Being Outed As An Atheist

[Kilgore Trout]

I prefer crazy people who leave me alone over crazy people I can't get rid of. Count yourself lucky.

 

[PackJason]

From several of your latest posts, PJ, I am beginning to understand why you feel little sympathy for religious people. It sounds like some religious people have done you some serious wrong in the past.

I have sympathy and empathy for all people, but only when their situation is worthy of sympathy and empathy.

 

[Quintessence]

Where do you live? I live in Wisconsin, which is a pretty liberal state, but I still hear people talking about how bad and immoral atheists are from time to time.

Upper Midwest as well. There are always going to be some people tho talk about how some group is annoying "from time to time." This is normal. I don't see such talk as meaning that that it is somehow socially acceptable to say such things. In my experience, it is certainly not. Not with all the so-called "rampant political correctness" these days.

 

[First Baseman]

I have sympathy and empathy for all people, but only when their situation is worthy of sympathy and empathy.

I didn't express myself correctly in my last post, sorry about that. What I meant is that you seem to have some built up anger for religious folks. Now I am beginning to understand why.

 

[PackJason]

I didn't express myself correctly in my last post, sorry about that. What I meant is that you seem to have some built up anger for religious folks. Now I am beginning to understand why.

Only some. Most religious folks I know are great, loving people. I think all religions are a shameful racket, but I have nothing against most of the people.

 

[Demonslayer]

In 100 years, we'll make Xians wear special pink sandals to identify them.

They already wear necklaces depicting a tortured corpse, I don't think pink sandals will bother them.

 

[First Baseman]

Only some. Most religious folks I know are great, loving people. I think all religions are a shameful racket, but I have nothing against most of the people.

Fair enough. I've got nothing against atheists except for when they force their atheism on us, like in the public school system. But that is another argument for another day. I don't feel like getting into it today.

 

[Corthos]

The atmosphere is different depending on where you live and what social circles you cultivate. It certainly isn't like this where I live.

Aye. In western Washington (where I live), people don't really care about your beliefs to any significant degree: especially near larger cities (like Seattle). =)

 

[Revoltingest]

Fair enough. I've got nothing against atheists except for when they force their atheism on us, like in the public school system. But that is another argument for another day. I don't feel like getting into it today.

I grew up when public schools had compulsory prayer, & Bible stories in class.
These days, teachers are prevented from doing that.
(Though some still try.)
But a kid who wants (on his/her own) to, may do so.

 

[Revoltingest]

We're even infecting black folk!
http://www.vice.com/read/black-atheists-explain-what-its-like-to-be-a-double-minority-456

 

[Quintessence]

Aye. In western Washington (where I live), people don't really care about your beliefs to any significant degree: especially near larger cities (like Seattle). =)

There's also something to be said about what voices you pay attention to. I think that sometimes there's a tendency to listen too much to the people who are against you. It offends us, so it creates a loud signal in our minds, in spite of such voices being a rare occurrence. I remember when I first joined the Neopagan community, I noticed a lot of persecution complex. It really confused me, because where I had witnessed some of the stuff that was talked about, I saw it very rarely. Observing all that, I decided early on that I would refuse to develop the persecution complex I perceived some other Neopagans as having. Fortunately, this persecution complex seems rarer in the community nowadays, but back in the day, it was a badge of pride to talk about "The Burning Times" and blah, blah, blah.

 

[First Baseman]

I grew up when public schools had compulsory prayer, & Bible stories in class.
These days, teachers are prevented from doing that.
(Though some still try.)
But a kid who wants (on his/her own) to, may do so.

Well, I have a history with several other posters on this site from another site and they know what I'm talking about. I have no problem with prayer and the Bible stories prohibited from being taught in class.

My problem is that the big bang and macro-evolution are taught as absolute fact when they aren't absolute fact. I feel that an optional class in which the Biblical perspective should be available and that the science classes teach the above as theories only and not as fact.

 

[viole]

Why do some religious people hold such disgust for atheists?

Because they perfectly know the atheists might be right.

Ciao

- viole

 

[viole]

Well, I have a history with several other posters on this site from another site and they know what I'm talking about. I have no problem with prayer and the Bible stories prohibited from being taught in class.

My problem is that the big bang and macro-evolution are taught as absolute fact when they aren't absolute fact. I feel that an optional class in which the Biblical perspective should be available and that the science classes teach the above as theories only and not as fact.

The Big Bang has been postulated first by a Catholic priest and the pope accepts evolution.

Do you propose to remove the teaching of the Big Bang from the Pontifical Academy of Science?

Call Rome and tell us how they respond.

Ciao

- viole

 

[Revoltingest]

My problem is that the big bang and macro-evolution are taught as absolute fact when they aren't absolute fact. I feel that an optional class in which the Biblical perspective should be available and that the science classes teach the above as theories only and not as fact.

If a biblical alternative is to be presented, then fairness would also require not
only all the different biblical perspectives, but all the other religious flavors.
(I wonder what Scientologists, Pastafarians, Cthulians, & Bobists have to say?)
Aside from being impractical & of no scientific value (which is the purpose behind
cosmology, physics & biology), teaching religion isn't the province of government.

 

[George-ananda]

Why do some religious people hold such disgust for atheists?

Perhaps because they see it as a dark depressing philosophy without a light. It turns them off. Maybe it makes them less certain about their own beliefs and they don't like that?

It works the other way too. Some atheists have an intellectual disdain for traditional theists and certainly for the more fundamentalist types and do genuinely come to dislike these people.

Anyway, some people react stronger than others to people of different views. The lady you are talking about may be one of the more extreme examples.

 

[Demonslayer]

My problem is that the big bang and macro-evolution are taught as absolute fact when they aren't absolute fact. I feel that an optional class in which the Biblical perspective should be available and that the science classes teach the above as theories only and not as fact.

Those aren't "atheist" ideas, accepting evolution has nothing to do with belief in God or not. Most religious people these days also believe in evolution.

I mean we can show speciation which is what you're calling macro-evolution. There are hundreds of examples. Anyway, this is what determines what we teach in school...evidence based knowledge that can be supported by observation. Otherwise any old story could be taught to our kids. If you ended up in a Muslim community your kid might end up being taught about how Allah made humans from mud. You wouldn't want that. Best we teach what we can observe and leave the questionable, unsupportable ideas with zero evidence to people's private lives.

http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-speciation.html

 

[Thief]

I worked with a team leader that was a deacon in a small local church
he turned atheist.

didn't bother me....and the work went on with no distraction.

I estimate knee jerk reactions about belief are just that.....
some jerk using a knee joint for brains

 

[Thief]

In every job I ever had (in CA, MI & MD), I never hid being an atheist.
It never seemed to cause any discord at all.

but you never played your bagpipe at work......did you?

 

[Revoltingest]

but you never played your bagpipe at work......did you?

There are social limits which even I observe.