Atheists? Are you afraid of being Atheist?

Question

What I mean by this is, yes it's one thing to label yourself an Atheist on yahoo answers but are you willing to tell your entire family/friends ect, know that you are an Atheist? Or are you afraid of Social reaction? Also based on where you live in the country are you afraid to be an Atheist, I myself live in Texas and have been threatened by so called "God Fearing Christians". Anyone have similar experiences?

I am not ashamed at all! I have a website www.pathofreason.com, My entire family knows about it, I just hide my identity because we have gotten so much hate mail.

Answer 1

Happily, here in the UK, Christians stay under their rocks all day and are seldom seen on the streets.

CD

Answer 2

I can understand your feelings and I think depending on the area makes a difference on how open you would choose to be. Christians are certainly not always nice and tolerant people, in fact I have seen they often are not. My heart goes out to you for that situation, its never fun to be in a situation where people would be threatening you just for being who you are. I don't think I could live in such an intolerant place but peole aren't always fortunate enough to have a choice. Did you see the story about the young high school girl who was an atheist in Oklahoma? They kicked her off the basketball team and she finally had to leave the school because not only the kids but teachers too gave her such a bad time.


Anyway, I don't hide that I am atheist but I don't live in a conservatively Christian area. All my family know and people who are close to me. When I meet people I don't introduce myself as an atheist or anything nor do I bring up the topic of religion unless it is appropriate to the conversation. When it does come up I am honest. I grew up in New England and was Christian until college and it wasn't too hard on me. My husband was a professor in Utah for three years though and they have a lot of conservative Mormons there. A few times I had people choose not to be friendly with me but I didn't care. I live in Austria now. There are a lot of Catholics but people aren't in your face about religion. Many are more culturally religious than anything.

Answer 3

I don't hide the fact that I'm an atheist. But I don't go around bringing it up out of context all the time either (as Christian evangelicals seem to like to do). It certainly isn't that I'm ashamed of it or fearful of some sort of Christian reprisal. It's just that being an atheist isn't something that defines me. I don't think about it much in my daily life. It's just a natural by-product of critical thinking and intellectual curiosity.
It strikes me that most folks who go around peddling their personal opinions or beliefs about any subject are trying to convince themselves as much as whomever they're preaching to.
And the only time I've ever been threatened in reaction to expressing my opinions on religion is here on Yahoo Answers by some of these loving, peaceful, tolerant Christians...

Answer 4

I am atheist and I live in the Bible Belt (North Carolina to be exact).

All of my friends who have I discussed religion with know I am atheist. If any of my friends do not know, it's simply because they have not asked. Many times, with friends, I volunteer the information (that I am atheist). Other times, the subject simply comes up. It's not something that friends have to pry out of me because I really enjoy talking about it. Many times I am hesitant about telling some 'friends' but then I realize that they are not true friends if I do not feel like I can be honest about my beliefs. I had one Southern Baptist 'friend' who constantly picked on me for my beliefs and, needless to say, he and I are no longer acquainted.

My family is actually another story. My father is pretty much the only person in my family who knows I am atheist. I only recently discovered I was atheist in the last year or two so it had not really come up with family. I will be honest and say that I am a bit nervous about telling some family members that I am atheist but not many. It's mainly my mother who insisted on raising me Catholic (and sent me to Catholic school as a child). The rest of my family I am actually not that close to and don't mind if they know or not.

I would not lie to my family, friends, co-workers, or a stranger about my beliefs. Many of my co-workers know about my beliefs but I don't make it a habbit to discuss it at work.

Answer 5

My family knows of my preference I do not lie to myself. The people I work with know how I feel and aside from the little uninformed jabs it is no problem. As for the town I live in this is something else but not for me. More so for my wife we have two small kids and my wife worries that the religious nuts will say things to them about me or about my wife. Plus even attack my kids so she makes me restrain myself in public. The school my kids go to a group prays out front every morning and they think this helps the kids. Recently one of the teachers who goes to church and is repected in the community was arrested with meth and the ones praying said god is cleaning out the bad people. I just think this teacher has a problem with dope and got caught by the cops when she was pulled over.
I quite going to PTA meetings becuase they pray and sing to jesus before the meeting. The first one I went to really burned me up and it was all I could do to keep my mouth shut. But, for the kids I did it biting my tongue the whole time.

But, I am in the process of looking to take a job in a large metropolitian area and hope to leave the evil forces of these chiristian saints behind.

My biggest problem is I do not like too and very often will not back down if I am challenged so my wife tries to keep me under lock and key. : ) lol

Answer 6

I am not afraid of being an atheist... my friends and family are good. Professionally, it is never appropriate to discuss religion at work, so it's a non-issue.

However, I probably would suffer some negative professional consequences if it were widely known.

Answer 7

I don't mention it to my family, as they are fundamentalists, and beyond hope. And I see no reason to cause friction.

Otherwise, I get a kick out of the shock value of telling new people that I meet I'm an atheist. If they can't handle it, then that tells me right away that I have no need to ever associate with them again.

In much the same way, I have no intention of going to an insane asylum to find new friends.

Answer 8

I've been open about being an atheist since the 1960's. One aunt asked me, "You're an atheist, but you believe in god, right?" I still laugh when I think of that.

I've lived in New York City most of my life, and for three years in Los Angeles. In both cities I faced job discrimination because of my beliefs. That's why I laugh when christians say that they're persecuted. I've never heard of a christian in the U.S. losing their job because of their beliefs.

Answer 9

That's one of the good things about not having a religion which requires its followers to never deny. We can believe or disbelieve whatever we want without worrying about angering a god who swings a hell hammer. Just tell them what they want to hear and go about our merry ways.

In a world where people have to die for their religious beliefs, the survivors would be atheists and liars.

Answer 10

Yeah, I basically am an atheist, but I do not declare to be one in public (mostly because I am far from a true atheist in that I do have genuine belief in some Buddhist principles, which I am also to embarassed to identify with).

Answer 11

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