Comments on: Some Psychological Aspects of Atheism–Part III

By: thecountryshrink

thecountryshrink — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:06:52 +0000

Of course one person’s experience doesn’t count as evidence… but I personally don’t identify with any of your descriptions. I would answer a resounding “no” to points 1-7, yes to higher education but no to income, and a yes to 9 and 10.

Such is psychology. There are always exceptions to the rule. There are few laws of behavior and psychology that hold true for everyone.

I think your experiences with atheists come from a rather biased sample – either those who are seeking psychological help or those who are sufficiently angry about religion to make it a large feature of their blogs. (Mostly I get on quite happily without religion and it doesn’t take up much of my thinking time, though I do get annoyed occasionally at religious intrusion into my life.)

At any rate, your conclusions really don’t seem representative of me or the atheists I know.

Perhaps you have a point. It doesn’t apply to everyone. I happen to believe that when it comes down to it, folks make a choice about what they want to believe.

You do quote one representative survey, but the only negative qualities I notice are unhappiness and alienation, which strike me as unsurprising given the level of hostility and discrimination against atheists that seems prominent in the US. Have you seen similar results from surveys taken in other countries?

This is kind of a chicken and the egg type of argument. I don’t think there’s a whole lot of discrimination against atheists. A lot of self-imposed alienation–yes. I am unaware of any cross cultural studies on atheism if they exist, but I’ll post on that in the future if I run across any. Thank you for your comment.

By: lirone

lirone — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 23:36:36 +0000

Of course one person’s experience doesn’t count as evidence… but I personally don’t identify with any of your descriptions. I would answer a resounding “no” to points 1-7, yes to higher education but no to income, and a yes to 9 and 10.

I think your experiences with atheists come from a rather biased sample – either those who are seeking psychological help or those who are sufficiently angry about religion to make it a large feature of their blogs. (Mostly I get on quite happily without religion and it doesn’t take up much of my thinking time, though I do get annoyed occasionally at religious intrusion into my life.)

At any rate, your conclusions really don’t seem representative of me or the atheists I know.

You do quote one representative survey, but the only negative qualities I notice are unhappiness and alienation, which strike me as unsurprising given the level of hostility and discrimination against atheists that seems prominent in the US. Have you seen similar results from surveys taken in other countries?

By: DB Williams

DB Williams — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 03:05:36 +0000

I knew you would understand! If all of us could only come to understand and experience the love and grace of God, then there wouldn’t be so much pain and suffering in this world. That’s not just a statement of belief, on my part, it’s a desire, a longing. Somedays, I can seem as distant and cold as the rest of the world, and these are the days that I’m not seeing reality clearly, but when God softens my heart again, then I am well and can sense and see what he desires for me and everyone else.

“Consider it all joy…when you encounter various trials…knowing that the testing of your faith is producing perseverence, and let perseverence have its way with you, so you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” God is good!!

By: thecountryshrink

thecountryshrink — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:59:29 +0000

Thank you for your comment and sharing your personal experience. It doesn’t sound strange to me at all to wish your father was still here to hug. There is a certain amount of pain that is part of living, but there can often be pain that goes much deeper as you discovered. I am very glad that God was able to bring you back to Him. He did a similar thing with me. He can even use some of that pain to change us and transform it into something positive.

By: DB Williams

DB Williams — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:44:00 +0000

This is very interesting to me, since I had an unhappy childhood: paternal relationship, shunned by others, and mainly because I was overweight, male and, later on in life, college educated and liberal in my late teens through early thirties. I was gregarious as a child, but, by my late teens and early twenties, I had become suspicious of and confrontational with people, in particular, strangers or people who seemed to think of me as inferior, intellectually and physically. I deserted religion and God at age twenty, and I built walls that had become too thick and tall for me to tear down. Only God could tear those walls down, which he ultimately did, but I would do much damage to myself and those I loved before the walls would crumble. I want to apply the emotion that I feel now to compassion for those who are still held captive by a lie. As you know better than I, there is so much pain in many of or our lives, and we have believed that this pain is just part of living: “adjust,” “Get over it” “You’re not the only one who has…” etc.

This may sound strange, but I wish I had my father, right now, to hug! Funny how are minds and emotions can have such a strong impact on us! Thank you for your insight!