The Barna Group found that atheists and agnostics in America were more likely, than theists in America, to look upon the following behaviors as morally acceptable: obscene language; illegal drug use; excessive drinking; sexual relationships outside of marriage; abortion; cohabitating with someone of opposite sex outside of marriage; gambling; pornography and obscene sexual behavior; and engaging in homosexuality/bisexuality.[2]
Furthermore, the University of Illinois psychologist Ryan Ritter published a study in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science which showed among other things that atheists used profanity significantly more than Christians do on Twitter and that Christians had happier dispositions on Twitter.[3]
Swearing is negatively correlated with conscientiousness, agreeableness and religiosity.[4]
See also:
Many individuals engage in profanity due to having a poor control of their emotions (anger, bitterness, hatred, etc.). See: Atheism and emotional intelligence and Atheism and anger and Atheism and hatred of God
In the journal article Religion, self-regulation, and self-control: Associations, explanations, and implications, psychologists McCullough and Willoughby theorize that many of the positive links of religiousness with health and social behavior may be caused by religion's beneficial influences on self-control/self-regulation.[5][6] Furthermore, a 2012 Queen's University study published in Psychological Science found that religion replenishes self-control.[7][8] Also, numerous studies indicate that those who engage in regular spiritual practices have lower mortality rates.[9][10] See also: Atheism and hedonism
See also: Atheism and intelligence and Atheism and the theory of multiple intelligences and Atheism and education
It is commonly thought that some individuals who commonly use profanity have limited vocabularies and imaginations.[11][12]
In the United States, due to more women and southerners attending college/universities, atheism is now negatively correlated with education. See also: Atheism and education and Atheism and women
A National Public Radio's review of Penn Jillette's book God, No! Signs You May Already Be an Atheist and Other Magical Tales declared:
“ | The problem with the book is that that same vibrancy, that same exuberance, eventually becomes performative and exhausting. Jillette's adoration of profanity is shared by plenty of great writers, and I absolutely believe in a "well-tempered *#@!-word,"... But there are places in this particular book where it feels showy and assaultive, as if the millionth *#@! will make a duck drop from the ceiling. As much as I enjoy profanity wielded for proper effect, that's how much I don't like it slathered on just to add a gratuitous sense of rebellion, just to rile up the kind of people you want to dislike your book.[1] | ” |
See also: Internet atheism and Richard Dawkins' battle with online fans
In February 2010, the news organization The Telegraph reported that the agnostic and New Atheist Richard Dawkins was "embroiled in a bitter online battle over plans to rid his popular internet forum for atheists of foul language, insults and 'frivolous gossip'."[13] Richard Dawkins has a reputation for being abrasive so the behavior of his fans is not entirely surprising.
Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry wrote about atheism and profanity:
“ | Not to long ago, I was in an atheist chat room for about half an hour where I was repeatedly insulted, told that I was stupid, that I couldn't think properly, mocked, cussed at, etc. It was the usual fare from the atheists. I remained calm and eventually asked the question, "Why do you atheists hate God?" I knew the question would get an interesting response. It did. Foul language, insults, lies, misrepresentations, hatred, condemnation, and more. But woven throughout the numerous insults was the most common answer: "We don't hate what does not exist!"
I replied by asking how they knew that God did not exist. I told them that if they could not give me some rational reason for denying his existence, then their position is held by faith.[14] |
” |
See also: Atheism is a religion and Rebuttals to atheist arguments and Atheism and irrationality and Atheist hypocrisy
Howard Stern is a radio host. He is also an atheist.[15]
Between the years of 1990 and 2004, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) fined owners of radio station licensees that carried The Howard Stern Show a total of $2.5 million for radio content it deemed to be indecent.[16]
See also: Atheism and obesity
The atheist/agnostic George R.R. Martin is overweight. In 2014, The Guardian reported that George Martin became angry about some of his fans speculating about his health and the time of his future death. The fans were concerned that he will not finish his lengthy fantasy series before he dies.[18] In response, in 2014 Martin published a picture in The Guardian which featured him giving those fans a profane gesture using his middle finger.[18]
George Carlin was a comedian. Carlin was an atheist.[19] In 1972, Carlin performed a monologue entitled "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television".
PZ Myers is a militant atheist.[20] His language is extremely militant at times, and laced with expletives.[21] In a diatribe in which he described those who believe in the Bible as "lunatics" and "bigots," Myers said; "I say, screw the polite words and careful rhetoric. It's time for scientists to break out the steel-toed boots and brass knuckles, and get out there and hammer on the lunatics and idiots."[22]
See also: Atheist hypocrisy and Elevatorgate
Ophelia Benson is an American atheist, feminist, author, editor and blogger. She is known for using the word f*#@wit and she claims the word is not a vulgar word.[23][24] Despite commonly using this vulgar epithet, she published a joint statement with the agnostic and New Atheist Richard Dawkins indicating that atheists should behave in a civil manner in disagreements with each other and not engage in uncivil behavior such as the use of vulgar epithets.[23] See also: Atheist hypocrisy
American society and other societies in the world see the use of profanity by women to be particularly unmannerly. Woman who engage in profanity are commonly deemed to be vulgar/uncouth individuals and this is especially the case in religious areas of the world. For example, in 2014, a mother in South Carolina who swore in front of her children in public was arrested for disorderly conduct.[25]
Amanda Marie Marcotte is an atheist, American blogger who writes on feminism, politics and atheism/religion.
