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[–]wbrycem 131 points132 points ago

You'd think, since we're in 2012, having learned about the discrimination and oppression of various groups and minorities, that we would take something from history and not oppress certain groups based on outdated principles and certain characteristics.

[–]Thornsy 111 points112 points ago

No, no, discriminating against the gays is different.

[–]Imcooleronreddit 54 points55 points ago

Waving around the collected works of a cult based upon a cosmic Jewish zombie further solidifies it.

[–]mrjderp 11 points12 points ago

Jesus spent all his time traveling and getting drunk with 12 other guys and a hooker, I'm beginning to think that the son himself tried a few things.

[–]redbeardo 7 points8 points ago

Read that as time-traveling. Must have got confused with The Doctor.

[–]mrjderp 2 points3 points ago

Motherofgod.jpg

Jesus was The Doctor.

[–]breaking_bark 0 points1 point ago

I have been thinking this for SO MANY YEARS. Never could bring myself to say it though.

[–]Imcooleronreddit 0 points1 point ago

What happens in Jerusalem, stays in Jerusalem.

[–]YummyMeatballs 7 points8 points ago

It is different. What's next, letting people marry dogs? After all, we gave women the vote and that lead inexorably to giving the vote to cattle, to toasters and to abstract concepts of the colour blue. It's madness! We can't let that happen to marriage.

[–]fanaticflyer 14 points15 points ago

It's what Jesus would do... right?

[–]Xolani 10 points11 points ago

Since he obviously felt strongly enough about it for it to get mentioned a whopping zero times in the gospels it's pretty clear to me that it's an exception to the whole love your neighbor as yourself thing.

[–]imperial87 3 points4 points ago

I think Paul made an off handed joke about in on of his letters so its more on point than 99% of the other oppressive things Christians believe.

[–]darksmiles22 1 point2 points ago

Ah, gotta love Paulianity.

[–]I_Think_Alot 2 points3 points ago

doscramintin agens thu geez difforan

~ Uncle Dolan

[–]cxj 2 points3 points ago

Exactly! They choose to be gay. Nobody chooses to be black!

[–]TruthinessHurts 0 points1 point ago

That's what the Republicans say.

[–]BusterJMungus 28 points29 points ago

When looking at the big picture, I just can't believe how closed minded these politicians can be. Same-sex couples are eventually going to get the rights they deserve, and then future generations are going to look back on these politicians the way we look back at the ones who opposed the abolishment of segregation.

[–]imperial87 8 points9 points ago

Its because they dont care. Its all about wining now. Fear and hate mongering sell. Reason and addressing problems confuse and annoy. Its in every politicians interest to pander to the lowest common denominator... which is usually look at those people that don't look like you, they are trying to oppress you.

[–]darksmiles22 2 points3 points ago

1) Politics evolves by means of natural selection. Short term survival > long term enlightened mutual interest.

2) I can't believe how short sighted the Republicans were in the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s. Didn't they realize that blacks were eventually going to become integrated and accepted into American society and we would look back on racism with horror and punish them? Didn't they realize this would lose them tons of votes? Oh wait, it was the Democrats who lost the South for a generation by advancing the cause of liberty.

[–]MananWho 1 point2 points ago

When placing blame, you should also be sure to include more than half the population that voted for these politicians. These people either support those politicians' discriminatory policies or are ignorant of them. Either way, the people who voted for them are equally at fault, if not moreso.

[–]imperial87 4 points5 points ago

agreed, but remember that to some extent we are all puppets, its not like we can pick whoever we want. we can only pick from the people they are selling us. and they have been selling these people since we were children by crafting our expectations.

[–]darksmiles22 1 point2 points ago

And what virtue is there in voting Republican? The GOP is the party of exploitation (median wages have stagnated for 40 years while the average worker's increases in productivity get funneled to the top 1% and 0.1% as corporate profit), oppression of women, gays, immigrants, Muslims foreign and domestic, and nonbelievers, and deliberate hamstringing of the government (the financial crisis of the late 2000s, BP oil spill, Katrina rescue disaster, opposition to green energy investment and scientific research that will make America strong for decades to come, and more).

The only reason to vote Republican anymore is because pastors tell their sheep to do it, advertisers tell media addicts to do it, and libertarian lies (trickle down will work this time you guys!), false hope (the FED will never end, and deregulating corporations will not lead them to behave more responsibly), and cruelty to the disadvantaged.

[–]LogicSays 2 points3 points ago

You do know you are EXACTLY the kind of person that you are preaching for people to not be, just on the other end of the spectrum.

[–]darksmiles22 1 point2 points ago

The average worker's productivity increased 80% over the past 30 years, but the average worker's real wages only increased 8% while the top 1% increased their after-tax take home income by 300%, and the top 0.1% increased the same by 400%. I don't want a communist worker state; I want shared sacrifice and shared gains - fairness. I guess that does make me the opposite of the "tax cuts for the rich" party.

I want equal rights for minorities; I guess that does make me the opposite of the ethnic tribalists of the GOP.

