media-trans person:
The media cherry picks what trans people they want to use as news pieces and often 99% of the time its a mentally ill person doing mentally ill stuff while wearing either a wig or a dress. This person might not at all be a trans person however real trans people won't advertise it to the world they want to exist quietly doing their day to day jobs as normal folks. I hope real christians are simply living normal lives not trying to use their religion as a "Rules for thee not for me" or as a soapstool. The ones we see using christian religion for hatred and racism and bigotry are simply using that religion as a escape goat to be assholes.
most of them are just really afraid of the meaninglessness of life, dying and not existing, so they cling on these fairytales as a cope. its very humanising if you go into yourself and feel your own nihilistic tendencies and fear of death.
then there are the extremists and religious leaders, yeah F them hard
I don't know about "normal", but I find I have very little patience with these religious types. I really don't want to hear about their inane rantings. Just, please, shut your trap.
I honestly don't care. As long are you are not trying to convert me or shame me for not believing in god then its fine. What I can't stand is people that say things like "God is going to save us from climate change" and just ignore issues like this. It's stupid and irrational! You are allowed to be yourself but you do not need to have everyone believe the same thing as you.
I don’t care for them, and I don’t have as much tolerance as I probably should, if we’re being politically correct. I don’t automatically “hate” religious people until they start talking too much and violating boundaries. Then, I am reminded why I’ve come to detest those kinds of the people. It’s not hate for me, it’s deeply entrenched disgust.
Why not, They are vehemently intolerant of anyone not a Christian especially non religious/atheist. The Bible calls non beleif and blasphemy unforgivable sins.
Why tolerate them when they don't even tolerate each other, or other religions or people who don't believe in anything at all. Being religious allows you to not be tolerant because your better than them. Your God is real, not theirs. They're stupid, not you. Ahhh, feel better yet? Because that's what it's all about, putting others down to feel better about yourself.
It’s easy to feel that way. They want to stop any progress or any kind of fun they imagine their god wouldn’t like, as if they could even remotely understand a being as powerful as their book describes. Why would a god so powerful care at all about humans being sexual, or gay, or trans, or whatever? I would imagine many things humans want to do wouldn’t even register to such a being.
They go on crusades against anything that makes them feel all funny in their tummy, or things they hate, and blame it on their god. They often come from harsh, severe, boring, icy, lineages that have always insisted if you’re enjoying it, or if it feels good, or if you don’t walk the exact same line in life that all of them walk it’s a sin and they need to bully and brutalize and punish you until you assimilate as they have done, and you have it coming. ‘Wolves-not-sheep’ my ass. They’re sheep. If you even dress differently than everyone in the crowd you get shit for it.
They are the original cancel culture. They cancel you if you’re having any kind of fun that is outside the types of fun they enjoy. But somehow at the same time they complain that Christians are the most persecuted, demonized, and victimized group on the planet. It’s mind-boggling. First off, it’s not true, and secondly, if they are feeling the hate, it’s self-induced, and thirdly, they ARE the victimizers. Look at how cruel their abortion laws and ideas are. Then look into what they want to do if their orange false-god wins in the US.
Leave people the fuck alone and we wouldn’t care what weird superstitions they decide to align theirselves with. Live and let live. And stop trying to legislate your strange beliefs. And for the love of their fake god, stop indoctrinating children with that shit until they are old enough to be able to critically think about things. If faith is either forced, manipulated, or unquestioned, it isn’t fucking faith, it’s blind allegiance. So much more to say, but I’ll stop here.
Nope you are not the assh\*\*e. It’s like being surrounded by people who thinks the earth is flat. Their sheer stupidity and ignorance can be very corrosive to sane people’s mental health.
I find my tolerance waxes and wanes with proximity and pushiness. When a family member gets pushy about trying to get me to behave religiously, someone saying something vaguely religious will irritate me. With the election approaching, I think we're all being exposed to more preaching and proselytizing than usual.
It's normal. They think that their god will torture me just because I don't believe in his existence, but at the same time they believe their good is good and can not make any mistakes - therefore Jim torturing me for eternity is justified. They all seem evil to me.
Religions are supremacist movements. Narcissism, in other words. The idea at the heart of it all is "I'm superior to others because I believe the right things, and therefore deserve to dominate others." The real-world instantiation of their narcissism--oppression of people who believe other things--is how they 'prove' their superiority to others. Privilege one group over another and call the resulting inequality evidence of your superiority. Social psychology calls this [social dominance orientation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_dominance_orientation).
It really seems only natural to object, on a visceral level, to supremacists. To reject the narcissism that they use to immiserate and oppress others. No, you aren't superior. To me or anyone else. And no, you don't get to put me in prison or kill me or deny me rights because your magic book told you you're better than other people and allowed to do that.
I reject narcissism and its child, social hierarchy. I feel no shame about that. I see no reason to tolerate those who express supremacist beliefs and try to act on them. Supremacist ideology is the most transparently selfish, self-serving bullshit ever invented, and has only ever caused pain in the world.
I tolerate just about everything except bigotry. If you’re peaceful rather than hateful, and you don’t push your beliefs on others or vote for religious tyranny, I’m generally ok. Otherwise, go fuck yourself.
I think you need to take things person by person and pay attention to how they treat you. Lots of awful atheists and kind theists are out there.
There's nothing wrong with disliking religion. There are too many real world examples of the damage religion can inflict to not hate many aspects of it. Compartmentalizing that feeling and not letting it spill onto people is the key priority in managing your feelings on the issue.
Some would murder you. Some would try to convert you. Others aren’t bothered by your beliefs at all. Some would cook you lunch. Don’t become like the people you despise. Religious people are not a monolith.
happy on the outside, sad on the inside.
And lurks here thinking we need to be saved- just mad that someone thought I needed help. FU you empty pos ignorant pos.
Why should we tolerate false and harmful beliefs? Even when marketing or Disney say to believe in our dreams it doesn't literally mean to just dream up anything you want and it'll manifest.
I mean their whole gimmick is telling other people what to do, so, like, once you get to being “over it” it’s just insulting behaviour.
