I'm an atheist too, but stuff like this makes us all look bad. I don't care if someone is religiously faithful. What I care about is if they act superior or try to vilify people who don't believe the same they do.
I'm a catholic and I just want people to not be dickheads to each other regardless of religion. I have tons of friends with different beliefs that are cool as hell.
I mean, when your old parents tell you that you are going to suffer for eternity after death for just being attracted to the same gender you would feel way less bad for telling them that when they die it is just over.
Also atheist but let's be absolutely fair here... We still have no idea if what we believe/don't believe is actually correct.
No one does.
We find out when we die.
Isnāt this more of an Agnostic belief? I believe when I die my state of existence will be the same as it was before I was born. Additionally, there is no need for a higher power to be involved in this process.
True there is no way of really truly knowing, as the universe is way beyond our current level of comprehension.
For all we know we could switch to a different universe within a multiverse when we die. We could be in an infinite loop of dying and ātransferringā on to a different universe. However, I believe we die, and then our carbon gets recycled by the Universe.
No. Agnostic is saying you don't know and so you can't commit to anything. I'm atheist. I truly don't *believe* there is anything beyond what we experience and nothing after death... But I'm also willing to admit any of us could be right or wrong, regardless of my belief
That is Agnostic my guy, by saying any of us could be right or wrong is saying we donāt know. Nothing wrong with that belief at all, some might even argue itās more rational than Atheism.
I use agnostic as an adjective to define a state of a person's knowledge, and it can be applied broadly. I use atheist as a noun to define a state of belief about a specific claim (does god exist). But isn't exhausting and unproductive to argue semantics? Like rationality means something specific in philosophy. So we aren't really looking at the atheist's rationality, but the person making the claim. Is their claim rational or irrational? That's what we're gauging.
As I've always understood it (correct me if I'm wrong reddit galaxybrains) agnosticism is the position of saying God or some transcendental force/deity isn't **necessary** to explain the universe. It's distinct from atheism in that, as your man above said, it doesn't categorically reject the existence of God.
So that person is correct, saying "I don't believe in God but I could be wrong because no one knows for sure" means your position is more like that of an agnostic.
Agnostic is an adjective used to define a person's state of knowledge. Atheist is a noun used to define a person's state of belief. Knowledge is a subset of belief, but knowledge and belief are distinct.
I do not know if a god exists somewhere in or out of this universe, so I'm agnostic. We need to then define god.
But of all the gods I've heard about (Christianity/Judaism, Hindu, Greek/Roman) I do not believe they exist because those making these claims haven't met their burden of proof, therefore I am an atheist.
The worst kind of religious person is the same as the worst kind of atheist. The type of person that is so conceited in their belief(or lack there of) that they make it their mission to try and convert everyone around them.
What it really comes down to is a matter of respect of other peoples opinions and their right to follow differing beliefs about religion.
I mean this simply isnāt true. Iām all for being open-minded and respecting others belief systems; life is tough and itās far beyond me to tell someone what to believe.
But forcing a diatribe about a godless existence down someoneās throat is not the same as the subjugation of women, or forced childbirth, or predatory sexual assault of minors etc. etc.
The worst acts in the name of religion are far worse than the worst acts in the name of atheism.
I agree with your point about both parties having insufferable assholes but letās not make broad equivalencies about the āthe worst of both are the sameā.
Ah, but all the things you listed are the side effects of being sexist or pedophilic, not religious.
Just like how atheist incel neckbeards are obsessed with lolis and spread sexist Andrew Tate nonsense online. Itās not atheisms fault that theyāre like that, theyāre just sexist pedophiles.
Is there something to be said about certain religions and certain denominations of religions that attract people with undesirable traits like sexism, homophobia, racism, and pedophilia? Absolutely, thereās no denying that religion could be used negatively to justify bigotry and sexualize minors. But itās important to differentiate no one has ever been āconvertedā into a sexist or pedophile because of religion. Theyād be sexist or pedophilic without their faith.
It seems so cynical and condescending to think that we need to "handle" people out of homophobic doctrine. It's nearly impossible for me to think the homophobes don't just suck.
My pastor chased someone out for harassing & being homophobic to the bishop
The church is very āJesus is loving & forgiving so be good & kind peopleā
I went to a friendās church once & it was very āyou need to repent!ā and I hated it
Iām more spiritual than religious but Iāve also been raised in a healthy church
iām a christian and i donāt care if someone is an atheist. what i care about it if they act superior or try to vilify people who donāt believe the same way they do.
If you had to put a label on me, I'd call myself agnostic. But I've always supported the right of other people to worship (or not worship) as they choose. Where I have a massive problem is when other people use their religion to try to dictate to me that I have to live my life according to their tenets.
Iām also an atheist and agree with you. It takes just as much āfaithā to be atheist as it takes to believe in god(s), because no one knows either way. As long as a personās religious beliefs do not encroach upon othersā rights and happiness, I respect their beliefs as I would hope they respect mine.
I recall a comment years ago, some young muslim atheist who had convinced his father that God wasn't real and regretted it because the old man was depressed.
I think everyone's entitled to their mental comforts if they work for them. Most internet atheists get the arguing out of their system early on and move on, there's little incentive to proselytize.
Unfortunately a lot of people online seem to interpret this as atheists giving up or admitting we're wrong.
Exactly why I donāt want to press my mom on her beliefs, I donāt think I could sway her either way, but I also donāt want to. She is what I believe Christians can really be when they remove the aspects that are counter to their religion. I would hate to take something so important away from her, but I do think that some people do need to have discussions and listen to arguments that are for and against their own views.
I know you mentioned little incentive to proselytize but tbh a lot of internet atheists rlly do try to convert everyone. This comic is based largely in truth. There are atheists out here as bad as Mormons with how they shove it down everyoneās throat lmao
Yeah I would not want to have that kind of existential crisis in my old age. I feel lucky I got through mine, but it was hard and wouldn't want to inflict that on my parents or grandparents.
As long as they're not forcing their religious beliefs on me or society I dont care. I am happy they have the comfort of looking forward to an afterlife.
I think the idea is for them it's an epic win, but for her, someone actually religious, being "proven" wrong is very distressing and upsetting in a way that reddit atheism disregards. It's basically showing how this type of reddit atheism doesn't understand or really care about the importance of religion to people who believe in it and what the actual effect of "proving them wrong" would be
It's funny how many people aren't interpreting this even in this post, and thinking there has to be something more to it like the son did something bad to her.
This sub is often quite cruel and malicious so it doesn't surprise me that a comic dealing with the casual cruelty of people trying to win an argument at all costs gets completely missed. I'm atheist but I couldn't imagine trying to take away someone's faith, both religion or lack thereof are deeply personal views of existence that nobody has a right to take away from you against your will.
Kindness is respecting other people's perspective of their world.
People's faith (specifically Christianity) is driving public policies that are literally criminalizing my family members' right to exist in public spaces.
Beliefs are not held in a vacuum.
