Imprisoned with Christians for a day.

[Cinjin]

I was imprisoned with Christians for 18 fucking years. The uber-strict fundy kind. Eventually you just break down.

18 years!

And people wonder why I have issues with sheeple.

[kılıç_mehmet]

What would you do if you were imprisoned with Christians for one day. No way to get rid of them, and you can't ignore them.

I think myself as most people would try to reason with them... However, once i realized that wouldn't work (it never does) I'd probably start getting angry at them for being so close minded... About this time my rage would boil over and i'd be sending them to their "heaven", also known as shock as the blood empties from their bodies onto the floor!

What is your problem?
Really, what is your problem?

[Erinome]

I would see how many of them I could get sinning. Just for fun. If they were men, it wouldn't be a problem.

[Tempus]

Probably just do what I normally do. Unless they were fundamentalist types I'd probably just hang out with them. I don't have any problem with befriending Christians.

[Autumnlicious]

What is your problem?
Really, what is your problem?

Imagine being stuck in a room with someone who deeply wants you to be like them. So much so, in fact, that everything you communicate to them about, is in someway injected with their ideology.

Just imagine, say, that they're Maoists and zealous ones at that. Every conversation you have, from meal planning to teaching, is about Mao Zedong's ideology and his little red book.

This is the super sensitivity of some atheists -- they're surrounded by people who, knowingly or unknowingly, try to force their ideology onto them all the time.

If you don't believe such a place exists, try being a Christian in Waziristan or an Atheist in the Bible Belt.

[kılıç_mehmet]

What is your problem?
Really, what is your problem?

Imagine being stuck in a room with someone who deeply wants you to be like them. So much so, in fact, that everything you communicate to them about, is in someway injected with their ideology.

Just imagine, say, that they're Maoists and zealous ones at that. Every conversation you have, from meal planning to teaching, is about Mao Zedong's ideology and his little red book.

This is the super sensitivity of some atheists -- they're surrounded by people who, knowingly or unknowingly, try to force their ideology onto them all the time.

If you don't believe such a place exists, try being a Christian in Waziristan or an Atheist in the Bible Belt.

I don't know why they would want that. I have lived in a predominantly Christian country for three years. I made friends amongst people I knew who were going to church every sunday, some, evangelicals, some catholics, I've visited their homes...I was a Turk, a moslem, they were christian Germans. They have not given me a bible to read, but food to eat, they have not scorned me for being a heathen, but have spoken well of my manners.
These people were simply the parents of a friend I knew from school. Not preachers, or pastors or missionaries.
I've met missionaries in Germany. Jehovah's witnesses. They came to our door, we told them politely that we were not interested. They never came back, but left a small booklet of theirs, which I read some six years later(I did not speak English back then). Now, why am I writing this, I think that people here are exaggerating things.

Let's get to your example. Well, I'm not really a fan of the commie block, but I remember sharing a room with a few back in the days. They would hang posters of their main men on the doors, walls and etc. They'd play the internationale on their computer for the 10th time a day... And I was the only one who did think different from them, although my opinions were not fully formed at the time-I had doubts. After spending a year or so with these comrades, I had listened to most of their ideas. I've at least taken a peak in most of their books, and have split the rooms not because we were discussing communism every day(not that we didn't), no it was because I was thrown out of the dormitory for some other minor inconvenience concerning a fight in another room.

So you see, one can at least learn something from a side that one thinks that is the polar opposite of what he believes in, although I'm sure I'd get along with your fundamentalist friends and relatives, as I get along with the ones here, quite well.

[Autumnlicious]

I don't know why they would want that. I have lived in a predominantly Christian country for three years. I made friends amongst people I knew who were going to church every sunday, some, evangelicals, some catholics, I've visited their homes...I was a Turk, a moslem, they were christian Germans. They have not given me a bible to read, but food to eat, they have not scorned me for being a heathen, but have spoken well of my manners.

so fucking what? I've encountered reasonable believers and non believers from all walks of life. That doesn't fucking consider the situation I outlined on what others see and feel.

Just because you've had a nice time, for the most part like me, doesn't mean everyone else is rolling along fine.

Derp.

These people were simply the parents of a friend I knew from school. Not preachers, or pastors or missionaries.
I've met missionaries in Germany. Jehovah's witnesses. They came to our door, we told them politely that we were not interested. They never came back, but left a small booklet of theirs, which I read some six years later(I did not speak English back then). Now, why am I writing this, I think that people here are exaggerating things.

See above. Your experience != others. You were confused as to why people act this way, yet you refuse to acknowledge a scenario that I and others have encountered at least once.

To think that you've had a totally low-stress interactions with everyone on matters of faith the entire time certainly raises my eyebrows. But I'm not interested in your life, only simply communicating an intolerable situation where people are mindlessly pressing on you to change.

Sure, you may argue the "manly man" angle of ignoring and tolerating it, but that, once again, fails to account for other people's emotions. If every man acted in one set fashion, this would probably be a non issue. But people don't act the same.

So you see, one can at least learn something from a side that one thinks that is the polar opposite of what he believes in, although I'm sure I'd get along with your fundamentalist friends and relatives, as I get along with the ones here, quite well.

I got along with quite a few fundies at my university before they figured out I was not a Christian. Then it instantly became poisonous for me, much to my confusion. So I stopped dealing with them and only give them as much as a greeting.

The less I said to them, the better they regarded me. And soon after, they couldn't resist listening to me wax on why McCain of 2001 was different from the current McCain. Because when it boiled down to matters, they really loved their politics and I could feed them analysis on why their favored candidate was favored but must've been better before.

[ohh EPiC FAiL]

I would start off by defending my atheism. Then with my knowledge of Christianity from growing up in an extremely conservative household, I would slowly fuck with their heads and make them think they've converted me and laugh on the inside while they all pat themselves on the back for converting me. Then as the day came to an end, I'd just tell them I was fucking with them the whole time just to prove that their religion is all about making them feel like they have a purpose in life besides becoming fertilizer when they die haha

[Sciwoman]

You stole my plan!

[Autumnlicious]

I would start off by defending my atheism. Then with my knowledge of Christianity from growing up in an extremely conservative household, I would slowly fuck with their heads and make them think they've converted me and laugh on the inside while they all pat themselves on the back for converting me. Then as the day came to an end, I'd just tell them I was fucking with them the whole time just to prove that their religion is all about making them feel like they have a purpose in life besides becoming fertilizer when they die haha

One does not "defend atheism" any more than one defends "not drinking" or defends "not going out to a party like everyone else."

To imply atheism can be defended is to imply there is an ideology to defend.

Their religion is an additional load in their life. My life is without that load. I am happier with less irrelevant shit.