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RE: Who do you tell you are atheist?
October 22, 2014 at 6:09 pm
(This post was last modified: October 22, 2014 at 6:10 pm by BrianSoddingBoru4.)
Same here, about people really not caring. A couple of examples:
1). Shortly after we moved here, a couple on our street (lovely people) invited us to a Sunday service with them. Ellen broke it to them gently but firmly that we're both atheists. The missus of the couple said, 'We, maybe we could all take in a film sometime. Atheists go to the cinema, right?' We all had a laugh, and they've become good friends of ours.
2). Everywhere I've ever travelled (and I've travelled a LOT), as soon as people find out I'm from Norn Iron, they almost always ask, 'Protestant or Catholic?'. In NZ, the usual reply is a pause and then, 'I've never been...is it nice there?'
That being said, I don't hide my atheism, but nor do I go about wearing a sandwich board proclaiming it. I tell people who ask, or people who have some reason to know (like the couple in example #1. If I sneeze and someone says, 'God bless you,' I say thank you and go on, I don't get in a row about it.
Life's far to short to pick a fight with every religious person around.
Boru
‘I can’t be having with this.’ - Esmeralda Weatherwax
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RE: Who do you tell you are atheist?
October 22, 2014 at 6:18 pm
Myself in the mirror :p
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RE: Who do you tell you are atheist?
October 22, 2014 at 8:04 pm
The prosletizers that come to the door I alsways tell them I'm a Secular Humanist. Supposedly that is worse.
I think most of the christers that stop by in this area don't have a clue about it.
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RE: Who do you tell you are atheist?
October 22, 2014 at 8:20 pm
My immediate family knows I'm an atheist. My parents, sister, her husband, and grandmother. My nieces don't know yet. I came out one time to my swim instructor during a conversation about something else, when she asked where I got the information I was talking about. I'm not one of those guys that would wear a Fiction T-shirt everywhere, though I do like them. There's also a neighbor of mine who knows, mainly because he isn't religious himself.
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RE: Who do you tell you are atheist?
October 22, 2014 at 9:28 pm
I'll tell anyone who wants to have a conversation about it, or says some irresponsible shit.
But I do not advertise, not at all.
My family and friends know, and anyone close to me knows.
"There remain four irreducible objections to religious faith: that it wholly misrepresents the origins of man and the cosmos, that because of this original error it manages to combine the maximum servility with the maximum of solipsism, that it is both the result and the cause of dangerous sexual repression, and that it is ultimately grounded on wish-thinking." ~Christopher Hitchens, god is not Great
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RE: Who do you tell you are atheist?
October 22, 2014 at 9:42 pm
(October 22, 2014 at 8:04 pm)vorlon13 Wrote: The prosletizers that come to the door I alsways tell them I'm a Secular Humanist. Supposedly that is worse.
I think most of the christers that stop by in this area don't have a clue about it.
I used to say I was an agnostic. I stopped because so many Christians at the door didn't know what I meant. Of course they often don't know what atheist means either. But they sure go away faster.
If there is a god, I want to believe that there is a god. If there is not a god, I want to believe that there is no god.
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RE: Who do you tell you are atheist?
October 22, 2014 at 9:55 pm
(This post was last modified: October 22, 2014 at 9:56 pm by Chad32.)
Some christians don't even know that muslims worship the same god that they do. They just don't believe Jesus was the son of god or god in Human form. From what I've heard, they don't believe a god would lower himself to something like that.
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RE: Who do you tell you are atheist?
October 22, 2014 at 10:18 pm
(This post was last modified: October 22, 2014 at 10:29 pm by dyresand.)
(October 22, 2014 at 4:08 pm)Sedna Wrote: Alright, hopefully this isn't already a topic somewhere. I couldn't find something recent about this, so I figure I'll make a topic.
I'm wondering who you guys decide you will tell you are atheist.
I remind my mom when she is harassing me and any friends/ acquaintances/ strangers I'll tell pretty openly. But recently I've been wondering about telling a significant other's family or your boss or something like that- where what they think of you could end up putting you at a "disadvantage".
For example, my current boyfriend's family is pretty religious (not like super crazy religious, but religious enough that I think my atheism could be bothersome). I'm worried at some point the topic will come up and I'm not sure how to respond. A part of me thinks it is best to stay on their good side and just lie, but the other part of me is sassy and doesn't give a fuck (and would frankly be a bit embarassed to be thought of as a Christian).
