Atheists fed up? Believe it!

[metta]

Atheists fed up? Believe it!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...d-up-believe-it/2011/06/16/AGThoUXH_blog.html

 

[barnbuddy]

interesting piece, and a great quote:

"After all, remember what Thomas Jefferson said in 1787:

'Question with boldness even the existence of God'.”

there is a spirited debate among atheists about which is more challenging:

coming out as gay or atheist

 

[WillMc88]

that sounds like the most easily resolved debate ever, and one side deserves a swift kick in the nuts.

Yea I don't understand this statement either. Being gay AND being an atheist are still considered taboo among a great deal of our society.

My family knows I'm gay, but I've yet to tell them I'm an atheist. You might be surprised how some people I know stigmatize atheists, yet are accepting of gay people.

 

[kallipolis]

interesting piece, and a great quote:

"After all, remember what Thomas Jefferson said in 1787:

'Question with boldness even the existence of God'.”

there is a spirited debate among atheists about which is more challenging:

coming out as gay or atheist

Wasn't Jefferson the hypocrite who spoke so eloquently about freedom, and the rights of man despite owning some 150 black slaves; a couple of whom he had sired?

On this site it is the theist who is on the receiving end of abuse. And lots of abuse, at that.

I rather suspect that the article's author, Gregory Paul might have ambitions to emulate Sam Harries, and Professor Dawkins in order to raise his public profile.

 

[ixthrock]

As far as i can tell, i haven't died and gone to either heaven OR hell, been reincarnated as anything else, or even hovered on the verge of merging with godhood, waiting for all the rest of the souls to come in. Nor have I decayed like so much bad meat after its expiration date (okay, so maybe I have done that a little...)

My mom is more comforted by believing that I'm a gay man who believes in God (despite the fact that I'm going to hell) than she would be if I were straight and told her I thought her belief system was a crock of shit.

I'm out to her as gay. I'm not out to her as an agnostic.

 

[kallipolis]

As far as i can tell, i haven't died and gone to either heaven OR hell, been reincarnated as anything else, or even hovered on the verge of merging with godhood, waiting for all the rest of the souls to come in. Nor have I decayed like so much bad meat after its expiration date (okay, so maybe I have done that a little...)

My mom is more comforted by believing that I'm a gay man who believes in God (despite the fact that I'm going to hell) than she would be if I were straight and told her I thought her belief system was a crock of shit.

I'm out to her as gay. I'm not out to her as an agnostic.

Your well established record for posting common sense observations, garnished with compassion suggests to me that hell is far removed from your ultimate reward.

 

[barnbuddy]

that sounds like the most easily resolved debate ever, and one side deserves a swift kick in the nuts.

that was my reaction at first - I think I said

"I've never heard of an atheist bashing."

which was countered by: "no one has ever organized an atheist pride parade, or have

hollywood actors and singers backing us up."

for me, coming out as atheist wasn't difficult - I always questioned church teachings.

and of 4 kids, 3 of us stopped going to Catholic services after we graduated HS.

But that can be very different outside the North East or California - I've heard stories

like the one in the article - families reject atheists, communities shun non believers.

the "coming out" process is parallel in some ways, and provides common ground.

 

[MoufOfKhaos]

But you can see two people up-thread from the American south who are telling you that they were more readily able to come out as gay than as non-believers. Stop being so insular.

Well let me be the dissenting voice from the American south and let it be known that I come out as both with relative ease, any time the question is brought up.

I don't find either hard to voice, but of course I know which one creates more of a hardship as far as rights go.

 

[MoufOfKhaos]

Don't you live in Atlanta?

South of there, yes.

