So right off the bat, I'll tell you this isn't a post about religion, or lack of religion. It's about inadvertently taking what you hate the most in others' behavior and doing the same thing to counteract it.
Sometimes people get pretty offended about pushy religious fanatics who preach of fire and brimstone to those who do not share the same beliefs. It's easy to see why. Many of those people ignore the cardinal rule in almost every religion--do not judge. This hypocrisy can build up to shape some pretty angry reactions.
Someone I know as a lose acquaintance through mutual environmental interests is an atheist. He's a smart guy, and in person, he's very likable. But each day on Facebook, and multiple times each day, he shares post after post intimating how stupid people are to believe there is anything beyond the physical world of science we can see and touch and measure. His belief is just that, his.
It's up to each one of us to decide not to judge others for what they believe, but it's quite interesting to see him proselytizing about atheism in the same way he must hate religious fanatics proselytizing about the right way to live.
I've see the same situation play out with some feminists who hate the strong, overbearing and domineering attitude of some men, yet use the same tactics to get their points across in the world. It's amusing. But people start to turn them off the same way...and there's a reason for it.
13 comments:
Yep. You make a very good point. Live and let live!
Oh I so know what you're saying! "Hide" him on Facebook :) I'm a non-believer but even I would go crazy with having someone post so obsessively lol
It's called hypocrisy and you hit the nail on the head Gropie.
Hear, hear! I agree, it's hypocrisy and you "hide" the guy on FB.
Atheists suck Satan's molten brimstone-dipped toes.
One day I will write a mature comment...I'm not against atheism at all. So much about religion makes good sense and it bothers me when doofoids waste others' time with moaning when they could be saving kittens or healing the sick. If there's one thing to be said about Theists, they're MOTIVATED. Atheists are LAZY. Grrr.
I'm coming to your house and will stick my foot in your door and I'm not leaving until you fall on your hands and knees.
Well, not really.
Yah, I usually try to keep my opinions to myself, verbally. I figure people can skip the occasional annoying blog post. But I quit facebook in part because of stuff like that. People never said what was going on with them, they only asked me to join silly groups or play a game with them, and even those requests were automated, never "real."
I respect people who don't proseletyze, but who instead live their faith (or lack of it). But if they have to talk about it constantly, I think they're trying to convince themselves more than they're trying to convince others.
Closed minds are the exclusive property of no belief system indeed.
That drives me crazy. Forget the hide button unfriend. I recently unfriended someone who stirs up controversy on a daily basis. My blood boiled every time his posts flashed across my screen, and I had no reason to be in contact with him...he had the nerve to try to refriend me and when I ignored made a big to do about it to someone else. I honestly don't know why he took it so personally unless he thinks he is much more enlightening than he is!
It's good practice for living to learn to ignore such people.
Our beliefs are one of the deepest parts of the self and there is no need to dump them at the feet of everyone we meet. Reserve the sharing for those you think, or know, are interested. And if they're not, move on in your communications.
I think people who persistently try to immerse others in their "beliefs" are really coming from a place of belief at all, but from somewhere in the ego.
I like to remind those with fixed ideas about the place of science that it only applies to a small part of our universe of possibilities.
KB
Paragraph 3 line 2 above should read "are NOT really coming"
KB
I despise this behavior, especially on Facebook - I think it's easy to say those types of things in that kind of forum than to actually have an intellectual discussion about varying beliefs.
I have a "friend" who constantly implies that people with differing political beliefs are un-intelligent or ignorant. It burns me up but I refuse to play those games on Facebook - it's not a productive way to have that conversation. I'm all about sharing what you believe, whatever that may be, as long as it's done in a respectful way. I mean honestly, since when is insulting people or shoving things down their throat a productive way to get then to share your beliefs? I'm going to say with never.
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