03-04-2003 06:19									#1
	A few questions for fellow atheists Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

I know a lot of us are pretty outspoken in slamming theists whenever they pop out of their holes on forums, but how do you tend to act IRL? Any poor infidels stuck in the closet? What do you do when at a religious service (funeral, christmas service with family whatever)?

Personally I can't remember the last time I got in an argument with someone over a religion (not counting non-serious mocking of good friends), which is completely different than online where I think people are really asking for it if they start Bible thumping. The closest I ever really got was after I stint of posting on the Internet Infidel forums (which made me meaner and more anti-religious than I like to be due to the very anti-christian atmosphere and the annoying idiocy of the christians braved the atheist hordes) I wrote some really vitriolic rants in a History & Religion class (which my very religious prof ironically loved ).

Haven't been at any religious ceremonies in years aside from Christmas services where I refuse to kneel/take communion/pray but happily belt out Christmas carrols.

But then I haven't been exposed to really in your face Christianity (except for some Mennonites which are nice cuddly pacifist fundies) since my family isn't religious and my campus is a nice godless leftist bubble that probably has more practicing Jews and Buddhists than Christians. Hope I would be able to remain my nice tolerant open-minded self and not go off on rants about Biblical errancy and whatnot like do occasionally on 'poly (more a year or two than now, we don't seem to have had many religious threads this year, probably due to the tragic lack of CivNation...).

	03-04-2003 06:27									#2
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I happily 'celebrate' all religious festivals that involve food. I just don't commit to the big invisible friend part. I still enjoy well-written religious music,especially choral works- I just mentally distance myself from the content.

After all- why should only the believers enjoy all the best tunes?

	03-04-2003 06:28									#3
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I'm a Mennonite, and I'm neither nice, nor cuddly, nor pacifistic, nor "fundamentalist".

Then again, I'm not a very good Mennonite.
BTW, where did you encounter them at?

	03-04-2003 06:32									#4
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quote: I happily 'celebrate' all religious festivals that involve food.

And drink (especially when involving costumes and noise-makers). Purim rocks.

quote: BTW, where did you encounter them at?

Bolivia, lots of them there, there's a long-standing German Mennonite community in the area and they run the orphanage where we adopted my sister from. Great people.

	03-04-2003 06:32									#5
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Like Molyl Bloom, I just go with the flow, and only get into arguments about God other start. I never start them myself. Anyone so militantly aethist that thy start agruments about it, well, has some issues. How can you be militant above a negative belief? (ie, there is NO god, as opposed to which type of God exists).

	03-04-2003 06:34									#6
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While I prefer the term 'agnostic', for humility's sake... I go to a Catholic school, so I go along with whatever they want, usually. I'll do the sign of the cross or what have you, in class, but not usually at a ceremony, because they don't watch you as much, then.

As for arguments: No, not really. I got into a bit of one with a priest that came into speak to us once, but that was it. A good number of my friends are believers, and I try not to step on their beliefs. They can do what they want.

I don't mind going to church so much, whenever it comes up (not often)... I like going to older churches, with beautiful architecture and personality; not so much the new-fangled, community-hall-style parishes.

But overall: No, I try to respect people's faith, just as I would hope they would respect my lack of it... Though I already know they don't.

	03-04-2003 06:37									#7
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wel, i go to a baptist unversity...my prescence (i stick out like asore thumb) is enough to make a point. I don't rant and rave against them and if they show up on my doorstep i hear them out before telling them what i think. I'm always polite but firm when my opinion is asked. And unless the conversation turns to "why god" doesn't exist by someone else, i don't turn it that way. But most people don't talk to me anyway....i show them the respect i'd like to be treated with.

	03-04-2003 06:42									#8
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Well, my entire family and all my friends and anyone else I know are atheist (except my grandmother who believes in "something") so I never really discuss religion.
We don't go to religious services except funerals but my mother, my grandfather and I never put money in the collect plate.

	03-04-2003 06:44									#9
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I know very few religious people (I mean, people obsessed enough to talk to me about this). And those I know are my best friend and his family. There is an unsaid understanding nobody starts discussing about is, unless I have some curiosity on the Bible.
I go to religious ceremonies, like burials or weddings, and I even go enough with the flow to do the cross-thingy or say "amen" when requested.
There is no use shocking people for something that unimportant in my opinion. It is much funnier and healthier to annoy people with policital debate

	03-04-2003 06:57									#10
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I sort of go with the flow. I've been to church services with relatives, obviously for weddings, etc. I figure it does me no harm to nod and smile. Going through the motions doesn't make you religious. I've been to a gay wedding, and that doesn't make me gay, either.

The only times I get really militant about it are when people try to impose (preach) their religion on me, or when people try to use religion to win an argument, which is usually laughable.

	03-04-2003 06:58									#11
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In the US I have had few issues (except in HS, were we had some militant aethists who just wanted to start trouble). In Panama it is a bit different. I have one uncle who is an evanglist, an aunt who is a conservative Catholic (or became) and another one who was a Hare Krishna for a while (I don't know if she still is), which made for some interesting talks. Oh, and I had to sit though a wedding with a Priest who went on a 40 minute rant about how the crisis in the catholic church was do to the lack of faith of parishoners...

	03-04-2003 08:16									#12
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I'm the only Atheist in my small rural community, most here are Lutherns.

	03-04-2003 08:39									#13
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I have yet to meet someone younger than 70 years old that believes in God...

quote: I'm the only Atheist in my small rural community, most here are Lutherns.

I mean WOW

I do go to a catholic university and so on but that doesn't really mean anything, I don't think there would be that much difference if it were non catholic, except perhaps that the university wouldn't be so conservative of course..