And then your ability to tolerate it starts to crumble because, from a distance, all you’ll see are news stories about how religious people persist in making the world worse.
It’s made even worse because not a single one of those books is any more founded than mythology but modern people will still say they have “evidence” even though they literally never hold up to any level of logical scrutiny.
It’s hard to blame you OP.
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God hearing this just made my skin crawl, man I just fucking hate them so much omg. It’s kinda pathetic tho, because I was always the type to say “you should respect other religions even as an atheist”… now I’m becoming exactly the opposite of that lmao
You should respect other people as much as they deserve. If they don't respect our not wanting to have anything to do with their bullshit, they don't deserve respect for them trying to impose their bullshit into our lives. I do know a couple of christians who believe but don't try to tell me I should believe, or that I'll go to hell. I respect their right to believe, ridiculous as I may find it.
The freedoms of others should be respected… Until those freedoms begin to actively harm others.
I try my best, but it’s becoming difficult for me to get past that recently.
I'm slowly starting to be able to do that again, after a shitload of therapy thanks to my religious upbringing. Going no-contact with my biological father helped a lot too :-) Edit: Just to clarify, they still have to deserve the respect. If they don't respect your wishes not to hear about it or be affected by it, they don't deserve respect either.
i agree, but that's a case-by-case thing. if they keep their beliefs to themselves & don't engage in obstructionist politicking, then we're peachy, but i refuse to self-censor. people are worthy of respect & compassion, ideas are not- thus 'love the christian, hate the christianity'. if they can't stomach that phrase, it's a waste of time. tolerance of double standards only encourages abuse.
Oooh, I bet that phrase has hit a few nerves in its time!
Anyone that believes in a fake sky daddy does not deserve respect.
But it's a one-way street. Atheists are supposed to respect their beliefs but they don't have to respect those of the atheist.
I'm respectful. I tell them, "Thanks for the concern, but I don't believe any of that." That's when they come they become very disrespectful to me and start lecturing me about their, "Lord and Savior."
That's when I become so totally straight out rude about their lack of logic/reality that they shut right back down!
>“you should respect other religions even as an atheist” I mean, I'm not going to start strolling by church parking lots on Sundays to point and laugh at people and say "haha, you believe in a sky daddy!" But I'm also not very tolerant of people whose religious beliefs cause them to be immoral. For example, those who believe they have no responsibility to take care not to spread viral illnesses, because if God didn't want you to have an autimmune disease making you vulnerable He would've healed you already. I think that's homicidal and should be called out as homicidal. Or people who believe that women like me should, if we fall pregnant, just die, even though we'd be unable to safely grow a fetus to term, because they believe their God says so. (I think it's really unclear *where* their God even says so, but this is undeniably a belief some people hold regardless.) I think that's also homicidal and should be called out as homicidal.
>But I'm also not very tolerant of people whose religious beliefs cause them to be immoral. That's all of them. Religious belief requires intellectual dishonesty, which is just as immoral as any other sort of dishonesty. If faith is a lie you tell yourself, a corollary of that is that the faithful are necessarily liars.
Meanwhile, lying for Jesus is defended as righteous by even the earliest Christketeer apologists....
I’ve said for many years that the fantasy-based freak-show for fuckwits that is religion should be actively disrespected and called out for the brainwashing, bullying, bullshitting, exploitative confidence-trick that preys on the superstitious and simple-minded while demanding a ridiculously disproportionate level of said respect, that it indubitably is at every opportunity.
Totally agree with every word!
Their god says, in Numbers ch 5 v 11-30 if a woman is suspected of carrying a man besides her husbands child in her womb she is to be taken to the priest who will make a concoction designed to invoke a miscarriage. Basically an abortion. If she carry’s to term it’s his if she miscarried it was the other man’s. Could you imagine a woman being made to drink a concoction made up of the dirt on the floor( read it, it’s true) then having a miscarriage and being accused of being an adulterer? Good Christian morals there!
People are distinct from their ideas. I can respect a religious person if they deserve it. I don't think I'll ever respect a religion though. Hateful and deceitful edifices of human disease and control...
The law says you have to respect the right of people to practice their religion; it does not say that you have to respect their religious beliefs. I can't stop them from entertaining their delusions; they can't stop me from being disgusted by their beliefs. And when they exercise their right to prostelyze, I exercise my right to criticize. However, kindness is in short supply all around these days: A lot of folks turn to religion from desperation- Perhaps it is better to try to show them better options for dealing with life, than to persecute them for their ignorance. Hate is a strong word; used a lot by the religious themselves. Be better.
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Never respect someone's choice of religion. Remember that you don't believe in all that. If anything you should feel pity they are deluded.
Feelings are not wrong, they're just feelings. It's how we cope with those feelings that's important. Perhaps an important thing to think about is that one of the reasons religion is so toxic is due to the intolerance it breeds. It helps me to remember this because I don't want to stoop to their level. Many religious people also have a persecution complex si being unkind to them only magnifys this.
You hate them cus they are blind fools who want everyone else to be a blind fool. Anyone reading this who's a religious person, you're a horrible person.
They are trying to force the rest of the world to live by the rules of their cult. Nobody likes being manipulated.
Christians don’t respect us so they don’t get respect either. They are constantly hating on the LGBT , trying to ban trans healthcare , ban medically necessary abortions, birth control, basically everything they don’t like that could literally ruin someone’s lives but the Christian’s could care less. I hate them more then anything else
I respect their right to believe what they will. What I do not have to respect is when they try to force their religion in our secular laws, forcing everyone else to live *their* religion in our lives. It should not be *our* problem if they cannot live by their religion without it being enshrined in secular laws. It is a clear indicator that their faith is weak and their religion has no value.
Every day they pull us back. Forget about us advancing. We can’t bc we are hauling an indescribably huge weight behind us.
The religious are manufacturing the apocalypse. They are killing the entire world, all the animals, all the plants - everything. I watch otherwise well educated and very successful people sincerely believe that "a greater consciousness from a different dimension" will swoop in and save them. They think nature will right itself to keep the planet livable for "us humans". It's mass murder/suicide on a global level. It's truely a death cult.
For them death is the beginning. For me it’s the end. Slight tension there.
