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Why does "atheist" have such a negative connotation?

Being an atheist doesn't mean you worship "satan" or kill babies. So why does the word that merely means a lack in belief in an, in my opinion absurd, God make people cringe as it does?

Tags: atheism, biases

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Permalink Reply by Prog Rock Girl on January 20, 2010 at 10:09am

Exactly. If someone is talking about Satan, they're still hung up on Christianity.

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Permalink Reply by Madhukar Kulkarni on March 4, 2013 at 7:08am

Atheists do not believe that Satan exists.

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Permalink Reply by Richard on January 20, 2010 at 10:26am

Not really Tom,the christians try to spin it like that but the truth is that many,but not all,

of the men who wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were

atheists, and the concept was to create a separation between church and state.

our Religious right is trying to rewrite american history,the creeps can't tell the truth

about anything.

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Permalink Reply by Tom Pandelaere on January 20, 2010 at 10:37am

Yes, I know about the Enlightened principles. It's just the cliché image that we Europeans have of you. The US are seen as completely whelmed in mystification and irrationality. I greatly enjoy this site because there are so many 'abnormal', i.e. intelligent Americans, if you will pardon the gibe.

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Permalink Reply by Tom Thompson on February 8, 2010 at 11:21pm

"It is logically impossible to worship Satan and be an atheist."

Now, let's not be hasty. Anton LaVey founded the Church of Satan and, apparently, promoted individualism and materialism. He claimed that his religion had no spiritual basis (thanks wikipedia).

Just because your brand of atheism doesn't include baby sacrifices or howling at the moon doesn't mean that it is logically impossible to be evil even without religious inspiration. :)

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Permalink Reply by Asa Watcher on January 20, 2010 at 9:44am

Yes, well, those of "faith" are pissed that their god hasn't struck the heathens dead.
Our very existence implies their god's impotence.
They seethe with that anger and frustration.
That an atheist exists at all is symbolic of nearly everything that they don't understand about the cosmos.
Combine that with T.A. Dahar's observation of the immense investment, emotional and financial, that those of faith make, it should be no mystery why atheists are vilified.

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Permalink Reply by Brittany A. Cox on January 20, 2010 at 1:17pm

I agree completely! But is it not a most religions place to love everyone equally? Not to speak badly about your neighbor? If religions lived up to what they preached, I believe that Atheism would not have this negative connotaion.

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Permalink Reply by Richard on January 20, 2010 at 10:13am

Know what you mean Jez ,you just have to stand up to these bible punks sometimes.

I had a local bunch try to run me out of town once and i still live at the same address!

Don't let these jesus creeps run over you!!!!!

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Permalink Reply by Prog Rock Girl on January 20, 2010 at 10:31am

Some people see atheists as humorless, because they don't want to waste their time praying or going to church just to go along with people, maybe. It's seen as the "extreme" position and being agnostic is seen as a more "moderate" position. I think people are also just insecure; most religious/spiritual people are not completely sure of their beliefs, it seems, but they want to believe--therefore someone who asserts that these beliefs are false is threatening to them.

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Permalink Reply by Brittany A. Cox on January 20, 2010 at 1:18pm

I think this makes the most sense to me. I agree with you %100!

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Permalink Reply by Sigmund on February 8, 2010 at 2:14pm

Yes, very good point.
Brittany, I also like your point about religions not practising what they (literally) preach. Whatever happened to 'turning the other cheek'? Plus the whole point of Christian morality is that you have free will - if you sin, you will be punished for all eternity, AFTER you die - many Christians seem to think that you should also be punished beforehand.
If you want to go further, surely being encouraged to believe, or indoctrinated, also interferes with free will, and should hence be avoided.
And finally: surely praying is REALLY immoral - you're basically asking for divine intervention, but if God responds, you don't believe in him anymore (of your free will), you simply know he exists, completely ruining the 'value' of your faith. So what's the point of praying - you're asking God to do something that, according to your religion, he's not allowed to do. That's insane.

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Permalink Reply by Brittany A. Cox on January 20, 2010 at 6:24pm

Brittany, kindly let me point out that no atheist should accept or repeat the theists' definition of atheism.

Okay Don, but must also kindly point out that I am an atheist no matter what I may have repeated. I never said I was accepting this definition and I apologize for using the word "lack." I was attempting to write this discussion quickly before I went to bed. I understand your point, but believe you are focusing more on the word "lack" improperly placed in my quick definition rather than question at hand.

Nevertheless I will agree with you, it is sad that these dictionaries contain these discrete biases.