Why do you think atheists are abundant on the Internet?
- Thread starter I Have No Idea
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I think it's because the internet tends to provide a multiplicity of ideas and viewpoints. You can literally ask anyone from anywhere about what their thoughts are on any issue, a situation that has never really happened on such a scale before.
With a cultural landscape like the internet, religion has a much greater task on it's hands to stay relevant in competition with other religions. You simply cannot ignore the views of other sects, worldviews and religions on the internet. They cannot all be true given their mutually exclusive claims, but they can all be false. And given the scant evidence for the truthhood of any one religion it seems that atheism is the logical choice.
With a cultural landscape like the internet, religion has a much greater task on it's hands to stay relevant in competition with other religions. You simply cannot ignore the views of other sects, worldviews and religions on the internet. They cannot all be true given their mutually exclusive claims, but they can all be false. And given the scant evidence for the truthhood of any one religion it seems that atheism is the logical choice.
Basically this, as well as, the idea religious people are weak minded.Havegun said:
the last science class I was in, the professor (it college), basically went on a rant about how religion is for idiots and science is for the intelligent.
Ironically most of the scientists I know are Christians, maybe thats just me.
(love and tolerate folks)
In a lot of places (in America, don't know about other nations on this) it's incredibly hard to be an atheist still. A study not long ago in Minnesota found atheists to be the least trusted minority - almost half of respondents would object to their daughter marrying one, and about 40% thought atheists *could not* share their vision of America. Many American communities are based on religion, and much of the country thinks the government is founded on religion. Not the best time to come out and say "Yyeeeaaah, what you guys are saying is pretty much bullshit." A lot of atheists feel alone.
That's where the internet comes in. Every minority has always made itself more present in print, but there's also the fact that this is the only realm in which communities of atheists really publicly exist while not being constantly harassed.
There's probably also links to lower numbers of other groups using the internet due to geography mixing with politics and religion.
That's where the internet comes in. Every minority has always made itself more present in print, but there's also the fact that this is the only realm in which communities of atheists really publicly exist while not being constantly harassed.
There's probably also links to lower numbers of other groups using the internet due to geography mixing with politics and religion.
Because normal people keep their religions to themselves so the small minority of religious people on the internet clearly visible as such tend to just be the nutjobs who want to preach or troll atheists/other religions. When this happens a large number of Atheists on the internet become more vocal while other believers don't rise to the individuals defense causing what appears to be a disproportionate ratio of Religious to Atheist users.
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Thats my Hypothesis anyways.
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Thats my Hypothesis anyways.
Its not just the internet, but they are becoming more numerous in the world period. More than likely future generations will see an further increase of the amount of people who are not religious due to there being scientific evidence voiding the majority of what the bible claims. It is a growing trend kind of how later generations arent as racist as they were in the past.
I would guess that it is because this is the internet- The internet has like.... a lot of people! Theres an abundance of just about anyone on the internet if you look hard enough!
Ok, but for serious, I'd say that they are just louder because it is the religious people outside the internet that are loud and demanding, though thats just my guess.
Ok, but for serious, I'd say that they are just louder because it is the religious people outside the internet that are loud and demanding, though thats just my guess.
Not sure, if I'm honest. Some places have a higher population of atheists, but I don't know exactly how much of the Western world - that regularly uses the internet - is religious/atheist. Maybe it's just a lot of people still think being atheist is the 'cool' thing now? I've noticed people seem to think that if they rag on about religion enough their IQ increases.
That said, I also think maybe the better quality of education and understanding of the world is leading humanity away from texts which, in some ways, are books from thousands of years ago telling you how to live like a thousands-of-years-old individual.
On a different note:
That said, I also think maybe the better quality of education and understanding of the world is leading humanity away from texts which, in some ways, are books from thousands of years ago telling you how to live like a thousands-of-years-old individual.
On a different note:
One thing I will say is that I know a lot of atheists who can't argue their viewpoint and are simply atheist because they were raised to be. Being atheist doesn't suppose you were once religious then found some form of 'enlightenment' - I've met quite a few 'blind atheists' as well, who believe in what they believe because daddy told them to.German Borbon said:
I think that a lot of religious people feel most comfortable airing their religion in the company of people they know. That's why I don't see religion that much here, but can't seem to breathe without knocking it over in Facebook. That might also be why I don't use Facebook much.
yeah, i know there are some atheist who have those beliefs just because of tradition, i am also against that. thanks for making the point, i forgot thatAngloDoom said:
The internet doesn't draw in anyone particular type of people, at least in this day and age. Everyone uses the internet, and I'd put some money on a bet that it's pretty even amongst the general population.
