Religious Criticism Of Atheists. They're Too Selfish.

[james bond]

Pew Research Center says,

"Last week, the Pew Research Center released the results of a new survey concerning who Americans would want – or rather, wouldn’t want – for an in-law. While about 10 percent of Americans said they’d be unhappy if a family member married someone of a different political persuasion, and about 30 percent of Americans said they’d be unhappy if a family member married a gun owner, nearly 50 percent of Americans said that they’d be unhappy if a family member married an atheist."

Why Americans Hate Atheists

Heh. Hating is not good for the soul, so it's probably hate the sin and not the sinner.

But sometimes as in the case of marriage, one can't easily separate the two.

Anyway, it got me thinking what criticisms are valid of atheists (besides leading to being Communists). I didn't want to use the #1 popular answer, the i-word -- IMMORAL. I would say they are selfish. There's the immorality, but I think that's a bit harder to quantify.

For example, abortion. Those in favor are focusing on their own lives instead of the baby's life. Drugs. It's not to treat one's pain and suffering or a medical condition, but to get one to a pleasant, happy state or state of euphoria. Materialsim. People want to buy, buy, buy and the pleasure in buying is only temporary. And more.

So how can I quantify selfishness? How about selfies? I'm not saying it's just the atheists who take selfies, as we all do it to some degree. Are the atheists more self-absorbed and into taking more selfies?

What about those who want to take just the right selfie or take a lot of selfies so they can post on social media? I can only guess what possesses these people to take the "perfect" selfie and in the process get killed over it. Are these people atheist? Do atheists have more selfish traits than the religious?

Here's a recent one. Drunk, too. Probably not the last either.

Man taking selfie on Germany autobahn killed after getting hit by car
Man taking selfie on Germany autobahn killed after getting hit by car

 

[DavidFirth]

There is no "I" in heaven.

 

[McBell]

Wow.
You really do refuse to learn from your mistakes.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

I am an atheist. I am a mixed economist with no desire for communism, I don't do recreational drugs (other than the occasional coffee or chocolate), I am pro-choice but so is a significant portion of religious people, I don't buy more than your average family and I do food bank and animal rescue related charity, and I take more photos of non-human animals than myself. But my best friend, who is Presbytarian, takes a huge number of selfies.

So maybe lay off the generalizations?

 

[McBell]

I am an atheist. I am a mixed economist with no desire for communism, I don't do recreational drugs (other than the occasional coffee or chocolate), I am pro-choice but so is a significant portion of religious people, I don't buy more than your average family and I do food bank and animal rescue related charity, and I take more photos of non-human animals than myself. But my best friend, who is Presbytarian, takes a huge number of selfies.

So maybe lay off the generalizations?

I suspect his world view would fall completely apart if he was to start caring about truth.

 

[Rival]

This thread is incredibly rude. I think the OP needs to stop projecting and go out and meet some folks.

 

[Father Heathen]

Upon what do you base the assertion that atheists are selfish? How many atheists do you know personally? And how does atheism lead to communism? And you also contradict yourself here, considering that communism is far less "selfish" than capitalism. There are plenty of capitalists who are atheists. Besides, Jesus' own teachings are much closer to communism than they are to capitalism. You go on to say atheists are rabid consumerists, but again how can that be if they're communists?

As for drugs and drinking, Jesus turned water into wine, and wine symbolizes his blood so, yeah, there's that. A LOT of religious folk drink, and many religions use hallucinogenics as part of their rituals.

And the whole "selfie" commentary is completely nonsensical.

Finally, if you're "good" only because you desire reward and/or fear punishment, that's not actual morality. Genuine morality is based upon reason and compassion, and I would wager that your own level morality doesn't even hold a candle to most atheists'.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

This says a lot more about religious folks than it does about atheists.

And what it says isn't positive.

 

[metis]

Let me just say, without stereotyping any group, that fundamentalists in almost any religion tend to be the nastiest and most judgmental people I've run across here and elsewhere. Sometimes I feel like posting "If this is the result of what your religion/denomination teaches you, then let me suggest finding a different one".

 

[Rival]

Also I'm strongly religious and I could also be classified as a Communist.

 

[james bond]

Allow me to define what selfishness is and what I am talking about. Maybe the concept of selfie is missing a key component.

