Why do you think there are so many autistics who are atheist?

[Rock Lobster]

I find that I cannot normally bring up anything religious in an autistic forum without being chastised for my faith as a Catholic Christian. Why are so many autistics hostile towards Christians?

 

[tree]

A couple reasons that come to my mind are:
Christianity or religious belief of any type is considered
illogical &
impossible to prove.

Thomas had doubts and he was there, but needed to be shown.

I can't speak for a mass of people.
Those are two prejudices I have noticed people hold
about religious faith, however.

An attempt toward answering the question posed in the title of this thread
would be that I think many people lack the ability to think big.
They complain about the concept of God or their concept of God, when in fact
it may be their thinking which is limiting the concept.

 

[Sportster]

@tree said it well, as that was going to be my response. Most Aspies that I know lean toward the tangible and logical, whereas Christianity (my faith) requires faith in word, thought, and deed. At this point I would delve into a sermon but that's not the point of this thread, so I will let my response stand as it is.

 

[WereBear]

In my case, my religious faith told me I was everything a woman was not supposed to be, and I lost all belief in anything so silly.

Most would regard me as spiritual, but this is strictly a personal calling.

 

[Momo]

I don't know why so many aspies are atheist, it might be a logic thing. I'm personally Buddhist (I know a super hippy). But I don't particularly mind if anyone is religious or not, I don't really feal the need to go around and hit people with prayer wheels.... actually, now I think about it, that does sound pretty entertaining.

 

[Manuheleku]

I don't know if we're hostile towards religion, I do think that we like to form our own opinions on what we want to believe or not believe. I personally believe that I am a spiritual person, but I don't know if I can swallow a 2000 year old religion that was modified several hundred years later to fit into an agenda. The message for the most part seems agreeable, the methods and the desire to control the population go against my beliefs.

 

[Sportster]

I don't know if we're hostile towards religion, I do think that we like to form our own opinions on what we want to believe or not believe. I personally believe that I am a spiritual person, but I don't know if I can swallow a 2000 year old religion that was modified several hundred years later to fit into an agenda. The message for the most part seems agreeable, the methods and the desire to control the population go against my beliefs.

That's why I'm involved in a house church, as those in our group grew tired of the "man-made meddling" that corrupted (modified, as you put it) our faith. I could share stories about my involvement in what was a cult, but this is not the place or time.

 

[WereBear]

Why are so many autistics hostile towards Christians?

In the US, where Visible Christians openly revel in their divisiveness, hatred of others, and determination to impose their religious rules on every single person in the nation... I don't think it's just autistics who feel that way.

 

[Sportster]

In the US, where Visible Christians openly revel in their divisiveness, hatred of others, and determination to impose their religious rules on every single person in the nation... I don't think it's just autistics who feel that way.

So true, which is yet another reason why I'm involved in a house church. I was Baptist for many years, but sadly the Baptist denomination alone has so many schisms. One group believes this, another believes that, and yet another believes the other two are going to Hell because they don't believe as they do.

Frankly, and this is just my opinion, but I believe that those who dislike religion actually have a problem with denominationalism. Their views and understanding have been skewed by the teachings of a certain sect. The purity of the fundamental religion is lost in the man-made nonsense. When one looks closely, there are actually just a small handful of true religions in the world. Everything else are denominations or some sort of off-shoots from those.

Take Judaism for instance. There are three types with off-shoots from those. It's no wonder "religion" gets such a bad wrap, because we try to promote love and peace but we can't get along with one another and have to form what we think is good for us.

 

[WereBear]

So true, which is yet another reason why I'm involved in a house church. I was Baptist for many years, but sadly the Baptist denomination alone has so many schisms. One group believes this, another believes that, and yet another believes the other two are going to Hell because they don't believe as they do.

Which is why I abandoned the concept of "religion" entirely. It makes so much more sense to "pursue spiritual goals" or "research philosophical topics" or whatever you want to call it. Once there are rules, there are penalties for breaking them, and all sorts of nonsense which only get in the way.