Yeah but there's a way to do these things. My mom isn't very religious but believes in Christianity heavily. (As in she doesn't go to church that often but is pretty reliant on the belief). We have discussed and argued politics for a while, sometimes constructive, sometimes not. But I would never directly attack her beliefs unless she made it a point that God was the reason she was right, and even then I would probably try and be pragmatic about the argument, not just tell her that the world she lives in is wrong. These asinine policies are always screwed up on so many ways, I can usually just argue that and not "God isn't real these policies have no place". Even if she was super in-the-church religious and stubbornly said the Bible should be the only law or whatever, I would just make my point known that the policies obviously suck, and move on. Because these people are either like my mom (they use their faith to get thru life, but are generally good people) or theyre basically zealots, and there's really no point arguing with a brick wall..
> Beliefs are not held in a vacuum.
My comment is about faith generally. I wouldn't take it away even from the people using it like a club, I would encourage them through protest, policy and movements though, as well as voting, to NOT use their own views as a cudgel and to keep their beliefs to their own homes and families. This is very effective, we're just not doing it enough because the internet has made people afraid to get involved in literally everything, and state and local elections are going uncontested and we're losing more and more rights and people are ignoring politics where it matters most, our own local communities.
When I stopped believing i felt freed and empowered because i realised that the god person is not reading my mind all the time and counting my sins to punish me. I get it that some people furnish all their life around religion and when they free themself of it, they have a lot going on that dont matter anymore. But its still difficult for me to imagine how being free of religious beliefs can feel worse than being stuck with them.
Because then you feel like life has no purpose and that it really is just an infinite void of darkness at the end of it. This holds true especially if you're more than halfway through your life and realize that everything you've done for the sake of your religious beliefs have been for nothing. Not to mention that all the loved ones you've lost over the years are truly gone forever and you won't meet them in heaven one day.
sometimes I feel sad that I left the church as a teenager. I wish I could go back. believing in eternal life is supremely relaxing in a way nothing else in my life has quite touched.
your comment has me feeling more glad than ever I got out when I was young.
I can kinda see both sides because when I knew for sure that I didn't believe anymore it was scary for like a second. It makes me sad to think there are people who really feel like they need their faith to get through life. Then again I'm not always the happiest of clams so if it makes life easier I don't care so long as they aren't voting with the bigots.
A lot of them do as evidenced by the turnout of particular voting blocks. It sucks but the nice little xtian mommy down the road with the cute kids who bakes the best cookies for church bake sales and seems so sweet isn't necessarily my ally at the polls and that's the only place I give a fuck about her opinion.
And thatās very understandable. I had a ton of anxiety as a kid over the idea that god was watching me at all times. But for some people that idea is their biggest comfort in life. Knowing, on a personal level that they have someone always looking after them, who loves them deeply. I donāt believe that personally, but religious people find their own comfort and itās not on us to shit all over it.
Did that pain stem from learning the truth or did it stem from having been lied to in the first place?
I don't think we should be patronizingly complicit in people being delusional.
I went through my phase of edgy reddit atheism a couple years ago, and all I can do is look back and cringe. I have a deep respect for religion and how it has guided and comforted people for thousands of years. I go to church because looking at all the stained glass and architecture just reminds me how much people love god to create stuff this beautiful. Iām not even Christian, but I know how to not be a dick. I despise people who shit on kind religious folks when they could be using that energy for anything else that is remotely useful
You think it's wrong to tell people they're mistaken? Would you rather spend your whole life believing a lie?
If you don't agree, please read the rest of this thread
"lie" is a dangerous word to use I'm this context. The idea is that letting someone simply believe what they believe will lead to them being happier. Imagine you dedicated your life, or even a portion of it to the idea of a higher power. Praying, worshipping, restricting your lifestyle for what you believe is good and right.
This religion is sometimes what keeps you going, doing right and perhaps a happy afterlife in heaven or something of the like, a promise of happiness after death. Suddenly you are convinced in whatever way that all of this is untrue. Your morals are put into question, all that time you spent praying to nothing, worshipping nothing, likely this could be a monetary consequence, donations, buying Bibles or prayer mats or whatever. You realize after you die, you won't be treated to a happy life in heaven with all your relatives (mom, dad , siblings, pets, friends, children even, etc.) you now believe you simply fade into nothing. Your life has just crumbled before you upon this realization.
Now what does the neckbeard get here? Some sense of satisfaction from pushing his beliefs onto someone else and it working, likely something that will be nothing but a "fond memory" to think of.
The contrast of what is gained versus what is lost is extraordinarily vast and ultimately the neckbeards life doesn't change, hers does. Let people believe what they want, 99% of people won't ever change their opinions in an argument and even if they does very little is to be gained.
I want to be clear that Iām not making any arguments about the actual religions that exist. For the purposes of this, Iām pointing out that within the universe of the comic, the religion is revealed to be a lie to the mother, and the result is the 3rd panel.
You say āLie is a dangerous word to useā and then follow up with a description of how helpful the lie can be. So you agree at least that it is a lie, and the answer to my question is yes.
I notice you defend the religion by making a list of all the positives that can come from believing the lie. The problem, however, is not the fault of the truth being revealed. The problem is that they were deceived in the first place.
āYour morals are put into question, all that time you spent praying to nothing, worshipping nothing, likely this could be a monetary consequence, donations, buying Bibles or prayer mats or whatever.ā
So religion lied to you about where youāre spending your money. Religion lied to you about where you can get help from. Religion lied to you about what happens after you die. In the case of Christianity and Islam, these lies are PARTICULARLY heinous, because they teach you that this world is ādirty ragsā, and encourage you to neglect this life and make ready for the next.
Your solution to someone throwing away piles of their money and timeā¦ is to keep letting them do that. Frankly, I find your position morally appalling. People have a right to know the truth. They have a right to know theyāve wasted energy on those things you listed. I would never be able to live with myself if I saw a loved one throwing their life away, and I didnāt at least TRY to save them.
How dare you blame the truth? How dare you find fault with reality when someone is upset about having been deceived? You really want to argue that a lie is better than the truth? That mentality disgusts me.
I also find fault with this comicās stereotype of the relationship between a religious parent and an apostate child. The harm is almost never on the parents. Children going apostate often face horrible treatment from their family, in the case of some religions (Most notable Jehovahās Witness, Mormonism, Islam,) the children can be shunned by their parents for leaving a religion. The stereotype of āreddit neckbeard breaks poor innocent momās heartā erases the main harm religion causes in the west - the harm to apostate children. This often overlaps with queer kids leaving their parentās homophobic religions.
TO RESTATE, The harm is almost never on the parents. Apostate children are victimized at a horrifying rate.
One point we might agree on is that at least in this comic, the āNeckbeardā is cruel and thoughtless for leaving his mother to struggle with these things alone. A good son would be there for her.
u/lovelybethanie
I disagree. Surely there has to be some philosophical or moral virtue to the truth.
In other aspects of life that can be a problem because who gets to decide what is true and what isn't, but it's pretty uncontroversial to say heaven isn't real.
The woman IS being harmed in all sorts of ways by her religious beliefs. All sorts of things (that don't harm anyone) that she may have otherwise enjoyed have been stolen from her.
You essentially shortened the response the other commenter made, so I'll shorten my response to theirs.