Anyway, the internet grants people good old fashioned immunity for the stupid and idiotic things they spew forth. This generally serves to maginfy a person's inner "whatever" that they can't do "in real life".
So, if you're a god fearing individual, for example, you fall into two groups. The first gets on the internet and probably look at porn, and spends time on forums talking about your faith, and the aspects of it that don't make much sense or that you have doubts about.
You're free from the judging eyes of others of your faith whom you perceive to judge you for your actions.
The second gets on the internet and uses it as a soap box. They come across as rude, ignorant, and insultingly dense.
Athiests, I find, are divided very clearly into two groups. Those who don't believe in God, and are happy to talk about it. And those who hate religion, and spew their bullshit all over everything and anyone they come across.
The first group are the normal members of the public. If they didn't tell you they didn't believe in God, you'd never know the difference. They are good, honest, hard working people who simply get by just like those who believe in God.
The second group are the idiots. They think that not believing in God makes them "more logical" or "smarter" and by extension "better" than everyone else. They use copy/paste "arguments" and Googled "Funny Atheist Pictures" to contribute to religious discussions.
Unfortunately, a good number of my friends fall into the later of these Athiest two groups. In real life, they're under-achieveing individuals of around average intelligence who are wrong about ... well, everything. They harbour an extreme sense of entitlement and think they're owed something for simply being born, and their political opinions could be described as "bat shit fucking crazy" pretty accurately and boil down to "No one else is allowed to think, feel, or believe differently to me, and everyone who does is wrong because I'm smarter than them."
For believers and non-believers, the seconds groups are the most vocal. In forums such as this one, the second group of Athiests are generally the loudest. The "die hard" believers generally don't come to places like the Escapist, 4Chan, World of Warcraft, etc., and so you don't see too many of them.
Anyway, the internet grants people good old fashioned immunity for the stupid and idiotic things they spew forth. This generally serves to maginfy a person's inner "whatever" that they can't do "in real life".
So, if you're a god fearing individual, for example, you fall into two groups. The first gets on the internet and probably look at porn, and spends time on forums talking about your faith, and the aspects of it that don't make much sense or that you have doubts about.
You're free from the judging eyes of others of your faith whom you perceive to judge you for your actions.
The second gets on the internet and uses it as a soap box. They come across as rude, ignorant, and insultingly dense.
Athiests, I find, are divided very clearly into two groups. Those who don't believe in God, and are happy to talk about it. And those who hate religion, and spew their bullshit all over everything and anyone they come across.
The first group are the normal members of the public. If they didn't tell you they didn't believe in God, you'd never know the difference. They are good, honest, hard working people who simply get by just like those who believe in God.
The second group are the idiots. They think that not believing in God makes them "more logical" or "smarter" and by extension "better" than everyone else. They use copy/paste "arguments" and Googled "Funny Atheist Pictures" to contribute to religious discussions.
Unfortunately, a good number of my friends fall into the later of these Athiest two groups. In real life, they're under-achieveing individuals of around average intelligence who are wrong about ... well, everything. They harbour an extreme sense of entitlement and think they're owed something for simply being born, and their political opinions could be described as "bat shit fucking crazy" pretty accurately and boil down to "No one else is allowed to think, feel, or believe differently to me, and everyone who does is wrong because I'm smarter than them."
For believers and non-believers, the seconds groups are the most vocal. In forums such as this one, the second group of Athiests are generally the loudest. The "die hard" believers generally don't come to places like the Escapist, 4Chan, World of Warcraft, etc., and so you don't see too many of them.
Generally, the reason there's a higher number of atheists on the internet is because the internet is, at heart, the repository of all human knowledge. This tends to attract people who are more interested in said knowledge, which means people who ask questions.I Have No Idea said:
People who ask questions don't tend to take things on faith, which is a prerequisite for being religious.
Thus, the internet tends to attract atheists.