I received a message in my inbox today from another user on Yahoo Answers. I've never received hate mail or mail from users telling me I needed to be "saved" or anything so I was surprised when it read:
Subject: you are a courageous woman
Message: I was looking over profiles for people that answered the question about richard dawkins
and you had a 360 so I took a look.
hense the statement, you have courage
I wish you well
I just had to share, because the message really made me giggle. Although this is not intended to poke fun, it's the first message of this nature that I have ever received.
2007-08-30 09:48:48 · 32 answers · asked by Christy ☪☮e✡is✝ 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Also, I'm not exactly sure that the sender meant by that message...so I wasn't sure how to take it.
2007-08-30 09:58:57 · update #1
I would take it to mean precicely what it says... The author of the message was recognizing your strength of character for speaking out as an atheist. I congratulate you, too, and I admire your couurage to stand by your convictions as well.
Living an atheist's life often means making a great deal of choices all without the support of a flock to bolster you and it may also mean that you must face ridicule completely on your own - all of this takes courage to withstand. Good for you for having it and thanks for being an example to others.
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb62/Randall_Fleck/Zondo_GIF.gif
[][][] r u randy? [][][]
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2007-08-30 10:34:55 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Whats so funny is that the need to call a person "courageous WOMAN" implicitly suggests that there is something unusual about a woman being courageous. Hillarious.
I had a friend who started a group called "strong women in business". I told her it was a totally stupid name for the same reason.
2007-08-30 09:55:59 · answer #2 · answered by Earl Grey 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Standing up for your beliefs (or lack thereof) in a basically anonymous forum doesn't take much courage from anyone on any side.
Courage would be to stand up for those beliefs (or lack thereof) in a situation that could put you in danger or cause you loss.
Regardless of my spirtual beliefs, I have to respect the courage of the employee who, in a group of primarily Christian co-workers, tells them no, they do not believe in God, knowing they will either be ridiculed or pestered to death from that point on. (Fellow Christians...how about we LIVE the ministry rather than merely speaking it?)
I also have to respect the courage of the Christian who declines to participate in an activity against their faith knowing it could cause them to be ridiculed or pestered from that point on.
Let's not cheapen "courage" by applying it to what we do here. It just is not required in a forum where all you have to do is click an icon and you never have to deal with that "person" and their views again.
2007-08-30 10:01:36 · answer #3 · answered by cnsdubie 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
No. Your lack of belief simply makes you another non-believer, one among millions. On the other hand, if you're able to express yourself in courageous and interesting ways, then your e-mail buddy might be on to something.
2007-08-30 09:55:42 · answer #4 · answered by solarius 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Possibly if you live in rural Texas, you drive a Hybrid and your plate says A T H E I S T. That would take some guts.
2007-08-30 14:41:23 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Um... well, if you're an unbeliever then you are courageous... have you not realized this yet?
As an unbeliever who once did the Sunday morning thing (and Bible Study, and choir, and other activities)... I think it takes a lot of courage to actually THINK and not be afraid of going against the grain.
2007-08-30 09:55:56 · answer #6 · answered by vérité 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Being atheist isn't especially courageous in itself, but you're willing to speak and stand by what you believe, so I'd agree that makes you courageous
2007-08-30 09:55:04 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
Some have written that the Apostle Thomas had courage because he doubted that Jesus returned to earth after the resurrection. Because of his doubt, he was allowed to touch Jesus (the only person to do that after the resurrection) in his wounds, giving him an intimacy and knowledge of Jesus that no one else on earth has had.
So, doubting can be a good thing, because the more you learn about Jesus, the more you will realize that he was real, he was the Son of God, and he does love you unconditionally.
It happened to CS Lewis.
2007-08-30 09:58:33 · answer #8 · answered by samans442 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋
I'd say you're courageous. It takes more bravery to accept responsibility in life for your own than it does to blame everything on God and Satan instead.
2007-08-30 10:01:03 · answer #9 · answered by mathaowny 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
No, I do not think it makes you a courageous woman at all.
Wierd.....
I am not saying that you ARE NOT courageous, but the fact that you do not believe does not in itself make you courageous.
2007-08-30 09:54:28 · answer #10 · answered by batgirl2good 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