Then people get killed over meaningless points of doctrine. The religious wars in Europe were why the United States tried to establish real religious freedom.

And I believe in that.

 

[ezcare]

Why are so many autistics hostile towards Christians?

I have not noticed this and I am a Catholic who is also an Aspie.I can tell you that Aspies like to figure things out for themselves based on the evidence they have at hand. Telling an Aspie that he/she is going to hell just because he/she has not been able to reconcile the evidence presented for this position against the statements being made is demeaning and mean-spirited. So that may be what is driving the hostility.

 

[Kepler's Motion]

I find that I cannot normally bring up anything religious in an autistic forum without being chastised for my faith as a Catholic Christian. Why are so many autistics hostile towards Christians?

Hi Rock Lobster! (Love the name, hope its a Family Guy reference!)

So I thought I would give my two cents!.. don't really understand how giving two cents to someone symbolises a sharing of an opinion! But hey, that is another days discussion!

So as a few others have pointed out previously, I would say that we tend to be a sceptical bunch due to a need for things to be logical. Religion demands a vast amount of faith and that is something at least in my experience I just do not possess.

I would like to make it clear that I don't not know if there was a creator or not, no one does. The reason I refer to myself as an atheist and not an agnostic is that I do not believe that any of the formally recognised religions of the world (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, etc..) are correct. I believe them to be man made to the benefit of individuals. I don't want to go too deep into it here but a quick look into the Bible (Which I am using as an example as I grew up in a Christian nation) you can see that the traits assigned to God are not very God like, in fact they are very much human traits of pettiness and jealousy, things I would expect to be below a being capable of creating what we see before us today.

If there was a creator (which I highly doubt!) I would expect it to have occurred more inline with the 2012 movie Prometheus that anything in the ancient holy books of the Abrahamic religions!

Also, there once was a time were I would have been somewhat hostile to people of faith, but that time has long since passed and I have now adopted a more laissez faire approach to people of a religious disposition!

 

[WereBear]

I would have been somewhat hostile to people of faith

Like anyone, it's entirely proportional to how oppressive their views are. Believe what you like, but trying to force it on others will get me indignant.

 

[SchrodingersMeerkat]

Bullying from other so-called "Christians" as a young child and no one in an position of authority (like a pastor or church elder) doing nothing about it except telling me to ignore it.

 

[SchrodingersMeerkat]

The "humans are superior" attitude a lot of them seem to have. "You have to understand, God put them here for us to eat/experiment on/wear/kill/abuse." Excuse me? That kind of attitude actually MAKES me want to go atheist. Somehow I doubt God is really like that and that these people who say that are just stupid redneck hicks who are obsessed with yelling at gay people without even bothering to read said book they hold up when they yell at gay people. And everyone asks me why I hate "hicks" so much.

 

[Calibar]

Humans are superior to animals. We have achieved a lot more. But being superior does not give one the right to be cruel. I recently started eating some bivalves as they are not sentient. Otherwise I am vegan, have been for almost 10 years.

I am allergic to those who yell at gays too. People's personal choices should be respected. That said, I think exclusive homosexuality is a biological weakness and see no reason to glorify it. Without reproduction there is death. But whether one reproduces or not is a personal choice. I can still choose to reproduce if I wanted to even if gays do not. Everyone decides the fate of their own genes. What could possibly be gained by dictating the sexuality of others?

The "humans are superior" attitude a lot of them seem to have. "You have to understand, God put them here for us to eat/experiment on/wear/kill/abuse." Excuse me? That kind of attitude actually MAKES me want to go atheist. Somehow I doubt God is really like that and that these people who say that are just stupid redneck hicks who are obsessed with yelling at gay people without even bothering to read said book they hold up when they yell at gay people. And everyone asks me why I hate "hicks" so much.

 

[Sportster]

I have a strong dislike of Christianity. I do not want to make it personal though.

