The most ANNOYING misconception about YOUR faith?

[Functionless]

It really annoys me when people assume that I am an atheist. I have never told people what "my faith" is because I don't want to deal with the misconceptions that they would have, especially my parents. Sometimes it is better to let them think I'm ignorant of religion and an atheist, but it still bothers me.

 

[argento_occhi]

As far as Kemetic/Egyptian religion is concerned, the one that bugs me the most is that Set is Evil Incarnate, or somehow equivalent to (or worse than) the Christian Satan.

Then there's the whole 'obsessed with death' thing. Or that for the modern "recon" Egyptian faiths, such as Kemetic Orthodoxy, you have to be mummified when you die. And my granddad once told me my ankh was a sign of the devil when it's the hieroglyph for life.

Also, Hethert and Aset aren't lovey dovey happy squishy Goddesses. The Greeks might've seen Them that way, but that's not how the Egyptians saw them. Aset in particular is actually rather scary.

And a final point: No, I am not obsessed with Stargate, but I did used to watch it.

There are probably more, but those are the ones that come to mind right now.

 

[GiantHouseKey]

People are often very intolerant of many aspects of my religion. There are a few clear misconceptions I find annoying:

- I worship the devil because im a satanist. I can appreciate it is hard for many (especially living in a christian society) to understand this way of thinking but really, I do not worship the christian devil

- I listen to black metal, sacrifice lambs and children and drink blood. Although I do listen to black metal my enjoyment of it is not through my religion, I just like listening to black metal . I have never sacrificed and lambs or other animals and never will, because I believe in pro-life. Blood is too bloody for me!

- I mope about and do nothing all day and am angry with the world. I love life, and to that end I attempt to live my life to the fullest.

And, final one:

- That I hate christians. Nope! I hate some christians, but not because they are christian. I respect all religions, especially those that have a large following. Well done Jesus

GhK.

 

[Zatarra]

It's probably been said already somewhere in these 23 pages, but I would say the misconception that atheism is a faith. Even if I have the positive belief that there are no gods, that doesn't mean I claim certainty or that I base this belief on faith. It's an opinion. Just like theism isn't a faith like a religion.

 

[lavagod007]

That we are the same . I just believe in one less "God" then them.

 

[saint satin stain]

misconception that judaism is a western religion, perhaps the reform, maybe conservatives; although most orthodox, the chassidim, and the mystics practice an asiatic religion.

 

[Neolithic]

The biggest misconception about my faith, Catholicism, is that we worship and/or pray to Mary. We do not. Hail Mary is called Hail Mary for a reason. We see Mary as an intercessor. A more mundane example would be asking your pastor to pray for you or your family; we ask Mary to pray for us sinners.

It's one of many misconceptions non-Catholics have and use against us. It lacks basis in fact.

 

[Siri]

That I do destructive spells for fun.

That I want to destroy all "belivers"

 

[Willamena]

That I'm a solipsist.

 

[J Bryson]

UUs:





Now, three of you have said this is a misconception you hate, but I'm having a hard time seeing how it's a misconception. Even after reading the explanations to Katzpur's question on this, I still don't see how it's a misconception.

Sure, the parameters described here exist:
But within those parameters, how on earth is it a misconception to say that an individual UU can believe whatever he wants, especially if each one is free to believe what his or her conscience demands?

Or is the frustration just the lack of explicit acknowledgement of the parameters when people say "they can believe whatever they want"?

Or, is the frustration not with the statement itself (which seems to be accurate), but rather with the tone they use to make that statement — a tone that betrays some negative evaluation of the fact that you can believe whatever you want, as though freedom of conscience is somehow inherently deficient in their eyes?

Okay, if you ask four UU's for the answers to your questions, you'll get five answers, but I'd like to take a shot at it if you don't mind:\

First off, within the parameters described, you can to a degree believe what you wish. However, there should be at least a tolerance of the religious beliefs of others so long as said beliefs are used in a positive and constructive manner towards one's self, one's church, one's family, and one's community (whether local or worldwide). As a religion that has historically been far more about works than faith, it is fine to believe whatever one wants so long as the end result is beneficial. If the person next to me in the pew is feeding the poor on the weekends, then I don't care if he or she is doing it in the name of Jesus, The Eightfold Path, submission to Allah, The Wiccan Rede, or simple humanism. So: Believe what you wish, but make sure that the end result does some good for yourself and for the world at large.

A believer in the Prosperity Gospel, for instance, would be met with blank stares by most UUs I know. Not rude stares (usually), but "Um...exactly what were you hoping to find in this church?" stares. Most Objectivist Atheists would be met with similar confusion.

