I just discovered that my mother in law thinks I am satanist.
She is closed minded and lives in the bible belt.
I am wondering if I should even bring this up with her, in an attempt to clarify to her that I am actually agnostic?
Her son thinks "atheists" means the same as "satanist".
So I am wondering from others on if you have closed minded relatives like this and if you even bother trying to explain the difference?
I am some what hurt by it and somewhat amused as I think it is kinda funny.
What are your experiences?
Thanks
2007-11-14 09:54:42 · 19 answers · asked by queen of snarky-yack again 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Tell her you are exercising God's 'free-will'
2007-11-14 16:26:33 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because Bible Belt conservatives are among the most uneducated and knee jerk people in the world.
You should tell her atheists do not believe God or the devil exist....so a satanist can't be an atheist.
Maybe she means that an atheist and satanist are both sinners and going to hell (isn't that oh so much better)?
As you know, an agnostic does not say they don't believe in God, they say they don't know and don't believe it is possible to know. I think most Christians are in some level agnostic.
I am a Christian, I choose to believe in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I will never have concrete proof, I accept that and choose to walk in faith.
I don't know that I'd bother trying to educate a conservative from the Bible belt...Her Bible says in Proverbs "Do not answer a fool in his folly and such be like him." Maybe you should take it to heart.
Most of my relatives are smart, except politically.
2007-11-14 10:02:54 · answer #2 · answered by jm1970 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am a fundamentalist Christian and they are not all the same thing nor are they interchangable. A satanist believes in God and Satan and chooses to worship Satan rather than God. An agnostic believes that there may be a God, but there is not enough evidence to either support or deny this claim and they do not believe that God is necessarily knowable. An atheist does not believe in God or Satan, heaven or hell, or any type of supernatural being. I would try to explain it to her and let her know that they are very different terms describing very different beliefs.
2007-11-14 10:00:31 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
When I first told my parents I was an atheist, they responded generally the same way. They thought the way that most christians here think: that I hated god, that I was worshipping the devil, etc. It took some time, but eventually they understood that I just choose to be non-religious. I think that when they figured out that I didn't undergo a tragic moral downward spiral within 2 weeks of stating that I was an atheist, that I was the same person I'd always been, things got a lot better.
2007-11-14 10:01:47 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, they're not the same, but it's awfully hard to convince close-minded people that there is a difference. Thank God I don't have to deal with people like this, but I don't think I would bother trying to change their minds. Some battles are lost before they even start. Good Luck.
Find out whether they want you to come to their house or not--if no, then you're off the hook for all the horrible holidays with them.
2007-11-14 10:03:45 · answer #5 · answered by sugarbabe 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My family knows the difference between the three. My Dad used to say he has more respect for an atheist than an agnostic, since the atheist is definite on their disbelief in God, and my Mom respected both. My Dad and Mom were Roman Catholic, BTW. I'm not an atheist or agnostic but I also respect both viewpoints.
2007-11-14 10:05:33 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Agnostics and Atheists are often mixed up.
But that's actually not to far fetched anyway.
And for a true Christian the terms Atheist,
Agnostic and Satanist could easily blur.
It's in their narrow mind. Personally I don't
care.
2007-11-14 10:01:54 · answer #7 · answered by Alex S 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
To correct behonest, Satanist in the purest sense of the word, do not believe in either Satan or God. They "worship" Satan both as an expression of self, and as a mockery of Christianity.
2007-11-14 10:04:07 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Atheists are opposed to belief in G*D.
By definition, that means they don't believe in Satan either.
But some who do believe, consider opposition to be Satanic.
An agnostic is just saying that they don't know about G*D.
Their minds are made up, don't confuse them with facts.
2007-11-14 10:05:42 · answer #9 · answered by Robert S 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
So she's closed minded because she lives in the bible belt? Or is it because she has truth and you don't?! Sheesh the only thing she must have done wrong was not whipping your butt!
Techically its not the same but to me none of these groups can decide what to believe so they're all agonistic to me!
2007-11-14 10:03:32 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
A Muslims Religion is Islam/Islamic
2016-04-04 01:25:25 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