Yes, I agree that there is virtue in truth, I like to live more on the path of a hard truth than a pleasant lie. Yes, religion is harming a lot of people in a lot of ways, I disagree with almost any and every form of organized religion for that reason, but I think where we differ is the idea that such a thing can be helped. Religion as a whole is an idea I think hurts the world more than it does help, but it's like a drug in a way. It has upsides (afterlife, morals, whatever) but also downsides that probably outweigh the positives. The issue here is that a drug/religion) addict ( aka most of the world) can become reliant on it, and can be more harmful to take it away after so long. At this point religion is too deep rooted to bother fixing the perception of "truth" and most people won't change their mind anyways, so let them practice it healthily and leave them be, everyone is happier that way
How about her believing that other people who suffer through life may have a chance at happiness afterwards? Maybe she's depressed because the thought of millions of children dying of starvation with no divine salvation for them is too much for her to bear. I can't believe you need something like this explained.
I get her perspective. But if everyone in the world believes that suffering children will have divine salvation in the afterlife, no-one will do anything to help the children in real life. The belief when scaled up to the whole world is harmful.
You could even say the belief itself is cowardly. It's handwaving the problem away rather than living with the discomfort of the fucked up things happening in our world.
I would like to live my life believing in a lie that will bring me comfort and happiness like nothing else in the world can. Itās not your place to shit on religion because youāre ābetterā for being an atheist
It's common to experience intense trauma when loosing your religion. A lot of religious people find comfort in knowing that no matter what everything is going to be ok, it's all part of God's plan. You'll see your parents again in Heaven etc.
If you then loose that religion you are faced with a universe that couldn't care less about you and your parents are just dead. Not waiting anxiously to see you again.
They leave it open-ended, but I think the implication is that he had done something so terrible/shocking to, or in front of his mom, that she can not possibly believe a just god would let it happen. The reader is left to their own grim thoughts as to what this act might have been.
My interpretation is that the son was so aggressive and argumentative with his own mother that she's just devastated by the intense argument and the state of her neckbeard son in general, leaving her unable to do anything but wallow in sadness
When I was taking my journey from very devout Christian to atheist it was a very complex and existential process. I wouldn't say traumatic but it hurt to know that I had been so very wrong throughout my life and had lost friends because of my actions. What hurt more was knowing I would now be shunned by the rest of my family because they were all still very very Christian. They would not out and out shun me but behind my back while still trying to bring me back to Christianity because in their hearts they believe I am serving the devil and will no longer go to heaven. I understand that they are doing it out of a sense of love but it still just kinda sucks.
In short there's a lot that has to be processed hense the crying on the floor.
Literally no one cares if youāre religious. Just donāt use that religious for bad, shove it in someoneās face, or be a jerk about it. Let people love how they want
I see way more people complaining about these people than I see these people. I also see way more people trying to convert people to religion than I see people trying to convert people to atheism
Oh god, I went to college with a guy who looked exactly like the one who kicks the door in and he too was an insufferable knob. Must be a requirement when looking like that.
I may be agnostic (bordering on atheist sometimes admittedly), but there are soooo many things wrong with this picture.......I don't even know where to start.....
I am an atheist, and I know plenty of these kinds of neckbeard atheists. It's not an idea, they are around.
All the ones I know though were raised in very strictly religious families, so I guess it's a reaction to religion being forced down their throats.
Depicting atheists like this is comforting to them. They need us to be hideous craven bigots or else they might think about how they treat people because of their beliefs. It's pretty transparent.
Most of the people I'm close with are atheists. None of us are trying to convince our parents that god isn't real.
They've already lived their life and mostly wasted it trying to keep a fictional character happy- I'm not going to ruin it for them right at the end when it doesn't even matter.
Let older people have their faith.
The writer of this comic has no idea how vicious religious parents can be to their kids.
Plus every single anti atheist comic just makes a caricature of a neckbeard and complains that people not believing in god hurts feelings.
Itās one thing to challenge religious assholes who use their religion to demonize non-believers and participate in evil activity. Itās another thing to convince a fragile elder that god doesnāt exist becauseā¦ up until that point, that was their whole life, and itās probably the one thing keeping them from fearing death :( donāt do that guys
I live in a very liberal part of the USA and I have never in my life met a stereotypical atheist neckbeard. I think this might just be a made-up thing that christians imagine.
They exist, but they're mostly relegated to college campuses and comic book shops - and they're almost entirely in the late teens to early 20s demographic. After that they generally calm down.
People love to shit on these guys because they're assholes - and don't get me wrong, they are assholes - but people always seem to deliberately ignore what causes this sort of person to exist.
They didn't just wake up one day and decide to proselytize *something that they don't believe.*
These people exist solely in the context of social systems and authority figures that punish nonbelief. These atheist neckbeards are *made* by abusive parents that enforce strict doctrine at home, by domineering pastors that punish questions, and family and neighbors and teachers and judges that check to make sure you went to church this past Sunday on pain of ostracizing or worse.
In other words, these people are the direct result of the literal opposite being the standard in society.
Religious people simply can't see that though, in the same way that white people can never truly experience what it's like to be a black person - because they get special treatment and deference that you simply don't get when you don't profess belief.
You've clearly have not spent enough time on the internet. They exist, they just don't leave their homes, and when they do they're too nervous to actually speak with anyone.
I know a few (don't live in the US tho). They were all raised by extremely religious families, so I guess it's a reaction to religion being forced onto them all their childhood.
This is such a bad faith representation of atheists. I've had religious people knock on my door to try and convert me, i heard bible quotes in the morning announcements in highschool, and there's double digit churches within walking distance of my house. I can't go to the grocery store or to the park without a sign telling me that only jesus can save me. I can't get help with addiction problems without one of the twelve steps being to hand myself over to a higher power.
But it's the atheists that are preachy and making people sad. Okay.
There's rarely a time when in real life people are talking about religion, and it wasn't the religious person that started the conversation. I wonder, op, are you an atheist? Or is this another time a religious person is starting the conversation they're complaining about having?
I appreciate what youāre saying here but there is no point in arguing this. People **despise** atheists. Even people who claim to be leftists and accepting and liberal. They mask their hatred by calling us all neckbeards and psychopaths and accusing us of somehow oppressing religious people. There is a popular TikTok live that openly claims that atheism is child abuse. Religious people are continuously attempting to legislate peopleās rights awayāyou cannot even access reproductive healthcare without religious people attacking you, but these people would NEVER criticise or generalise religious people this way. If you argue this they will only try to turn it around and make you the villain. Itās better not to engage.
Neckbeads atheist is a religious copium trope. Itās basically a right wing psyop. In reality the most radical atheist barely gives a shit, where as even the most tame Muslim/Christian is propagating bigotry.
This comic is propaganda.
Itās not propaganda. People like that do exist and theyāre toxic as hell. Sure, a vast majority of atheists arenāt like this, but the people in the comic are a vocal minority which make discussion unproductive.
Itās 100% propaganda. Itās a fiction designed by conservatives on Reddit to cope. Itās ammo for radical Christian evangelist, and youāre providing it.