Being "selfish" is used several ways but I am referring to someone who wrongfully holds onto or gains something at the expense of another. I think many would agree that it's "selfish" to take things that do not belong to them. That is, the person took that which they did not produce or receive voluntarily from another. The Communists think the life, labor, and property of any individual are the possession of "society" and should be run by the government.

OTOH selfies may not be as simple as I thought. It may not just be about narcissism and selfishness. It depends on the type of selfie.

"They also examined different facets of narcissism. Narcissism is not just a single trait, but a confluence of several related qualities:

1. Self-sufficiency—thinking you can do things on your own and don’t need other people;
2. Vanity—concern about appearance and a tendency to admire your own physical appearance;
3. Leadership—believing that you should have authority over other people, and being willing to exploit others if necessary; and
4. Admiration Demand—exhibitionism, feeling entitled to special status or privileges, and feeling superior to others.

Not everyone who scores highly on the overall measure of narcissism necessarily possesses all of these qualities. Thus, the researchers examined these different facets of narcissism to see which ones were most correlated with selfie-posting.

In both studies, participants' total narcissism scores, and measures of all of the narcissism subscales except for Self-Sufficiency, were positively correlated with selfie-posting for men; this was true for all three types of selfies examined. For women, a different picture emerged: Only the Admiration Demand subscale predicted selfie-posting (solo selfies in the first study and selfies with romantic partners in the second study)."

What is the Real Link between Selfies and Narcissism?

 

[Rival]

Allow me to define what selfishness is and what I am talking about. Maybe the concept of selfie is missing a key component.

Being "selfish" is used several ways but I am referring to someone who wrongfully holds onto or gains something at the expense of another. I think many would agree that it's "selfish" to take things that do not belong to them. That is, the person took that which they did not produce or receive voluntarily from another. The Communists think the life, labor, and property of any individual are the possession of "society" and should be run by the government.

OTOH selfies may not be as simple as I thought. It may not just be about narcissism and selfishness. It depends on the type of selfie.

"They also examined different facets of narcissism. Narcissism is not just a single trait, but a confluence of several related qualities:

1. Self-sufficiency—thinking you can do things on your own and don’t need other people;
2. Vanity—concern about appearance and a tendency to admire your own physical appearance;
3. Leadership—believing that you should have authority over other people, and being willing to exploit others if necessary; and
4. Admiration Demand—exhibitionism, feeling entitled to special status or privileges, and feeling superior to others.

Not everyone who scores highly on the overall measure of narcissism necessarily possesses all of these qualities. Thus, the researchers examined these different facets of narcissism to see which ones were most correlated with selfie-posting.

In both studies, participants' total narcissism scores, and measures of all of the narcissism subscales except for Self-Sufficiency, were positively correlated with selfie-posting for men; this was true for all three types of selfies examined. For women, a different picture emerged: Only the Admiration Demand subscale predicted selfie-posting (solo selfies in the first study and selfies with romantic partners in the second study)."

What is the Real Link between Selfies and Narcissism?

First you have to prove that more atheists take selfies than religious people.

 

[McBell]

Allow me to define what selfishness is and what I am talking about. Maybe the concept of selfie is missing a key component.

Being "selfish" is used several ways but I am referring to someone who wrongfully holds onto or gains something at the expense of another. I think many would agree that it's "selfish" to take things that do not belong to them. That is, the person took that which they did not produce or receive voluntarily from another. The Communists think the life, labor, and property of any individual are the possession of "society" and should be run by the government.

OTOH selfies may not be as simple as I thought. It may not just be about narcissism and selfishness. It depends on the type of selfie.

"They also examined different facets of narcissism. Narcissism is not just a single trait, but a confluence of several related qualities:

1. Self-sufficiency—thinking you can do things on your own and don’t need other people;
2. Vanity—concern about appearance and a tendency to admire your own physical appearance;
3. Leadership—believing that you should have authority over other people, and being willing to exploit others if necessary; and
4. Admiration Demand—exhibitionism, feeling entitled to special status or privileges, and feeling superior to others.

Not everyone who scores highly on the overall measure of narcissism necessarily possesses all of these qualities. Thus, the researchers examined these different facets of narcissism to see which ones were most correlated with selfie-posting.

In both studies, participants' total narcissism scores, and measures of all of the narcissism subscales except for Self-Sufficiency, were positively correlated with selfie-posting for men; this was true for all three types of selfies examined. For women, a different picture emerged: Only the Admiration Demand subscale predicted selfie-posting (solo selfies in the first study and selfies with romantic partners in the second study)."

