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Charles's avatar

Atheists, does it irk you that Christians are so sure of their beliefs?

Asked by Charles (4826points) April 27th, 2012

Is part of the problem their absolute certainty that God does exist? Or is really more your feeling that Christians try to force their beliefs on you? Or is it something else entirely?

Christians will say with complete certainty that they will go to heaven when they die and that they will be reunited with their loved ones (those that were saved) who have gone on before them. They are also sure that every other Christian would agree about their certainty that God exists.

So again, in all honesty, does it just irritate the heck out of you that Christians are so sure of their belief in God?

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23 Answers

Blondesjon's avatar

No.

I have zero control over anyone but myself. To beat myself up over their beliefs is a waste of time.

i only get irked at child molester defenders, prohibitionists, and folks who call other folks stupid based on what they believe

jrpowell's avatar

I don’t really care what they believe. Don’t tell me that I need to be saved or try to convert me and they can do their thing and I will do mine.

Michael_Huntington's avatar

As long as they don’t try to convert me, ask me inane questions (e.g. “How can you believe in nothing?!?!?!” My nihilism is different from my atheism, you dumbass) or just bother me in general, IDGAF.

Imadethisupwithnoforethought's avatar

Agnostic. Hope that counts.

I get annoyed by anybody who tells me they are sure of something when the facts are not in evidence.

ETpro's avatar

How convenient. My answer is already here. ALl that’s left to do is piece it together. Everyhting @Blondesjon, @johnpowell, @Michael_Huntington said with the exception of “my atheism” since I am gong to turn to what @Imadethisupwithnoforethought said for a label and closing statement about argument by assertion.

Aethelflaed's avatar

No. It irks me when they try to impress their beliefs on me, either by the more direct routes, or the more indirect routes that tell me I’m just not quite as good (“how can you be moral without God?” “You just have some unresolved anger with Jesus” “how can you not have kids when God said to go forth and multiply?”, etc). I don’t really care if they believe in God, so much as they’re ok (not, kinda pseudo-ok, actually ok) with me not.

digitalimpression's avatar

All of the details in your question are based on speculation and perception.

I, for one, am a Christian.. but that does not mean I don’t have doubts. Every human being has doubts. I allow just as much of a percentage that God does not exist as most atheists allow that he does.

I am annoyed by certain personalities, not by entire demographics of people simply because they are Christian.

filmfann's avatar

I am a Christian, and I would never say “with complete certainty” that I am going to Heaven.
I think I am, but it isn’t my call.
I will also note that a lot of Christians weird me out.

I don’t force my beliefs on anyone, and I hope they respect mine.

King_Pariah's avatar

What’s there to irk me? Their beliefs are their beliefs, it is of no matter nor concern to me. It’s only irking when they try to cram their beliefs down my throat. Then again, it’s also irking to see atheists (anti-theists) cramming their beliefs down someone else’s throat.

syz's avatar

I have no problem with anyone being whatever religion (or lack thereof) they prefer. It’s oppressing others in the name of their own religion that I find offensive.

My biggest issue with discussion of religion (specific to Christians) is the complete inability to have a reasoned conversation (if I don’t acknowledge that there is a God, then “because the Bible says so” is not a valid argument).

Simone_De_Beauvoir's avatar

They are? Seems like if you’re going to pester me at 8 am in the morning on the subway, in the hallways, and through a make shift prayer station that’s blocking the exits of the subway at night, you’re not so sure of your beliefs or you wouldn’t have an incessant need to yell about it when no one wants to bother listening.

As an aside, what irks me more is the homophobia and the sexism excused by some Christians through the Bible, to be honest.

CWOTUS's avatar

Not as much as these questions.

chyna's avatar

You seem obsessed with this topic.

lillycoyote's avatar

The only thing that “irks” me is people who are absolutely certain about something that is not only uncertain but unknowable, be they Christians, atheists, or anyone one else who is absolutely certain when it comes to things about which no one can be absolutely certain.

zadeem's avatar

I don’t get annoyed with them as much as lose respect for their intelligence. How can they blindly believe something that there is no evidence for.
But, we have to live with them, the alternative is to do what they do and try to convert or kill everyone who doesn’t agree with them. That is what really irks me about religion, the death, conflict and destruction that it has caused for thousands of years.

Blackberry's avatar

“I will also note that a lot of Christians weird me out.”

- filmfann

Quote of the day, :)

Jeruba's avatar

No. They’re entitled. And I’m just as sure of mine: I believe in the nonexistence of God.

However, I do not make the claim that my belief in something makes it true. I don’t think there’s really any such thing for us as knowing the capital-T Truth because we are all subject to the limitations of the human mind and body.

What does irk me is that believers typically don’t think I could really mean that. They’re apt to think I’m denying something because I haven’t yet reached a state of belief (as if it were bound to come). I’m not denying anything. I’m not a “nonbeliever.” Those attitudes presuppose a something that’s being denied or posit “belief” as some sort of standard that I’m rejecting. Not so. There’s nothing to reject. I believe in the absence or nonreality of all deities (all of them equally) except as human constructs reflecting human needs, wants, and aspirations.

And I’d like to see my position treated with as much respect as I accord to those who subscribe to some religion.

flutherother's avatar

I don’t understand absolute certainty. How can we be sure God exists and how can we be sure he doesn’t exist. How can we convince someone of something if we cannot be sure of it ourselves? Those who are certain that they are right and everyone else is wrong are fanatics who have stopped listening to reason. They don’t have to be Christians.

mangeons's avatar

No. As long as they don’t bother me about my beliefs, I won’t bother them about theirs. Everyone is entitled to believe whatever they want.

Charles's avatar

“I, for one, am a Christian.. but that does not mean I don’t have doubts. Every human being has doubts.”

This is pretty rare to read. The overwhelming majority of religious people I have spoken with (and asked the above questions to) are firm in their stance that there is no way god doesn’t exist.

And, as an atheist, I have doubts. To me, it is possible god exists – an extremely small possibility – but it is possible.

Anything is possible that can’t be proven impossible.

ucme's avatar

Nay, nay & thrice nay!

tranquilsea's avatar

Not irritated. I find them interesting.

ETpro's avatar

@Charles Indeed anything is possible that can’t be proven impossible. But some possibilities are likely true, and some are likely false. If one approaches the sea of possibilities with an open mind, it’s pretty easy to discern which possibilities are likely, and which are pretty far fetched.

For instance, it’s possible that there is some life force that guides the Universe and flows through us all, and that we return to oneness with it on death. That’s got a decent chance of eventually proving true. It’s also possible our “soul” is nothing more than an emergent phenomenon growing out of the number of neural connections in our brain and the fact that large arrays of them are arranged in self teaching format as inference engines. If so, when we die, we are forever gone. That has a good chance of being true. Finally, it’s possible that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles caused the Big Bang and thus created the Universe and all therein. Some primal memory of that triggered the Mirage Studios comic drawn from the concept sketches of Kevin Eastman during a casual evening of brainstorming with his friend Peter Laird. Possible, but extremely unlikely to prove true.

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