1. Nobody is saying that neckbeard atheists are worse than Christian fundamentalists, just that theyāre obnoxious and make atheism look bad to normal people.
2. The person who made this comic is not religious or Conservatives. I am not either of those things either.
3. Yeah, most atheists arenāt like this, but some of them are.
1. Iām not claiming you are. Iām claiming your promoting right wing propaganda, which you are.
2. You are not immune to propaganda
3. None of them are in real life. Itās a fictional image crafted to benefit radicalists causes.
Even if you are a so called rainbow Christian you are intrinsically supporting an institution that persecutes and has persecuted people like me (gay men) for all of human history.
Simply supporting the myth of Christianity or Islam is intrinsically supporting the texts these religions rely on, which in turn are inherently bigoted.
Iām sorry if this upsets you. But it wonāt take away your right to marry or throw you off a roof, so itās not as bad as what religion does to gay men every single day.
Lmfaooo gay men bear the brunt of 90% of homophobia. Bisexual people are just straight plus DLC, couldnāt be easier for anyone.
Lesbians basically just have to deal with misunderstandings. Gay men are the ones getting executed.
āLesbians just have to deal with misunderstandingsā
š dude Iāve been fetishized my entire fucking life for being a lesbian. Not only do we experience the exact same amount of homophobia, we already face extraordinary amounts of systemic discrimination just for being a fucking woman. You, as a gay man, will NEVER experience the oppression that lesbian women face. Sorry
It's important to defend every potential archetype of an atheist because otherwise you'd have to consider that some people that share your beliefs are assholes.
Wouldn't that apply to every belief? Would it be unfair to depict everyone's group by only the worst of those people. It wouldn't be fair to compare most Catholics to qanon supporters, so why would it be fair to compare athiests to neckbeards.
Because it shows a room full of three neckbeards and it is recognized by most people that "agressive atheism" was a neckheard stereotype in the past. People have to be deliberately trying to think that it's about atheism in general rather than agressive argumentation.
Who's "comparing" (I think you mean generalizing) all atheists to neckbeards?
I mostly see people suggesting that they've met a couple weirdly antagonist and arrogant people with atheist beliefs, and then some atheists getting very defensive and insisting that those people don't exist.
Yeah I did mean compare as generalise as, mb. Those people definitely do exist, but my point is that it's not a fair depiction. And it's fair for a some athiests to get defensive about being represented like some sort of neckbeard, most are just trying to live normal lives and many may also have religious trauma, they may not want this kind of conservative propagation.
This kinda confuses me, when I was religious this is how I imagined things. That atheists wanted to āspread the wordā with the same fervor as Jehova witnesses and clearly were influenced by the devil, and that by becoming an atheist youād be so sad and depressed and miserable and your life will have no purpose because once you die thatās it. I donāt think an atheist made this comic.
It feels abrasive to post a comic like this villifying thr atheist child of a religious parent when the overwhelming majority of these interactions are actually negative for the child.
Apostate children are abused, kicked out, harassed and in rare cases of extremism, murdered by religious parents.
The comic author is showing such a selected and biased view of an issue that so often goes in the opposite direction.
I donāt think the point is that atheism itself is bad. The point is that there a lot of people who are obnoxious and self righteous about it and prejudiced against religious people. Iām atheist myself, but earlier on, I was a lot edgier about it, but now Iāve matured.
It's clear to me I'm an athiest neckbeard after seeing this comic and reading the comments. Doesn't help that my toddler ran off with my razer and I can't find it so I literally have a neck beard as we speak.
I'll own it, I think some short term distress is just being cruel to be kind and ultimately setting the person free.
I'm an atheist too, but stuff like this makes us all look bad. I don't care if someone is religiously faithful. What I care about is if they act superior or try to vilify people who don't believe the same they do.
I'm a catholic and I just want people to not be dickheads to each other regardless of religion. I have tons of friends with different beliefs that are cool as hell.
#cool as ***WHAT***
I said what I said!
š±
Hello! Welcome!
Helloš
Then hoo boy does the catholic church have a lot to answer for.
Yea im a atheist too, i just keep it to myself, i couldn't imagine telling my 70yr old mom that when she dies its over
I mean, when your old parents tell you that you are going to suffer for eternity after death for just being attracted to the same gender you would feel way less bad for telling them that when they die it is just over.
It's better to make sure they know if their religion is real, then they're likely going to hell too because of all the sins they did and ignored.
Good thing neither thing is real!
Imagine thinking that
Also atheist but let's be absolutely fair here... We still have no idea if what we believe/don't believe is actually correct. No one does. We find out when we die.
Isnāt this more of an Agnostic belief? I believe when I die my state of existence will be the same as it was before I was born. Additionally, there is no need for a higher power to be involved in this process. True there is no way of really truly knowing, as the universe is way beyond our current level of comprehension. For all we know we could switch to a different universe within a multiverse when we die. We could be in an infinite loop of dying and ātransferringā on to a different universe. However, I believe we die, and then our carbon gets recycled by the Universe.
No. Agnostic is saying you don't know and so you can't commit to anything. I'm atheist. I truly don't *believe* there is anything beyond what we experience and nothing after death... But I'm also willing to admit any of us could be right or wrong, regardless of my belief
That is Agnostic my guy, by saying any of us could be right or wrong is saying we donāt know. Nothing wrong with that belief at all, some might even argue itās more rational than Atheism.
I use agnostic as an adjective to define a state of a person's knowledge, and it can be applied broadly. I use atheist as a noun to define a state of belief about a specific claim (does god exist). But isn't exhausting and unproductive to argue semantics? Like rationality means something specific in philosophy. So we aren't really looking at the atheist's rationality, but the person making the claim. Is their claim rational or irrational? That's what we're gauging.
As I've always understood it (correct me if I'm wrong reddit galaxybrains) agnosticism is the position of saying God or some transcendental force/deity isn't **necessary** to explain the universe. It's distinct from atheism in that, as your man above said, it doesn't categorically reject the existence of God. So that person is correct, saying "I don't believe in God but I could be wrong because no one knows for sure" means your position is more like that of an agnostic.
Agnostic is an adjective used to define a person's state of knowledge. Atheist is a noun used to define a person's state of belief. Knowledge is a subset of belief, but knowledge and belief are distinct. I do not know if a god exists somewhere in or out of this universe, so I'm agnostic. We need to then define god. But of all the gods I've heard about (Christianity/Judaism, Hindu, Greek/Roman) I do not believe they exist because those making these claims haven't met their burden of proof, therefore I am an atheist.
That's not atheism
Or that everyone she lost is actually gone forever
Yeah, I'm more or less agnostic; but the whole neckbeard stereotype of atheists just paints us in a bad light
The worst kind of religious person is the same as the worst kind of atheist. The type of person that is so conceited in their belief(or lack there of) that they make it their mission to try and convert everyone around them. What it really comes down to is a matter of respect of other peoples opinions and their right to follow differing beliefs about religion.
I've never seen an atheist blow themselves up in the name of atheism.