Also, we do not tolerate everything: For instance, we do not tolerate intolerance. We're not as slippery-slope morally relativistic as the reputation may make us seem. Unitarians, Universalists, and UUs have been in the forefront of every major American civil rights movement since the founding of the nation.

It's a good point about tone regarding freedom of conscience, though. I am amused by those who find open-ended belief systems to somehow be shabbier or flakier than the more dogmatic ones.

 

[ranjana]

I notice some reactions to my way of understanding reality (which comes out of vedanta) is to say i am 'appropriating someone else's religion'... (ie hindu) or that im not thinking for myself!

i get a kick out of all of that; if i were not thinking for myself, I would be a good little athiest like everyone else i know!

 

[TerranIV]

What, for you, is the most annoying misconception about your faith?

I don't really know where to begin. I suppose the most annoying misconception about Islam, to me, is that it hasn't played as significant a role as it did in the development of the world. So much, in terms of architecture, music, dance, and so on - styles found universally around the globe - owe their roots to Islam. So much science and literature, so many aspects of modern civilization.

It really saddens me that students in Paris, for example, learn about European inventors while students in Bosnia learn about the Arabs and Persians who invented the same things often centuries earlier. This misconception of world history, I think, also plays a role in the rare but present misconception that all Muslims are terrorists today.

Another misconception that bothers me relates to Muslim women. I am frustrated with the Arab world's implementation of scripture in countries like Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, and frustrated with non-Muslim misconceptions about Muslim women. I notice when I'm in Norway that if I'm wearing a veil, people speak more slowly to me as though they somehow have this belief that I am stupid. It's not a mean thing, they're still extraordinarily polite, but still they speak as though they're talking to a child - and its not because I'm Bosnian, it never happens when I don't wear a veil.

Those would be it for me.

What's it for you?

Wow, that's very interesting, I had never though about that misconception! That would seriously **** me off to! Actually it does!

The most annoying misconception about atheists is the perception we are amoral hedonists. Even if you believe religion invented morality, it doesn't have a monopoly on it. Ethics is a branch of philosphy which isn't reliant on religion which atheists believe in and follow just as much as religious people. I think the misconception comes from different stands on some of the sillier "moral" ideas from the bible like about what you can do on the sabbath and homosexuality.

The second most annoying idea is we are all going to hell. I guess if your religion turns out to be the correct one (out of how many thousands?) then we would be going to hell, but so will you if someone else's religion turns out to be the right one!

EXTRA CREDIT - The most annoying thing to me about when I was Mormon was when people would claim the LDS church is a "cult." It is no more a cult than the Catholic church is (because they both follow one powerful leader)! The real reason for calling the LDS church a cult is because of the negative connotations of the word. Sure, the early church was led by two very powerful men - Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, but those days are past.

The modern prophet has about the same standing in the church as President Obama has for those who voted for him. If the prophet told people to kill themselves they would no more do it than if Obama told everyone to stick a fork in an electric socket. Modern prophets don't really spout any more "new" doctrine than the Pope does.

There is really no reason to label Mormons a cult. Now "wrong" - that's a different story...

 

[Freelancer7]

What, for you, is the most annoying misconception about your faith?

That you can keep sinning

 

[EverChanging]

That just because UUs are diverse in beliefs means that they don't stand for anything at all. This is incorrect: UUs are very much concerned with social justice and improving the world.

I'm also a Humanist and atheist, and though "faith" isn't the proper term to describe those worldviews, many people think we are wicked and have no ethical values.

 

[Buttons*]

Probably that:

1) Dan Brown started the religion that I believe.
2) It's a cover for some New Age concept of mysticism.

 

[lockyfan]

That Witnesses are a cult

That we kill our children by refusing blood transfusions when in reality there are safer alternatives than that of using blood. Ones that are also healthier for the human body and greatly reduce the time for recovery.

and anything else you can think of about Jehovahs Witnesses

 

[Kodanshi]

Most annoying thing: That atheism is a ‘religion’.

 

[lockyfan]

Most annoying thing: That atheism is a ‘religion’.

Yeah I know. thats funny.

 

[Katzpur]

That Witnesses are a cult

Well, I had a fellow employee who was a JW tell me that Mormonism was a cult. Now if that's not the pot calling the kettle black, I don't know what is.

 

[Seven]

First of all I don't have a faith, but I'm going to post anyway

I get annoyed when people tell me I can have no moral compass because I don't believe in god.