I live in a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains. As small towns go, it's pretty cool. But being an atheist here is a lonely thing. To illustrate how pervasive Christianity is here, let me say I live on Church Street. This is no misnomer. There are five major churches within shouting distance of my apt and on Sunday morning I get to hear competing bells. I am outspoken about my atheism. This has garnered me efforts from well-meaning acquaintances who informed me that they were praying for me. I've had tracts left in my mailbox and on my doorstep. I've been asked if I've read the bible. (That particular inquirer was shocked to be informed that I indeed had. I told him that I had studied the Torah and other books in Hebrew and read his "New Testament" in Greek AND Latin. He gulped and left. Hehehe. Hebrew school and a Classics degree are good for something!) I've had people accost me while shopping in the grocery to ask if I knew Jesus. (Answer: No, never met him, not interested, now go AWAY! And I reported them to the store manager!) I've even had a person stop me to remark on a pair of pants that I was wearing, saying they indicated that I "must pray a lot," pointing at the knee patches. When I didn't get it, he said, "You are on your knees to God!" I replied, "No, actually I'm an atheist." and walked off, thereby totally f*cking with his worldview. In the library where I work, we wage a war keeping the few books about atheism available and readable, as patrons hide them, steal them, or deface them. (And let me add that I do not think that this is the work of the few nonbelievers in town.)
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It must be quite Hard indeed. I don't really mind being alone to be honest, as I'm quite a "old-soul" type and I tend to find silence and solitude comforting and allow me to think at a greater depth.
But don't worry, at least you know that World wasn't made by Magic because you are Like Galileo Galilei, you are speaking the Truth when you say that "The Earth revolves around The Sun and not Vice-Versa".
But the "Church" (A.k.a the Townspeople) don't Agree with you, they don't Agree with your Atheism (it's Ideology) because to them a Long Told Lie seems to be a Truth (Hitler said that himself).
But Truth is Truth even if None Believe it and a Lie is a Lie even if all Believe it.
So don't Convert to Christianity (should you have thoughts) for the sake of "Getting Friends", stay True to What you Believe, stay True to Reality. Because if you Evade it, you will walk a Blind Path.
Of course I don't intend to Force that on you, it is Your Choice to believe in my words.
Either way, I can be your Internet Buddy if you want (even though there are hundreds of others here), I'm not gonna be there to Share a Drink, but I'll be here at least talking to you.
P.s Regarding the last part of your writing, remember, there will Always be those kind of Religious People (Fanatics) that will want to Erase us. But since they can't Erase us by burning us to the Stake, they'll burn our Ideology (Books and Knowledge).
Welcome. I am in a similar cultural environment. Southwestern edge of the Cumberland coal field. 3 liquor stores and hundreds of churches. All christian, not one synagogue or mosque. Nice people for the most part. Isn't it odd that the bible belt and tornado alley have the same boundaries?
Heh, sounds like Huston, where every corner seems to contain:
1) liquor store
2) gun store
3) pawn shop
4) tattoo parlour
5) strip-mall church
I don't have any intentions of converting to Christianity, don't worry! I'm Jewish, and my heritage is important to me! I have considered a brief flirtation with the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, so I can dress like a pirate and engage in discussions about pastafarian theology. ;) (I do so miss grad school!) Like yourself, I am used to being alone. I do get weary sometimes, though, of feeling like a stranger in a strange land. No-one, outside of a few work colleagues, groks me, to use some old Heinleinian language.
I'm actually quite Creative when I get Alone, Being Alone is actually the Least of my concerns. I write Poetry and Think About what is happening right now, somewhere else. How many people are Dying, Starving or Oppressed because of something and many things that will keep my mind concentrated in Humanity's Problems.
Well, I hope you find People of your own "Belief" there. Well know that I'm Hoping in the Percentage of Luck not the so-called "God" thing.