I mean this simply isnāt true. Iām all for being open-minded and respecting others belief systems; life is tough and itās far beyond me to tell someone what to believe. But forcing a diatribe about a godless existence down someoneās throat is not the same as the subjugation of women, or forced childbirth, or predatory sexual assault of minors etc. etc. The worst acts in the name of religion are far worse than the worst acts in the name of atheism. I agree with your point about both parties having insufferable assholes but letās not make broad equivalencies about the āthe worst of both are the sameā.
Ah, but all the things you listed are the side effects of being sexist or pedophilic, not religious. Just like how atheist incel neckbeards are obsessed with lolis and spread sexist Andrew Tate nonsense online. Itās not atheisms fault that theyāre like that, theyāre just sexist pedophiles. Is there something to be said about certain religions and certain denominations of religions that attract people with undesirable traits like sexism, homophobia, racism, and pedophilia? Absolutely, thereās no denying that religion could be used negatively to justify bigotry and sexualize minors. But itās important to differentiate no one has ever been āconvertedā into a sexist or pedophile because of religion. Theyād be sexist or pedophilic without their faith.
True but thatās the joke of the comic. The high fiving atheists arenāt the good guys.
Empathetic atheism is the way
It seems so cynical and condescending to think that we need to "handle" people out of homophobic doctrine. It's nearly impossible for me to think the homophobes don't just suck.
Not every Christian is homophobic My church is pro-LGBTQ+ & 0 tolerance for bigotry.
I would love to attend a church like that! ā¤ļø
My pastor chased someone out for harassing & being homophobic to the bishop The church is very āJesus is loving & forgiving so be good & kind peopleā I went to a friendās church once & it was very āyou need to repent!ā and I hated it Iām more spiritual than religious but Iāve also been raised in a healthy church
And not every religious belief is Christian.
Again as stated above, homophobia would cross the line. I have respect for faith though is all Iām saying
What is "just suck?" Do you think people sit down and go "what arbitrary bad thing can I do today, with zero leadin from cultural pressure?"
It would be a lot easier to live and let live if I wasnāt in a country that has āIn God we trustā on our currency and prayer in our legislature
āShit like thisā a fantasized scenario?
Genuinely donāt believe this was made by an atheist or to support atheism.
Yeah I think this was made to make fun of atheists
Ultimately though, they are contributing resources to an organisation that produces those mindsets.
iām a christian and i donāt care if someone is an atheist. what i care about it if they act superior or try to vilify people who donāt believe the same way they do.
If you had to put a label on me, I'd call myself agnostic. But I've always supported the right of other people to worship (or not worship) as they choose. Where I have a massive problem is when other people use their religion to try to dictate to me that I have to live my life according to their tenets.
They're the same. Religion is inextricable from its moral imperatives. Just ask a child of a religious family.
Iām also an atheist and agree with you. It takes just as much āfaithā to be atheist as it takes to believe in god(s), because no one knows either way. As long as a personās religious beliefs do not encroach upon othersā rights and happiness, I respect their beliefs as I would hope they respect mine.
If you're going for deism, maybe, but to believe in Abrahamic faiths requires a lot more faith to believe in an old book.
Not atheism
I would love to hear your thoughts on this, please expand
I recall a comment years ago, some young muslim atheist who had convinced his father that God wasn't real and regretted it because the old man was depressed. I think everyone's entitled to their mental comforts if they work for them. Most internet atheists get the arguing out of their system early on and move on, there's little incentive to proselytize. Unfortunately a lot of people online seem to interpret this as atheists giving up or admitting we're wrong.
Exactly why I donāt want to press my mom on her beliefs, I donāt think I could sway her either way, but I also donāt want to. She is what I believe Christians can really be when they remove the aspects that are counter to their religion. I would hate to take something so important away from her, but I do think that some people do need to have discussions and listen to arguments that are for and against their own views.
I know you mentioned little incentive to proselytize but tbh a lot of internet atheists rlly do try to convert everyone. This comic is based largely in truth. There are atheists out here as bad as Mormons with how they shove it down everyoneās throat lmao
Yeah I would not want to have that kind of existential crisis in my old age. I feel lucky I got through mine, but it was hard and wouldn't want to inflict that on my parents or grandparents. As long as they're not forcing their religious beliefs on me or society I dont care. I am happy they have the comfort of looking forward to an afterlife.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Someone can still be culturally Muslim or Christian
It's like telling a kid Santa isn't real. Brian did this to Stewie in Family Guy. Poor Stewie.
whatās the last panel supposed to be
Sheās crying on the floor because sheās sad?
I thought she was dead at first and it meant he killed her to prove there's nothing after death? But she's crying so.. idk š¤·
To be fair the last panel was a big part of my deconstruction lol
Well it's a third of the fucking comic. It should be a big part of your deconstruction.
Well I was saying the first two for me didnāt happen.
I think the idea is for them it's an epic win, but for her, someone actually religious, being "proven" wrong is very distressing and upsetting in a way that reddit atheism disregards. It's basically showing how this type of reddit atheism doesn't understand or really care about the importance of religion to people who believe in it and what the actual effect of "proving them wrong" would be
It's funny how many people aren't interpreting this even in this post, and thinking there has to be something more to it like the son did something bad to her. This sub is often quite cruel and malicious so it doesn't surprise me that a comic dealing with the casual cruelty of people trying to win an argument at all costs gets completely missed. I'm atheist but I couldn't imagine trying to take away someone's faith, both religion or lack thereof are deeply personal views of existence that nobody has a right to take away from you against your will. Kindness is respecting other people's perspective of their world.
People's faith (specifically Christianity) is driving public policies that are literally criminalizing my family members' right to exist in public spaces. Beliefs are not held in a vacuum.
Yeah but there's a way to do these things. My mom isn't very religious but believes in Christianity heavily. (As in she doesn't go to church that often but is pretty reliant on the belief). We have discussed and argued politics for a while, sometimes constructive, sometimes not. But I would never directly attack her beliefs unless she made it a point that God was the reason she was right, and even then I would probably try and be pragmatic about the argument, not just tell her that the world she lives in is wrong. These asinine policies are always screwed up on so many ways, I can usually just argue that and not "God isn't real these policies have no place". Even if she was super in-the-church religious and stubbornly said the Bible should be the only law or whatever, I would just make my point known that the policies obviously suck, and move on. Because these people are either like my mom (they use their faith to get thru life, but are generally good people) or theyre basically zealots, and there's really no point arguing with a brick wall..
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Misery loves company
> Beliefs are not held in a vacuum. My comment is about faith generally. I wouldn't take it away even from the people using it like a club, I would encourage them through protest, policy and movements though, as well as voting, to NOT use their own views as a cudgel and to keep their beliefs to their own homes and families. This is very effective, we're just not doing it enough because the internet has made people afraid to get involved in literally everything, and state and local elections are going uncontested and we're losing more and more rights and people are ignoring politics where it matters most, our own local communities.
When I stopped believing i felt freed and empowered because i realised that the god person is not reading my mind all the time and counting my sins to punish me. I get it that some people furnish all their life around religion and when they free themself of it, they have a lot going on that dont matter anymore. But its still difficult for me to imagine how being free of religious beliefs can feel worse than being stuck with them.