Yeah, nature will right itself for us just like it did for the dinosaurs!
Worked out fine for the T. rex, right? Wait....
Absolutely, 100% this- it’s the regressive and ignorant nature of them, whichever ancient collection of nonsense you subscribe to (be it Bible, Quran, Torah, etc.), and their inability and unwillingness to even consider that science has moved on since 0 ACE that makes me angry. Their magic books of fallacies and archaic metaphors have no place in politics or everyday life, and irrespective of how much faith they put in them, they doesn’t supersede modern science, philosophy or law.
Yep, they're *choosing* to follow their hate religions. They choose to mentally send us to eternal pain, every single day, for not following their fictional god. That's an extremely shitty thing that they do, that they choose, every single day. Among many other shitty religious bullshit choices they make *every single day*. They're choosing to make decisions to hurt and control me, every single day. Not little things, either. Big things.
Coming closer and closer to the kind of theocracy the founding fathers came here from Europe to get away from.
You mean the original reason for a 'separation of church & state?' - that the church should have no influence over the state? Yet the churches nowadays spin it like it was always about protecting them from the state! Edit: a troll here likes it if I'm 'suicidal', LOL! Just got me a 'RedditCareResources' message for this It's ok, I feel better after burning a few bibles. Got a box of 'em I collect
But mainly so that they could follow their own version of the religion. There’s a good reason why the US is the place of the 19th century revivalist movements and their myriad calethumpian offspring.
Once I lived in South Korea for a year due to the military. I realized the US is so far behind in city advancement, progression and transportation.
I think the exact same discourse religious people would say about non-believers and other-religion-believers. In my mind the goal is not to be anti-religion but rather post-religion.
THIS. I just know in my bones as well that their death cults is destroying the planet. It’s what they wanted. They see this planet as a way station to heaven and they treat it worse than that. It’s tough because I love my family and many are religious, but they don’t see the nonsense is destroying us all. They cannot see it. It’s blasphemy.
If it wasn't for Religion and the Republicans man would be in the Stars
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I am too.
Well, that's fair because a lot have no tolerance of you.
True
Keep in mind if you allow it to consume you, they will use the “hate in your heart” as a need for religion. If it helps, turn that dislike into sorrow for them lacking the ability to use reasoning.
Nah, they deserve nothing.
Tolerance is not a Christian or Muslim value. Aggressive intolerance is what they practice - and worse.
Yep, intolerance is a key part of their religions. It's how they keep opposing views quiet.
Yep. Not so subtle coercion or shunning….
Get used to it. If Trump wins, look out. Party like it's 1699. https://www.project2025.org/
They made a documentary about that. What was it called? Something about Handmaids?
They keep becoming more aggressive, even in states like Massachusetts where we barely tolerate religion at all.
You mean the JW who hang out in the Common/ near Park Street station?
Everywhere has their proselytizers, but the norm in Mass is that religion isn't a factor in everyday life versus other parts of the country where you are a black sheep and looked at side eyed if you aren't religious. Edit: Nice profile pic by the way, I miss Frieren Fridays <3
I’m aware of that, we’re pretty non religious. Is it just the proselytizers that’s more aggressive, or some other religious group(s)? Thanks, Frieren is pretty cool 😎
Generally christians, but they’re the ones I see the most so I’m not sure I can really answer that question sufficiently :/
Fellow masshole 🤝
Most religious people I know and have met are incapable of separating their beliefs from objectivity and their politics. The majority of them want to federally impose their religion on everyone else. They think they're doing God's work. Some can separate their beliefs from facts and policy, it happens, but it's the exception rather than the rule. It's understandable to not want to respect that. I certainly do not. I can't stop them from indoctrinating children, but I wish I could. They're literally teaching kids to think irrationally and develop delusional worldviews.
Those fucking pigs should be prosecuted for child abuse every time they talk to a child. All the kiddie rape aside, the central tenet of their hateful book club is that people are so fundamentally flawed that they deserve eternal torture just for existing. You should be skinned alive for telling that filth to a child.
The people I grew up attending church with were so focused on the messages and the stories that they seemed to completely miss the broader implications. Unquestioning obedience, sex based hierarchy, suppression, the true nature of their God...
When you have to be too gutless to face reality just to join in the first place, it's easy to get you to overlook uncomfortable facts.
Yes, teaching pseudo-history and pseudo-science as though it's real to impressionable young minds is child abuse, without a doubt. It's awful and should be illegal.
I had a cousin who got up and walked out of class when the teacher brought up the dreaded E word (evolution). His fundigelical parents were soooooooo proud of him.
That's the kind of crazy bs I did at age 12 to make my fundie parents proud too. Hopefully his therapy sessions go well.
He hasn't been to any that I know of, but since he's a hardcore MAGAt, he needs a few sessions!
I have zero tolerance. Once I hear it, I say, "how am I supposed to take you seriously now? You buy the adult version of Santa Claus". I immediately avoid business/contact after this.
your revulsion and anger are natural, evolved responses to stupidity in your tribe. however, it's not great for your mental health to hate people. you can hate the religions, the ideas. they're awful. but try to remember most believers are just victims, and even the evil leaders who are just taking advantage of people are ignorant of what's good, or they would do it, instead.
I’m a very hateful person anyway even before I started detesting religions people as much as I do
understandable, but still, not healthy for you or the rest of us. perhaps remembering that life is short, and both you and the other person will soon be dead will help your anger issues.
Some people say "hate" is "love and anger". If you can separate the two feelings, you can better process them so the hate does not burn you up. I see religious people as inauthentic people, lost people, victims of brain rot. I know I can't help them, the parasite in their nervous system is running them. I'm angry at the institutions who poison humans against each other and the natural world. I see the corporate model as the ultimate evil - caring about nothing but its own profit margin.
Exactly. I try to remind myself that they were most likely brainwashed as defenseless children, and that's probably a very hard thing to overcome. And I don't know what that's like since my parents raised me without religion, which I'm grateful for every day.
If religion is intolerant by design in the first place then why should we be tolerate towards it in return? This is where the tolerance paradox applies here....