Time magazine described Marcotte's blogging as "provocative and profanity-laced."[26]
Marcotte has spoken at Skepticon, SXSWIII, Women In Secularism 2,[27] and SkepchickCON.[28] In addition, she is on the speakers bureau of the Secular Student Alliance.[29]
See also: Atheism and pornography
One of the causes of atheism is a hedonistic lifestyle. See: Atheism and hedonism.
The infamous pornographers Hugh Hefner and Larry Flynt are both atheists.[30]
In 2003, Arena magazine magazine listed Flynt as #1 on the "50 Powerful People in Porn" list.[31] Flynt is paralyzed from the waist down due to injuries sustained from a 1978 assassination attempt by the serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin.[32]
See also: Atheism and women
In 2006, Psychology Today found that 55 percent of males and 45 percent of females were reported to swear in public.[35]
In November 2010, Discover Magazine published survey results published by the World Values Survey which showed significant differences between the percentage of men and women who are atheists for various countries.[36]
A 2009 article in LiveScience.com entitled Women More Religious Than Men reported: "A new analysis of survey data finds women pray more often then men, are more likely to believe in God, and are more religious than men in a variety of other ways...The latest findings, released Friday, are no surprise, only confirming what other studies have found for decades.[37] In 2007, the Pew Research Center found that American women were more religious than American men.[38]
In June of 2010, the atheist PZ Myers commented that atheist meetings tend to be significantly more attended by males.[39] In October of 2012, the atheist Susan Jacoby wrote in The Humanist concerning atheist meetings: "When I speak before non-college audiences — that is, audiences in which no one is required to be there to get credit for a college course — 75 percent of the people in the seats are men."[40]
In an August 21, 2013 blog post entitled Civility, Negativity, and Atheism-as-Identity the Christian blog A well Spent Journey wrote:
“ | Lately, this blog has been receiving a huge number of scornful, obscene, profanity-laden comments from anonymous atheists. I’ve been deleting the bulk of them without explanation. I toyed with the idea of writing an official comment policy (no swearing, hate speech, personal threats, saying mean things about my mother, etc.)...
There was a time when this would have gotten under my skin (and probably drawn me into some of my infamously long debates in the comment threads). I also realize that I bring some of this upon myself by uttering occasional blasphemies against The Wise Atheistic Consensus Of The Internet and Modern ScienceTM. But on a serious note, I feel a tremendous amount of compassion for these anonymous individuals. In my experience, this kind of rage often has a personal back-story.[41] |
” |
See also:
See also: Atheist bullying and Atheism and sadism and Militant atheism
In a September 24, 2014 blog post the Christian blog A Well Spent Journey posted a blog post entitled In the Words of Leo Tolstoy which declared:
“ | NOTICE: We’ve had a problem lately with slanderous and abusive comments. The site admins have decided to disable all comments for the foreseeable future.
_____ “No longer able to believe in the Church religion, whose falsehood they had detected, and incapable of accepting true Christian teaching, which denounced their whole manner of life, these rich and powerful people, stranded without any religious conception of life, involuntarily returned to that pagan view of things which places life’s meaning in personal enjoyment.” “Not only does the action of Governments not deter men from crimes; on the contrary, it increases crime by always disturbing and lowering the moral standard of society. Nor can this be otherwise, since always and everywhere a Government, by its very nature, must put in the place of the highest, eternal, religious law (not written in books but in the hearts of men, and binding on every one) its own unjust, man-made laws, the object of which is neither justice nor the common good of all but various considerations of home and foreign expediency.” “Condemn me if you choose — I do that myself, — but condemn me, and not the path which I am following, and which I point out to those who ask me where, in my opinion, the path is.” “The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him.”[42] |
” |
See also: Atheist bullying and Militant atheism
Atheists are well known for engaging in online bullying behavior (see: Atheist bullying).[43]
Atheist online bullying has contributed to atheists having a bad reputation among many members of the public (see: Views on atheists). For example, Dr. Sam Harris is one of the founders of the New Atheism movement. Sam Harris is quite aware of the stigma surrounding atheism and has even advocated that atheists no longer call themselves atheists.[44][45] In fact, Dr. Harris has said concerning the label of atheist, "It's right next to child molester as a designation.[44][45] See also: Atheism and social outcasts
Atheists have developed a reputation for immaturity and whining (see: Atheist whining and Atheism and immaturity).
One of the matters that atheists/evolutionists whine about is Christians/creationists moderating their YouTube/blog comments or turning off commenting on their YouTube videos or blogs, despite the fact that atheists have a penchant for engaging in profanity on the internet.
In addition, atheists are some of the most militant, unreasonable, illogical, uninformed and stubborn individuals on the internet. For example, the atheist Brendan O'Neill wrotein an August 14th, 2013 The Telegraph article entitled How atheists became the most colossally smug and annoying people on the planet wrote: "These days, barely a week passes without the emergence of yet more evidence that atheists are the most irritating people on Earth."[46]
See also:
The Apostle Paul was one of the most educated men of his day and the Bible has many eloquent passages.[47][48]
Below are some verses from Pauline epistles encouraging Christians to be peaceable and to avoid using profanity:
"Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving." - Ephesians 5:4 ESV
"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." - Ephesians 4:29 ESV
"But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator." - Colossians 3:8-10 ESV
"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." - Colossians 4:6 ESV
"But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth." - Colossians 3:8 ESV
Atheism and aesthetics:
Categories: [Atheism] [Morality]