RE: Has being gay become more socially acceptable than being an atheist?
March 3, 2014 at 1:43 pm
So apparently, most of you disagree with my statement that atheism is a choice. Well, I'm standing by that statement.
Most people are born into a religion (or lack thereof) and stick with it, whether they deeply believe it or not. There are a lot of people who claim to be a member of a religion just to go along with family and friends, even though they're just going through the motions. I used to be one of them. That's their choice.
Some people examine their religions in detail and become even more religious. They do deeply believe. They were actively seeking something from their religion, and they found it. But again, they chose to become very active in their belief, rather than just going through the motions like the other group. So again, it's a choice.
Yet others examine their religions and find them unsatisfactory. They realize they can't honestly believe the supernatural stuff. They become agnostic or atheist. And again, it's a choice to take the harder path of rejecting what you were born into, rather than just playing along.
I didn't choose to be born Jewish, but I did choose to play along with it for more than 20 years after I originally questioned whether God was real as a kid. And later, I chose to stop playing along and declare myself an atheist.
Most people are born into a religion (or lack thereof) and stick with it, whether they deeply believe it or not. There are a lot of people who claim to be a member of a religion just to go along with family and friends, even though they're just going through the motions. I used to be one of them. That's their choice.
Some people examine their religions in detail and become even more religious. They do deeply believe. They were actively seeking something from their religion, and they found it. But again, they chose to become very active in their belief, rather than just going through the motions like the other group. So again, it's a choice.
Yet others examine their religions and find them unsatisfactory. They realize they can't honestly believe the supernatural stuff. They become agnostic or atheist. And again, it's a choice to take the harder path of rejecting what you were born into, rather than just playing along.
I didn't choose to be born Jewish, but I did choose to play along with it for more than 20 years after I originally questioned whether God was real as a kid. And later, I chose to stop playing along and declare myself an atheist.