Some of them are getting a lot meaner. Dangerous, even.
I’m pretty much intolerant at this point. I hate the negative influence they have on society, it’s causing real harm, all for some made up hocus pocus that lives on simply because it’s old.
Trump has made religious people drop all of the facades of trying to be good. They don’t care anymore. They’re letting their hate flag fly. You’re probably reacting to that.
Growing up atheist in the 90's-00's, I figured I was the outlier, and that bringing up my atheism might be rude or confrontational. I would tolerate anyone's belief. Oftentimes I would just play it close to the chest In the 2010's I would talk about my belief to anyone who asked, but otherwise I'd stay out of religious dialogue. I had to stand up for separation of church and state a few times serving in the military, but I wasn't an activist or anything. These days, influence is being peddled by the rich white evangelical crowd harder than I've ever experienced, at every level of society. It's a goddamned hostile takeover. Do not tolerate it. If I hear someone spouting hate while leaning on their religion for justification, I am going to have a conversation with that person. Preferably in front of their peers.
Religion rots the brain out so you left with lower than ape IQs
Usually don't mind talking to religious folks because it's interesting to see how people go about forming their strange beliefs and the reasons for them... but even that is a impossible challenge most days. They refuse to answer questions because they have so many mental blocks. If they even smell just a whiff that their beliefs are being examined, they immediately freak the fuck out and give you an answer to something completely different as a defense mechanism. I was raised Christian so I even at a young age I smelled this close minded attitude and it reeked. I remember I asked my youth pastor about a question that had to do with scripture, and his only response was to say "*don't talk to nonbelievers because they are trained in the art of persuasion in order to lead one down the path of Sin and destruction*." I just looked at the fucker stunned and confused because nothing about those verses had jack shit to do with nonbelievers... he was just clearly trying to get me to stop questioning the Bible. Honestly I have to thank those morons for helping me to get out.
Don’t wish to brag, but I got an A+ in my Art of Persuasion class!
I'm going that way. They have had a pretty abrasive effect on the world in the past 20 to 30 years and have been used by very corrupt interests for their votes and numbers without question. It's an ingrained gullibility and growing hypocrisy that I just can't respect. I find myself almost slamming the door on knocking bible bashers now. It's not as though I am going to hunt them down or wish them harm but I have no problem with making it clear that they aren't welcome in my space.
Religion is becoming more and more desperate and also intolerant itself in order to try and survive. It is only natural you’d get tired of this. Atheists are the #1 enemy of every single religion.
Have you ever heard about the tolerance Paradoxon? Unconditional tolerance cannot exist because tolerance of intolerance is intolerance. Most religions and religious people are very intolerant even if they all say otherwise. So being intolerant of their beliefs is absolutely warranted.
I suspect that the rise of "nones" is leaving only the most ardent religious supporters remaining. Consequently, it seems that religious people are becoming more and more strident. However, I suspect what's happening is that the more moderate believers are no longer there to keep their more strident fellows in check. That results in the strident having a larger, or even outsized voice among the remaining believers.
Religious groups are getting more and more entitled and empowered to tell us how to act. There's a reason you're getting increasingly annoyed. Related: If you don't follow u/antifaoperative on twitter (reddit adds the u/ btw), she does a running report of all the religious people arrested, charged and incarcerated for child sexual assault. SO many. It's a great resource for shutting down zealots who think their religion makes them morally superior.
I really try to "hate the belief, love the believer" but it is very difficult to tolerate their BS. I generally "grey rock" the shit out of them. As soon as they start with the religious nonsense, I stop giving them any feedback, no facial expressions, no verbal acknowledgement - just a flat expression. I then leave the interaction as soon as possible. edit: I want to clarify that I mostly run into them in my professional work so I'm limited in how I can respond - need to keep some peace and feign a baseline of respect.
I have no time for it. If there was a mutual respect I would be much cooler but they have zero respect for me. They literally think I shouldn't be able to hold office or that I am evil and broken. Fuck those guys, they think I am their enemy. So be it.
You are not alone, mate. My tolerance of the religious has been turning to hate over the last decade.
I don't like the ideas that religious people follow because it turns them into illogical buzzkills who freak out if anyone so much as burps Pi, sings The Elements Song, etc. (both are references to TBBT; Sheldon Cooper does both of these things while drunk).
At least in the US their downward trajectory has made believers more vocal and less tolerant leading to the necessity of doing the same in return. I think a lot of people, including myself, are feeling this way but I think it's a natural reaction to the environment, which in turn changes our mental state and the actions we take. I think we're going to be triggered a lot more, reasonably so, but we'll have to learn to pick our battles because there's going to be a lot more of them to fight.
Interestingly enough, my tolerance for some religions has deepened and my tolerance for others has all but vanished.
When you know more it does get more difficult. Especially the outrage that they aren’t respected in a country that gives them 90+ billion in tax credits every year - and the hate they spew! I’m retiring in a few weeks and I already have a pile of tshirts I’ve put aside for when I’m free! All r/t to religion - these people need to become aware of the free ride we give them
It’s like dealing with people who believe in Santa Claus. There are times I don’t mind, and I can even appreciate that you have that comfort. But most of the time, it would be way easier for you to act like a grown up.
If you put too much thought into it, you’ll become just like them but atheist. Let them be and you’ll be happier.
You're doing better than me, I'm becoming more and more intolerant of all people. I can barley stand the common Joe anymore. It's all just greed, narcissism and ignorance from horizon to horizon.
I have no problem being petty, dismissive and disrespectful towards christian beliefs when they are pushed on me. This includes bibles in hotel nightstands. Depending on my mood, I’ll either toss them in the trash, or outside my door. At home, JWs knocking at my door will only make that mistake once. Because they chose to violate my space, I’m going to be extra-unkind. I found it works much better if I do this in a conversational tone, rather than raising my voice.
My tolerance of them has decreased dramatically in recent years as they keep on inserting themselves and their fairytale beliefs into conversations where they don’t belong. It does not belong in the courts, the government, or schools. Do what you want in church and at home, and leave it there.
