Projecting: Misconceptions About Atheists

Sometimes if I'm drawing a blank on blog topics I'll get ideas when making the blog-rounds. Most of the time the ideas come directly from Theists, namely, Christian Theists. There's never really a shortage of material, actually. And then of course, if Theism didn't exist there'd be no reason for A-theism and the "controversy" that arises from the topic. Ponder that a minute and tell me that you don't see just a wee bit of irony? Yup, if not for Theism, I'd be forced to talk about other things, things that in all likelihood wouldn't ruffle feathers nearly as much as when discussing Theism.

 But alas, Theism is alive and well. Well, scratch that.....it's alive, but not really doing so well. Secularism/Atheism is on the rise(and as it happens, so is knowledge and scientific discovery). Anyhow, today I'm covering misconceptions about Atheists, and we can start with the word, itself: The "A" prefix when attached to the word "theism" means without. A-theists don't have theism, hence, Atheists don't harbor a belief in "God"/gods. For any Christian onlookers, please note that the following proclamation, Atheism is not:

"I believe God doesn't exist!"

Notice that the aforementioned proclamation is not the same as this one: "I don't believe in God". Apparently, a lot of the reason that Theists have this mistaken notion is because they project their own beliefs about what "Atheism" is onto Atheists instead of acquiring it from Atheists. Doing so, it's easier for Theists to shoot down Atheism(or so they think). They can then say things like, "Well, you can't prove that God doesn't exist!". This, of course, is fallacious reasoning, as they are attempting to shift the burden of proof.

Addendum: when it comes to the Christian god, specifically, one can prove its nonexistence with every bit of assurance as one can prove that "square circles" don't exist. Sadly - or luckily, depending on how you look at it - the redactors of the Bible flubbed up big time when they assigned their Protagonist its various "Omni"-characteristics. I have various posts on this very subject.

Moving on, here are several more misconceptions that Theists have about Atheists:

•  Atheists are lonely

I'm only speaking for myself, here, but yes, sometimes I feel lonely. But trust me when I say that if I do feel lonely? ....it's not because I'm missing or longing for an individual whom I cannot see, hear, or touch. No. Usually, finding good company resolves any loneliness..e.g...friends, family members, scantly clothed women serving beer and chicken wings, etc. And then of course, there are some times in life that I want to be alone. Being alone and being lonely are not necessarily the same. 

• Atheists are unhappy

It could very well be that there are some unhappy Atheists. Yes, just like there are some unhappy Christians; just like there are some unhappy Muslims; just like there are some unhappy Scientologists; just like there are some unhappy Hindus, and on and on. IOW, people are people are people, and people become unhappy at times. That's just life as a human being. But just because of the fact that Atheists, too, are unhappy at times, that doesn't mean that they are unhappy a greater percentage of the time than anyone else. And perhaps most importantly of all, even if Atheists were the most miserable, wretched people on the planet, this would not make Theism true. Such thinking on the part of Christians and other Theists is a prime example of a non-sequitur.(fallacy)

• Atheists are big meanies and enjoy attacking other's beliefs

Again, I can only speak for myself, so I'll start here: Suffice it to say that I am not too thrilled about the fact that the people whom I trusted the most indoctrinated me with a certain belief-system, and subsequently, I wasted roughly 2/3 of my life believing something for which there is not only no objective evidence for being true, but mounds of evidence that it is false. So, while "enjoy" probably isn't the right word, I do admittedly find a certain amount of satisfaction in exposing superstitious, legendary thinking. Not because it rips the carpet out from under those who are brave enough to question their beliefs and follow their doubts; not because I'm trying to convert everyone to Atheism, but because I believe that, over time, it will make the world a less dangerous place if superstitious, legendary thinking is weeded out. I just don't want the children I'm raising(or anyone else's children) to grow up in a world where people are superstitious enough to think that they're going to have an orgy with some 13 yr-old virgins in the clouds, but smart enough to build an atomic bomb. In a perfect, ideal world, yes, one could say that kindness and respectfulness should come first when discussing the issues. Okay, but at what cost? Surrender? Complacency? Some beliefs just don't warrant our respect. 

• Atheists just want to sin! 

This is perhaps the most aggravating, and I'm going to say it---it's one of the most idiotic misconceptions among Christians. For starters, "sin" is defined as going against what "God" says/commands. Welp, I don't believe in the Xian god(or any other). Thus, it would be silly of me to believe I could offend or go against someone I don't even believe exists. Secondly, since when can we just cease believing in something that we're convinced exists, supposing that we wanted to avoid the consequences of that something? For example, if I said, "Well, guys, I'm going to stop believing in crocodiles because I want to swim in the Nile River!", and then I had someone video tape me paddling around the Nile River amongst dozens of 15ft + long crocs', you would think I was totally nuts, yes? IOW, if I was genuinely convinced that "sin" was something that had a referent in reality, I'd still be a Christian. But alas, I'm don't believe "sin" has a referent in reality, so that is one of the reasons I'm an Atheist. I'm not an Atheist because I "want to sin". Absurd. 

• There is nothing stopping an Atheist from killing and raping!

Yes, there is. Firstly, there's these things called "laws".(And BTW, "rape" is not listed as a "sin" in the Bible. In fact, it's condoned, as long as the rape-victim marries her rapist). Secondly, there is the lawful taking of a life(e.g..self-defense/war), so, not all killing is "wrong". Lastly, if I know that I don't want my loved ones harmed unnecessarily, I can figure out that I'd better not harm someone else's love ones unnecessarily. 'Pretty simple concept.

• Atheism is a religion  

Like "off" is a TV channel

•  Atheists believe in nothing

That's strange, because I believe in all sorts of things..e.g...love, food, tattoos, coffee, Reese's Cups, equal rights for women, topiary, freedom, music, logic, shopping, turtles, cougars, Sela Ward, irony,  laughter, science, Jupiter, Negra Modelo, yogurt-covered pretzels, horror movies, and a 'few' more :) 

I may add to this list as time goes on.