What if someone knew that a person was an atheist? The atheist enjoys attending church functions, but has yet to mention God or religon. The atheist does however likes to share what happens during such functions. The theist some how found out that this person was an atheist. Perhaps by eavesdropping, who knows? The atheist was just too scared to tell others what he was.
Assume that such an incident happened in a work setting, perhaps during a lunch break in the employee lunch room. How would you feel or react if someone outed you?
2007-11-12 05:45:46 · 24 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Ashley, I didn't say that the atheist expressed his disbelief in church. He just enjoyed going and liked the activities. However it is a fictional scenario, so I guess you can make that assumption if you want to.
2007-11-12 05:53:13 · update #1
Okay, but what if it was a slip of the tongue? Like a group of employees were talking about religion at lunch (perfectly legal). Then after the atheist said something, someone just innocently said "But I thought you were an atheist?"
2007-11-12 05:56:12 · update #2
Morey000, the atheist just didn't want to share this with people at work. Maybe he did share it with a few members at the church, but they respect his opinion and welcome him in.
2007-11-12 05:58:31 · update #3
Diogenis, what a honest story. Sorry for your ordeals. Thumbs up from me. Oh and I have never outed an atheist let alone an homosexual. I was just posing a scenario that could be plausible.
2007-11-12 10:39:20 · update #4
Oh, Diogenisis,
I certainly hope that your encounters haven't deaden your heart to theists. Doing that would only make them the victors.
2007-11-12 10:41:31 · update #5
Not only is it rude to gossip about an atheist, or anybody else, behind their back, but in Christian Amerika, it is outright dangerous to expose an atheist's secret to the rest of the community.
During the early 60's, I was beaten up four times by Christian members of my high school's football team, because my blabbermouth sister revealed my secret. The last beating was so severe I woke up in a hospital ICU and have absolutely no memory of the beating. More than forty years later, I still take anticonvulsants to control the seizures caused by the damage those Christians did to my brain.
During the 70's I was fired from the two best corporate jobs I ever held because, "The shareholders wouldn't like it if they knew we had an atheist on the payroll." I stupidly trusted a woman co-worker I thought was a friend with knowledge of my atheism and she outed me to the entire company. Not only did I lose my job, but the gossip followed me to my next job and I lost that job too.
These days, after being a social pariah for over fifty years, I take my personal security very seriously. I've outlived all my relatives and I am now old enough that I don't really care much about my long term future. If someone outed me now, I'd use my 12 gauge shotgun to blow their damned head clean off! Outing an atheist is far worse than "rude," and you would be wise to remember that most atheists will become extremely angry when you ruin their lives because of your bigotted religious superstitions. I strongly urge you to mind your own business.
2007-11-12 06:28:07 · answer #1 · answered by Diogenes 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If you know that the person is an atheist, then you may want to talk to them personally and figure out why they are there at the church. Don't push them away. They may be an atheist, and there is no better spot for them to have some type of spiritual experience than at a church with Christians. Talk to the person, but don't out them because that's nothing more than gossip.
2007-11-12 05:59:59 · answer #2 · answered by One Odd Duck 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Why would you care?
And I don't think a true atheist would be a church "for fun". That person would be considered agnostic, most likely.
If someone said I was agnostic (which I am) I wouldn't care. But if someone called me agnostic or atheist for the purpose of singling me out in a group of religious individuals who would shame me or witness to me for not being religious, I would be very angry and take that as a personal attack. Because I would feel like you were demeaning me for "not having religion".
2007-11-12 06:02:01 · answer #3 · answered by spike_is_my_evil_vampire 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why would you feel the need to "out" this person? You say this person enjoys attending church functions... what's the problem?
Now, on the other hand, if this person was trying to tear down others' beliefs while pretending to be an active member, then they should be confronted.
2007-11-12 05:52:24 · answer #4 · answered by Open Heart Searchery 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
rude? some folks have a weird definition of rude. Rude is slamming a door on someone standing in the doorway--rude is shouting at someone standing within a foot of their face. Rude is walking away from someone while they are talking.
BUT---what right does anyone have to GOSSIP about someone else? Perhaps one day the person will hear something that will change their heart. Why tell anyone if someone does not believe in God. Very unloving thing to do if you ask me ..... but certainly NOT RUDE! ;-)
2007-11-12 05:52:57 · answer #5 · answered by oph_chad 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes, it would be very rude. What business is it of any ones to try and say a person is lying about their religion in front of a bunch of random people, let alone when you're alone with them!
It is rude to discuss religion in mixed company as another poster said, but this persons religious beliefs are nobodies business but their own. They can be curious about religion and want to learn about it without 100% believing in it.
2007-11-12 05:53:51 · answer #6 · answered by Lindsey M 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
By 'outing' him, you are defining atheism as something which is shameful or bad. It is anything but.
I'm an atheist and I sometimes go to religious services. Generally for family, events, celebrations. I have nothing against the social aspects of organized religion... I just don't believe in a supernatural deity.
2007-11-12 05:53:26 · answer #7 · answered by Morey000 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
i've got in no way met a Christian in actual existence who actual thinks the Earth is 6,000 years previous and Noah took dinosaurs on board the Ark. a minimum of if I even have, I wasn't responsive to it. yet there are various on right here, curiously. i think of we ought to continually all keep in mind that when human beings say "atheists" or "Christians" or in spite of in this board, of direction they are generalizing. How else do you communicate approximately something? will we actually ought to stipulate each and every time that no, we are actually not actual pertaining to each and each atheist or Christian on earth? i attempt to stay faraway from saying "nutty Christians" besides, and extremely attack particular factors of theology and so on that I particularly disagree with, e.g. youthful Earth. In different words, i attempt to criticize recommendations i come across offensive and not make it very own. i won't be able to truly say the comparable element of particular Christians, who tell me in no doubtful words that i will burn in hell for being gay.
2016-10-02 05:05:09 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is why I keep few things secret. If you don't like my beliefs-so be it. Everybody is so phobic these days. I was talking the other day about the dinner my wife and I had with a lesbian couple. Some people thought I might put gay cooties on them.
2007-11-12 05:56:23 · answer #9 · answered by Franklin 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Are you asking if it would be rude to share personal details of a someones life that you stumbled upon by accident? Share them in a public place just so you could see what happens?
Are you really asking this question?
2007-11-12 05:52:32 · answer #10 · answered by Samurai Jack 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