Tonight I went to a bar (Drunken Donkey), and was there for a little while. Sitting close to me was a guy that had been there long before I was. An hour or so goes by, I'm just drinking my Guinness and whiskey when another guy says something about not being religious. I respond to his statement, only because I'm in the mood for it, "You say you're not religous, but do you believe in god?" He states that he is spiritual, and asks me if I believe. Naturally I tell him, "no, I am an atheist." As soon as I said those devilsh, heathenistic words, the man whom I speak of says, "fuck that shit", asks the bartender to close out and leaves.
I know this isn't anything pertinent, but I thought I would share, I guess to show how much more we, as a community, have to go before people will stop hating us. Especially in the southern US (I am living in Texas at the moment).
Thank you for you time, and sharing your thoughts on this glorious forum!
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Better that person leave than you.
As a fellow Texan I concur with your assessment of where we are as a society. I think the basic problem is the word "Atheist", it is the equivalent of running fingernails across a chalkboard to most Southerners. I myself hesitate to use it except among my closest friends. There is a great societal discussion around diversity, whether it's race, sexual preference, or religious affiliation. However, atheism is never part of that discussion. It seems we are the outsiders looking in, never being accepted as part of that kaleidoscope.
It seems as though he is a regular there, so I'm thinking of stopping by every so often to either make him more uncomfortable with my presence. Or make it even more uncomfortable for him by trying so S.E. on him. Thoughts?
That's a good idea. Maybe engage him in conversation and try to find out why he's got such a problem.
ETA: You don't play D3, do you?
Yes, indeed I do. Not currently though because my console is in storage.
The word "Atheist" or "Atheism" is stigmatized and a lot of people don't know what it actually means. I bet that if you would have had the opportunity to ask him explain what he thought the the word "atheism" means, he would be way off.
This reminds me of when I told my mother that I'm an atheist. She was raised Catholic but now my whole family goes to a non-denominational Christian church. She knew I was no longer a Christian, but she thought I was converting to Buddhism (I was simply studying it). She was ok with that, but when she heard me use the word "atheist" she was horrified! I told her she was acting like that's a dirty word, and she said it IS a dirty word. I just found that interesting.
I'm sorry. That must be horrible to go through.
I've told this story before:
When someone at work found out I was an atheist she said something to the effect of: "I understand why someone wouldn't believe in god, but why [would you be] an atheist?!?".
Another classic response I got was: "but you seem like such a nice person!"
A lot of people misinterpret atheist with 'vehement antitheist' if they don't equate it with utter immorality.
Sometimes it seems that the word is confused with various mixture of anti-theism, satanism and/or anarchism. As if it is a hate-based faith or that the word itself is somehow evil.
Here is a funny take on what the atheist is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiWjnYtgqsA
Hi, I am a struggling atheist, but I get stronger everyday. I think the man that left was a close minded A hole. People often tell me I have extremist views. I have a neighbor that is old and on my condo board. She has made my life miserable at every turn. She is now dying and even people she treated horribly say that want to pray for her. I said, "I hope she dies a miserable painful death slowly". Everyone is horrified that I said it. I meant it and still do. I have compassion for people that are ethical, good and treat other's the way they want to be treated. I say what I think and often offend people. I no longer care and since I now tell people I am an atheist, then that must be the reason I am like this according to them. They have found an excuse for me! So "F" them! I actually can admit that I have some resentment and hatred towards christians. Some here would say I am not open minded. I now can not be open minded to close minded people that believe in the cloud guy who loves me but sits on his ass while all of the suffering goes on and on.
Sorry, I started to go off track. In other words, go back in the bar, make him uncomfortable. Have they not made us uncomfortable all of our lives?
Larger, I feel that I need to point out that hoping for the painful death of someone wasn't a very tactful move. I understand that you couldn't have cared less about the feelings of those involved, especially since you seem to value reciprocity as highly as you do. That being said, I think you closed a lot of doors that might have otherwise been open to you if you had been a bit more respectful of the recently dead.
You seem fairly angry about the world around you, and I don't feel that your belief/lack thereof has much to do with it. Unfortunately, you just gave the people around you a fantastic example to conflate the two. I'm pretty sure you could care less, but that might be the problem.
I also live in Texas and as an atheist my mere existence offends anyone and everyone around me here. I started a topic "morality" that address how a evangelical told I wasn't moral simply because I don't believe in her god.
As an Arkansan, I feel your pain. The only friends I have left are on this site. This is a shout out to all my fellow atheists, you guys are my rock, even if I don't know you beyond this site. If it wasn't for this site, and the amazing people on it, I would have given up long ago. Thank you.
It truly is sad, the state of the world.
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People think all atheists are militant, why must society brand us in such a way..
Because they are artificially made stupid.
Wtf does militant atheist even mean?
It appears to me as some kind of name you would give out of spite like "bitch" or something.
Do you need to ca\ll a guy militant because he is public about his views?
Looking how hypocritical and public Christians are about their religion, they should be called Rambo in comparison.
Well if we atheists start calling Christians names it would be like this:
-Human sacrifice lovers
-punish innocent lovers
-brainwashed people.
-Sick hypocritical people.
etc..
The funny part is that most of them if not all are actually an accurate description of what a christian looks like to sane people.
Brainwashed people. That is the most fitting. That is now my calling card for Christians.
