Why are most atheists so seemingly intolerant?

Answer 1

There are two kinds of atheists--the intolerant ones like Michael Newdow, and the other kind. You don't actually realize the other kind ARE atheists, so you don't notice them.

Very few atheists are religiously intolerant, but their level of intolerance makes up for the rest of us. Most atheists I know are very tolerant - since they view everyone as a person first and their adherence to Christianity, Islam, pastifarianism or wicca as being a part of their make-up (like taking their coffee black)

If you are looking at the "hot dogging" atheists who make money by being outspoken, then you should compare them to TV evangelists who do the same thing for their point of view. Even then, the atheists are a poor second.

If by "intolerant" you mean why don't they listen to the "truth" - they know their truth already, thank you very much!

If by "intolerant" you mean why do they speak up when the religious insert their beliefs into public functions, consider what would happen if a Satanist were to give the grace at a PTA supper. You would then see intolerance. Perhaps atheists only seem intolerant to those who are, themselves, intolerant. Their calm unwillingness to be 'converted' may sometimes seem intolerant.

Answer

Atheists seem intolerant because of the societal taboo of saying anything against religion. Any argument made against religion is usually seen as a personal attack because the believes are held "sacred" by that person.

People don't like being told they're wrong, especially about something like religion, so if an atheist makes an argument that Genesis did not really happen, the person is likely to take it as a person insult, rather than a simple statement of proof against what a book that's 2000+ years old says.

Richard Dawkins put it perfectly during the Q&A after a talk at Randolph-Macon Women's College in Virginia. A student from the closeby Liberty University (that is the Jerry Falwell founded university) said in preface to his question "I've never been so awed and insulted at the same time..." to which Dawkin's response started with, "I don't know why you should feel insulted. I didn't insult you. I insulted god."

I guess its the equivalent of the "your mama" joke, but it's a "your diety" joke... "Your deity is so intolerant that if a person has relations with an animal he doesn't just say to kill the person. He says the unfortunate beast must be killed as well!"

See? I bet someone's going to erase my answer now because they'll find that joke personally insulted even though it is not directed at anyone, nor is it anything untrue. (The Bible really says that about human/animal relations... those poor animals.)

Answer

Atheists are quite intolerant. There is always a sense of superiority when they pretend they know the answers. Yes, people of faith can have an attitude as well. But there is a lot of mocking that goes on by many atheists. I have a number of friends that seem to constantly have to have Christianity mocking status messages on their Facebook. To take it out of a faith type comparison for a moment, think of it this way. Most people aren't vegetarians yet probably have a vegetarian friend. But of these meat eaters, how many go out of their way to belittle the beliefs of the vegetarians? How many put up status messages in hopes of putting down vegetarians? It simply doesn't happen. Christians do post things such as inspirational passages. I can't say that isn't done. They may even go as far as asking non believers to just take a look into the Bible sometime or to go to a service. But I just don't see anything mocking or attempts to belittle. That seems to be something that only atheists do. It just screams of insecurity.

Answer

While some atheists are intolerant, an unbiased study of the history of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam will reveal that these three religions are more so intolerant themselves. Jewish, Christian, and Islamic history is replete with persecution, murder, genocide, and ethnocide of non-believers. I would recommend a reading of Michel Onfray's book, "Atheist Manifesto".

Answer 2

You have probably met lots of nice atheists in your daily life without even realizing it. According to studies, something like 15% of all people in the world are non-religiouswith around 2.5% identifying as expressly atheist. 2.5% seems like a low number, but that is likely skewed because non-believers still face discrimination and even open persecution in many parts of the world, even in secular western countries. If you are in a western country, the real percentage of non-believers is probably somewhere between 5 (US) to over 30 percent (most of Europe). That is between one in every threeand one in every twenty people!

It's not like you can look at anyone and tell they're an atheist. Since they don't believe in or worship any gods, atheists don't have any sacred symbols that they identify with like the cross or the star of david. Most atheists also don't bother telling others about their non-belief unless they're asked to, in part because of the afore mentioned risk of discrimination, but usually because they don't see any importance at all in it. Finally, there are some more vocal atheists, particularly on the internet that might come across as rude at first glance. However if you look at what they say, you'll find that it's often in response to something a believer said, and that what the atheists usually do is point out misconceptions, factual errors or logical fallacies in the believer's statements, sometimes very bluntly so if the believer refuses to acknowledge it and/or it's one that has been heard -and refuted- countless times before.

Answer:

Lets look to science. Two studies highlight disagreeableness among atheists. Vassilis Saroglou in his paper Religion and the five factors of personality, states the religiosity correlated mainly with Agreeableness and Conscientiousness.

There is evidence that we were born to be religious: Religion reduces stress:

Believers are better protected from stress:

Believers Better Protected From Depression Than Atheists, Study Says

Studies reveal that children of atheist parents are more likely to experience depression than Christians and people of faith are happier living in largely religious countries.

Answer:

To identify all members of any identifiable group (Christians, atheists, Cubans, Democrats, knitters, plumbers, teens, Eskimos, etc) as having a common characteristic (short, bald, brilliant, left-handed, polyglots, etc.) is not a reasonable argument. In the case of being disagreeable this is right in one sense, they do disagree with the theists point of view that there are invisible people in the sky that influence our lives. In the sense that atheist are disagreeable in the sense of being unpleasant, this position would be difficult to prove. Many people who are atheists are essentially "closet" atheists due to social pressures form society and pass unnoticed. Flamboyant atheist who flaunt their positions for publicity and shock value are as hard to take as flamboyant Christians who rant on everything from HPV vaccination to same sex marriage. Many atheists see some Christians to be disagreeable with their insistence on prayers at secular evens, door to door evangelization, protests against social health services, "God Bless You"s and such.

Many of the atheist stereotypes presented to the public are aimed at making them recognizable as atheists and pander to the Christian viewpoint that atheists are in some way "broken". Using the forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan of the TV show "Bones" as an example, she is a highly intelligent, educated woman, renowned author, rich, independent, good looking, with many friends who saves the day in almost every episode. However she is an atheist and is forever shown as bing sad because he life lacks "something", she feels she lacks "purpose" and is forever being lectured to by the FBI agent (a devout Christian) on how wrong she is.

No peer reviewed study has ever shown much difference between the lives of atheists and theist populations

Answer 3

Perhaps atheists only seem intolerant to those who are, themselves, intolerant. Their calm unwillingness to be 'converted' may sometimes seem intolerant.