I want money out of politics; I think free speech means the right to have your view heard and to hear other's views, not the right to drown out the views of others with your cash-megaphone. I don't want to prevent conservatives and plutocrats from writing letters and speaking out on issues; I just don't want them to have a privileged right to do so that supercedes my own rights.

I want market competition to encourage efficiency and state regulation to prevent abuse of others through externalities of pollution, foisting risk onto the state, etc. I want a discussion about the right balance, not an ideological demand that every government program be defunded.

I want corporatization to encourage efficiency of scale with trust-busting to prevent monopolization of the market. Likewise I want unionization of labor to balance out the limited choice of workers compared to employers and the inherent disadvantage of bargaining position this puts labor in - but I also want to prevent unions monopolizing a workforce such that bad workers and bad pension schemes are not protected.

I want reasonable discussion, compromise, and progress. The GOP wants the opposite.

The GOP is on the wrong side of every issue of note. Please list one issue the Republican party is reasonable on. Just one.

[–]LogicSays 0 points1 point ago

I like your 3rd, 4th and 6th points for the most part. All I was saying is that as long as you and millions like you banter like this things won't change. You are perpetuating the cycle that you and people like you claim to hate with a passion.

[–]darksmiles22 0 points1 point ago

Ah, I'm sorry if I misunderstood your objection - what is your objection to my style? The boldness of my policy stances, the aggressiveness of my delivery, what? /honestlyconfused

And if I may, what do disagree with about the facts/positions in my other points?

[–]LogicSays 0 points1 point ago

Yes, I mostly just disagree with the veracity of your statements. When someone argues political points like that, I don't even hear their views anymore, just their unwavering alliance to "their" political party.

As far as your other points, I don't agree/disagree with any of them. I just see these as liberal talking points similar to the way conservatives view abortion and gay marriage. It's just more of the same liberal/conservative logic that we are all so tired of.

It's unfortunate that I am coming off as a political hipster here. I'm not trying to prove I'm better than anyone because I'm not red or blue, it's just unfortunate that it sounds like that. =\ You just can't win this game...

[–]redbeardo 0 points1 point ago

Please. If we could completely destroy the GOP in it's entirety (remove from office) and instill an actual conservative group intent on building free markets, the corporate loopholes would be shut down on most of the mega-corps. The democrats are terrible and disorganized, but they aren't as bad as the GOP with regards to economic policy. The two sides are not equivalent. It would be nice to remove them and replace with 4 or 5 parties instead.

[–]LogicSays 0 points1 point ago

Well I have to disagree, both extreme left and extreme right are at the same level of idiocy in my book. Neither cares about anything other than the forward progression of their own party, regardless of the logic and reasoning behind their own ideas and policies.

Of course 4 or 5 parties would be great, but then who would we direct all our animosity towards??? As a good liberal/conservative, I need a no good conservative/liberal to degrade and demean for our futures sake!

[–]laivindil 0 points1 point ago

Politicians don't care about what people will think of them when they are dead (most anyway). It's all about now.

[–]VentusInsulae 6 points7 points ago

A guy next to me just shouted "You damn Jew!" at someone.

Don't think we're quite there yet.

[–]Rmeder1 0 points1 point ago

Perhaps he was just quoting Eric Cartman?

[–]VentusInsulae 2 points3 points ago

He might've, but that doesn't make it okay.

[–]ANAL_FUNGUS 7 points8 points ago

Years from now, hopefully the whole discrimination against gays thing will be taught in history classes, right next to African Americans and racism, and people will think "wow, how could humans have been so narrow minded?"

[–]7-sidedDice 0 points1 point ago

ANAL_FUNGUS, I like the way you think.

[–]breaking_bark 0 points1 point ago

I think I made up a classroom where I was taught this as history because I think "wow, how are humans have been so narrow minded?" every day about discrimination.

[–]Venjamin 2 points3 points ago

Many people just don't follow social progress in their daily lives. Yesterday I ended up in the middle of nowhere Wisconsin at a bar for lunch. A few twenty something rednecks were going off about kill gays and illegals for a good 20 minutes before getting their food.

[–]Pwrong 2 points3 points ago

It doesn't stop with gay people. Even in gay-friendly communities there is a lot of transphobia. There's probably hated minorities in transgender spaces too.

[–]Magna_Sharta 1 point2 points ago

There always has to be a them for a civilization to stay together. At least that's what Freud said.

[–]uneditablepoly 1 point2 points ago

I think that, as the next generation slowly takes over 'control' of the country it will get a little better. The problem is that the big sectors that still discriminate heavily against homosexuals are teaching their children these things and, if it's in a community that supports this, it's hard to get through to them.

[–]nermid 64 points65 points ago

I feel the same way when I realize people on Fox News have said shit decrying womens' suffrage.

[–]erisdiscordia 34 points35 points ago

Oh. My. God. I'd never really read anything by Ann Coulter. Just read three or four quotes just now before fleeing.