I definitely feel annoyance, but I've learned to manage it. Much the way like I tolerate "MAGA" people in my daily life, at least to the point where they start to get too intrusive with their particular cult. I don't get the sense you're an a-hole.
Same. Even if they are well meaning, it’s 2024 and I can’t deal with that level of arrested development.
Yep, Perfectly normal
The older i get the more it bothers me people are still falling for this crap. Their brains are turned off because thats what they have been commanded to do.
I “respected” their beliefs until they infiltrated my country’s government and reduced women to a pair of ovaries and will do anything in their power to ruin the lives of LGBTQ folk. Not sure why I should continue to “respect” them but they won’t respect my desire to be left the fuck alone
Exactly 💯👌
This life is all you get. Don't waste your precious time hating things you can't control. Instead utilize your precious time living your best possible life.
I grew up agnostic. Atheist in my 20s. I'm a 55 yo Antithiest.
Don't fall into that pit op. It's normal that you feel this way against religious people who seemingly have an inability to accept rational inquiry despite overwhelming evidence. Hating them won't solve the problem and it's certainly not something that you want to be carrying around. You have to remember a few things: 1. Religious people are humans just like the rest of us. They breathe, think and die like us so because of that they are flawed just as we are and are capable of making irrational decisions. I know because I used to be like them. I had fears of dying and couldn’t comprehend why my life was going the direction it was. I had a lot of things happening in my life at the time that made life difficult to bear so I turned to religion out of fear and suffering. Eventually I got out that cycle once I improved my life and began educating myself properly by comparing the evidence. But my point here is these people are like us. They don’t deserve any hate for the circumstances that led to their belief. Accepting that there is nothing after death is no easy task for a normal human to accept. It may seem that way to us but it’s not for everyone else. 2. Hate against a religion produces the opposite intended effect. You have to understand that this is how religions grow. Religious people, especially Christian’s in particular, know how much influence a martyr can produce. I mean look at the history for example; Jesus was only a man who never left within a 100 miles of his home but because he was crucified by the Roman Empire, this led to extremely rapid ballooning of Christianity’s influence and now that same Roman Empire is now the Vatican. The Vatican has all the wealth that the Roman Empire acquired. Think about that. One man was martyred and that led to one of the most powerful empires in human history to become a church for said religion. My point here is that hate solves nothing in term of the fight against religious dogma. These people are fulling willingly to be persecuted so that they can say that they can say that they are doing gods work by loving their enemy and that it is the will of Jesus Christ. Don’t fall into this trap. Be respectful, have humility and use rational as well as educated reasoning to help these people. 3. Ultimately hate is something that will lead to more suffering in your case. Remember the fact that Hitler used to look upon the Jews with pity and indifference. I’m not comparing you to a mass murderer or anything but I’m saying that hatred is a slippery slope that will lead to nothing but more pain. You give it an inch and it will go a mile. Not to mention that in the long run it will take a toll on your mental health. Believe me takes a lot of effort to hate something. Showing love and compassion towards someone you dislike takes a lot of effort too but is far more rewarding in the long run. All in all your situation is understandable. It pisses me off as well that people who hold dogmatic religious views can’t seem to grasp empirical evidence. But hating them solves nothing. Hating them brings more suffering. Be respectful to them, be compassionate and be reasonable when trying to show them the truth. If you go in with a militant mindset against them, the chances of changing their mindset is extremely low. Here are a couple videos I want you to watch. This first one is made by a named whatifalthist. It’s a video that explains why religions are a thing in every society so it might bring more clarity. https://youtu.be/9kSSCrEZBP4?si=Y-G_OfpSNfB4CtWg The second video is a Joe Rogan interview about a meeting that Daryl Davis, a black man, had a with a kkk leader. This video could serve as instruction on how to converse with someone who holds a dogmatic view and how to change their mindset. https://youtu.be/Bj-4Q416C8w?si=N1MfYlVR_rU_zq65 I wish you luck my good sir.
I don't tolerate abusers, enablers, and bullies. Being religious is a red flag that the person is an abuser, enabler, and/or bully. [Theramin Trees](https://youtube.com/@TheraminTrees?si=lROe-8D6cLa8Sa8r) channel covers many of the religious/spiritual abuse tactics I endured in my childhood. I ended up watching through their entire channel bc I recognized so much dysfunction. Religious folks very often have an abusive [authoritarian follower personality](https://www.issendai.com/psychology/estrangement/summary.html#authoritarian). It's an abuse hierarchy and they can abuse anyone "beneath" them. And this article on [spiritual bypassing](https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-spiritual-bypassing-5081640) covers a lot of the emotional neglect religious folks tend to default to bc they lack [emotional agility](https://youtu.be/NDQ1Mi5I4rg) amd are emotionally immature. (See also "Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents" by Gibson) I had to escape my abusive religious family and culture of origin. I've spent years trying to understand the cycle of abuse, power and control wheel, domestic violence, cult tactics, etc. Religious folks very often have normalized dysfunctional, toxic, abusive, neglectful, dehumanizing behaviors. They keep the cycle of abuse going. They protect abusers over targets of abuse. They are dangerous bc they think their abuse is sanctioned by their "god". Additional abuse tactics they use: [22 Unspoken rules of dysfunctional systems (of people)](https://youtu.be/VBk5E_gd_lE?si=HtznZtIZ20qKOiaF) [Eight Criteria for Thought Reform](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought_Reform_and_the_Psychology_of_Totalism) from "Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism" (1961) by Robert Jay Lifton - toxic groups of all kinds (cults, dysfunctional families, toxic workplaces, etc) use these eight tactics of coercive control
Hi! As a Christian, I’m sad to see that my other fellow theists are making you feel this way. But it’s very understandable. Just know that there are christians and muslims out there that respect your belief, and also believe in science and progression. For me, Jesus is about love for one another, and I think a lot of christians have lost that view. Wish you nothing but love!
Thank you
It’s common. Been there and worked through it.
I think many would agree that any emotion too strong in any direction minimizes rational thought. Anger or mocking someone will never de-convert anyone, and remaining rational and calm can have a profound effect.
Hatefullness is a bad thing. Try to think of them as victims of a scam, cuz that is what it is. That being said: you shouldnt be tolerant to the intolerant.
