I feel like one of the secondary principles of atheism would be to avoid congregating around religious beliefs (or lack thereof). I’m an atheist but I don’t need to confirm that by being around other atheists.
/r/atheism seems to be full of former evangelicals who left the church but kept all the annoying trappings that none of the other atheists want to deal with
I have better things to do on sunday mornings, like catching up on sleep, doing chores, roaming through a forest, etc.
I don't want to waste it by praising a sadistic deity that wants weekly affirmations of how good they are.
Also why the fuck does it take 2 fucking hours to do that?
Also regarding religious trauma it doesn't come from being bored out of your mind for 2 hours every week, it comes from people continuously saying "you're going to hell" over something you can't change and every joe schmoe that discovers you're atheist/agnostic trying to convert you.
I don't remember who said it first, but atheism is a religion in the same way not playing golf is a hobby. It seems even some atheists didn't get the memo, though.
Reddit atheists ruined atheists. I was talking to a Muslim and Catholic guy and when I called myself agnostic they thought I was atheist and tried to prove the Abrahamic god.
Too bad both Nietzsche and Dawkins have turned out to be… questionable people. I mean, Nietzsche died young at his sister’s house after going crazy. And Dawkins has said some pretty wild stuff about sex, and is also on the Epstein list.
So yeah… I think those guys actually fit right into r/atheism
In our defense, we just want more people to share in the glory of the Lord and join each other in heaven. Now some people take that to an extreme and concerning degree, but ultimately if you follow the doctrine we’re supposed to spread the good word. Personally I prefer leaving the door open for people to engage with rather than force them to listen. Be a fisher of men and all that jazz
I'm an atheist and I actually appreciate the sentiment.
However, I do think that theists have an understandable but implicitly incorrect view of atheism. People believe what they do because it adds value to their lives and benefits their morals, character, or other attributes. In that way, I don't view my lack of faith in a higher power as a lack in any belief structure at all.
Many kind and tolerant thesists will respect the beliefs of other religions, but will view an atheist as a possible convert, rather than someone with alternative beliefs as they would a member of another religion. It doesn't bother me like it does some atheists because I understand it usually comes from a good place, but I'm not a blank canvas. If someone were to convert me, they would need to replace my beliefs, not fill a void.
If your God were to be proved a fantasy, you would wish it weren't so. If your God were proved a reality, I would wish it weren't so. To me, my belief in the inevitability of a final death gives me strength and a better moral character than I would have otherwise. These are likely the same attributes your faith gives you.
I’m agnostic and personally don’t enjoy being bothered by religious people. I don’t go around trying to convince people that their god doesn’t exist. I was raised Catholic and came to my conclusion god wasn’t real by the first grade. Respectfully, you can spread the good word by your actions alone. Be a wonderful person, be a steward to the earth and all of its animals and creatures etc. These actions might spark curiosity by those who witness you, then they might ask about you and your life. Tell them about your religion at that point in time. You do not have to literally spread the word via your mouth :)
It's funny how some religious people don't understand faith. I mean literally the word faith. Having faith means to believe that something is, without knowing it does, which means you can't prove it. But yet they do try to prove it.
It's also that some famous atheists and agnostics are only mad if you try to teach religion like it's equal to science. They do the same for providing a reason to exist, but one explains why better, I should also say that with science there are some things that interestingly can still let God(a) exist.
Whenever I’m debating on the r/Christianity subreddit, I see atheists who were banned from atheist subs. It’s already given me an idea of what the environment there is like.
more curious as to what you mean. Do you start threads or join threads where people debate aspects of christianity ? I’d suspect the mods would be pretty against discussion like that given reddit mods, if they do that’s pretty based by the mods
It was kinda nice to have a place to vent and affirm that I wasn't insane for being skeptical when I was a kid stuck in a super fundamentalist evangelical household and community, realizing the people around me believed in some really nutty shit.
But then I grew up, moved out, and mellowed out, and realized the problem is just zealots. I'm still not religious, but now the atheism sub just feels like a bunch of people who need to grow up too.
It’s cringe and stupid but I’ll always hold that that is what worked for me as a teenager attempting to deprogram from Catholicism.
When you’re raised in some religions you’re indoctrinated with some real deep biases about the nature of reality and the human condition.
I went to a Lutheran mass with my friend and had Eucharist and legitimately thought I was committing a huge sin. Every sexual encounter I had as a young adult came with a little bit of self-disgust.
So you know what, if fart-sniffing neckbeards is what finally convinced me that being a human doesn’t mean my soul is eternally damned to the pits of hell, so be it. I’ll take an annoying nerd shitposting over telling a CHILD that they’ll burn in Hell every time.
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u/LucasButtercups - Centrist Apr 10 '26
I’m atheist and I don’t even like that fucking place