Atheists, why do the knee benders think we are trying to take away their rights to worship anyway they want?

Question

I don't know about other Atheists, but for me, I don't want to take away any bodies rights, I just want mine. I don't want to have to be forced to pray. I don't want Atheist children to be forced to pray in public schools (nor do I want to pay taxes to support prayer or religious education in public schools). I don't want to TRUST IN GOD every time I make a purchase.

Answer 1

As a fundie  this may sound strange but I dont want any of those things either, I do trust in God though lol. The thing most dont understand is that Christ teaches to separate from the Govt.to render unto Ceasar what is his.

tGod bless

Answer 2

If their form of worship includes modeling a government after their mythology, I do indeed want to prevent them from accomplishing their goal. If the only argument someone can make for or against something is religious, they should have *no* voice in government.

Answer 3

Because they want everybody to feel the way they do. The only way to do this, is lie. Lie for Jesus. It's also the whole if your not with us you must be against us attitude.

Answer 4

I don't know. I don't think all or even most in fact do think so. At least I hope. I think some feel that if people aren't forced to pay lip service to their beliefs, and kids are not indoctrinated to their beliefs or are presented alternative viewpoints that they will lose all power and control and faith will fail. So its a matter of lack of faith in faith.

Answer 5

But we also want to reserve the right to criticize their beliefs.  That's threatening to them.  In a way they're just being realistic.  The arguments against religion and God are much more convincing than the arguments for religion and God.  Given enough time, they could lose church members.  In a way, by trying to educate people, atheists threaten to thin out their numbers.  Christian opposition to atheism and atheists is a natural response to this threat.

Answer 6

I think that only applies to the USA.

Those American Christians do seem to be a very highly active political power in the USA, pulling so many strings in their country and trying to do that same in many other countries too.

Answer 7

Well maybe if you found something to believe in you might could  understand a little more, just a thought.

Answer 8

very few of them actually believe that we want to take away their right to worship.  it's mostly a scare tactic used by preachers to rile them up into an 'us against them, if we don't stop them they'll stop us' attitude.  it keeps butts in the pews and money in the plate.

Answer 9

I'm not exactly sure insulting Christians is a great way to start off.

Answer 10

Well to be taken more seriously, don't call them knee benders, just come out and call them fundamentalists.  Insulting people is not the way to start out.  Over time they've developed a victim mentality, but I mean really?  they act like they've had it worse than the Jews have through history.

  Secularism is seen as a threat to them.  So many fundamentalists "know" that they are right that they see any religious tolerance as a threat to their livelihood.

Answer 11

I agree with you. I'm an atheist and I'm fed up with being looked down on by other religious people. I have my own views on the world, I don't mind if other people have theirs, but I don't want to be preached at and told that I should be believing in THEIR religion. I don't tell people to give up Christianity, so why should I become a Christian. I'm sure it's not like this everywhere, maybe it's just my experience, but lots of places (especially in the U.S.) are very centered around God and religion. There isn't anything really wrong with this, but it does mean that atheists are in a minority and most people have to go along with what the majority want (e.g. prayers in public schools etc.).

Answer 12

I feel the same way.

Answer 13

I sure agree with you!!! The fact is us Atheists are wanting our rights back! We've had the "knee benders" taking away our personal rights for centuries, and we want them back. Why do they think prayer should be in school when only about 40% of the families are believers in their god, now. I hope the phrase "in god we trust" will be removed from our money. With the separation of church and state, it shouldn't have ever been on our money, in the first place. You are speaking the minds of about 40% of the population now. Thank YOU!

Answer 14

You have your right to believe as you feel, and nobody will force your children to pray in school.  That's clearly not on the agenda.  Of course you'll find a few extremists that want public school children to be expected to pray in school, but this is not a mainstream view.  Do you have a *victim complex*?

Answer 15

Because they are so used to getting their way, any opposition is "discriminating" against them.