Christianity does not work. I will open a thread about this shortly to explain what I mean (was planning to before I read this thread). To give a preview, true Christianity stands for weakness and pacifism which leads to death without external intervention. Without extra-Christian intervention Christianity would have died long ago and we would have been free of it.

I am saddened by the fact that much of the world abandoned polytheism for monotheism. Although I believe that the theoretical basis of polytheism was factually just as flawed as monotheism, in practice it is orders of magnitude better. There is inherent tolerance in polytheism. There are many cults, all valid, and you are free to pick the god(s) you like the most while still respecting other gods and other cults. The scholarly achievements of the Greeks and the Romans were unmatched. This achievement became the defining characteristic of Western civilisation. In all this time the polytheistic citizens had utmost respect for such achievements. I have not read of a single instance where polytheistic believers attacked scholars or scholarship.

Furthermore, the heroes of polytheism were individuals of mighty personal achievement. They were the overmen. That is what everyone wanted to become.

Enter Christianity! Destroy all books and tear scholars to pieces. Reduce libraries from hundreds of thousands of volumes to hundreds of volumes of religious drivel. Put out the lights of civilisation for 1000 years. Achievement is a sin, weakness and stupidity is blessed. Destroy all personal pride and reduce man to the lowest slave. All are equal, why even try to improve. Appeal to the idiotic masses and destroy the good and superior so that the underachievers are not reminded of their inferiority. Completely abandon the mighty culture of your own forefathers, who proved the superiority of their culture/ideology by achievements of every kind and embrace an offshoot of Hebrew culture, who at this time were just another average group who had not achieved even a small fraction of what the Greeks and the Romans had. Hell, not even proper Judaism which is far superior to Christianity.

The moment the West started getting back its identity was the moment it questioned Christianity and started studying pre-Christian texts. Christianity is plague. It was in the way of progress at every step. Now it has mutated into something secular, with the same idiotic belief in equality, entitlement without achievement, glorification of mediocrity, servility, self-hatred, punishment of blasphemy against the new gods and destruction of personal pride. The same old monster with different packaging and it may destroy the West again.

If you wanted to know how I really feel that is it.

Your post has become personal. As a Christian, you have made a personal attack on me and my faith. Not once have I ever attacked or insulted anyone on this site for their faith or if they are atheist. This post did not actually address the original question, but rather seems to be your personal opinions on the Christian faith. Such rhetoric really doesn't fit in here.

 

[Calibar]

Not once did I mention anyone. I criticized an ideology. If you wish to view it as personal you are free to do so. I have no problems with attacking your faith, or any other ideology I dislike for that matter. Such rhetoric is perfectly in line with my ideal of freedom of expression, it may not be in line with your ideals. I prefer my own.

Your post has become personal. As a Christian, you have made a personal attack on me and my faith. Not once have I ever attacked or insulted anyone on this site for their faith or if they are atheist. This post did not actually address the original question, but rather seems to be your personal opinions on the Christian faith. Such rhetoric really doesn't fit in here.

 

[Sportster]

Not once did I mention anyone. I criticized an ideology. If you wish to view it as personal you are free to do so. I have no problems with attacking your faith, or any other ideology I dislike for that matter. Such rhetoric is perfectly in line with my ideal of freedom of expression, it may not be in line with your ideals. I prefer my own.

Appeal to the idiotic masses - Taken directly from your post. I'm not interested in debating this with you. You have a right to your views, but your hateful speech is offensive and unappreciated. I've also reported your post and will be placing you on "IGNORE."

 

[Calibar]

By all means. The masses who gave up Aristotle and Euclid for Jesus, tore Hypatia to pieces and freely entered the dark ages were idiotic. I have no plans of twisting the truth because some may find it offensive.

Appeal to the idiotic masses - Taken directly from your post. I'm not interested in debating this with you. You have a right to your views, but your hateful speech is offensive and unappreciated. I've also reported your post and will be placing you on "IGNORE."