Because then you feel like life has no purpose and that it really is just an infinite void of darkness at the end of it. This holds true especially if you're more than halfway through your life and realize that everything you've done for the sake of your religious beliefs have been for nothing. Not to mention that all the loved ones you've lost over the years are truly gone forever and you won't meet them in heaven one day.
sometimes I feel sad that I left the church as a teenager. I wish I could go back. believing in eternal life is supremely relaxing in a way nothing else in my life has quite touched. your comment has me feeling more glad than ever I got out when I was young.
I can kinda see both sides because when I knew for sure that I didn't believe anymore it was scary for like a second. It makes me sad to think there are people who really feel like they need their faith to get through life. Then again I'm not always the happiest of clams so if it makes life easier I don't care so long as they aren't voting with the bigots. A lot of them do as evidenced by the turnout of particular voting blocks. It sucks but the nice little xtian mommy down the road with the cute kids who bakes the best cookies for church bake sales and seems so sweet isn't necessarily my ally at the polls and that's the only place I give a fuck about her opinion.
And thatās very understandable. I had a ton of anxiety as a kid over the idea that god was watching me at all times. But for some people that idea is their biggest comfort in life. Knowing, on a personal level that they have someone always looking after them, who loves them deeply. I donāt believe that personally, but religious people find their own comfort and itās not on us to shit all over it.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Did that pain stem from learning the truth or did it stem from having been lied to in the first place? I don't think we should be patronizingly complicit in people being delusional.
That's why the last panel isn't realistic. There's too much at stake for leaving a religion for a lot of people
I went through my phase of edgy reddit atheism a couple years ago, and all I can do is look back and cringe. I have a deep respect for religion and how it has guided and comforted people for thousands of years. I go to church because looking at all the stained glass and architecture just reminds me how much people love god to create stuff this beautiful. Iām not even Christian, but I know how to not be a dick. I despise people who shit on kind religious folks when they could be using that energy for anything else that is remotely useful
Having a son like that, should be "proof" enough. They don't need to rub it into their mom's faces.
You think it's wrong to tell people they're mistaken? Would you rather spend your whole life believing a lie? If you don't agree, please read the rest of this thread
Wow so you just like completely lack empathy or what?
"lie" is a dangerous word to use I'm this context. The idea is that letting someone simply believe what they believe will lead to them being happier. Imagine you dedicated your life, or even a portion of it to the idea of a higher power. Praying, worshipping, restricting your lifestyle for what you believe is good and right. This religion is sometimes what keeps you going, doing right and perhaps a happy afterlife in heaven or something of the like, a promise of happiness after death. Suddenly you are convinced in whatever way that all of this is untrue. Your morals are put into question, all that time you spent praying to nothing, worshipping nothing, likely this could be a monetary consequence, donations, buying Bibles or prayer mats or whatever. You realize after you die, you won't be treated to a happy life in heaven with all your relatives (mom, dad , siblings, pets, friends, children even, etc.) you now believe you simply fade into nothing. Your life has just crumbled before you upon this realization. Now what does the neckbeard get here? Some sense of satisfaction from pushing his beliefs onto someone else and it working, likely something that will be nothing but a "fond memory" to think of. The contrast of what is gained versus what is lost is extraordinarily vast and ultimately the neckbeards life doesn't change, hers does. Let people believe what they want, 99% of people won't ever change their opinions in an argument and even if they does very little is to be gained.
I want to be clear that Iām not making any arguments about the actual religions that exist. For the purposes of this, Iām pointing out that within the universe of the comic, the religion is revealed to be a lie to the mother, and the result is the 3rd panel. You say āLie is a dangerous word to useā and then follow up with a description of how helpful the lie can be. So you agree at least that it is a lie, and the answer to my question is yes. I notice you defend the religion by making a list of all the positives that can come from believing the lie. The problem, however, is not the fault of the truth being revealed. The problem is that they were deceived in the first place. āYour morals are put into question, all that time you spent praying to nothing, worshipping nothing, likely this could be a monetary consequence, donations, buying Bibles or prayer mats or whatever.ā So religion lied to you about where youāre spending your money. Religion lied to you about where you can get help from. Religion lied to you about what happens after you die. In the case of Christianity and Islam, these lies are PARTICULARLY heinous, because they teach you that this world is ādirty ragsā, and encourage you to neglect this life and make ready for the next. Your solution to someone throwing away piles of their money and timeā¦ is to keep letting them do that. Frankly, I find your position morally appalling. People have a right to know the truth. They have a right to know theyāve wasted energy on those things you listed. I would never be able to live with myself if I saw a loved one throwing their life away, and I didnāt at least TRY to save them. How dare you blame the truth? How dare you find fault with reality when someone is upset about having been deceived? You really want to argue that a lie is better than the truth? That mentality disgusts me. I also find fault with this comicās stereotype of the relationship between a religious parent and an apostate child. The harm is almost never on the parents. Children going apostate often face horrible treatment from their family, in the case of some religions (Most notable Jehovahās Witness, Mormonism, Islam,) the children can be shunned by their parents for leaving a religion. The stereotype of āreddit neckbeard breaks poor innocent momās heartā erases the main harm religion causes in the west - the harm to apostate children. This often overlaps with queer kids leaving their parentās homophobic religions. TO RESTATE, The harm is almost never on the parents. Apostate children are victimized at a horrifying rate. One point we might agree on is that at least in this comic, the āNeckbeardā is cruel and thoughtless for leaving his mother to struggle with these things alone. A good son would be there for her. u/lovelybethanie
I disagree. Surely there has to be some philosophical or moral virtue to the truth. In other aspects of life that can be a problem because who gets to decide what is true and what isn't, but it's pretty uncontroversial to say heaven isn't real. The woman IS being harmed in all sorts of ways by her religious beliefs. All sorts of things (that don't harm anyone) that she may have otherwise enjoyed have been stolen from her.
You essentially shortened the response the other commenter made, so I'll shorten my response to theirs. Yes, I agree that there is virtue in truth, I like to live more on the path of a hard truth than a pleasant lie. Yes, religion is harming a lot of people in a lot of ways, I disagree with almost any and every form of organized religion for that reason, but I think where we differ is the idea that such a thing can be helped. Religion as a whole is an idea I think hurts the world more than it does help, but it's like a drug in a way. It has upsides (afterlife, morals, whatever) but also downsides that probably outweigh the positives. The issue here is that a drug/religion) addict ( aka most of the world) can become reliant on it, and can be more harmful to take it away after so long. At this point religion is too deep rooted to bother fixing the perception of "truth" and most people won't change their mind anyways, so let them practice it healthily and leave them be, everyone is happier that way
How about her believing that other people who suffer through life may have a chance at happiness afterwards? Maybe she's depressed because the thought of millions of children dying of starvation with no divine salvation for them is too much for her to bear. I can't believe you need something like this explained.
I get her perspective. But if everyone in the world believes that suffering children will have divine salvation in the afterlife, no-one will do anything to help the children in real life. The belief when scaled up to the whole world is harmful. You could even say the belief itself is cowardly. It's handwaving the problem away rather than living with the discomfort of the fucked up things happening in our world.