Answer 16

Excerpt from Ben Stein's thoughts on God:

Billy Graham’s daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her “How could God let something like this happen?” (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response.

She said, “I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we’ve been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?”

In light of recent events…terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O’Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn’t want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Now we’re asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don’t know right from wrong, and why it doesn’t bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with “WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.”

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world’s going to h**l. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send ‘jokes’ through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

I know they are not my words, but I feel they say it best.

Answer 17

Maybe they didn't understand that part of the founding father's missive that says "or lack thereof" pertaining to religion and rights. Maybe they don't think we deserve the same rights as they do. I guess it's just plain old lack of respect and hypocrisy. Zealous Goddies seem to be into that, history suggests.

Answer 18

ANY opinion that does not go along with their delusion is seen as "persecution"

Richard Dawkins made the observation that religious people have gotten their way for so long they have become intolerant to other views.  It is like a kid who refuses to share his toys at school with other kids even though the school owns the toys.

Answer 19

It would seem that the idea of a theocracy is the cornerstone of their foundation of belief. They may actually believe that this is a christian nation.

Answer 20

As a former minister, I know that many are taught that their rights are being challenged day in and day out.  Of course, it is not our right to NOT believe in god because their teachings also demand "witnessing" or "sharing the gospel" for them to be effective because "faith without works is dead".  

I used to fight the way they did...for prayer in schools, etc.  Not thinking about the rights of others.  It is just part of what they believe...they are right and we are all wrong...no matter what we say, we will always be reprobate.  

Answer 21

Religion was a personal thing, and should always be a personal thing. I for one am glad that my school didn't have pray sessions or anything like that - do that sort of thing on your own time, there are way too many religions claiming way too many gods to cater to them all in a public school, and on a public school salary.  

Answer 22

They like to be thought of as victims.

Answer 23

There was a guy earlier who thought that Bush should not be allowed to pray at the convention because he felt it was against a supposed separation of church and state.  He certainly want to take away the rights of people to worship as they please.

As for not wanting to trust in God when you make a purchase that's why there are credit cards.  If you don't like those words being on the money then just don't use it.  I've heard atheists complain about that before but never heard of one who suggested it be put to a vote as to whether it should remain on the money.  You just feel things should be as you want them regardless of what others think.

Answer 24

because every question a christian ask atheist gotta come with their SCIENCE..and links and all their SMART STUFF.to try to take and make people not believe IN THEIR GOD OR GODS

Answer 25

Same here, but to some of them taking away their "right" to control others and make everyone do as they wish is "persecution" and "taking away their religious freedoms".  Apparently running the lives of everyone in the nation falls under the parameters of their religious freedom.  As to our freedom of religion/freedom from religion, it seems that's not as important.  

Answer 26

PATIENCE...THERE'S NO REASON TO BE NASTY ABOUT IT.

Answer 27

Whats funny is whenever I said the pledge in school i didn't care, about any of it. It was a line of words we were supposed to say every morning, it held no value to me. To me god had no more mystical force behind it then 'to' or 'i'.

Personally I don't care about the money, I would give it the same thought as an eggshell with the words "play safe' etched onto it's surface.

But I am against mandatory praying, though I've never come across it, but if the issue came up I could always take it to court.

Answer 28

I'm fine with other people having their religious rights. They can have whatever religion they want and practice it as much as they want.

The problem I have is when they force their religous ideas into our lives-- such as disallowing g**s to marry, women to get certain piercings (yes, it happened in GA) and everything else that it is my body, life and right to do. It's wrong for them to force us to abide by their religious rules when we don't believe those rules-- and when it's clearly taking the right we have to our own lives and bodies away.

Answer 29

They're trying so hard to feel persecuted like the christians from the bible, they'll make up anything to appear that way.

Answer 30

Because the christian religion was born at the point of a sword and has used force to maintain belief ever since . Preventing them from doing this is persecution in their eyes .

Answer 31

I am with you on this.  Live and let live.