I make it a point not to discuss religion or politics in my day-to-day life...
2007-05-09 03:22:04 · 38 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Iron maiden, please re-read the question. I think you might have misunderstood...
2007-05-09 03:37:39 · update #1
I've never harassed or persecuted anyone for their religious beliefs. Such a thing is unthinkable to me. That doesn't mean that I won't defend myself and my opinions when I feel they are being unfairly attacked, but I'd be just as likely to correct an atheist who said something unfair about a Christian or Jew. When a co-worker sends me one of those "let's all jump on the bandwagon" e-mails that contains facts I know to be false, I correct them, though I try to keep my responses non-confrontational.
I don't wear my nontheism on my sleeve, but I also don't hide it. I refuse to pretend to be something I'm not, and I'm proud to be part of the moral and progressive Humanist tradition.
2007-05-09 03:47:14 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't and, in a way, it's sad that I rarely see anyone else doing this either. Not so much the harassment, we can all do without that, but any sort of proselytizing.
In a way, Atheists are even more in the closet than gays. While there are gay pride days (not to mention a variety of religious days for a variety of religions) I have never heard of any Atheist group holding any public rally or march. Instead, we rant on fora like this one, trying to maintain some connection with others of like mind while, for the most part, we avoid religious conversations in our private lives.
2007-05-09 04:42:14 · answer #2 · answered by Dave P 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm not an Atheist or Athiest which ever floats ya. I don't mind discussing religion or politics with anyone. I learn a lot from and about other people by listening to how they see things. It doesn't matter if we share the same view or not. I dislike pushy people telling me I'm going to burn in hell but I can laugh that off. I think the world would benefit from more open conversations about what people find important.
Love & Light
Sharon
One Planet = One People
2007-05-09 03:33:26 · answer #3 · answered by Soul 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
perhaps the question would be clearer if you asked how many christians harrass people for religious reasons in real life... the answer would surely be most.. those without a religion seek to exchange new ideas and understanding, we like the discussions, but christians have been harping on the same old for centuries as if humans have not been able to understand different things since then. They have harrassed and they complain and they fight anything new being heard or understood.
2007-05-09 03:46:41 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm not an Atheist....but I never talk about religion or politics or money with people outside of family. And most the time, I don't discuss that stuff with family either.
Nothing good ever comes from discussions like that, especially after people have been drinking...
2007-05-09 03:25:32 · answer #5 · answered by KS 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I do not think you can group all atheists... they are not all the same... some will push their views on you the same as some christians do... we are all people, not separated by religion or lack thereof, but separated by our own ego that says I am right and you are wrong.
I have an aethiest that I am friends with who has made it her job to try to change everyone in the office to belive as she does... I actually have never had a christian be as belittling about a chosen religion (or not) as this self proclaimed aethiest is... you said you were not like that, so again it goes to show that generalizations will not work in any situation especially spirituality.
2007-05-09 03:27:43 · answer #6 · answered by hannahonelove 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A few weeks ago, I was in a Wal-Mart. I bought a plush toy for my dog. I was checking myself out (no, not like that, freaks), and a woman came up and commented on how cute the toy was. We made small talk, and when I was finished, I told her to have a nice day. She responded with, "You, too. God bless you".
Some people think that the automatic atheist reaction is to shout, "HEY, DUMMY, THERE IS NO GOD!". Those people are wrong, and have probably never even left the county in which they were born. I said, "Thank you", and walked out to my car.
We're not confrontational in real life, but if asked about our beliefs, most of us won't back down, either. We don't feel it's something to be ashamed of.
EDIT : LMAO at Acid_Zebra
2007-05-09 03:27:03 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 9⤊ 0⤋
Never done it. Lead my life as a closet atheist for a big part of my adult life, so I never discussed religion. I'm not such a "closet" case anymore, but I don't harrass people about their religion.
By the way, how come I never met people like you when I was growing up? Would have made my life easier to connect to somebody.
:)
2007-05-09 05:28:05 · answer #8 · answered by Darth Cheney 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have never confronted anyone. I do not believe "spreading" atheism is a mandate. I believe it comes slowly, deliberately and all by itself and I have no interest in hastening the process.
That being said, I do not pretend to be anything but. I do not bow my head at a table or anything else that might lead one to believe I'm religious. If someone asks me I tell them flat out. That's happened more than once. When someone takes it for granted that you are Christian and you tell them you're atheist it really is a conversation-stopper.
2007-05-09 03:31:08 · answer #9 · answered by Peter D 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I never bring up the subject of religion, but I make no effort to avoid it. I make a point to not criticize anybodies beliefs unless he gets insulting about my non-belief.
Religion and politics are great subjects to discuss, if the discussion doesn't get out of hand.
2007-05-09 03:33:31 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