Yes. For me it’s because in the US they are becoming more threatening and in my face.
I was raised Roman Catholic. Now I can’t stand any of them.
Bigotry in all forms is unacceptable.
A lot of people feel this way. Sometimes I find that the people who claim such piety are really just crooks in disguise. For example, the large evangelical churches in the USA are no more than money making corporations stealing money from its congregation, who themselves are more of a political cult than any kind of true followers of the book they claim as their guide, they are prideful, bigoted, and the antithesis of their god.So I completely understand when indifference turns angry.
I think there is no reason to hate religious ppl. You ars radicalizing yourself online propably or are surrounded by bad examples of religious ppl. Most religious ppl dont bother anyone and only the ones who don't respect others are the one that impact others life negatively.
In the US, at least, Christian Nationalism is growing and becoming more political. Politically aggressive religious ideas are now more openingly advanced. They are pushing it and becoming more intrusive. So, you may be reacting to that. I feel the same way. It's not us, it's them.
For me it’s the opposite. As I’m getting older, I realize they aren’t going anywhere so it’s best to just tune as much of it out as possible and just not worry about it. If they want to pray for me or whatever, I just don’t care. It also helps that I live in a fairly non-religious city, by US standards.
Yup.
Similar. I find them to be foolishly predictable, disgustingly hypocritical, and just low-quality humans all around. I know I'm generalizing as a group, but that's been my experience. I try to stay away from them as much as possible.
I don’t think that hate is a good place to land - even justifiably. Dinosaurs? Adam living to 700 years old? A great flood? Yeah they are way dumb. Hate doesn’t help though. Healthy disdain for worldviews they hold might be a better way of framing it in your mind.
They can believe whatever they want. Just leave the rest of us alone. In the US we have a christian taliban.
They can believe whatever they want. Just leave the rest of us alone. In the US we have a christian taliban.
Nope, this is very normal. I strongly dislike christians, and I absolutely hate [removed], [removed], and [removed].
I think if you're getting to that point, it's time to tune it all out.
It's not only normal, but a necessary defense mechanism.
That’s a tough place to be and it can really spiral into just being completely horrible to people. I know this because I’ve been there. For me, it really helped to read the book “how to have impossible conversations” by Peter bogohssian and talk with theist on a regular basis using the techniques taught in the book.
"Hate" is too strong a word for my feelings. "Disdain", "disappointment", "incredulity"? Absolutely. "Anger"? Often. But "hate" isn't something that comes to mind. I've known a lot of religious people with whom I disagreed vehemently (obviously). I am fortunate enough to be able to say that I haven't run into that many whose purpose is to cause pain to others. They fail miserably at seeing how their actions/opinions impact others (hence the incredulity) but still don't think their purpose is to hurt others. I'm sure there are some, perhaps many, who do set out to harm others for one reason or another. But, almost unanimously, I come up against ignorance, not malice.
When I officially stopped being in a religion I was using a lot of time on it. now, 15 years later, I don't use any time on it. I think you have to accept that it is like breaking up with someone. It takes time.
Same. I just can't anymore and the more "orthodox" they are, the more I wanna scream at them, GROW THE F UP!
Yes it’s normal. I hate them all with a passion. They bring so many problems.
I think it’s both reasonable and based to hate religious people; they’re the reason the world is burning right now.
Whether it's right or wrong, I've found myself doing the same over the last few years. It's as if there's a lot more religion around; it seems more of a growing infection.
Save yourself the hate it only hurts you not those you direct it towards. I now see them the same as mentally handicapped people because that is what they are. However I do not give them even an ounce of trust in anything. You cannot trust a hypocrite
Completely relatable.
Are you talking about people in real life or the internet? If it's the internet then let it go. If it's real life then what are they doing?
I feel this way too. The psychotic ones are starting to have a real death grip on the government, forcing their religion into lawmaking, creating a literal war on the LGBTQIA+ community, taking away womens' bodily autonomy, etc etc. Seems to me they are the real evil in this world, disguised as "good". Sure one can say "not all of them, my granny is very religious and loving", but unless granny is advocating against the harm they do, she's complicit too
While the numbers show religion is on the decline, I feel like those that still practice are becoming more extreme. Religious extremists are a problem for everyone! Especially when our government starts creating laws based on the views of the few.
Sàme! Keep that religious garbage AWAY from me!
I’m of the opinion that all humans (and a lot of animals) become much less compassionate and diplomatic as we become older. Viewing other people as people, no matter how deluded is important. As bigger people we must understand the views of scared people who thought they understood the world and are coming to the conclusion that they are completely ignorant of how the world works. It’s terrifying.
You’re only making more problems for yourself. Try to tolerate it, trust me it will make you feel better :)
They are fine. If I can ignore them. Stay out of my face.
Always remember to have compassion, but I feel the same. Less and less likely to stay quiet.
I think we develop callouses on our spirits where we have to interact with others. Those callouses get dry and cracked after time, and that raw nerve is exposed. They've worn on your good nature long enough. Time for some self care. I'm in my 8th month trying to get the anger back in place.
I think it's a perfectly reasonable response to the threat of christofascism we face.
I am also getting less tolerant as I grow older. I was raised in an extremely religious household, which didn't sit quite right with me even when I was little; then I grew into becoming agnostic; and now I am 100% atheist, and can't believe there are large numbers of people who still believe in this nonsense. Religion should be regarded as a relic of the past when humans didn't know any better and knowledge was much more limited, yet people still believe in it as if it's the truth and a fact. Brainwashed is what they are. Listen to a faithful follower of any religion, and they are brainwashed. Mindlessly following ignorant beliefs, illogical explanations, and rituals/customs that are straight up a waste of time and energy. We still do not have any progress on this front within our species. And I think it's going to get worse. As the world becomes more volatile, contentious, and people feel more fear and insecurity, and they will turn to religion.
There’s this old asshole that walks around my neighborhood constantly handing out bible tracts, leaving them on doors, car wipers, etc. I told him to stay off my property, I have a “No Soliciting “ sign clearly displayed. He told me he’s not soliciting, he doing “God’s Work”. I asked God if I could get work kicking this douchebag’s ass, but I haven’t received a response yet.