 

[ixthrock]

I can't be sure about God, but I'm positive I'm gay. People can believe that I'm trying to be "Christian," albeit misguidedly, if I refuse to repent of my "sin." I'm a bigger threat to the "moral fiber" of this country by expressing the belief that a virgin birth is preposterous than begging to suck the minister's dick. Some people might swing around to the belief that God doesn't really hate fags, and want to be my friend so that all their OTHER friends can see just how enlightened and liberated they are, but they'll ditch me in a minute if they understood what a bunch of superstitious neanderthals they all seem like to me. Hmmmph. Getting into wars over who has the biggest deity? And they act like this superstiton is TRUTH? Double hmmmph.

 

[anchihiro]

Wow, i guess this is another way to highlight different cultures. But across the pond here no one gives a shit if you're atheist. I've never had or known of any discrimination placed onto atheists for their (non) beliefs. In fact i'd say the media sometimes encourages atheism.

 

[Telstra]

maybe non-believers pride march ?

Those religions are so well organized with their clubs ... etc.

 

[syoBsUtsuJ]

It is said that there is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole," now whether or not that's true ... idk. I do that most of us have some sort of organized religion thrust upon us from birth. I'd like to believe that I am not a hypocrite for practicing Catholicism despite my major disagreement with Its Doctrine. -- We all do as we do until we learn better! -- I just haven't learned a better way to praise my Lord as I understand Him.

I am NOT a Jehovah Witness trying to convert anybody! My particular church doesn't advertise nation-wide trying to convert others. Gee ... just imagine what that kind of money ($10-million + ) could have done for their congregants, to say nothing of our nation's homeless and hungry.

It's proven that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely! I hate to say it, but there needs to be a change throughout ALL major religion hierarchies; especially when they live in palatial mansions, and the majority of their "flock" live in and mostly under poverty [level].

 

[hylas]

there is a spirited debate among atheists about which is more challenging:

coming out as gay or atheist

it may be an european thing, but im with loki here. im both gay and an atheist. being gay and dealing with the consequences of homophobia is one of the defining issues of my life, and its present, in some form, every single day... even though i live in a liberal enviroment.
being an atheist, on the other hand, barely ever comes up, no matter where i am. i seriously cant even remember the last time i felt even a tiny bit discriminated as an atheist.

of course, thats my subjective experience, and other people obviously see it differently. but globally, people dont get murdered or beat up for being atheist. for me that pretty much answeres the question.

 

[Telstra]

I think there's going to be a big atheist gathering in D.C. in 2012. You should fly across the pond for it, Telly.

I would be of better use of making people call me "militant atheist" which i'm not.
Anyway only 1 person on this site call me that.

 

[Sigma-taylor-E]

I would be of better use of making people call me "militant atheist" which i'm not.
Anyway only 1 person on this site call me that.

Oh i love that Line "Militant atheist" I laugh everything it's uttered.

 

[Telstra]

Oh i love that Line "Militant atheist" I laugh everything it's uttered.

Which is stupid because i don't go to any atheists gathering or know anyone is an atheist.

I see alot of people in church for weddings but my guess is most of them don't believe what the bible says.

 

[GhostMost]

It's kind of bad and it's kind of not being a gay atheist. Definitely way harder coming out as a homosexual to my family than it was saying I'm an atheist. But I got over it and so did they.

 

[juicyjack]

I may risk sounding like an idiot here but I thought most people assume if you are gay, then you are an atheist? Also it seems in the media and in the younger generations that it is uncool to believe in God and it's usually made fun of. I can't even imagine it coming up that often anyway, unlike sexual orientation,, so I don't get the comparison with coming out as gay and coming out as atheist (except for coming out to your family which is only because your parents are protective of you and worry about what path you choose whether they are right or not). That's completely different than coming out in public. In addition I think it would be more difficult to be gay and Christian than be gay and atheist. I'm not trying to start a hyper-senisitive debate, I'm just saying what I've seen.

 

[MoufOfKhaos]

I may risk sounding like an idiot here but I thought most people assume if you are gay, then you are an atheist?

No; they assume that you're an abomination, which is different from assuming you believe in no religious basis at all. Not an idiotic assumption though, the feeling is sort of the same.