I notice that when an atheist enters a Christian chat room or if an atheist saw a Christian enter an atheist’s forum, all hell breaks loose and feathers fly. I never really see arguments against the theistic belief, just insult thrown to each other. Well, it is quite entertaining sometimes, yet it’s really counter-productive. Even here in Manila, most of those who profess to be atheists are enjoying themselves affronting Christians about their god belief. I don’t see this as a debate; I see it as plain rudeness.

I conclude there are those who call themselves as “atheist” are not really atheists. These people thought that atheism is a privilege to insult God and the God-fearing Christians. Atheism is not that low.  But I can’t even label these gooks as anti-theists. Hmmmm…is there really a difference between the two?

Just like the word non-theistic, anti-theistic also doesn’t necessary mean atheistic. A Non-Theist is a person who doesn’t believe in the theistic definition of a god.

Sounds complicated? Well…not exactly. You see men defines god differently, and so not all definition of a god is under a theistic sense. A theistic god or classical theism as it is also know, believe in a god as a being, very anthropomorphic and has all the omni-powers in the universe. This god is supposed to have a say to all human morality.

Non-theistic god beliefs are those who use the word “god” as a metaphor. Maybe they just can’t think of a better word? I sometimes wonder how you can believe in a god without all those omni things clinging on it. What’s the satisfaction on worshipping something like…let say the Universe or Nature? Maybe these gods are not really into worshipping. I don’t know.

Well back to anti-theism. Most dimwits call atheists as god haters (thanks to these numbskulls who say an atheist is a god hater). How can you hate something that doesn’t exist? Hmmm…maybe we should expand this a little. The best thing to say is “Some atheists are anti-theists but not all anti-theists are atheists.”

Atheism is different from anti-theism. Anti-theists rail against the idea of a certain god or gods. An anti-theist doesn’t disagree with all gods. He/She may criticize the idea of calling a certain god “A God”. You see, most anti-theists have read different “sacred books” (like the Bible for example) and compares them with other sacred literature. Some may find the god or gods written on some of these holy books as an offensive fiend not fit to be worshipped compare to other gods in other religious belief. For them, it’s just a waste of resources or even lives to offer to such a brute as describe by some holy books. For example, some anti-theist may say that the Judeo-Christian god is a cruel, vindictive, often jealous deity not fit of worship compare to a more passionate, loving Bhrama or Krishna.

But anti-theism is not plane hate. There are reasons for the extreme dislike on a certain god-hypothesis. Here in the Philippines, most atheists that I met have some degree of anti-theism in them in connection with the Christian or Islamic deity. But that doesn’t mean they believe in god and hate him (POOF! the idea that “there are no real atheist”). It’s not god, who they don’t like, but the idea and the organization that promotes the idea.

Now what does we can consider as plane hate? In most chat room that I entered, I notice some “non-believers” enter certain Christian chat rooms just to insult and make fun of the Christian belief. Frankly I don’t agree with this because it gives atheism a bad rap.

Anti-theism is really much like a protest. Like those rallies you see in Liwasang Bonifacio and Mendiola. Observe those rallies and you will notice that even if they’re trying to slur the government, well, they never forget to throw in the issues. You’ll never see a rally where they just hold a streamer that says “Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has a big nose!” or that a certain government official is bald.

Entering Christian chat rooms or forums just to fling rudeness are not a work of respected atheists, or anti-theists. Pejorative will never answer issues nor will it be a good way to open discussions. We are there to expose the delusion, and not to become delusional ourselves.

Pinoy Atheist