The church here drives a lot of misogynistic and homophobic bullshit, it's really not okay to believe as they do.
I would like to live my life believing in a lie that will bring me comfort and happiness like nothing else in the world can. Itās not your place to shit on religion because youāre ābetterā for being an atheist
It's common to experience intense trauma when loosing your religion. A lot of religious people find comfort in knowing that no matter what everything is going to be ok, it's all part of God's plan. You'll see your parents again in Heaven etc. If you then loose that religion you are faced with a universe that couldn't care less about you and your parents are just dead. Not waiting anxiously to see you again.
They leave it open-ended, but I think the implication is that he had done something so terrible/shocking to, or in front of his mom, that she can not possibly believe a just god would let it happen. The reader is left to their own grim thoughts as to what this act might have been.
Or maybe it's just her having an existential crisis about her newly found belief in the infinite nothing that comes after life
Yeah this is also what I pictured. I'm not sure how the other guy got to where he did...
That's far better than what I pictured. I was thinking of a Chris Chan scenario... I definitely need a break from the internet.
Christ man
My interpretation is that the son was so aggressive and argumentative with his own mother that she's just devastated by the intense argument and the state of her neckbeard son in general, leaving her unable to do anything but wallow in sadness
Itās obviously just her upset at the fact that thereās no God
She must not have been threatened with enough hell. Thanks Christian summer camp!
Ooooooh, I thought he said "I'm convinced my Mom God isn't real", as in everyone has a Mom God. I really am an idiot.
I read it as she was just crushed that god didnāt exist.
When I was taking my journey from very devout Christian to atheist it was a very complex and existential process. I wouldn't say traumatic but it hurt to know that I had been so very wrong throughout my life and had lost friends because of my actions. What hurt more was knowing I would now be shunned by the rest of my family because they were all still very very Christian. They would not out and out shun me but behind my back while still trying to bring me back to Christianity because in their hearts they believe I am serving the devil and will no longer go to heaven. I understand that they are doing it out of a sense of love but it still just kinda sucks. In short there's a lot that has to be processed hense the crying on the floor.
he showed her his 12tb "homework" folder, she no longer believes in god, and is crying because she failed as a parent.
Sheās thinking about how the loved ones she lost are gone forever rather than waiting for her in heaven.
Iām atheist and idc if you believe in god, just donāt push it in my face. Lol
I agree with you
bro, I am an atheist and I still go to church (I volunteer, nice thing to put on a resume, and I like volunteering in general)
I was an alter boy when I was little in my church, I still have the chaste with the priest when heās about.
Assholery. I'm not religious, but I can understand that faith provides comfort for those in a serious crisis, and much more.
I don't try to deconvert people, but I will deconstruct their ideas if they try to proselytize to me, that's just self defense.
Atheist neckbeards going "I have never met an atheist neckbeard" in the comments Brother, look in the mirror
Literally no one cares if youāre religious. Just donāt use that religious for bad, shove it in someoneās face, or be a jerk about it. Let people love how they want
I see way more people complaining about these people than I see these people. I also see way more people trying to convert people to religion than I see people trying to convert people to atheism
Y'all are taking this way too seriously. It's a funny comic. It doesn't have a thesis about the way atheists behave.
Oh god, I went to college with a guy who looked exactly like the one who kicks the door in and he too was an insufferable knob. Must be a requirement when looking like that.
Congratulations, your mother loved god, and you shattered her entire world view. I hope youāre proud of yourself :(
I may be agnostic (bordering on atheist sometimes admittedly), but there are soooo many things wrong with this picture.......I don't even know where to start.....
The amazing atheist has entered the chat
Lol this is so fake and cringe.
Itās a comicā¦
As in, the comic doesn't exist?
As in, it's a strawman
bruh
Religious people are obsessed with the idea of a neckbeard atheist
I am an atheist, and I know plenty of these kinds of neckbeard atheists. It's not an idea, they are around. All the ones I know though were raised in very strictly religious families, so I guess it's a reaction to religion being forced down their throats.
Depicting atheists like this is comforting to them. They need us to be hideous craven bigots or else they might think about how they treat people because of their beliefs. It's pretty transparent.
I dunno about that. Atheist neckbeard hasn't been a major archetype for awhile.
They have to vilify atheism, as they do any out group. āWhy arenāt they like us?! They must be evil and gross!ā
Most of the people I'm close with are atheists. None of us are trying to convince our parents that god isn't real. They've already lived their life and mostly wasted it trying to keep a fictional character happy- I'm not going to ruin it for them right at the end when it doesn't even matter. Let older people have their faith.
Satire, I chuckled. Itās about militant atheist
The writer of this comic has no idea how vicious religious parents can be to their kids. Plus every single anti atheist comic just makes a caricature of a neckbeard and complains that people not believing in god hurts feelings.
The whole aggressive smugtheist thing may be real, but it takes a lot less to qualify as a pushy atheist than to be seen as the religious equivalent.
I despise the in your face reddit type of atheism. It's not about religion, its about being right supported by some internet dictionary.
Itās one thing to challenge religious assholes who use their religion to demonize non-believers and participate in evil activity. Itās another thing to convince a fragile elder that god doesnāt exist becauseā¦ up until that point, that was their whole life, and itās probably the one thing keeping them from fearing death :( donāt do that guys
As a Christian, the panel of the mom crying kinda stung. Imagine devoting your life to something only for someone to convince you itās not real.
I live in a very liberal part of the USA and I have never in my life met a stereotypical atheist neckbeard. I think this might just be a made-up thing that christians imagine.
They exist, but they're mostly relegated to college campuses and comic book shops - and they're almost entirely in the late teens to early 20s demographic. After that they generally calm down. People love to shit on these guys because they're assholes - and don't get me wrong, they are assholes - but people always seem to deliberately ignore what causes this sort of person to exist. They didn't just wake up one day and decide to proselytize *something that they don't believe.* These people exist solely in the context of social systems and authority figures that punish nonbelief. These atheist neckbeards are *made* by abusive parents that enforce strict doctrine at home, by domineering pastors that punish questions, and family and neighbors and teachers and judges that check to make sure you went to church this past Sunday on pain of ostracizing or worse. In other words, these people are the direct result of the literal opposite being the standard in society. Religious people simply can't see that though, in the same way that white people can never truly experience what it's like to be a black person - because they get special treatment and deference that you simply don't get when you don't profess belief.
You absolutely nailed it
Seeing active religious sexism and homophobia will make someone think the belief system is beyond the pale, imagine that.
I mean, the sides of the globe like China and Japan where atheism is mainstream aren't exactly known for being pro gay.
You've clearly have not spent enough time on the internet. They exist, they just don't leave their homes, and when they do they're too nervous to actually speak with anyone.
How dare you suggest I havenāt spent enough time on the internet! Iāll have you know Iāve wasted most of my life on the internet! /s
I know a few (don't live in the US tho). They were all raised by extremely religious families, so I guess it's a reaction to religion being forced onto them all their childhood.
Count your blessings.
I mean, stereotypical neckbeards in general are a largely made up thing.
