Being atheist in the Bible Belt
January 2, 2017 at 8:39 am
(This post was last modified: January 2, 2017 at 8:45 am by MyelinSheath.)
I'm sure there are plenty of fellow Bible-Belters here who share my disdain for the staunchly religious component of this region of the world. I was raised southern baptist. My family was (and still is) a Christian family. I find it increasingly difficult to be myself around here nowadays. There is almost no conversation I can get into here that doesn't involve me going along with precepts I don't agree with in order keep the peace.
I'm pretty much open about my atheism whenever the question of belief is brought up. I'm sure that not everyone knows, but I try to be as unabashed as possible. I'll be damned if I'm going to make any bones about my true opinions. At the same time though, I don't volunteer the information, and try to stay away from religious discussion with devoutly religious bumpkins.
I try to share my opinions via tacit "innuendo" type facebook posts wherein I don't explicitly use the word "atheism" or talk about the existence of God, but I do talk about science, evolution, reason, evidence-based thinking, and logic. Whenever there is a post from someone that says "please pray for me/us", I always comment with something like "I'm thinking of you today".
I have started conversations with some of my more open friends. In these conversations, I usually let loose and speak with much more candor and honesty. I usually open up about what I really think.
The primary problem I have with religion, especially as it pertains to the Bible Belt, is that it fosters such ignorance. I see literally no path forward for the culture down here. The ignorance here is very prideful in nature, and is entirely self-sustaining. We cannot reach the point wherein evidence-based thinking dominates. These people are steeped in tradition, and value their traditions and hidebound beliefs much more than evidence or intellectual progress.
Does anyone else here have some things to say about being atheist in the Bible Belt? Please share!
I'm pretty much open about my atheism whenever the question of belief is brought up. I'm sure that not everyone knows, but I try to be as unabashed as possible. I'll be damned if I'm going to make any bones about my true opinions. At the same time though, I don't volunteer the information, and try to stay away from religious discussion with devoutly religious bumpkins.
I try to share my opinions via tacit "innuendo" type facebook posts wherein I don't explicitly use the word "atheism" or talk about the existence of God, but I do talk about science, evolution, reason, evidence-based thinking, and logic. Whenever there is a post from someone that says "please pray for me/us", I always comment with something like "I'm thinking of you today".
I have started conversations with some of my more open friends. In these conversations, I usually let loose and speak with much more candor and honesty. I usually open up about what I really think.
The primary problem I have with religion, especially as it pertains to the Bible Belt, is that it fosters such ignorance. I see literally no path forward for the culture down here. The ignorance here is very prideful in nature, and is entirely self-sustaining. We cannot reach the point wherein evidence-based thinking dominates. These people are steeped in tradition, and value their traditions and hidebound beliefs much more than evidence or intellectual progress.
Does anyone else here have some things to say about being atheist in the Bible Belt? Please share!