What is the Real Link between Selfies and Narcissism?

Ah, so a prime example of what you mean by "selfish" is all those who gain salvation for the death of Jesus Christ, right?

 

[Nakosis]

Anyway, it got me thinking what criticisms are valid of atheists (besides leading to being Communists). I didn't want to use the #1 popular answer, the i-word -- IMMORAL. I would say they are selfish. There's the immorality, but I think that's a bit harder to quantify.

Maybe you should just rely on what the guy with the PhD said...

 

[Quintessence]

Anyway, it got me thinking what criticisms are valid of atheists (besides leading to being Communists).

This. This right here is where I stopped reading.

And then sighed and read the rest of it anyway because it's part of my damned job around here.

 

[shunyadragon]

This thread is incredibly rude. I think the OP needs to stop projecting and go out and meet some folks.

Too much time on his hands. He needs to take up a new hobby like being javelin catcher for the Olympics

 

[Rival]

This. This right here is where I stopped reading.

And then sighed and read the rest of it anyway because it's part of my damned job around here.

Sometimes I'm bitter about what happened.

Other times I'm massively grateful.

 

[joe1776]

Pew Research Center says,

"Last week, the Pew Research Center released the results of a new survey concerning who Americans would want – or rather, wouldn’t want – for an in-law. While about 10 percent of Americans said they’d be unhappy if a family member married someone of a different political persuasion, and about 30 percent of Americans said they’d be unhappy if a family member married a gun owner, nearly 50 percent of Americans said that they’d be unhappy if a family member married an atheist."

I'm surprised that number isn't higher than 50%. I have lived most of my life surrounded by lots of Jews and many more Christians. I've found the Jews very tolerant of my atheism, but the Christians in my area are not. They're just not a tolerant bunch. There are exceptions, of course.

 

[Nietzsche]

Too much time on his hands. He needs to take up a new hobby like being javelin catcher for the Olympics

Is shooting still an Olympic sport? He could replace the targets.

 

[sun rise]

My experience has been that people following a religion can be just as selfish as atheists. Sometimes there's a difference in how such people express their selfishness and sometimes not.

 

[sayak83]

Pew Research Center says,

"Last week, the Pew Research Center released the results of a new survey concerning who Americans would want – or rather, wouldn’t want – for an in-law. While about 10 percent of Americans said they’d be unhappy if a family member married someone of a different political persuasion, and about 30 percent of Americans said they’d be unhappy if a family member married a gun owner, nearly 50 percent of Americans said that they’d be unhappy if a family member married an atheist."

Why Americans Hate Atheists

Heh. Hating is not good for the soul, so it's probably hate the sin and not the sinner.

But sometimes as in the case of marriage, one can't easily separate the two.

Anyway, it got me thinking what criticisms are valid of atheists (besides leading to being Communists). I didn't want to use the #1 popular answer, the i-word -- IMMORAL. I would say they are selfish. There's the immorality, but I think that's a bit harder to quantify.

For example, abortion. Those in favor are focusing on their own lives instead of the baby's life. Drugs. It's not to treat one's pain and suffering or a medical condition, but to get one to a pleasant, happy state or state of euphoria. Materialsim. People want to buy, buy, buy and the pleasure in buying is only temporary. And more.

So how can I quantify selfishness? How about selfies? I'm not saying it's just the atheists who take selfies, as we all do it to some degree. Are the atheists more self-absorbed and into taking more selfies?

What about those who want to take just the right selfie or take a lot of selfies so they can post on social media? I can only guess what possesses these people to take the "perfect" selfie and in the process get killed over it. Are these people atheist? Do atheists have more selfish traits than the religious?

Here's a recent one. Drunk, too. Probably not the last either.

Man taking selfie on Germany autobahn killed after getting hit by car
Man taking selfie on Germany autobahn killed after getting hit by car

The problem is the bigotry of Christians, not that of a few atheists.

You have provided absolutely zero evidence that atheists are more selfish than Christians. In fact studies have shown the exact opposite.
Religious upbringing associated with less altruism, study finds

Children from religious families were less likely to share with others than were children from non-religious families. A religious upbringing also was associated with more punitive tendencies in response to anti-social behavior.