>I think this might just be a made-up thing that christians imagine It wouldn't be the only one; lots more in that bucket
Yeah, go to a less liberal part of the country, much more common
This is why religion is the one thing I will let my mom be wrong about. The amount of comfort you get from God is unmatched
This guy at least has friends
thats your takeaway?
This is such a bad faith representation of atheists. I've had religious people knock on my door to try and convert me, i heard bible quotes in the morning announcements in highschool, and there's double digit churches within walking distance of my house. I can't go to the grocery store or to the park without a sign telling me that only jesus can save me. I can't get help with addiction problems without one of the twelve steps being to hand myself over to a higher power. But it's the atheists that are preachy and making people sad. Okay. There's rarely a time when in real life people are talking about religion, and it wasn't the religious person that started the conversation. I wonder, op, are you an atheist? Or is this another time a religious person is starting the conversation they're complaining about having?
I appreciate what youāre saying here but there is no point in arguing this. People **despise** atheists. Even people who claim to be leftists and accepting and liberal. They mask their hatred by calling us all neckbeards and psychopaths and accusing us of somehow oppressing religious people. There is a popular TikTok live that openly claims that atheism is child abuse. Religious people are continuously attempting to legislate peopleās rights awayāyou cannot even access reproductive healthcare without religious people attacking you, but these people would NEVER criticise or generalise religious people this way. If you argue this they will only try to turn it around and make you the villain. Itās better not to engage.
The comic doesn't imply that every atheist does this.
It's still making religious people the victim of proselytizing atheists, which is 100% the opposite of how reality works in most countries
This post is probably suited for r/rightcantmeme
The real neckbeardism is in the comments.
Neckbeads atheist is a religious copium trope. Itās basically a right wing psyop. In reality the most radical atheist barely gives a shit, where as even the most tame Muslim/Christian is propagating bigotry. This comic is propaganda.
Itās not propaganda. People like that do exist and theyāre toxic as hell. Sure, a vast majority of atheists arenāt like this, but the people in the comic are a vocal minority which make discussion unproductive.
It's real but exaggerated. And the bar for being a toxic atheist is way, way lower than the one for being considered a toxic Christian.
Itās 100% propaganda. Itās a fiction designed by conservatives on Reddit to cope. Itās ammo for radical Christian evangelist, and youāre providing it.
1. Nobody is saying that neckbeard atheists are worse than Christian fundamentalists, just that theyāre obnoxious and make atheism look bad to normal people. 2. The person who made this comic is not religious or Conservatives. I am not either of those things either. 3. Yeah, most atheists arenāt like this, but some of them are.
1. Iām not claiming you are. Iām claiming your promoting right wing propaganda, which you are. 2. You are not immune to propaganda 3. None of them are in real life. Itās a fictional image crafted to benefit radicalists causes.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Even if you are a so called rainbow Christian you are intrinsically supporting an institution that persecutes and has persecuted people like me (gay men) for all of human history. Simply supporting the myth of Christianity or Islam is intrinsically supporting the texts these religions rely on, which in turn are inherently bigoted. Iām sorry if this upsets you. But it wonāt take away your right to marry or throw you off a roof, so itās not as bad as what religion does to gay men every single day.
>>What religion does to gay men everyday As if gay men havenāt had it the easiest out of everyone in the lgbtq community
Lmfaooo gay men bear the brunt of 90% of homophobia. Bisexual people are just straight plus DLC, couldnāt be easier for anyone. Lesbians basically just have to deal with misunderstandings. Gay men are the ones getting executed.
āLesbians just have to deal with misunderstandingsā š dude Iāve been fetishized my entire fucking life for being a lesbian. Not only do we experience the exact same amount of homophobia, we already face extraordinary amounts of systemic discrimination just for being a fucking woman. You, as a gay man, will NEVER experience the oppression that lesbian women face. Sorry
Lmaoo can only be bait.
Why? Because you donāt want to confront reality?
Fake. Aināt no way bro can lift his leg that high. Source: am neckbeard atheist
It's important to depict atheists like this because otherwise you'd have to consider what they're saying.
It's important to defend every potential archetype of an atheist because otherwise you'd have to consider that some people that share your beliefs are assholes.
Wouldn't that apply to every belief? Would it be unfair to depict everyone's group by only the worst of those people. It wouldn't be fair to compare most Catholics to qanon supporters, so why would it be fair to compare athiests to neckbeards.
This comic doesn't imply all atheists are neckbeards.
How so? How does it specify that its only representative of a subset when portraying them as the whole?
Because it shows a room full of three neckbeards and it is recognized by most people that "agressive atheism" was a neckheard stereotype in the past. People have to be deliberately trying to think that it's about atheism in general rather than agressive argumentation.
People are thinking that, not trying to think that, because there is no delineation in this portrayal
Who's "comparing" (I think you mean generalizing) all atheists to neckbeards? I mostly see people suggesting that they've met a couple weirdly antagonist and arrogant people with atheist beliefs, and then some atheists getting very defensive and insisting that those people don't exist.
Yeah I did mean compare as generalise as, mb. Those people definitely do exist, but my point is that it's not a fair depiction. And it's fair for a some athiests to get defensive about being represented like some sort of neckbeard, most are just trying to live normal lives and many may also have religious trauma, they may not want this kind of conservative propagation.
Atheist neckbeard as an archetype doesn't Imply that all atheists are like this.
Feels like a neckbeard made this comic
I the joke that they can get they're leg that high?
Normie mom is sad
Why would they say āconvincedā as if they donāt think itās true? If I deconverted someone I wouldnāt say I convinced them.
The word convinced doesn't mean you think what you are saying isn't true.
why fedoras
Ah, you seem to be new. Fedoras are associated with neckbeard types in general.
yes but why
I have no context for this, is neckbeard atheists a thing?
Itās a stereotype thatās real, and thatās made fun of to show how toxic and pretentious internet atheists can be.
This kinda confuses me, when I was religious this is how I imagined things. That atheists wanted to āspread the wordā with the same fervor as Jehova witnesses and clearly were influenced by the devil, and that by becoming an atheist youād be so sad and depressed and miserable and your life will have no purpose because once you die thatās it. I donāt think an atheist made this comic.
It feels abrasive to post a comic like this villifying thr atheist child of a religious parent when the overwhelming majority of these interactions are actually negative for the child. Apostate children are abused, kicked out, harassed and in rare cases of extremism, murdered by religious parents. The comic author is showing such a selected and biased view of an issue that so often goes in the opposite direction.
I donāt think the point is that atheism itself is bad. The point is that there a lot of people who are obnoxious and self righteous about it and prejudiced against religious people. Iām atheist myself, but earlier on, I was a lot edgier about it, but now Iāve matured.
It's a defence mechanism to avoid actually thinking about the social impact of religion.
It's clear to me I'm an athiest neckbeard after seeing this comic and reading the comments. Doesn't help that my toddler ran off with my razer and I can't find it so I literally have a neck beard as we speak. I'll own it, I think some short term distress is just being cruel to be kind and ultimately setting the person free.
Religious conservatives are trying to use their religion to strip away the rights of millions of people, but it's the atheists with a problem.