How is she even allowed to breathe?

[–]nermid 25 points26 points ago

Terrifying, isn't she?

This woman has written books.

And people buy them.

[–]buncle 8 points9 points ago

"How to speak to a liberal. (If you must.)"

  • by Ann Coulter

Edit: I'm not joking!

[–]scRp1 0 points1 point ago

This might be a haiku but I can't count the syllables right now

[–]tomsaz 4 points5 points ago

She's just a troll IRL

[–]hat678 0 points1 point ago

trolling for dollars

[–]Leadpipe 4 points5 points ago

Ann Coulter is emblematic of one of the two biggest problems of Fox News opinion. Essentially, she's there to say provocative things in order to sell books. It's not about engaging in a discussion, or debating principles, but baiting people into raising her profile enough to sell books or ads or whatever else. This all wrapped in the costume of public discourse.

[–]SkeeverTail 9 points10 points ago

Well to be fair, the majority of television exists only to get people to sit and stare until the ad breaks and absorb the product plugs.

[–]learnebonics 0 points1 point ago

At least she's never had kids.

[–]Xapdos 6 points7 points ago

I'm getting a little fed up with hearing about, oh, civilian casualties. I think we ought to nuke North Korea right now just to give the rest of the world a warning.

ಠ_ಠ

[–]CFrangos 4 points5 points ago

Can we abort her?

[–]imperial87 2 points3 points ago

"I think [women] should be armed but should not vote ... women have no capacity to understand how money is earned. They have a lot of ideas on how to spend it ... it's always more money on education, more money on child care, more money on day care." People make billions of dollars a year selling this shit to us...I CANT LIVE ON THIS PLANET ANYMORE!

[–]Magzter 3 points4 points ago

I've never heard of Ann Coulter before, so I decided to watch a few videos on youtube of her speaking. I feel like I've died a little inside.

[–]Inamo 2 points3 points ago

The ethic of conservation is the explicit abnegation of man's dominion over the Earth. The lower species are here for our use. God said so: Go forth, be fruitful, multiply, and rape the planet — it's yours. That's our job: drilling, mining and stripping. Sweaters are the anti-Biblical view. Big gas-guzzling cars with phones and CD players and wet bars — that's the Biblical view. - "Oil Good; Democrats bad"

wat

[–]seabass341 1 point2 points ago

Holy shit, that page is a goldmine of stupidity.

[–]Spocktease 2 points3 points ago

[–]nermid 13 points14 points ago

Ignorance is one thing. Deliberately opposing equality is another.

[–]Spocktease 4 points5 points ago

Oh, you're saying that Fox News is in some way doing wrong? How dare you?

[–]Archangelus 7 points8 points ago

I'm here with a Fox News exclusive: Liberal extremists denounce free media, unbiased details to follow.

[–]Spocktease 2 points3 points ago

They're atheists, too! That means they love murdering.

[–]MSpainting 0 points1 point ago

This is a copy of a bit done on the man show.

[–]agent-99 0 points1 point ago

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

Yo dude, I think your GIF is broken.

[–]SuddenDeth 23 points24 points ago

I just get shocked everytime someone's sexuality comes up ... and suddenly everyone is a religious fuck that hates said girl/guy for being gay.

[–]womanisadangercat 34 points35 points ago

It always blows my mind how quickly people I thought were really very nice suddenly become hateful bigots when homosexuality is brought up.

I greatly dislike it. I don't like lowering my opinions of people.

[–]SuddenDeth 15 points16 points ago

I like the argument that it's a choice, well ... what the fuck is your problem if some people like their genitals more than the opposite sex?

"It's a sin!" It's a sin for christians, not for people that have nothing to do with christianity -.-

[–]Xolani 10 points11 points ago

Even if we assume it is a choice for the sake of argument for a moment here, it's a choice that is absolutely none of their business to interfere with.

[–]bardounfo 8 points9 points ago

that's my biggest problem with the "it's not a choice" argument -- as in, they're born this way, you shouldn't hate them for it

because, so what we're saying here, is that if it was somehow proved that it was 100% choice, then it'd be okay to hate them? what the fuck is that?

I mean, I get why the born-this-way argument takes hold, because it's a way to wedge open the tightly shut skulls of bigots, but on a fundamental, logical level, I don't like it. Born this way or completely chosen, someone's sexual orientation is NOT A GODDAMN PROBLEM.

[–]MeloJelo 2 points3 points ago

I agree that it doesn't matter whether it's a choice or a product of biology philosophically, but I do think that there is, in fact, a biological origin, and that fact holds weight in the argument against Christians who want to persecute gays for "sinning."

If they truly believe it's a choice, they can look at it like any other sin--meaning they can simply blame the sinner for being "bad." You gamble, you eat too much, you drink to much, you don't go to church? You choose to do all those bad things, so we can judge you for doing them.

However, hating people for characteristics they can't change doesn't fly so much in "modern" moderate Christianity. Women are no longer "inferior" just because they're women, non-whites are no longer inferior and meant to be slaves based on OT passages.

