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RE: How do you tell people you are an atheist
November 28, 2011 at 9:32 pm
(November 28, 2011 at 9:30 pm)belphegor Wrote: (November 28, 2011 at 9:22 pm)Minimalist Wrote: Quote:yeah, but the OP was asking for ways to answer the question without putting the christians in his life off.
Listen. It is NOT FUCKING POSSIBLE to tell one of these xtian assholes that you don't believe in their fairy tales without them being "put off."
If they are true believers they will go ape shit. i disagree. part of being an adult means you can share conflicting ideas with other adults and not go ape shit. i have plenty of religious people in my life that, while disagree with my stance, tolerate and respect my opinion and me as a person. i think the OP's goal is to get these people to tolerate his views without pissing them off.
Yeah but you can't stop some people going ape shit. It's the way it is. Pleased for you that you know lots of tolerant theists, that's fucking unusual.
You are currently experiencing a lucky and very brief window of awareness, sandwiched in between two periods of timeless and utter nothingness. So why not make the most of it, and stop wasting your life away trying to convince other people that there is something else? The reality is obvious.
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RE: How do you tell people you are an atheist
November 28, 2011 at 9:35 pm
i know a lot of tolerant people, regardless of religious stance. again, holding differing opinions and still being able to get along with someone is one of the marks of being an adult. it's important to being able to get along in the work place, public, and private social events.
could i get a drink and an ashtray?
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RE: How do you tell people you are an atheist
November 28, 2011 at 9:43 pm
(This post was last modified: November 28, 2011 at 9:44 pm by Norfolk And Chance.)
(November 28, 2011 at 9:35 pm)belphegor Wrote: i know a lot of tolerant people, regardless of religious stance. again, holding differing opinions and still being able to get along with someone is one of the marks of being an adult. it's important to being able to get along in the work place, public, and private social events.
Yes I get it, you don't need to repeat it over and over:- tolerance = the mark of an adult.
There are lots of intolerant people, that is the problem. If it weren't a problem, then nobody would be bothered about telling people they are atheist and worried about the reaction. Would they?
Nobody would be bothered about "coming out" as atheist. I mean "coming out" FFS, what is all that about?
"Hey Dad, there's something I need to tell you, maybe you'd better sit down..."
"What is it son? Please god tell me that you're just gay, and not an ATHEIST"
You are currently experiencing a lucky and very brief window of awareness, sandwiched in between two periods of timeless and utter nothingness. So why not make the most of it, and stop wasting your life away trying to convince other people that there is something else? The reality is obvious.
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RE: How do you tell people you are an atheist
November 28, 2011 at 9:49 pm
(November 28, 2011 at 9:43 pm)Norfolk And Chance Wrote: (November 28, 2011 at 9:35 pm)belphegor Wrote: i know a lot of tolerant people, regardless of religious stance. again, holding differing opinions and still being able to get along with someone is one of the marks of being an adult. it's important to being able to get along in the work place, public, and private social events.
Yes I get it, you don't need to repeat it over and over:- tolerance = the mark of an adult.
There are lots of intolerant people, that is the problem. If it weren't a problem, then nobody would be bothered about telling people they are atheist and worried about the reaction. Would they?
Nobody would be bothered about "coming out" as atheist. I mean "coming out" FFS, what is all that about?
"Hey Dad, there's something I need to tell you, maybe you'd better sit down..."
"What is it son? Please god tell me that you're just gay, and not an ATHEIST"
yeah, i recognize that there are religiously driven wars and a lot of people are intolerant. however, we live in a country in which we should be able to express our beliefs in a manner that can disarm a person, get them to recognize that you're a person too, and help them be okay with that. that's all this person is looking for. as i've said, it takes a lot of skill and charisma, but i don't think it CAN'T be done. we've come too far for that.
could i get a drink and an ashtray?
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RE: How do you tell people you are an atheist
November 28, 2011 at 9:54 pm
Quote:i disagree. part of being an adult means you can share conflicting ideas with other adults and not go ape shit.
