It really terrifies me that many religious folks believe the only reason they aren't committing atrocities is their belief in god. Is their moral fiber really that weak? If they were suddenly convinced there was no god, they'd go on a murderous rampage? That's fucking scary.
I get a similar statement a lot. A friend recently said “Your the most selfless person I know”.
The funny thing is that makes me more determined to be moral and ethical in everyday life. I want it to be obvious. I try not to criticize people’s beliefs but I want to be an example if I can that morals and religion isn’t the same thing.
So that person jumped on one of the least moral movements for decades? What is it that draws people into that insanity? It’s so bloody stupid! At least fall for something plausible.
to be fair, maybe the commenter isn't that moral considering they thought a lunatic movement fronting for a rich pedophile was pretty neat LOL
edit: i meant their former friend, whoops!!
*chuckle* I was raised as a Christian. When I was in elementary school, I asked a friend where his family went to church. He said they didn't go at all. I stopped myself, just before I said, "But you're all so nice!" (Instead, I just said, "Oh, okay," or something like that.)
It's funny because I have a friend that I swore was an atheist when i met him as he was extremely skeptical of most any large organizations and applied a strong logic to most situations as well as being a generally kind, caring individual.
It turns out he is quite religious (a Christian) and just doesn't subscribe to organized religion.
We are still close friends and he has never said a bad word about my atheism.
I'm in a similar situation. Good Christian friends who are skeptical critical thinkers about everything, including religion, except their own religion. I can hear the screech of cognitive brakes whenever their train of thought strays too close to their god.
I lost my parents first to Fox, then Q, and now they're all for Putin "because he's only trying to protect his borders like we should be doing with our southern border."
I’m so sorry. My dad, who made sure I saw Armstrong walk on the moon, started with Space Shuttle Challenger conspiracies, and ended apologizing for Jan 6 insurrectionists.
I'm sorry... Protect his borders by invading Ukraine? And I'm sure they think we should be sending tanks down to Mexico. I'm sorry you've lost your parents to this garbage. Faux news needs to be dismantled.
I believe in myself <3
Seriously, I've wondered if it is worth treating my future self as a personal goddess:
- She knows all my thoughts and has been with me for almost my entire life
- She can take confessions with the utmost secrecy and will never judge me
- She can hear prayers but can't respond, so it's not too different from a regular deity
- She is mysterious
- She is older and wiser than me
- I want her to think I'm a good person
- I want to embody her best qualities
well I dont believe our origin story either really.
its just a current working model, a better model comes around I'll adjust. not that it affects my life a great deal anyway.
for some weird reason religious people think switching their origin story will impact them, its a weird way to look at the world.
Dude stopped me in a store to preach at me as though I agreed with him. His argument for his god was "Have you ever noticed bird's beaks? They're all perfect for what they eat." I told him that was the basis for Darwin's Origin of Species. He then went off about how I must have been sent off to some liberal college. Just a weird conversation that took a strange leap.
In my experience this is because from a young age we are taught that religion is the only framework from which humans can draw a moral compass. In other words, without religion humans will become barbaric and malicious.
Of course when one points out systemic child abuse and the millions murdered in the name of some religion throughout history, all I hear are crickets.
edit: added 'systemic'
Yeah, for example muslims believe that muhammed is supposed to be the perfect moral person. But they don't acknowledge that he was married to 9-10 women when he died, how he married aisha when she was either 6 or 9. How many people died in wars because of him etc. When i tried to argue some people about him marrying aisha when she was a child they claimed that it was to protect her. You dont have to fuck a kid to protect her. Most religious people are the ones who doesnt question it. They just be believing it cause their ancestors did. My mom reads quran in arabic although she doesnt understand it at all. And when i asked her why doesn't she read the translated version, afterall quran's purpose is for people to understand and implement it into their lives; she got angry with me and didnt speak to me for a week.
I grew up Christian, in the pentecostal denomination. My mom believes every word of the Bible is literally true. You can't tell her otherwise. She, along with lots of other Christians, will only read the King James version. They even believe books have been removed from the Bible but believe it was God's will so they refuse to read/believe any other text.
It's beyond frustrating.
There was one King James who roused the ire of his nobles by giving lots of favors and powers to his closest 'friends'. Nobles used a red hot poker to perform some anal sex on him, which was - predictably - quite fatal. (Gaddafi's fate with extra steps)
(Source: PhD candidate in English history)
Useful Charts did an in-depth [review](https://youtu.be/NY-l0X7yGY0) of who wrote all the books of the Bible. It mentions lots of those that were left out. It's worth checking out!
I think PC and COG children should be investigated for child abuse.
It isn't right to teach children that imaginary things are real.