By emphasizing the fact that homosexuality is a product of biology, you take away at least some moderate Christians justification for disliking gays. It doesn't always work, especially when someone isn't just ignorant, but is also a die-hard bigot, but I think you stand a better chance than if you just let them spout BS in the name of "it doesn't really matter if it's a choice."

[–]Xolani 1 point2 points ago

The "born this way" argument doesn't really work anymore anyway since many Christians will just use arguments like "this is why you need to be born again."

The origin of sexual orientation should be irrelevant, it simply isn't their business to interfere with the private lives of others the same way it isn't anyone's business to interfere with their religious practices.

[–]SuddenDeth 0 points1 point ago

EXACTLY!

[–]i_706_i 2 points3 points ago

It blows my mind that you have experienced this. In school my friends made gay jokes as much as any other, but by the time school was over we grew out of it. Now I have several gay friends that are as nice as anyone I know.

I have never met anyone that has expressed hatred towards homosexuality and if I did I would become greatly angered by it. At worst I know a few older people that find the act distasteful but have nothing against the people themselves.

The fact that gay marriage isn't legal seems like a mystery to me. As outspoken as the hate groups are, it seems like 99% of people agree it should be legalised.

[–]hoodyhoodyhoo 5 points6 points ago

I think that depends on what area of the country you're from. Here in small-town NC people still have a pretty verbal hatred for gays. A gay marriage ban is on the 2012 ballot and I've seen far more facebook posts in support of the ban than against it.

[–]i_706_i 0 points1 point ago

I guess it does depend where you're from. I'm an Aussie and though a large percentage of people here consider themselves christians, not many of them take the bible very seriously. Most of them never even go to church.

[–]henrique_the_unicorn 1 point2 points ago

Even if you allow that 50% of people a Christian, and even if only half of them are biblical literalists, thats stil more than 1% of people.

[–]womanisadangercat 0 points1 point ago

It's generally older and religious folks of any age who spout hatred.

None of my actual friends in my age group have any real homophobia issues. Though to be fair one or two of them have said they'd prefer their child to not be gay and have acted funny when our sons have hugged and kissed but they're definitely down with the idea of equal rights for everyone. And they have no issues that I've seen with the gay people we know. So there's that.

The thing is, 99% of people you know and associate with agree it should be legalized. There are other groups of people who are sitting there thinking " I don't understand why gay marriage is legal. As outspoken as gay groups are, it seems like 99% of people are against gay marriage!"

Hell, I thought evolution was widely accepted by everyone I knew, especially the people I took Biology classes with, but turns out there's a not insignificant percentage of my peer group that completely deny the logic of evolution.

Oh, and gay marriage is legalized in my country. That's what makes it really mind blowing when people go off about it.

[–]GiantR 7 points8 points ago

What you MUST be religious if you don't like gay people... That is just offensive to homophobes everywhere and I WILL not tolerate it.

You sir a bigot.

[–]alundracloud 1 point2 points ago

Well played- that's advanced humour!

[–]SuddenDeth 0 points1 point ago

Nope, but so far I haven't met anyone that was against gays due to a reason other than religious beliefs XD

[–]EveryoneElseIsWrong 0 points1 point ago

jesus where do you live?

[–]SuddenDeth 0 points1 point ago

Middle East .. explains it doesn't it :P

I'm in Canada atm though

[–]bender_2982 1 point2 points ago

Stay in Canada. It's more conductive to reality. :)

[–]SuddenDeth 2 points3 points ago

I'm studying, hoping to immigrate here. I have more rights as a student here than as a worker back home -,-

[–]EveryoneElseIsWrong 0 points1 point ago

i'm in canada too! what province are you in? do you like it? i hope so!

[–]SuddenDeth 1 point2 points ago

BC.

Great! The people are just lovely!

[–][deleted] 6 points7 points ago

It's every year of my life so far (and arguably every moment of my life and development), in case you were still wondering. Like George Clooney says, you just get one life and it would be a shame to waste it. Welp, the world religion has created for me, has wasted mine. My biggest hope and dream is that future generations (people that are not me) have less of a bad time of it. My development years, youth, etc. are done, like dinner. No second chances.

[–]definitelymaybenope 4 points5 points ago

Jumanji was my shit.

[–]AsksWithQuestions 14 points15 points ago

I understand your feeling that the world should be past this by now, but homosexuality has never really fully been accepted by society, so this reaction makes it seem like you think we have traveled back to a time when homosexuality wasn't accepted when it clearly isn't today.

[–]seltsame 12 points13 points ago

I don´t think this is what he meant... more like "We´ve been fighting for equality for so long now and yet there is still so much BS around. Have they overslept the last 40 years? Don´t they know society overcame all this already? Or am I wrong? What year is it??"

[–]foreveracunt 8 points9 points ago

weren't the romans totally cool with it?

[–]rankao 5 points6 points ago

Only if you weren't the bitch. And of course women weren't people (to the romans) so there was nothing acceptable for them to be.