[I'm not looking for advice on what I should do, I'm just curious on who you guys are open to telling]
hire a mariachi band and i'm pretty sure they wont get mad due to the showmanship
Atheism is a non-prophet organization join today.
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RE: Who do you tell you are atheist?
October 22, 2014 at 10:24 pm
(This post was last modified: October 22, 2014 at 10:27 pm by AceBoogie.)
I will be honest with ANYONE that asks me. I'm sure there could be some exceptions to this rule, but I have not ran into a situation where it would put me at a disadvantage to say who I am. If anything if I were in a situation like that, while I would more than likely still say it, I may say something like 'I'm not into the whole god thing' or 'I'm not religious.' I will never lie and say I believe in god or say I am a Christian.
Having a naturalist worldview is a pretty big part of my identity, as it is my 'worldview' therefore it directly affects how I act and react in a lot of ways. With that being said, being an atheist is definitely PART of my identity, but most of the time, in most situations, god is simply a non-factor in my life. The existence of god, or lack thereof, affects my life about as much as the existence of the easter bunny, or lack thereof, does.
Also if I hear someone talking down on someone else, or me, because of god or lack of morals or someone telling someone or me that they're, or I'm, going to go to hell. Not only will they risk being made to look stupid but they will also very possibly find out I am an atheist. And at times I can be a very militant atheist if provoked by the wrong jesusfreak.
With that being said all of my family knows, for the most part. If they don't know it's simply because they haven't asked or the issue hasn't come up. All my good friends know and if they don't know, they haven't asked, etc. To me there is absolutely nothing wrong with being an atheist so I feel absolutely no shame in telling people my views. I'm not going to try to 'convert' someone to atheism, but I will share my opinions. It's part of who I am an if it bothers you so much to the point where you dislike me for it, you're probably an asshole anyway.
Also I love telling certain people I am a Satanist, mostly for shock value.
“Love is the only bow on Life’s dark cloud. It is the morning and the evening star. It shines upon the babe, and sheds its radiance on the quiet tomb. It is the mother of art, inspirer of poet, patriot and philosopher.
It is the air and light of every heart – builder of every home, kindler of every fire on every hearth. It was the first to dream of immortality. It fills the world with melody – for music is the voice of love.
Love is the magician, the enchanter, that changes worthless things to Joy, and makes royal kings and queens of common clay. It is the perfume of that wondrous flower, the heart, and without that sacred passion, that divine swoon, we are less than beasts; but with it, earth is heaven, and we are gods.” - Robert. G. Ingersoll
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RE: Who do you tell you are atheist?
October 22, 2014 at 10:31 pm
(This post was last modified: October 22, 2014 at 10:32 pm by dyresand.)
(October 22, 2014 at 10:24 pm)smithers Wrote: I will be honest with ANYONE that asks me. I'm sure there could be some exceptions to this rule, but I have not ran into a situation where it would put me at a disadvantage to say who I am. If anything if I were in a situation like that, while I would more than likely still say it, I may say something like 'I'm not into the whole god thing' or 'I'm not religious.' I will never lie and say I believe in god or say I am a Christian.
Having a naturalist worldview is a pretty big part of my identity, as it is my 'worldview' therefore it directly affects how I act and react in a lot of ways. With that being said, being an atheist is definitely PART of my identity, but most of the time, in most situations, god is simply a non-factor in my life. The existence of god, or lack thereof, affects my life about as much as the existence of the easter bunny, or lack thereof, does.
Also if I hear someone talking down on someone else, or me, because of god or lack of morals or someone telling someone or me that they're, or I'm, going to go to hell. Not only will they risk being made to look stupid but they will also very possibly find out I am an atheist. And at times I can be a very militant atheist if provoked by the wrong jesusfreak.
With that being said all of my family knows, for the most part. If they don't know it's simply because they haven't asked or the issue hasn't come up. All my good friends know and if they don't know, they haven't asked, etc. To me there is absolutely nothing wrong with being an atheist so I feel absolutely no shame in telling people my views. I'm not going to try to 'convert' someone to atheism, but I will share my opinions. It's part of who I am an if it bothers you so much to the point where you dislike me for it, you're probably an asshole anyway.
Also I love telling certain people I am a Satanist, mostly for shock value. i love messing with christians that ask me. since i live in the south its even better. one couple asked me and if i was religious and i said no i am an atheist and the power of satan and his wisdom compels me to do his bidding -insert evil laugh-.
Atheism is a non-prophet organization join today.
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