They do not regard "acting like an adult" as something to emulate. They believe in fairy tales and willingly denigrate anyone who does not. YOu can set up all the strawman arguments you like but a true, batshit crazy fundie is not going to take kindly being told that one does not accept those fairy tales.
We've had plenty of stories posted on this site about families which were shattered by such an announcement.
Look around in the intro threads. You'll find them.
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RE: How do you tell people you are an atheist
November 28, 2011 at 10:02 pm
(This post was last modified: November 28, 2011 at 10:02 pm by belphegor.)
when it comes to "coming out" with family, i can definitely see that as being more difficult. when i did, it wasn't much of an issue because i was harboring a lot of anger and resentment towards my family and the church. they were upset with the way i presented it, for sure, but it didn't matter to me. if that's what the OP is going through, i feel for him. i couldn't tell, though. it just appeared that he wanted to be able to answer the questions of his peers. he even mentioned that these christians in his life were good people.
i am not someone that tells christians that they believe in fairy tales in order to demean them. everyone has a right to their beliefs, and i'm not all knowing, so i cannot judge them. in my opinion, that kind of judgmental, write-you-off-immediately mentality is just as bad as an asshole fundie's.
could i get a drink and an ashtray?
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RE: How do you tell people you are an atheist
November 28, 2011 at 10:09 pm
(November 28, 2011 at 10:02 pm)belphegor Wrote: i am not someone that tells christians that they believe in fairy tales in order to demean them. everyone has a right to their beliefs, and i'm not all knowing, so i cannot judge them. in my opinion, that kind of judgmental, write-you-off-immediately mentality is just as bad as an asshole fundie's.
Belphegor Maturity + Tolerance Level = 10/10
Let's see where it is by Christmas. 
You are currently experiencing a lucky and very brief window of awareness, sandwiched in between two periods of timeless and utter nothingness. So why not make the most of it, and stop wasting your life away trying to convince other people that there is something else? The reality is obvious.
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Re: How do you tell people you are an atheist
November 28, 2011 at 11:00 pm
If I get fed up with closed mindedness, I'll just leave.
could i get a drink and an ashtray?
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RE: How do you tell people you are an atheist
November 28, 2011 at 11:40 pm
(November 28, 2011 at 10:02 pm)belphegor Wrote: i am not someone that tells christians that they believe in fairy tales in order to demean them. everyone has a right to their beliefs, and i'm not all knowing, so i cannot judge them. in my opinion, that kind of judgmental, write-you-off-immediately mentality is just as bad as an asshole fundie's. Being judgmental isn't really bad if it is based on evidence, that's why we have a justice system, because it is okay to label people as bad when there is a sufficient amount of evidence. Without this, we wouldn't be able to arrest people for doing bad things. Similarly, if a belief is based on nothing but faith, fallacies and falsehoods, then it is reasonable to call them irrational. It is also okay to call religions fairy tales, because they have equal amounts of evidence. I don't tell people that to their face unless they provoke me, but writing somebody off due an irrational belief is completely justified.
"Sisters, you know only the north; I have traveled in the south lands. There are churches there, believe me, that cut their children too, as the people of Bolvangar did--not in the same way, but just as horribly. They cut their sexual organs, yes, both boys and girls; they cut them with knives so that they shan't feel. That is what the Church does, and every church is the same: control, destroy, obliterate every good feeling. So if a war comes, and the Church is on one side of it, we must be on the other, no matter what strange allies we find ourselves bound to."
-Ruta Skadi, The Subtle Knife
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RE: How do you tell people you are an atheist
November 28, 2011 at 11:54 pm
(November 28, 2011 at 10:02 pm)belphegor Wrote: i am not someone that tells christians that they believe in fairy tales in order to demean them. everyone has a right to their beliefs, and i'm not all knowing, so i cannot judge them. in my opinion, that kind of judgmental, write-you-off-immediately mentality is just as bad as an asshole fundie's.
They've demeaned themselves through their optional belief in their singularly degrading fairy tale far more than my utmost power to add to subtract.
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