[–]Dochambers 0 points1 point ago

ah, Rome. Wonderful Place that was.

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]rankao 1 point2 points ago

It's an overexaggeration. There were higher up on the ladder than say a slave, but for the most part they had zero say over their lives. There was a tendency to give all of the women in the household the same name for example.

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]rankao 1 point2 points ago

I would say a fair degree worst. The head of the household could legally kill any member if he felt he should. It was part of Romans success. It gave the entire Empire a nice hierarchal structure from aristocracy (later emperor) down to the lowest slave.

AKA bitch cheats on you then you put her down instead of divorcing her. Although that didn't happen all of the time.

[–]whatevers_clever 5 points6 points ago

My dad still complains when he sees a white person with black people.

I just give him the old "are you you fucking kidding me?" face

[–]Ol_Lefteye 8 points9 points ago*

We've had a "lost decade" as far as social progress goes due to last-ditch backlash from regressives.

Do not forget that the US has only been a representative democracy for less than 50 years, when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. Not to mention the qualitative differences in women's liberation during a similar period (and we still need more social advancement.) Not to mention that non-heterosexuals are only beginning to be treated like sub-humans, as opposed to outright criminals.

50 years is a blink of an eye from a historical perspective. The "good ol' days" may see far gone but they are not. Do not forget this, and regressives will try to drive our society back to the early 1900's or before socially if they can. We must build on our momentum and push for true change (not just political, but social) to solidify the emerging freedom so many have fought for.

[–]auandi 1 point2 points ago*

We've had a "lost decade" as far as social progress goes due to last-ditch backlash from regressives.

I strongly disagree. Look back ten years to 2002, not a single state in the union allowed marriage equality and if you move back an extra 16 months there wasn't a single nation on earth that recognized same sex marriage. Now we have Iowa, basically the whole northeast, Washington State, Maryland, DC and is real damn close in New Jersey and California (where it actually was legal for a time) as well as full equality in ten other nations (which doesn't even begin to count civil unions etc). That same ten years has seen dramatic shifts in how average regular people view the issue. Social progress has moved dramatically towards better equality and by ignoring that you discount the hard work of many many people who put time, money and effort into making it happen. We are in a situation where within a few years not only will more states will allow equality but DOMA may be repealed forcing all states to recognize the legal rights of homosexual married couples just as the recognize the legal rights of heterosexual married couples. Beyond politics look at the cultural differences, you can't tell me that there is the same kind of ignorance and denial there was ten to fifteen years ago. We are socially progressing and haven't "lost" shit.

[–]polymathicManiac[S] 4 points5 points ago

OP Approves.

[–]WouldLick4ADollar 24 points25 points ago

Where does atheism fit into this?

[–]postguy2 1 point2 points ago

Every time a gay rights issue is posted here, I wonder how many people are going to come in to say "What does this have to do with atheism?"

Then I wonder why you're purposely pretending that anti-gay sentiment and religion have absolutely no correlation.

[–]Ol_Lefteye 10 points11 points ago

Atheism fits into larger social movements away from religious and patriarchal barbarism. Christianity is just patriarchy deified.

This is an excellent question to ask yourself though :)

[–]mrderpington 14 points15 points ago

Nah, you can be an atheist and still dislike homosexuals. There's nothing in the book that says you have to like this or you're not allowed to dislike that. In fact, there isn't even a book!

[–]MeloJelo 4 points5 points ago

You can also be an atheist who doesn't believe in evolution, or or that believes in fairies and astrology, or an atheist who thinks that religion and government should be intertwined because it makes for a more effective means to rule a population.

If we can't post anything that a small percentage of atheists might disagree with, we're going to be extremely lacking in content in r/atheism. We wouldn't be able to post about skepticism, science, religious extremism, religion being inserted into legislation and our daily lives, etc. The only thing appropriate to post, according to your argument, is that "there's no god."

[–]mrderpington 0 points1 point ago

Um, maybe. It seems that /r/atheism has gotten worse than /r/circlejerk on some things.

[–]bender_2982 11 points12 points ago

Yeah, but as far as discrimination that mostly (I said mostly, did you see it?) comes from the religious folks, I'd say it's relevant.

[–]Ol_Lefteye 0 points1 point ago

I didn't say anything of this. You're making a binary argument that doesn't exist.

[–]ffca 2 points3 points ago

Atheists can be anti-homosexual and theists can be pro-gay. This has nothing to do with "atheism".

[–]MeloJelo 2 points3 points ago

Atheists can also be non-skeptical and non-scientific. Shall we stop posting articles about skepticism and science because, even though atheists are more skeptical and scientific than the general population, there are some who aren't?

[–]sluggdiddy 0 points1 point ago

Atheists would be hard pressed to find a support ground amongst fellow atheists for their gay hatred through, that is the difference. And that is why atheists tend to be on the right side of this issue much more than theists.

[–]IsaacHolladay 0 points1 point ago

What possible reason could an atheist have for being anti-homosexual?