Well, for me, I am in Kukes (I was born and lived in Tirana until I got 2 years old but I still go there to visit my grandparents), It's quite the Same expect we have Islamic (Mosques) nearby, I wouldn't say Good people but at least they are Peaceful. I haven't told them that I'm Atheist (I did actually but they took it for sarcasm), nor do I care about it, but still, it's quite Similar to yours. A Town-City, Peaceful and Quite Religion-Oriented (But at least we have Religious and Cultural Co-existence here).
Hi :) I'm a culturally Jewish agnostic (leaning HEAVILY toward atheism) and I live in Lynchburg, Virginia, home of Liberty "University." I live in a HUD-funded apartment building for senior citizens, and out of 74 residents, I am the only non-Christian. Everyone is is not only Christian, but evangelical/fundamentalist. We have activities at our apartment building - and guess what those activities are? Church, worship services, Bible study, church, church, more church, and Christian movies. Every day, sometimes twice a day. Sometimes there's Bingo, but let me put it this way - I view the pastime of Bingo as one step away from death. I would move, but I am disabled and on a low fixed income, so I'm stuck here.
It gets incredibly lonely. Luckily I'm affiliated with Lynchburg's only synagogue (Reform, thank goodness), but I don't care for services because they're too, um, religious, and so I don't go unless I'm playing the piano for them. During the school year, on Sunday mornings, I teach music to the kids at our Religious School. That's the extent of my synagogue activity.
The residents of this apartment building say "Praise Jesus" like every other few words, and it's God, Jesus, God, Jesus, God, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ALL THE TIME. Christian cliche upon Christian cliche. Drives me nuts.
Wow! And I'm worried about the persistence of religion in the UK. Welcome Kel and thanks for your post.
I can relate to alot of this. I grew up and still live in the Bahamas and i've been an atheist for the majority of my life. The Bahamas like most places in the carribbean is extremely religious (mainly christianity) and most people here respond very negitively to things that are different than what they are use too. This place is very small and rural as well so it's very hard to have a social life if you're different from the norm.
I live in a city in northeastern Ohio. Sometimes I wonder if there is anyplace that ISN'T hyper-christian. I work in a school, where there is SUPPOSED to be separation of church and state, but you sure wouldn't know it. I have never told anyone I am an atheist, partly because I am very worried it would affect my job. I have two fundamentalist brothers (and their wives) to contend with. They don't understand why I don't want to be closer to them. Maybe it's because I want to rage and rant at them since I disagree with them on just about everything!
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hi Kel -- interesting to read your post. I'd like to talk to you more about it. I am founder/director of a nonprofit that set up the world's first atheist orphanage in Uganda - we promote secular humanism. I'd like our organization to do some outreach in Appalachia. You can email us at brighterbrainsinstitute@gmail.com
Hi Kel -- I am with a nonprofit called Humanists.Global and we're looking for atheist contacts in Appalachia. I'm the director - Hank Pellissier. Can you let me know how to contact you? we would like to support atheists especially in eastern Kentucky email is brighterbrainsinstitute@gmail.com
Set up an Atheist organization in Uganda, wants to do outreach in Appalachia ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a469TCou7P4
Okay, I was skeptical. If you have any paid positions, let me know. I am free and looking for work after February 2020.
Wow. You seem quite strong, and seem to have the audacity to be yourself in an ultra-religious stronghold in the Buybull Belt. Also, I admire how you can easily bombard proselytizers mercilessly with fact after fact after fact.
Therefore, I want YOU for our Dreaded Militant Atheist Forces (DMAF). In half a year, we get to be deployed to help in the war effort against good, wholesome Christmas (or what's left of that holiday anyway after capitalism won Christmas War I for us in the last century) by wishing our friends and family members "Happy Holidays!" instead of "Merry Christmas", and by singing non-religious carols. I am proud to have served in this ungodly fight last year, creating propaganda (see the "my posts" section of my profile page) and trolling/roasting the FB page of the so-called "Freedom From Atheism Foundation" to high heck.
Oh, and don't forget your largely defensive weapon of computer. That is essential for bombarding people with our blasphemy, and maybe opening up a few of their minds along the way...
;)