Word, look up Religious Trauma Syndrome (RTS)
I get that every time someone asks about my church and I say I don't have any, I'm an Atheist. One guy was so shocked he told me I was going to wake up dead the next day. We're halfway through the semester and he is so confused why I am still alive and happy. He offered to pray for my demon of Atheism to go away when he passed by my hostel on his way to church last Sunday, I figured the reality of me; a reasonable, good guy with a good life and as much privileges and hardships as anyone else without a religion comes as a threat to their world view. They want to believe in the happily ever after in haven story and the no one is good without god belief but I will stand tall as that reality and continue to be a proud Atheist/ Humanist.
You know that someone saying or actually "praying" for you is just someone being condescending. It's their way of saying "I am superior to to you."
Just today a neighbor asked if I had been abused by a priest or something that made me "turn away from god." The very idea. They just can't get it their thick living in a vacuum minds that people are atheist because that is actually the natural logical thing to be. No one is born a believer in anything or any god. One has to be indoctrinated, brainwashed, peer pressured, and or instructed(forced) to believe in a god. Maybe that's it. Maybe christians just can't fathom free and critical thinking. They don't understand free will. Even though their bible over and over command them that no one is a christian unless they are willing to accept the myth of a god and the idea of a jesus(ghost).
I would make a joke by saying Amen, but I feel that would be a sign of bad taste.
In my second year at Med School, a few of us were sitting in the canteen one afternoon just discussing news and politics when suddenly the topic of Babas, Rishis and religious leaders came up. Just for some perspective; I am from India and Religious Gurus here are a dime a dozen, command large following, are worshipped as Gods by ignorant masses, are involved in nefarious activities like smuggling, laundering of Black money and of course weird sexual practices including child molestation. Everybody seemed to agree that in India the best profession to be in is a "GODMAN," we were just wasting our time being surgeons(sarcastically of course). When I logically continued that religion and its Gods were all Hogwash, mere hocus pocury when one of my juniors got extremely offended and walked off saying I had insulted his religion when I had made no statements concerning any particular religion, not in the least Islam.
Their sensibilities are too easily offended. Its hard to assume the kind of large Egos they harbour where they feel their absurd brand of belief is beyond reproach.
However not all reacted as such. Over time a few people seemed more curious as to what I had to say and even went so far as to borrow a couple of my books on atheism.
Yea the theistic belief is so unbelievable that it is only acceded by their arrogance.
The arrogance to think that they have the right to impose on others what they can say and think.
They think that their beliefs should be respected and respect includes not to say anything against their belief.
As if their belief is an opinion that deserves respect for it's rational or something.
Arrogance mascaraed as Humility.
Well you cannot blame them, since this is part of the brainwashing process they were subjugated to.
They never were given a chance to experience something different then this kind of mental rape.
For them this is the normal way of behaving.
Then you have some people claiming that we won't be better without religion,lol
We would start to be sane again, I consider that a better place.
I think that some people who get offended that easily, are on some level aware of how frail their beliefs are, so they get angry when someone point's it out.
At some point I thought atheism would be better received by theists. Considering we don't owe any allegiance to any superstition. In todays religiously polarised world I would have thought we would be the most trustworthy group of people. But then again these people are really insane. They spend all their time hating us and when we aren't in their picture they start hating each other. I wonder does any religion really talk of love. All you get from them is polarisation, hate, war, condescension, judgement. Where is the love they profess. "OH JESUS LOVES YOU, OH ISLAM THE RELIGION OF PEACE, OH HUMBLE MYSTIC HINDUISM....." BULLSHIT....... actually bullshit may be more useful than the vile these doctrines peddle in the guise of morals.
Many theists have been taught that the word atheism means something that it doesn't, but even if they do understand the word, the mere existence of people who don't share the theist's type of beliefs, can be seen as a criticism of such beliefs.
And when someone is criticizing the religion of a believer, the critique gets translated into several simultaneous insults:
- "Your a fool to believe that your loved ones who have died, are in Heaven and that you will ever see them again."
- "All those that you have believed in who told you about your religion, have been fools or liars or both."
- "All your social engagements within your religion has been pointless exercises based on lies."
- "All the time you have put into your religion has been a complete waste."
About a year ago this lady I know was talking about how she had seen a billboard supporting atheism and how "horrendous" it was and how it shouldn't be "legal to advertise". When I asked her how she felt about Christian ads/billboards she, of course, said that they were great and a good way to get the "good message" to the masses. When asked if she saw the hypocrisy in that, she simply told me that it wasn't hypocrisy because Christianity was true and atheism was the devil tricking us.
It was so ridiculous I started laughing, which absolutely did not end well. But honestly, if that doesn't show you the extent of the brainwashing some of these people experience..
There is this moron called Dr Zakir Naik (a vile and retarded apologist). He was asked whether apostasy should be punishable by death. He likened apostasy to treason and justified Saudi Arabias stance where apostates can be put to death citing it as treason. When did religion become statehood? This idiot is amazingly a doctor (MBBS, I looked up his credentials). He wasted that degree, it could have gone to someone who could have put it to better use. I would really like to see that asshole try to live in Saudi Arabia where they treat him as a second class citizen and deny outsiders citizenship. Dumbass lives in secular India and says absurdities like Arabia is justified in suppressing any belief but Islam because Islam is true and everything else is false. Who the fuck made him a judge of what is true or false ?
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