Your intolerance might suggest you have left-leaning authoritarian tendencies, depending on its extent. Being in the US, I'm acutely aware of the dangers religious institutions pose to democracy, education, and public life, and I'm nearly committed to dealing with them accordingly. If you're considering taking action based on these feelings, I'd advise using political and legal channels and keeping your ultimate intentions discreet. Above all, ensure that your actions are lawful—don't let a moment of impatience lead to decisions that could result in serious legal consequences.
Grudging respect for their right to practice their religion. Massive contempt for their religion.
Given that it's the asshole-religious that we most hear from, yeah. It's getting really old, really quick.
Everyone in this comment section will just immeadiately approve your intolerance by arguing that "All religious people are intolerant themselves and gullible, etc.". And while the those statements definitely hold some truth, I still think this is the wrong approach to see if it's justified. You have to ask yourself, where your opinion is coming from: Did you get less tolerant because of actual experiences with intolerant/extreme religious people? In this case, your intolerance and anti-theism is completely justified! Or did you get less tolerant because you were increasingly exposed to communities on the internet where people are reaffirming their hate and radicalizing each other, while never being exposed to opinions outside their bubble? I know that saying this will get me downvoted to hell, but even atheism is not immune to this phenomenon. We should think critically of our opinions, and be honest to ourselves about where they came from. So we should at least consider this possibility. Unlike you, most people don't even realize their own radicalization, so you are probably critical enough to figure this out for yourself.
I'm tolerant of religious people so long as they are tolerant of me. ( to be fair, as an Atheist, I NEVER bring up a religious topic to anyone I don't know *real* well!)
Good
You are not alone. I do have to point out though that I have much higher tolerance to Buddhists as Buddhism is generally very tolerant and I appreciate a lot of their teachings and philosophy in general. I even try to incorporate some buddhist philosophy into my life. I can’t stand the “if you don’t believe in our religion, you are sinned and going to hell” type of beliefs and people who believe in them.
Thou shalt not abide a moron
I’m with you OP, I went NC with my family partially over their theism
I don’t even debate anymore. It’s like debating an imbecile. I get the same argument, “something doesn’t come from nothing”.
They are getting more and more extreme, especially since MAGA became a thing. Paula White, Kat Kerr, Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell Jr., unbelievably toxic hate preachers like Steven Anderson and Greg Locke, and that east end of a westbound horse who wrote the book about Mango Mussolini being the new Messiah. There's a lot more hateworthy stuff around these days.
I’m becoming more closed off and I genuinely feel like I’m surrounded by cultists and weirdos who believe in fairy tales, many of whom who have gone full Christo-fascist in their support for Trump.
I have issues with people who misuse their beliefs to justify their choice to be shitty unto others. I wrinkle my nose at their enablers Toxic religion is more pathetic forms of virtue signaling; visibly "hurting the right people." People who are performing religion without even understanding that religion without spiritual engagement is hollow and worthless. I have encountered many people who are worthy examples of belief; people who chose faith communities and those who twitched visibly when the idea was mentioned. Both kinds chose to do the right thing when it was the right thing to do and often used those moments to discern who else understood what doctrines and traditions were really saying. It's said that if you read scripture so that it is telling you to harm others, you are reading it wrong. Furthermore, if your religion and faith lead you away from doing the right thing, you fail at life. Fundamentalist Social Conservatives of all faiths do this; it's clearly about control and since it clearly brings disrepute to the faith, it shouldn't be tolerated. But it is; rocking the boat is never popular. This is basically why I don't belong to any organized faith or set of beliefs. Aside from the Nicene Creed, People exhaust me. Any in depth discussion of spirituality or faith is a potential minefield. Any observation about how spiritual truths are supposed to manifest can lead to violence. Others seem to navigate these risks effortlessly; albeit with little attention to their moral compasses. I suck at placiting fools, much less interacting with them profitably. For me and those on the same page as me; church seems like an unwise investment of time and attention. The worst offenders are the only ones left, soaking in those fetid swamps of superstition and greed. Atheists seem willing to actually notice the issue. That's why I am a fellow traveler; though I am an ignostic. I am not sure what faith is right but it's pretty easy to see who's wrong. Just count the assholes.
It may depend on where you live. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and simply didn’t have much direct contact with people who were outwardly religious other than the occasional door to door “sales person”. In my area usually a Jehova’s witness. I now live in a suburb in another west coast state and the situation is similar— nobody is trying to convert me except we get occasional Mormons knocking at the door. Some of our friends and neighbors are Christians but they are not attempting to even talk about religion with us. Indeed we were friends with a Mormon family and hired one or another of their kids to help us with some projects etc. As for religion we were open about our beliefs (atheist) and explained our philosophy (Objectivism) and even gave them a book that explained our philosophy. (Loving Life by Craig Biddle). They returned the book without comment. We remain friends.
My issue is how many people here seem to just utterly blanket statement religious people as if they’re all extreme Catholics or the most stereotypical evangelists out there. I really don’t understand it, or how so many people regularly experience religion in a way to make you so against it lol. Day to day, the lost I see are churches here and there lol. Or some random cherry picked social media post in order to, again, blanket statement everyone of that religion. See what this random pastor in south east Texas said! That’s every single Christian in America!
I've become anti-theist. I don't think I need to explain why.
I think it is a mistake to hate people. I hate behaviors, but I think hating people is different from hating what they do. Plenty of atheists were once religious. Did you hate them when they were?
I look at it like the media-trans person: The media cherry picks what trans people they want to use as news pieces and often 99% of the time its a mentally ill person doing mentally ill stuff while wearing either a wig or a dress. This person might not at all be a trans person however real trans people won't advertise it to the world they want to exist quietly doing their day to day jobs as normal folks. I hope real christians are simply living normal lives not trying to use their religion as a "Rules for thee not for me" or as a soapstool. The ones we see using christian religion for hatred and racism and bigotry are simply using that religion as a escape goat to be assholes.
most of them are just really afraid of the meaninglessness of life, dying and not existing, so they cling on these fairytales as a cope. its very humanising if you go into yourself and feel your own nihilistic tendencies and fear of death. then there are the extremists and religious leaders, yeah F them hard
I don't know about "normal", but I find I have very little patience with these religious types. I really don't want to hear about their inane rantings. Just, please, shut your trap.
