Not generally but yes sometimes I do although not in that context.
I have only denied my atheism publicly once and am very outspoken when confronted with religious intolerance in real life as well as online.
I don`t usually bring it up but I will speak my mind when it is brought up.
I don`t generally speak out against religion unless the course or discussion of religion is leading towards intolerance such as people rationalising their bias against homosexuality, church/state issues, public education.
Things that directly affect me or my family.
Oh yes.
Much of idea of the Christian heaven is wonderful, who wouldn`t want to live eternally with the ones they love?
There are alot of things about religious beliefs that are very attractive.
I just don`t see it as possible.
I don`t believe there is an afterlife.
My soul (for want of a better word) is the conglomeration of my experiences, morality, wants, needs, and desires.
It is a product of my mind/brain.
Once my brain dies, it dies.
Oblivion.
Not many but the two I do see on a regular or daily basis huddle together with me for protection .
I live in a very religious area here on the west coast of Florida.
I am surrounded on all sides by very theistic people.
There is a Baptist preacher two doors down that my family is involved with.
Another Strong Baptist across the street and alot of protestants all over my nieghborhood.
I will say it is the best niehgborhood I`ve lived in as far as a communal feeling goes but I am not "out" as an atheist to my neighbors as for all but one the topic has never come up.
It will be intersting to see the reaction when it does and sooner or later it will.
Atheist women are very hard to come by.
I think the stats run somewhere around 2000 to 1 men to women atheist ratio.
My wife is a deist, she believes something is out there but it seldom has any direct contact with humanity.
Her answer is simply "I don`t know what it is but it is something"
I really can`t say how I`d feel as it would depend upon his/her personal beliefs within the Baptist denomination.
If they didn`t collide with my humanistic beliefs as far as tolerance and rights go I don`t think I`d be too troubled by it
However if my daughter were to start preaching inequity about homosexuals it would seriously affect our relationship.
My daughter is 5 and has alot of questions about god.
Right now she claims atheism but I`m pretty sure thats because daddy does.
I don`t however encourage this disbelief of hers and in fact I often argue against it with her.
Yes, I even argue with 5 year olds.
I was in a bookstore awhile back with her, she picked up a kids book about Noahs ark and asked what it was because it had cool pictures.
I told her it was a story about god.
She said "Gods not real".
I said we can`t know for sure that gods not real.
She said "I never seen him and you`ve never seen him and nobody has every seen him."
I found myself arguing in public with my 5 year old that the existence of god is possible.
I left the store with the most messed up surreal feeling of confusion.
Talk about devils advocate.
I do this because I dislike indoctrination of any sort.
It is my firm belief that we shouldn`t teach our children what to think but how to think.
If I keep all possibilities open until she is old enough to be able to give her spirituality some rational thought she will come to the "truth" that is right for her.
If this truth leads her to the Baptist pulpit..so be it.
I`ll deal with that when the time comes.