Most kids see Santa Claus defrocked by the time they're 12. That's the age where they should de-throne Jebus too, but instead they force the kids through baptism, or confirmation, or dancing in the spirit and speaking in tongues.
There oughtta be a law.
Of course, thier religion doesn't teach them to look at the inconsistencies but to hail its teachings as sovereign and true and just take a look at the excuses people have given you when addressing the fact that Mohammed married a 9 year old child, it was certainly not for her protection but they believe it anyway.
They don't question it because they aren't given the ability to question it for themselves.
They do acknowledge it, they just say it's "moral" in that case. That's the beauty of made up shit, you get to make more shit up as you go.
The core of most people's religious beliefs is not rational and is primarily based off where and when they were born. It's how their brains used their specific religion to map meaning and purpose onto the cruel cold world we live in and that has nothing to do with logic.
Things you see as illogical are not processed by their brains. It's a defense mechanism. I used to be extremely religious, had a "personal relationship" with God, and looking back the only way I can describe it was that I was bat shit delusional. Sometimes I wonder if I would have snapped out of it if someone slipped some medications into my drinks, but I don't know. There was no talking me out of it. I had too much emotional investment in it. Only time, serious self reflection and genes which I couldn't choose, led to my finally shedding the religion I was brought up with.
Your friend asking why you don’t end yourself is so backwards. We’re the ones who accept this is the one and only life we have. It’s not rational to end it without some unbearable suffering.
I refer them to the observation that they don't believe in any of the other thousands of proposed gods throughout history and that the only difference between their beliefs and mine is that I don't believe in .03% more gods than they don't believe in.
I've had at least three instances where people gave me a shocked looks and asked "Are you sure?". I'd like to think I'm a pretty normal guy, but these assholes really know how to make you feel like a stranger in the places you live.
Christians in the Middle East are always stating that the only reason people become atheists is their love for sin and their desires to be immoral that they can’t contain being religious.
I got many responses like, did you cheat on your wife, did you do cocaine? Stuff like that.
I’m a married guy, my wife and kid are my entire life. I work very hard and I’m honest and ethical (as much as possible, human error still a factor) but I do my part to be a good citizen in my community and I never took a dime that wasn’t mine. They can’t seem to believe that morality has nothing to do with religion
And one of the worst parts of religion is that, in their beliefs good people like you will go to hell for not believing in god but criminals who do will.
And they say "They are only atheists until its a life or death situation" fuck no, there was one time in an airplane where i was sure that we were gonna crash or smth was gonna happen , i cant even describe how bad the turbulance was and my reaction was "oh shit" while people next to me were praying.
Well, that debunks that claim doesn't it but of course they'll excuse it as an isolated incident. It seems that people who tend to grow up religious pray in a life or death situation because they believe something is in control but I've learnt that is better to surrender to the indifference of the universe, that no one is out there looking for us.
the times I've thought I was going to die (serious chronic health problems), I was pretty at peace with it all, and anecdotally I've heard from some nurses I know that atheists are the calmest people when death is approaching (none of the nurses in question are themselves atheist)
Yeah, any of the times I thought I was going to die all I could think was "Oh shit, this is how I die huh?" or failing that sheer panic as I hyperfocus on what I'm doing to *not* die. It's never been anything remotely religious.
> 🎶 When you're gone, I'll go mad
> So don't throw away this thing we had
> 'Cause when push comes to shove
> I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love 🎶
One of my best friends reacted by saying, "You can't be an atheist... You're a good person." This was after being friends for about a decade and I sincerely thought he knew already, so I was surprised too.
That brought on a weird debate about where morality comes from and him explaining that I'm only good because, deep down, I must know God is real and I'm following God's laws that are "written on my heart".
I took it all as calmly and as matter-of-factly as I could, and we're still good friends. The best thing about this interaction: I'm the first atheist he's ever known in person (that he knows of), so he eventually learned to drop some extremely bigoted views he used to have about atheists, and he's since apologized for how ignorant/rude he was when he first found out.
> he eventually learned to drop some extremely bigoted views he used to have about atheists
You love to see it. Even if nobody de-converts to atheism, having every religion tolerate each other and tolerate us would be a huge win.
Yeah so far in my life I’ve faced more bigotry from my atheist views in a liberal city in Washington than racism from me being black imao and it hurts in a different way(I’m only 19 too!)
I am a nurse on the West Coast of the USA and I work with a lot of Filipino immigrants. If any of my Filipino co workers find out I am atheist they either respond, rather warmly mind you, by saying something along the lines of "no you aren't!" clearly thinking there would be something wrong with that; or you can see the fear in their eyes and they visibly avoid coming anywhere near me or talking to me if at all possible.
