Things Atheists Need to Understand About Religious People

This is such a terrible misconception that desperately needs to be addressed! Some people out there seem to think that because kids are raised to be religious they are therefore brainwashed. I understand how atheists have come to that conclusion, but it's simply not true. The definition of brainwashed is 'to make (someone) adopt radically different beliefs by using systematic and often forcible pressure." From the outside it may appear that this is what's happening within religious groups but think about it. Are children that are raised by evolutionist atheists brainwashed because they they share the same beliefs as their parents? Of course not! Why is it any different for religious people? If you think that all religious people are brainwashed than according to your logic, everyone is brainwashed! Now don't get me wrong! There are many religious groups and cults that brainwash their followers. But is isn't fair to label all or even the majority of religious people as brainwashed, ...more - GrimmShady

Most atheist wont say that religious people are brainwashed, although technically it is true, we are brainwashed everyday by society and religion, the major question comes down to how thoroughly that brainwashing is and for most religions it isn't intensive, which is what your more focused on. When atheists talk about religious people being brainwashed most of that is focused on certain people like the women that wrote Gay Girl, Good God or that girl that got really popular on youtube Emma Mae Jenkins, most atheist aren't PositronWildhawk - germshep24

I completely respect your point of view on this, but the fact is that religion is almost entirely fueled by what one may term, in one way or another, brainwashing.

You've said it yourself, brainwashing is the forced indoctrination of beliefs upon others, and that is how religions make their business. If you look into almost any religion's history, you will see that they often tortured, murdered, raped and terrorised people who did not accept their religion. It says in the passages which they live their lives by to do these deplorable things in the name of their God, and that is one thing which makes organised religion so dangerous. The way that these people follow their passages has made its mark in society across history; it is because the Bible justifies slavery that America took so long to accept that slavery is immoral. The same thing holds for other things that the Bible states, such as homosexuality being punishable by death, which common sense tells us is not moral. Yet ...more - PositronWildhawk

Most of the stuff mentioned is Old Testament Law. Christians do not follow Old Testament Law unless it is repeated in the New Testament. - 2storm

As an athiest I can say absolutely none of use think religious people are brainwashed, but there are certainly plenty that are brainwashed, but a vast majority we would consider people that have found peace in the thought of a higher power - germshep24

Extraterrestrials. They told the original humans about this stuff so that we would all stay stupid and unaware. However, if we are all to drop religion and focus on science, technology, and space, then we would be able to contact the original aliens and find out the true meaning of existence; enlightenment! Isn’t that what you all have been wanting? So, technically they are brainwashed, in a way. Free yourselves from your shackles and face the truth!

This probably depends on which religion you are in and which religious community you're a part of. - EdGeinFan

Atheists have this idea that religious people want everyone to share their beliefs and will stop at nothing to make that a reality. This isn't true. The vast majority of us couldn't care less what you think. - GrimmShady

Now more than ever, religious people and atheists need to realize what they have in common and start working together instead of constantly fighting. Religious people and atheists are compatible. - GrimmShady

I mean absolutely no disrespect to conservatives with this addition. It's just that most religious people in the public eye are either terrorists or conservatives. You don't have to be conservative to be religious. - GrimmShady

Religious people view atheists the same way they view other religions. Just another worldview that differs from their own. - GrimmShady

A lot of religious people are terrible to gay people and I want everyone to know that is only one group of religious people, not all of us. - GrimmShady

Quite right. Jesus was probably one of the gayest people there ever was. I mean, he hung out with lepers. - IronSabbathPriest

Many religious people are firm believers in evolution. I personally do not believe in it, but evolution is not simply an atheistic belief. - GrimmShady

There are so many different beliefs even in the same religions that I get so tired when we are all grouped into the same group. Everyone reaches their own conclusions about life. - GrimmShady

It seems that because the majority of us rejected one scientific theory, people think we reject science as a whole, which isn't true. Science is the only way to explain the natural world, and very, very, very few people actually reject science. We simply rely on it less than atheists because we also believe in supernatural things. Science can only explain the natural parts of the universe. - GrimmShady

My science teacher on 5th grade is religeous so NOT all religeous people hate science - RoseCandyMusic

A lot of atheists think that they are just in general smarter than religious people, or that they are more scientific, and that is false. The vast majority of great scientists in history (Albert Einstein, Robert Boyle,Isaac Newton etc.) were religious. Simply because you deny God doesn't mean you are smart for arriving at that conclusion. - GrimmShady

Be careful.

Learnt about Wicca when I was 14.

Wicca and Buddhism is popular.
And no offense to any toptenners who are but Scientology is popular with some famous people.