Why is it so difficult to ask atheists questions about their beliefs (or lack of)?

I can't speak for everyone else, but I normally try to answer the question asked. I'm not sure why other atheists may not be answering your questions, but I'll answer them assuming I can understand them (not being rude, but sometimes people don't write clearly on here).

You are using the wrong paradigm for a discussion with an atheist. Being an Atheist is not about "believing" anything. It is about critical thinking, questioning, and exploring. The next time you get the urge to ask about a a belief, try asking an open ended question instead.

Instead of asking, "Do you believe in aliens?" You may want to ask, "What do you think of all

reports about alien sightings."

Instead of asking; "Do you believe that the Shroud of Turin is real." You will want to say, "What do you think of the arguments for and against the Shroud of Turin.

Your problem is that you are using a religious paradigm to talk to a non-religious person. Your question begs that they join you in your crazy thinking. We only need to believe things when we do not know things for sure.

Take a moment and look at your keyboard. Do you see the 'Y' and the 'U'? Now take your nose and smash it into the space between those letters as hard as you can.

Why didn't you do it?

Did you "believe" it was going to hurt?

Or did you know it was going to hurt?

Of course we know it is going to hurt. Belief never enters into the picture. I can state with 100% accuracy that any normal person under normal circumstances is going to feel a whole lot of pain if they smash their face into their computer keyboard. I know it for a fact. It is measurable, verifiable, operational, and consistently predictable.

What you have with most atheists, instead of belief, is a leap of logic. The assertion that 'God does not exist.," for example, is not an Atheist assertion. It is an anti-theist assertion. The Atheist only asserts that they have no belief in God. But many Atheists and even Agnostics lean towards 'anti-theism." (Myself included). I will tell you for a fact that your god does not exist. None of the millions of Gods that man has invented exist. The Church is a business. It makes false promises and cons people out of their money. The money is then used to expand the Church and any help they give to the poor or needy is only given when it benefits the church and as such is tokenism. The church will give a starving kid a bowl of rice while a million dollar camera crew is there to watch and record the exchange. Then another million dollars is spent on advertising and requests for donations so that the world knows how kind the church is. For the one bowl of rice and the cost of the camera crew and commercial time (never mind the editing, planning, transportation, and all the other costs) the Church receives donations of hundreds to thousands of times their initial investment. This is business. It is not about helping anyone.

An excellent example was Mother Theresa. She was absolutely Evil. Go look at Penn and Teller's Video. "Bullshit Mother Theresa."

Okay, I'm ranting. Nevertheless, this is where your problem lies. You need to get out of your religiously restrictive language and begin talking on a different level.

Good Luck!

Most Athiest's have previously been religious and have had a personal revelation that there is no god(s). This usually comes about by critical thinking and questioning their own core beliefs.

I would implore you do do the same. Not knowing something dose not constitute a belief - we just seek to defend the void of non-knowledge from being filled with backward-reasoned fairytales. If anyone ever gets proof for a god, there will be no more critical-thinking atheists.

When you are making assumptions about them, that is probably why you are being accused of ignorance, or that maybe you don't know what an atheist is even.

Most people are are atheists tend to enjoy discussing the matter, but if you are going to start pushing your beliefs on them or say they are going to hell or what not you are being rude and the conversation will be spoiled from there on.

Unless the question itself is worthy of derision and is obviously intended to troll the forum, I try to answer all questions in a sincere and helpful fashion. Feel free to post any questions you have, and I will attempt to answer them in a rational, reasoned way.

With all due respect, that's because most people [christians] who ask questions about atheism really aren't looking for answers at all. They're simply seeking validation for their own beliefs.

One might just as easily ask: Why is it so difficult to ask Christians questions about their beliefs?

1) It's not, most atheists LOVE debating.

2) You probably are being ignorant.

3) You probably don't understand what he is saying.

You mean in here ?? Depends on the time of day you TRY to ask.... A lot of times the *children* are out of school and bored... I guess they finished their home work ?? There are a few in here that I noticed WILL answer you , as best they can and with respect..... They are hard to catch though.. Can't remember what time of day they are on..... Tonight however ALL the children have come out to play..... go in peace.... God bless

because atheism isn't a blanket term like 'christian'

at it posits is a lack of belief in deities... other than that it's all wild cards...

may as well be asking hindus for their favorite colors...