Also weddings, funerals,.. ppl still go to church for that, but that's just ceremony, tradition if you like, nobody still believes (in my region)... I mean only 2 new students signed in this year (to become a priest later) in Belgium and a lot of of priests that graduate in our seminar are African etc. Anyway, we have trouble finding enough priests for our churches, as there aren't many left, and they are all very very old, I'm somewhat interested how the church is going to solve this problem, in like 10-20 years how will they have solved it!!!...


I don't really think about religious things simply because they don't concern me and because i'm not really interested in em, there are more important issues to think about imo

Of course, reading "in the name of the rose" or books of Karen Armstrong makes you ponder it a bit but still I think it is a very boring subject

	03-04-2003 08:42									#14
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For the most part, I lost my militant atheism streak a coup years ago. Even in Apolyton. It's hard to get worked up about religion nowadays.

	03-04-2003 08:45									#15
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quote: Originally posted by Ramo I lost my militant atheism streak a coup years ago.

Thank God. Those people are annoying.

	03-04-2003 08:46									#16
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I have a hard time buying the "big invisible friend" part of religion, but I hate militant atheists. Just because it's fun to annoy fundamentalist christians doesn't mean it's a good thing.

	03-04-2003 08:48									#17
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I can see being militant about being aetheist. or even moreso if ur some kind of new age vague spiritualist.

either way, lacking belief which is fairly passive. and disbelieving which is far more active. are different. and I dont see anything odd or peculiar about being active when u truly disbelieve.

I'm not sure if I separated that well enuff, I hope yall get the idea tho.

	03-04-2003 08:50									#18
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quote: Just because it's fun to annoy fundamentalist christians doesn't mean it's a good thing.

Soooooo true. Has been hard resisting the temptation of buying this t-shirt:

	03-04-2003 08:54									#19
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quote: Thank God. Those people are annoying.

Yeah, but still less annoying than fundies.

	03-04-2003 08:58									#20
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I never argue about religion unless someone else starts it. IME many religious people aren't uber rational anyway so it's pointless to argue with them, as it is with anyone who holds fanatical beliefs.

Besides, there are many atheists who have bad reasons...

	03-04-2003 09:02									#21
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quote: Originally posted by Ramo Yeah, but still less annoying than fundies.

Imagine how I feel being between them.

	03-04-2003 09:04									#22
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About how I feel, I'd guess.

	03-04-2003 09:06									#23
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quote: Originally posted by Ramo Yeah, but still less annoying than fundies.

I must agree, tho i know there really is no difference

I go along with all religious ceremonies as if I were not atheist. I think the only ones outside my close group of friends (who are also atheists, except one who is a eastern spiritualist) who know I am atheist is my Mom, and my brother. Ive never told my father, nor even led him to suspect it. My brother is the same as I am, so that wasn't hrd, adn my mother is a hippie-esque free spirit, so she tells me to believe what i want, but my father is a conservative catholic (jeez, no wonder they got a divorce ). I really dont think he would care that much, I just never have gotten around to telling him, nor really had an oppertunity (its not something i would just interject at the dinner table or somethn... "oh by the way, im an atheist..."). If he asked i would freely admit to it.

I partake in Christmas and stuff, and when im with my father i occasionally attend mass, and just kinda go along with it. Its not hard, but its not fun either

Kman

	03-04-2003 09:09									#24
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The whole time in church (ive gone to many different types), as i listen to the clerical dude (preist, reverend, or whatever he/she may be) i usually just think the whole time, "how can people believe in this?..."

It keeps the mind busy, adn away from the brain washing powers of a church speil...

	03-04-2003 11:26									#25
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My youngest brother is a fundie Christian--he could be CivNation for all I know--and I've had fun debating him on and off over the years. (I've still got some of his letters from before either of us had email.)

In general, I just go with the flow. I don't take religion seriously enough to get offended by it. I even sang in a Lutheran church choir a few years ago, just because I like to sing.

	03-04-2003 11:31									#26
	Re: A few questions for fellow atheists Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

quote: Originally posted by Boshko I know a lot of us are pretty outspoken in slamming theists whenever they pop out of their holes on forums, but how do you tend to act IRL? Any poor infidels stuck in the closet? What do you do when at a religious service (funeral, christmas service with family whatever)? Personally I can't remember the last time I got in an argument with someone over a religion (not counting non-serious mocking of good friends), which is completely different than online where I think people are really asking for it if they start Bible thumping. The closest I ever really got was after I stint of posting on the Internet Infidel forums (which made me meaner and more anti-religious than I like to be due to the very anti-christian atmosphere and the annoying idiocy of the christians braved the atheist hordes) I wrote some really vitriolic rants in a History & Religion class (which my very religious prof ironically loved ). Haven't been at any religious ceremonies in years aside from Christmas services where I refuse to kneel/take communion/pray but happily belt out Christmas carrols. But then I haven't been exposed to really in your face Christianity (except for some Mennonites which are nice cuddly pacifist fundies) since my family isn't religious and my campus is a nice godless leftist bubble that probably has more practicing Jews and Buddhists than Christians. Hope I would be able to remain my nice tolerant open-minded self and not go off on rants about Biblical errancy and whatnot like do occasionally on 'poly (more a year or two than now, we don't seem to have had many religious threads this year, probably due to the tragic lack of CivNation...).

Arrogant, yet long-winded.

	03-04-2003 11:51									#27
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I'm praying for you.

	03-04-2003 11:56									#28
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I pray for everybody who's more wicked than me. It's the least I can do.

	03-04-2003 12:12									#29
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Anyone more wicked than you? I pity the fool.

	03-04-2003 12:22									#30
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Apparently you've never seen one of those annoying Carrot Top 1-800 Collect commercials. That guy needs some hardcore praying done on his ass.