Is it a good thing that there are Atheists in the world????

Hi, I actually agree with some of the thing that you said. But I think you have the concept of atheism and theism for the opposite side wrong. Atheism refer to the disbelieve of god(s) due to non-existence. And an atheist will definitely be irreligious but the reverse will not always be true. And believe in god doesn't mean believing in any religious movement, but the god will always be the god no matter what you believe in. Even in Christianity, there are so many different movements and they have different opinion on certain topics. Does this means that only one of the movement is the right one and the rest of the teaching are not right? But all movement believe in god. What I am trying to say is you have the right to choose what to believe, god do not force you to believe in any thing but god(s) will always be there to guide you even if they do not exist. Claiming something is not true because you yourself do not believe due to non-existence is just as bad as never question the authority which both can be either true, false or both at the same time. And that is what atheists does, so from my point of view, they are just as bad as what they try to claim to be bad or even worse.

Atheism by itself is [B]not[/B] a negative influence. I would look at it as a counterbalance to a belief in God, so that the believer has a standard to check himself/herself by, so that he doesn't go overboard and do things that would border on superstition and/or against common logic, where it can be applied. This/These Universe(s) is(are) a coexistence of opposites, one cannot avoid this. Look at the atom or the sub-atomic particles or the cosmos. You will see every where nalancing influences. That is why Hinduism doesn't frown on denying the existence of God. But denial of a moral ethical code is a NO-No. And I don't think Atheists do not have morals- then that would be hedonism. Such ctreeds which denied the need for a moral code did find their demise in India. An atheist who is more human and commiserates with wide spread human suffering like say what happened in Haiti, is more "sacred" than an ardent follower of any religion who looks the other way or has a insensitive religious explanation to what has happened. So, in conclusion I feel let Atheists be there. They do servea great purpose in the scheme of things. But in India we have atheists who go out of the way to belittle, pooh-pooh, and otherwise insultingly behave in front of the believers. Now I call that barbaric.

For people of religion, atheists cause lots of problems. I disagree..I think for many ppl regardless of their personal spiritual or religious path its the NARROWMINDED who cause the problems.. They question the beliefs that so many know for truth. They argue, fight, and call people insane, delusional, and dictating. Again I disagree....LOGICAL ppl question various beliefs and as we should because the TRUTH is there IS NO REAL ONE TRUTH that applies to EVERYONE...Your truth is your PERSONAL truth which of course will and does vary from mine for example becuase mine is MY PERSONAL truth...Also Atheists arent the only ones who call names and argue...I've been called many a vicious name by Christians simply because I dont believe as they do. I've had many horrible comments thrown at me simply because I'm not a believer of THEIR truth....Ignorance, uncompassionate and narrowminded isnt what ALL atheists are about nor is is JUST Atheists who are like that and thats fact. Try as one might. One just can't quite get them under our thumbs, now can we???? why would you want to? Believing is only important to religion. in the eyes of some maybe...but there are plenty out there that feel "believing" isnt so much important to their religions but more so to themselves... No matter what, we will all know God. Again, untrue....many ppl DON'T "know God"...how can one "know" another when they dont believe in the existence? Is this what God wants or is this what man wants???? Oh man without a doubt....going back centuries too compliments of the Church wanting to control...Sad but true..And what i perosnally find rather amusing and what I personally believe is that those fundimentalist and/or narrowminded, control freak religious types all have it WRONG..I dont think for one New york nano second that ANY god wants or wanted for ppl to become hateful, blind and uncompassionate in his or her name etc...I think that all/any higher power should they exist, watch the ppl of the world and bow their head in sorrow... Atheists force people to question. Believe me. They will not go away just accepting what you say is fact. They want proof. Shouldn't we all be looking for facts with proof rather than beliefs?? This is what God wants! Us to know not just believe! Like I said, its NOT just Atheists...I'm Pagan/Buddhist and I dont "FORCE" ppl to question beliefs/religions etc but I do like to get ppl to think rather than just follow blindly! We arent carbon copies of one another so to play follow the leader when it comes to such things is just foolish IMO...I also quite frankly dont care if thinking for myself is what any god wants or doesnt want..bottomline is that its what I WANT AND NEED in order to be the best person I can be on all levels ya know.. Do religious people help atheists?? Perhaps they help them see that there is more beyond the physicasl world we live in. All the secrets of the universe stare us in the face. There is so much that none of us can see yet. I actually think that SPIRITUAL ppl do more helping than any RELIGIOUS person/ppl do...but thats just my take Let's work at it all together. When dealing with atheists or religious people, know that they are both key to the real answers. It is our interaction that will bring all the views to light. Let us discover all the secrets of the universe together. Let's give respect, love, and kindness to each other, knowing that we are all needed if we are to see the full picture, the work of art that is us I dont think its about "when dealing with atheist or religious" ppl..I think its about dealign with ourselves as well as interacting with others...I also feel that the "secrets" of the universe arent meant to be found or figured out as a group...nor do I thnk that EVERYONE is meant to know the full picture really...HOWEVER love, kindness, respect and so on MUST be given to each other in regards to our personal journeys in life....We are all on our paths for very specific yet different reasons and yes you are so right when you say that we need to respect etc each other....If only the masses werent a$$es and so damn caught up in always needing to be right and in control ya know.....so very very sad really.. NICE TOPIC!!!

I couldn't have said it any better! You hit the nail right on the head! Thanks for that!

I believe in the human nature to be awed by the misery of the universe that we find ourselves in but not in the oppressive man made religions of the world. The creators of religions have manipulated this natural aspect in every human being for their gain. Religions have been and still are a tool to control the masses like a herd of sheep for the gain of a few individuals, that is the priests and other figures of authority in the hierarchy of the confused mess called religion. Should the masses show any resistance or free thinking, they are threatened with dire consequences of 'burning in hell for eternity', being 'cursed with every known and imagined ills', blah blah. Please! This makes me feel sick. Man should know that all power comes from within himself and therefore under his control. What unfolds before him is a reflection of his inner self, period.

I have to give you a bit more credit than I expected. Your veiw is good tempered and balanced. I have never found athiests to be problematic. But I try not to hang with fanatical people no matter what their beliefs. Athiests are just as likely to be narrow minded and bigoted and religious people it seems to me. But to address your question, I think it is the best thing for humans as a whole, that we have as many viewpoints among our giant tribe as possible, because most of our existence is spent seeking truth and hoping it can better the quality of our lives in some way. I figure an anthiest might have perspectives, that only that path of thinking can come to conclusion of. As much as Hindus, Christians, Muslums, Jews, Bahi, Buddhists, Shinto, and many other beliefs are different and sometimes disagree. But taking a responsible look at the truth of our beliefs is good for all of us no matter what view we have. Short answer : Yes athiests can be a good thing too

great article...

Well, in the country where I live most of the population is atheist, including me, and I don't think we're a threat for people who chose to believe in different religions. Most of the atheists that I know, including me, won't try to force a people to believe in other thing. On the opposite, most of the religious people that I know will try to force you into their beliefs, not respecting other religions or non-religious people. I think that everything should be about respect. If you have chosen to believe one thing or another, it's your life and your decision

I am not religious in the least. I don't follow any set religion. But I do believe there is someone upstairs, so I wouldn't be considered an atheist. I think they're good to have, I do see how they cause problems to those that do follow a religion. But on the flip side of that they can also have level headed answers that are not swayed by their own personal god. Whereas I find that some people who do follow a religion have viewpoints that are based on that religion and nothing else.