[–]seabass341 2 points3 points ago

The same reasons christians have, except the atheists have no dogma that they can use as an excuse to explain their bigotry.

[–]sluggdiddy 0 points1 point ago

Nor do they have massive support groups (really hate groups) within atheism which cater and encourage this view of hatred of gays.

[–]iheartbakon 3 points4 points ago

It doesn't.

[–]MananWho 1 point2 points ago

Are you suggesting that religion isn't the primary driver of discrimination against homosexuals? Now, I don't mean to imply that all (or even most) religious people are anti-homosexual, but it's clear that civil rights for homosexuals would be a lot better protected (at least legally) if it weren't for religious intervention.

Given that a forum about atheism is naturally going to consist of criticisms of religion (because there is very little about atheism itself to talk about), it makes perfect sense that this would be posted here.

[–]tedrick111 0 points1 point ago

Apparently you have to accept jesus christ as your personal saviour in order to be repulsed by someone advertising that they stick their hairy wang inside a hairy man ass.

Any self-respecting atheist would congratulate them.

[–]fanboy_killer 10 points11 points ago

"What year is it" is also something I say whenever I see something about homosexuality posted on r/aheism. Haven't you learned how to use reddit yet?

[–]bender_2982 7 points8 points ago

Are all the people around here making this comment brain dead? Seriously? Most discrimination against gays comes from people with religious viewpoints on the subject. While I'm sure there are exceptions, I will say this: I've never met an atheist who is a homophobe, and I've never met a homophobe who doesn't use the Bible as "evidence" at some point for their views.

[–]fanboy_killer 0 points1 point ago

Most discrimination against gays comes from people with religious viewpoints on the subject.

Source?

I've never met an atheist who is a homophobe, and I've never met a homophobe who doesn't use the Bible as "evidence" at some point for their views.

Oh, and because you're never met one it must mean every homophobe is a Bible nut, right? Mate, what if I tell you that I've NEVER met a homophobe using a bible to support it? And I'm being honest here, I've never seen such thing. We probably live in different parts of the planet and none of our views can be generalized.

That being said, I really don't see why r/atheism should be flooded wth posts about anything but atheism with homosexuality being one, at least to me.

[–]StChas77 0 points1 point ago

Yeah, right, because everyone on Reddit who says the word 'fag' believes in God.

I'm sure via the internet you've met plenty of atheist homophobes.

[–]Badluck1313 1 point2 points ago

I agree with John. After all, atheism is nothing more than a lack of belief, and thus lacks any sort of tenets. Why should atheists be assumed to be any more or less accepting of homosexuals than anyone else?

[–]MeloJelo 2 points3 points ago

Because statistically, atheists are much more likely to be accepting or at least tolerant of homosexuals than are other groups, particularly religious groups.

[–]sluggdiddy 0 points1 point ago

As mentioned here before, you won't find any shelter amongst atheists for your gay hating ways unlike other usually religious groups.

[–]sluggdiddy 0 points1 point ago

But who creates the environment where gay hating is the norm? The religious, who try to legislate their hatred of gays.. the religious...Who is at fault for sheltering these (even non-religious) gay haters... the religious. And why.. all in the name of religious tolerance.. With out religion.. the best you got is.. "I am personally disgusted by gays" .. with religion you get " I am personally disgusted by gays, and my religion says its wrong, now I must go force this onto everyone".

[–]StChas77 0 points1 point ago

But who creates the environment where gay hating is the norm? The religious...

I disagree. It's been a while since high school, but quite a few of the kids I knew didn't seem to need any help from religious institutions to pounce on someone different from their own self-created subculture bubble.

[–]sluggdiddy 0 points1 point ago

And you know what makes that not happen?

Decent parents who teach their children why they should not be dicks to other people and who impart empathy on their children. You have seen the laws some states have passed where they claim its ok to bully if you do so on religious grounds right...

I don't disagree that kids will always bully, but.. sexual orientation... is only an issue because the religious have made it one. Nothing about "love" implies different sexes. There is a difference between "you suck because you are gay " and " you are going to burn in hell for being gay forever so stop it or else I'll keep reminding you that (if you believe in hell) you are going to hell!"....

[–]Almondcoconuts -2 points-1 points ago

Atheists can be against gay marriage and theists can support gay marriage. I don't see where this fits in here.

[–]kbb5508 2 points3 points ago

Because there's no truly logical reason to dislike homosexuality, so people like to use religion as an excuse. It's hard for an atheist to be against homosexual because they have to provide a logical reason as to why they think it's wrong, and there's not much evidence for that. Most (notice I used the word most, not all) people who are against homosexuality are religious because religion is the best excuse for justifying bigotry.

[–]MeloJelo 0 points1 point ago

Atheists can believe in astrology and ghosts, yet we still post about skepticism. Atheists can reject evolution, but we still post about science. We should probably stop doing that, too. In fact, we should only ever make a post about there not being a god, because that is the only belief shared by every atheist.

