Atheists: Can You Still Accept X'n Friends?

[Mermaid]

Of course. I have lots of them.

[vorlon13]

MCC = Muslim Community Center?

Metropolitan Community Church

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolit...ity_Church

[account_inactive]

I'm just happy that everyone here loves me.

I do anyway. You don't sugarcoat anything.

It's straight to the point with you.

And I like that.

[Fake Messiah]

I have a questionnaire covering the 235,873 most important issues to me. It's very important my friends agree with me on every single point. And change their opinion whenever I do, too.

You know I actually have a test, not a questionnaire like you do, but a real test. My test consist of a conversation with a christian and if he/she during convo doesn't knock on wood three times, spit three times, thanks virgin in the sky, throws salt over the shoulder, mentions horoscope and/or doesn't pet the rabbit's paw for good luck then I could be friend with that person. Sure most people just brush it off or smile at at, but I can't.

I'm sorry I'm not Oliver Sacks, I don't know how to handle people with people with distorted reality. I don't want to be seen with a person on the street that stops at the crucifixion and crosses itself. Not to mention that because of stuff like that I quite often get in trouble with Christians. I remember once I was in the house with some Christian relatives and I used the kitchen for something and after me my "aunt" came in (whose house it was) and started yelling at me because I left two knives crossed. I mean this was serious offense and I threw a curse on their family because when you cross the knives it means they will argue.

[robvalue]

I suppose you can ask, "Do you believe I deserve to have an inferior afterlife just for not being part of your religion?"

Either answer is interesting.

[RobertE]

Of course we can still accept them as friends, just like we can Jewish people, buddhists and Muslims, or Hindus, Jains and Sikhs. This is what makes us human. In saying that, I do have a friend in facebook friend who posted a video about how we are all cousins, from black, white, Bengali, British, French, Cuban etc etc etc. Then I suggested that we are in fact not only cousins of human beings but also chimpanzees and bonobos, since we share the same common ancestor. He was in agreement with all I stated, until I spoke about bonobos, chimpanzees etc. I gave him one example of how we are closely linked with chimps and bons, the vestigial grasping reflex which is still apparent in many mammals today. He concluded that it was true. Don't know if it was a moral victory for me, but I was willing to add a few more examples. Sometimes, you just need to speak to them as if they are normal....

[Gawdzilla]

Until I was about 18 I never knew there were other people who didn't believe in God, so my view was everyone else was religious, and being in Indiana that meant everyone else was a Christian.

[robvalue]

In my experience:

Atheists are more accepting of Christians friends than Christians are of atheists.

[brewer]

christ, I can't swing a dead cat without hitting a christen. That's somewhat comforting.

[Gawdzilla]

In my experience:

Atheists are more accepting of Christians friends than Christians are of atheists.

"I don't care what religion you are or aren't. I do care that it matters to you."