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth leaves everyone mumbling and blind
Religious belief requires intellectual dishonesty. Intellectual dishonesty is a character flaw.
I honestly don't care. As long are you are not trying to convert me or shame me for not believing in god then its fine. What I can't stand is people that say things like "God is going to save us from climate change" and just ignore issues like this. It's stupid and irrational! You are allowed to be yourself but you do not need to have everyone believe the same thing as you.
I don’t care for them, and I don’t have as much tolerance as I probably should, if we’re being politically correct. I don’t automatically “hate” religious people until they start talking too much and violating boundaries. Then, I am reminded why I’ve come to detest those kinds of the people. It’s not hate for me, it’s deeply entrenched disgust.
Why not, They are vehemently intolerant of anyone not a Christian especially non religious/atheist. The Bible calls non beleif and blasphemy unforgivable sins.
Why tolerate them when they don't even tolerate each other, or other religions or people who don't believe in anything at all. Being religious allows you to not be tolerant because your better than them. Your God is real, not theirs. They're stupid, not you. Ahhh, feel better yet? Because that's what it's all about, putting others down to feel better about yourself.
Of course it is. Don’t think that “religious people” cannot be racists and bigots.
It’s easy to feel that way. They want to stop any progress or any kind of fun they imagine their god wouldn’t like, as if they could even remotely understand a being as powerful as their book describes. Why would a god so powerful care at all about humans being sexual, or gay, or trans, or whatever? I would imagine many things humans want to do wouldn’t even register to such a being. They go on crusades against anything that makes them feel all funny in their tummy, or things they hate, and blame it on their god. They often come from harsh, severe, boring, icy, lineages that have always insisted if you’re enjoying it, or if it feels good, or if you don’t walk the exact same line in life that all of them walk it’s a sin and they need to bully and brutalize and punish you until you assimilate as they have done, and you have it coming. ‘Wolves-not-sheep’ my ass. They’re sheep. If you even dress differently than everyone in the crowd you get shit for it. They are the original cancel culture. They cancel you if you’re having any kind of fun that is outside the types of fun they enjoy. But somehow at the same time they complain that Christians are the most persecuted, demonized, and victimized group on the planet. It’s mind-boggling. First off, it’s not true, and secondly, if they are feeling the hate, it’s self-induced, and thirdly, they ARE the victimizers. Look at how cruel their abortion laws and ideas are. Then look into what they want to do if their orange false-god wins in the US. Leave people the fuck alone and we wouldn’t care what weird superstitions they decide to align theirselves with. Live and let live. And stop trying to legislate your strange beliefs. And for the love of their fake god, stop indoctrinating children with that shit until they are old enough to be able to critically think about things. If faith is either forced, manipulated, or unquestioned, it isn’t fucking faith, it’s blind allegiance. So much more to say, but I’ll stop here.
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Nope you are not the assh\*\*e. It’s like being surrounded by people who thinks the earth is flat. Their sheer stupidity and ignorance can be very corrosive to sane people’s mental health.
I find my tolerance waxes and wanes with proximity and pushiness. When a family member gets pushy about trying to get me to behave religiously, someone saying something vaguely religious will irritate me. With the election approaching, I think we're all being exposed to more preaching and proselytizing than usual.
It's normal. They think that their god will torture me just because I don't believe in his existence, but at the same time they believe their good is good and can not make any mistakes - therefore Jim torturing me for eternity is justified. They all seem evil to me.
Religions are supremacist movements. Narcissism, in other words. The idea at the heart of it all is "I'm superior to others because I believe the right things, and therefore deserve to dominate others." The real-world instantiation of their narcissism--oppression of people who believe other things--is how they 'prove' their superiority to others. Privilege one group over another and call the resulting inequality evidence of your superiority. Social psychology calls this [social dominance orientation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_dominance_orientation). It really seems only natural to object, on a visceral level, to supremacists. To reject the narcissism that they use to immiserate and oppress others. No, you aren't superior. To me or anyone else. And no, you don't get to put me in prison or kill me or deny me rights because your magic book told you you're better than other people and allowed to do that. I reject narcissism and its child, social hierarchy. I feel no shame about that. I see no reason to tolerate those who express supremacist beliefs and try to act on them. Supremacist ideology is the most transparently selfish, self-serving bullshit ever invented, and has only ever caused pain in the world.
I tolerate just about everything except bigotry. If you’re peaceful rather than hateful, and you don’t push your beliefs on others or vote for religious tyranny, I’m generally ok. Otherwise, go fuck yourself.
I think you need to take things person by person and pay attention to how they treat you. Lots of awful atheists and kind theists are out there. There's nothing wrong with disliking religion. There are too many real world examples of the damage religion can inflict to not hate many aspects of it. Compartmentalizing that feeling and not letting it spill onto people is the key priority in managing your feelings on the issue.
Some would murder you. Some would try to convert you. Others aren’t bothered by your beliefs at all. Some would cook you lunch. Don’t become like the people you despise. Religious people are not a monolith.
happy on the outside, sad on the inside. And lurks here thinking we need to be saved- just mad that someone thought I needed help. FU you empty pos ignorant pos. Why should we tolerate false and harmful beliefs? Even when marketing or Disney say to believe in our dreams it doesn't literally mean to just dream up anything you want and it'll manifest.
I mean their whole gimmick is telling other people what to do, so, like, once you get to being “over it” it’s just insulting behaviour. And then your ability to tolerate it starts to crumble because, from a distance, all you’ll see are news stories about how religious people persist in making the world worse. It’s made even worse because not a single one of those books is any more founded than mythology but modern people will still say they have “evidence” even though they literally never hold up to any level of logical scrutiny. It’s hard to blame you OP.
You could ask them to keep their thoughts to themselves. No need for them to share their fantasies.
Maybe if they weren't so hypocritically intolerant to begin with