[–]Almondcoconuts 1 point2 points ago

This times a billion

[–]anal_hoagie 1 point2 points ago

I have the same reaction when I visit my hometown.

[–]EveryoneElseIsWrong 1 point2 points ago

i feel like a chunk of the united states is living in a different century

[–]bender_2982 2 points3 points ago

Pro tip: It's mostly the South.

[–]SlimPikinZ 0 points1 point ago

Yeah, the South...

Like Santorum gets off while looking at a guy's hairy ass.

[–]afro_de_jacques 0 points1 point ago

It's not just the south, though. I'm pretty sure there are pockets (or broad strokes in some cases) of ignorance in a lot of places.

My guess is that anywhere more rural, or with greater physical distance between people, you will find a significant lag on cultural progress. Fewer people means less exposure to new ideas, and it also means that the ideological bonds they share are held to even tighter. New ideas, new people, and a new community are harder to come by.

There is an interesting video on ted.com about applying our understanding of evolution to ideologies and culture the same way we do to biology. I'm on my phone and leaving for work so I don't have the link to share... still awesome if you get a chance to find it.

[–]Officialguy 1 point2 points ago

2012

[–]polymathicManiac[S] 2 points3 points ago

Oh, okay. Thank you. That's all I needed to know.

[–]dcheesi 1 point2 points ago

That's how I feel when I hear about political arguments over contraception...

[–]sirry 1 point2 points ago

At least for me, coming out was not only not a problem, it was a lot of fun. Even my evangelical Christian roommate was supportive and nice. Basically, highly recommended, would tell people I bang dudes again.

[–]Smokratez 1 point2 points ago

What do you mean what year is it. There have been periods of time in history where being gay or having gay sex was more accepted then this day and age.

[–]TheEternalNeophyte 2 points3 points ago

If you listen carefully you can hear the whistling noise as the point OP was trying to make flies over Smokratez's head.

[–]Smokratez 1 point2 points ago

What part of my post makes you think that I missed the point?

[–]Jzohnocalypse 1 point2 points ago

That's exactly what I think when I hear it. And also racism and sexism. God dammit humans are stupid...

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

I'm sure you mean in the domains of western liberal democracies, and even then, only a few of them actually accept homosexuality. I don't think any of them actually embrace and include without prodding and legal threats.

[–]zachary87921 1 point2 points ago

It's 2012, the voice of homosexuals is getting louder, but other people only pretend to give a shit.

[–]omegaspin 1 point2 points ago

omg you're so advanced and progressive

[–]Minus1Kelvin 1 point2 points ago

It's a dying cause. They know they are losing, they just have to push for one more attempt. The social normalizing of homosexuality is going to be quite the bitter pill for many religious sects to deal with. But they will...or they'll go bankrupt...and sweet, sweet, tax free money always wins out in the end over any ideological issue.

[–]BigHairDay 1 point2 points ago

All good and fine but how does this relate to the absence of theology. "but Christians and other religions Are AGAINST homosexuality" yes true but this post is more tied to Anti-fundamentalism than atheism. If you're going to subtly bash religion on a page that advocates the non-existence of god, it seems counter productive. In my humble opinion, /r/ atheism has slowly turned into /r/ anti-religion, I hope everyone has a beautiful day.

EDIT: I'd love to hear anyone's opinion on this

[–]bostnboy3 1 point2 points ago

My thoughts exactly. It seems like r/atheism is being overrun by a bunch of kids wanting to rebel against all things church, rather than true science based thinkers who simply want to discuss how foolish believing in a personal god is.

Being atheist does not mean just disagreeing with everything religion says

[–]deathcapt 1 point2 points ago

I feel the same thing about racism.

[–]SimilarImage 4 points5 points ago

Age User Title Reddit Cmnt Points
6 months topshelf89 How I feel after an afternoon nap /r/pics 386 1930
4 months goosepoop Walking out of a dungeon in Skyrim /r/gaming 86 508
4 months attentionallshoppers Walking out of a movie theater /r/funny 60 725

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[–]iheartbakon 2 points3 points ago

How is this relevant to atheism?

[–]Imadoc91 3 points4 points ago

[–]koavf 4 points5 points ago

This is not about atheism.

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]PlaySwitzerland 1 point2 points ago

I live in oppression-infested Tennessee. Here, I weep for the LGBT Community.

[–]Rlysrh 1 point2 points ago

When I was in school (only about 4 years ago now) I was friends with quite a few people who were experimenting with their sexuality. All the girls who cared the most and said mean things the most actually turned out to be gay after we all left school. I always thought the "thou doth protest too much" thing was just something that was true sometimes, but my god, every single one of them was gay.

[–]ikancast 1 point2 points ago

Whenever I see talks about homosexuality in r/atheism

WHAT SUBREDDIT IS IT?

[–]scoofy 0 points1 point ago

The year is 'Texas C.E.' (Austinites need not apply)

[–]Gigglepie 0 points1 point ago

14.

