Why do people say, "There's no such thing as atheists"?

It's denial that stems from feeling threatened.

-edit-

Ahhhh, the foxhole quote. Well, sorry to disappoint them, but myself and my brother are both veterans and both atheists. We're certainly not the only ones.

Some people are so sure of their religious beliefs, they can't fathom that they might be wrong. I think it is kind of reassuring to them to think that there is no such thing as an atheist. I think they would not know what to do if they ever objectively studied their religion a bit, and found out that all or part of it was not correct. And the idea of other people doing that is threatening to them. It takes a brave person to question what they've always been taught. And even though it's natural that we may come to different conclusions, because God can't be proved or disproved, at least it's good for us to be objective about our beliefs.

'

The Original saying is

" There is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole"

(supposedly a quote from a WW ll army chaplain)

It should be self explanatory, but google if you need some help.

Not many people know how they will react faced with imminent death.

Strangely enough, this has become yet another P.C. battleground. Atheists are demanding the symbol of an atom on their military tombstones. A little ironic that they care, IMHO.

It's denial. They can't or won't imagine that a person can honestly consider the question of the existence of God and come to a negative conclusion, so they lie about us in order to make us make sense within their paradigm. It also reinforces their theology -- they have to believe that everyone knows, deep down, that God is real, so that if someone rejects the salvation they believe their God offers, it's the person's own fault. Otherwise, their just and loving God would be burning people in hellfire for eternity over an honest mistake, which is neither just nor loving. They claim that we "really" know that God exists so that they can blame us for our own damnation (which we also don't believe exists).

It is easy to understand when put in the context of business...

Religion is a business, Salvation is the product being sold, Converts are the suckers, ummm, I mean customers.

If Walmart was able to bad mouth Cost-co, was able to tell lies about their competition, Walmart would be running ads claiming Cost-co was the Devil's Outlet, or claiming Cost-co makes kid toys out of lead. They would do or say anything they could to keep Walmart customers from spending their money with the competition. But they can't there are laws in place to ensure they cannot.

Not so with the Business of Religion, they can lie about the competition all they want and they can demonize the competition as well, anything to keep those Salvation buyers buying salvation from a Christian church instead of a Muslim Mosque, or to keep their from abandoning faith entirely and saving themselves thousands of dollars over the years.

When you see christians claiming atheists do no exist or that atheists are evil people with no morals, they are not talking to atheists, that message is for any christians who dare to begin to think for themselves, those lies are meant to deceived their fellow christians who tend to enjoy remaining ignorant and letting others tell them how to worship.

Oh that's just an emotional response to sound arguments that refute the biblical God.

I've heard some crazy shiz from Atheists too though. "Atheism isn't a belief. It's a lack of belief"

Um...hello? A belief is a stance that has no evidential support. God's existence has not been confirmed or denied. Unless you prefer the always popular straw man of the biblical God. The position of his inexistence does not have evidential support. Atheism is a friggin' belief. Yes. Sorry, believers. Agnostics got one up on ya there.

~~ Panentheist

Some try to comfort themselves, some cannot imagine what is must be like, some are just in denial and are worried we are right but do not wish to deal with their niggling doubts.

Moses, I did believe, I stopped believing, no more belief, gone, zero belief.

Well, the first chapter of Romans does sort of imply that, but then again Psalm 14 implies the opposite. (I'm not quite sure how they resolve that contradiction.)

But perhaps they think that if they can argue that we really believe in God, it means they do not have to go to the trouble of trying to convince us that he exists.

I think some people are so convinced that a god exists that they can't imagine anyone disagreeing. They think there *has* to be some other reason why we're calling ourselves atheists because no one could *possibly* think there isn't a god (in their view, anyway).

What people?

I have been around many years and I can honestly say no one has ever said that to me or to anyone else while I have been present

Because of the following Bible passage:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Romans 1:18-23 ESV)