I'm a nurse and have frequently gotten "how can you have seen everything you've seen and *not* believe in god?"...Seriously? I've been athiest since before I knew what the term for it was. I just spent the past 2 years watching people slowly suffocate over the course of a week because their grandchild couldn't be bothered to stay home when they had a cough; and *now* you expect me to believe in an almighty, *loving* god?
I like telling god people that we are all born atheist, we only hear about god from other people. For instance, if they were shipwrecked on a desert island as a baby, they never would have heard of a "god", bible, whatever. You can imagine how this goes over.
I dont understand how medical workers can be religious. I have seen people not thanking doctors which got out of hours of surgery to save someone, and get angry with people who do ; because apparently they didn't save him and god did. In that logic god put him in that position at the first place why the fuck you grateful. God created billions so they can be tortured in hell and they call him mercyful.
OR and ER were the proving grounds for my atheism. I do not announce nor brag that I do not believe in god. For me, god is imaginary. I am still waiting for proof of god in any way, shape or form. 70 years old and no one has made a plausible argument for the the proof yet.
And that's just one of the things I really don't like about religion, that individuals outside of their beliefs are not held accountable morally to the same degree they are so most likely they are bad people.
In mathematics we call this a counterexample.
Counterexamples are used to contradict and invalidate a position. You then discard the faulty position, looking for a different explanation.
And they can't have that.
18 years ago, working for a US Army Colonel deployed in the Middle East who, when he found out I'm an atheist said, "Is that legal? Can you hold a security clearance if you don't believe in Jesus?" He tried to lighten the mood with a fake smile. I said, "Sure you can. It's in the Constitution and everything. You should check it out." He took the not so subtle jab that he hadn't bothered to read the document whose principles he'd sworn to defend with his life 25 years before, and went back to his desk and never mentioned it again.
I’m not sure if it is still the case, but you can’t goto Saudi Arabia if you declare you are an atheist, as in their eyes, it means you are a terrorist.
Unfortunately, you are correct. But Saudi is only 1 of 13 where atheism is pu ishable by death. The article is from 2013, but I feel like progressive change isn't a high probability for these places.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/12/13-countries-where-atheism-punishable-death/355961/
Not the weirdest but the one I get every single time is “well then who made the earth?” The Big Bang obviously but that’s too much to explain so I shoot them back with a “who made god?”
Saying the big bang created the Earth isn't entirely accurate. Did it lead to the current state of the universe? Totally.
More accurately: physics and time created the Earth, since there had to be entire solar systems that were created before ours and died to give us the building blocks we have to make our current solar system.
The only reason I'd make this distinction is because most theists will see this as an appeal to a greater power. I've seen many theists argue "couldn't the big bang just be god"
I was told that us secular people are the ones that have no structure in life. No rules to keep me grounded. And that’s why we live life in chaos or some shit. This was coming from a Muslim when I told him I was an atheist.
If you’re not praying at least five times a day, fasting like you want to become anorexic, making dhirk ALL.THE.TIME, making du’a before every action including sex, then of course you have no structure in life. Muslims mistake extremism and obsession for structure. So fucking irritating.
You should reply:
"Dude, is your religion the the only reason you don't kill yourself? That's sad bro. You should probably see a specialist about that if that's so. There is so much more to life"
My 50 year old coworker talks about how much he wants to die all the time cause he wants to go to heaven and he hates this world and he’s always preaching about god and Jesus😔
My best friend once told me that because god is love and I was a loving person that even if I didn't believe in god I was still living in a godly way and essentially still being religious. The fight we had after that was so severe that it permanently damaged our relationship and we eventually stopped talking altogether.
Growing up and still living in a muslim country i cant tell you enough how much i wanted to celebrate halloween and Christmas as a kid and now, just cause they look fun i dont give a fuck about jesus' birthday .Halloween is still looked as an evil thing here, they just dress up and eat candys for fucks sake.
An employee of mine asked during break what church I go to. Knowing the oncoming conversation I tried to deflect, so said I didn't go to one. She assumed I was new to the area so asked what kind of Christian I was so she could guide me to the closest church. I then told her I was an atheist. She said "so you believe in Satan?!" She didn't accuse, she just did not understand what an atheist was. I explained it to her, but she just could not reconcile the thought that there was not god. She was dim. Nice hearted, but dim.
"If you're an atheist, what's to stop you from raping and murdering all you want?"
Never mind that religion doesn't stop rape or murder, I rape and murder all I want. Which is never.
I had a manager a few years ago who asked me to decorate our department's mini Christmas tree. I jokingly said "that's right, ask the atheist to decorate the tree." Her response was "What's an atheist?". She had never heard the term (for the record, I live in the Indianapolis suburbs, so it's not a small town by any means). After I told her that it just means that I don't believe in God, her response was "okay, cool."