[–]Dochambers 0 points1 point ago

simple. 1999. . . right?

I think I've been on Reddit long enough for now.

[–]Deracination 0 points1 point ago

You must not be from America.

[–]gaystraightguy 0 points1 point ago

Same thing I think when I hear people make nigger jokes.

[–]dorisfrench 0 points1 point ago

Apparently the 1800's?

[–]maiku_ 0 points1 point ago

The rarely captured, Robin Williams' five o'clock shadow.

[–]bootnuts 0 points1 point ago

JUMANJI, JUMANJI!!!

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]SpiritHeretic 0 points1 point ago

During the last presidential election cycle I was absolutely shocked to see that racism is alive and well. Plenty of people declaring that they would not vote for Obama specifically because he's black.

Yeah, I often think "nobody can be that stupid", but then I'm proven wrong...

[–]munchybutt 0 points1 point ago

But when it's against women, it's a joke.

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]suriname0 1 point2 points ago

Yeah totally dude, we should expect oppressed people to accommodate that oppression by moving away, or staying silent, or controlling their lifestyle, or whatever.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

Read reddit. All this racism and homophobia is more common around here than you think.

[–]wholetyouinhere 0 points1 point ago

If this is how we feel, and we all agree, then can we not stand against the casual use of the word "fag"?

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

I happen to like a smoke now and then, so no.

[–]spock_block 0 points1 point ago

Why it's 2012 year of the Lord

[–]williaw 0 points1 point ago

um... jumanji?

[–]logifal 0 points1 point ago

Most of you will probably still discriminate paedophiles who never touched a child. So, yeah, don't act like you guys are on a high horse here.

[–]MeloJelo 1 point2 points ago

Define "discriminate" against.

I personally wouldn't discriminate against such a person (as I understand it). I probably wouldn't let the person hang around kids alone, if that counts as discrimination . . .

Thanks for dismissing an entire community without any statistical evidence, though.

[–]GroovyTrout -5 points-4 points ago

Even though I am not against gay rights, this subreddit is for topics on atheism. This topic isn't related to atheism in any way, shape or form. Just because we don't follow a book that tells us it is wrong doesn't mean the topics are related. Not trying to be rude, just staying a fact.

[–]Kinbensha 12 points13 points ago

This subreddit also serves as a place to discuss discrimination that comes about as a result of religious influence. Everyone here understands that. You need to get over it. We can't just talk about Atheism all day.

"So, you still don't believe in gods?" "Nope. How about you?" "Nope..."

Belief in equal rights for homosexuals is a belief that many (I would say almost all) r/atheism redditors share. It's a part of our culture.

[–]bender_2982 5 points6 points ago

^ One of the best responses to this issue so far.

[–]AML86 9 points10 points ago

I've seen this discussed on both subreddits numerous times. Bottom line is that gays feel safer talking to atheists about being gay, than they are talking to other gays about atheism.

[–]Ol_Lefteye 14 points15 points ago

Atheism is heavily tied to secular humanism. This is a good thing.

[–]bigcitycrows 2 points3 points ago

LGBT* and atheists, in general, share common oppressors in the form of religion pretty much any direction you could shake a godless dick at.

The most common attempted justification of homophobia in America comes from religion. Atheists tend to lack that and be more open to gay people- especially when it comes to "seriously you're good" rather than "I'll be fine with the sinner, but I still hate the sin" BS- and LGBT* persons, under discrimination from major religious-political groups, understandably flee from them or become disenchanted as a result.

[–]GroovyTrout 2 points3 points ago

I understand that we atheists are a lot more accepting of their community, but what I was saying was that /r/atheism is not the place to discuss that particular topic. As a subreddit, a post here should be about atheism, and not really something that can be tied to it just because we are generally more accepting of it. I could be wrong, and I'm not arguing with you all.

[–]skeptix -4 points-3 points ago

This isn't a realistic or appropriate reaction. The oppression of the LGBT community is still a massive issue. Just because you've moved on, doesn't mean the world has. You should recognize that so you know what you're up against.

[–]RobertVargas 22 points23 points ago

I agree. Growing a large beard and yelling 'WHAT YEAR IS IT' is not an appropriate reaction to the oppression of the LGBT community. Overgrown facial hair will not in any way facilitate social change, no matter how bushy the beards are.

[–]four24ever 10 points11 points ago

it's just meant to be a humorous post.

[–]Smashist 1 point2 points ago

I can't breathe

[–][deleted] 5 points6 points ago

Not the point of the submission, and even then it's really only America (1st-world country wise) where it's a huge, controversial topic.

[–]Andy284 0 points1 point ago

You think that is bad? Everyone seems to be forgetting women are people these days.

[–]silverwolf761 2 points3 points ago

Let's not turn this into a game of "How can you be pissed about X when Y is also being pushed around?".

[–]g4merguy 0 points1 point ago

sorry not matter what year it is being gay wont get any less gross/less aids

[–]kweezi -1 points0 points ago

wrong subreddit bro