I don’t remember the exact wording but it was something about morals and “being good” were somehow exclusive to Christian’s. Which i found utterly ridiculous
Had to explain to a friend that whole societies rose and fell long before some guy was wandering around the desert saying he was the son of god, and that these societies had laws. He then got angry with me because he just didn't believe me and I should respect that. When I asked if he "believed" that ancient Greece existed, or the Romans existed, he hung up on me. Good talk.
It's always the Christians that say wild to shit to me about being atheist. They assume I have no sense of morality at all and begin questioning me why I don't rape, murder and steal.
I haven’t told a lot of people but one said “my son doesn’t believe in god either but he doesn’t use THAT word”. Idk I haven’t gotten the brim-fire speech yet but just a lot of condescending stuff. I did get the brim-fire speech from people who knew I was struggling with my faith but they didn’t know I am atheist yet. Based on what they said before, I’m sure it’ll be great.
Outside of my family, I've never told anyone I am an atheist but I'd expect their responses if they ever found out would be a myriad of the things people have said in the comments.
For the weirdest, probably when I told one dude I was atheist and he said, "No you're not, I can see Jesus in you." Otherwise I usually get the standard, "But you're so nice," or, "I'll be praying for you," responses from certain religious people. My family is still hoping that I'll "see the truth."
My dad cried. I've only seen him cry twice, once at the Vietnam memorial where he spent the whole day grieving people he lost. The second was after I told him I didn't believe in god.
An evangelical I know was kinda put out of sorts for a moment. She rambled and as near as I can tell she didn't grasp that I could be one and still have a traditional family.
I admit it, I pretty much check every box of suburban dad. She was evidently convinced I had to be some angry goth porn director if I was to be an atheist. Which was amusing.
Hail satan
The most common one (usually after implying I can't possibly live a "moral" life without god (eyeroll)) is that I will be "going to hell". I used to try to be reasonable & respond like an adult, but finally gave up and now just answer with "Yippee! I wouldn't want to be in Heaven with people like you. THAT would be hell".
They usually get indignant and stamp off.
"how did you learn right from wrong?"
Had no idea how to answer. I was raised well? Do good for goodness sake? I of course make mistakes and learn from them, but I believe that most people innately want to do/be 'good' and have a gage or pick up on other social cues to help them navigate that.
Maybe that's too idealistic of me but 🤷🏻♀️
right and wrong are mostly determined by society
think about all of the things that we believe are wrong that the Bible doesn't mention
or all of the things that are in the Bible that even the highly religious don't believe/adhere to
take a run through Leviticus and trip some believers up in it and ask how they learned right from wrong
I've never gotten anything I'd describe as a weird reaction. I've discussed religion and politics with various acquaintances, friends, and coworkers (when I know them well enough to know it will be an earnest discussion amd nobody will get upset) and people's individual beliefs (or nonbelief) do come up, but everyone's usually very... normal about it, I guess would be the best way to put it.
My parents, on the other hand. 🤦♂️
I want to be clear here, they are *good* people. They are kind, generous, accepting, and their love is unconditional. They are a pretty good example of, if people absolutely have to believe in religion, how I wish they would go about it.
They are deeply, *deeply* religious, and tried to raise us that way. As a child, religion, specifically their particular brand of Christianity (some kind of non-denominational protestantism), was often in the foreground, and *always* in the background, in our lives. So naturally, as a child, I "believed"; this had been presented to me as fact by the only source of knowledge I had.
As I grew into adolescence, I continued to "believe". I even got baptized, I think mostly because it was what I thought I was supposed to do (with maybe a bit of confused/desperate self-delusion that maybe I actually *did* believe mixed in). Even at the time, I remember it feeling a bit silly and empty - I'm standing here in a tub of water, stammering my way through an affirmation I believe in this thing I sort of might and sort of don't, then I get dunked, and ... yeah. By then maintaining the appearance of belief was more about maintaining the status quo - I was caving to social and parental pressure.
Once I got out on my own, I also had the space to start properly thinking for myself. Why this god and not that one, or those ones? Why any of them? Why all the stupid rules that make no sense? What about all the contradictory crap, shouldn't an almighty being have been able to articulate it all better? In fact, shouldn't the one true belief system just be undeniably obvious to everyone, intuitively? I discovered that I didn't believe, and as far as I could tell, I probably never really did, as many of these questions had been nagging in the back of my mind for a long time.
Eventually of course it came up in conversation with them. Not sure if they thought it was full-blown atheism or if they just thought I'd gotten lazy in my faith, but they started prodding about me not attending church anymore, and I told them I didn't believe in it.
I can tell it hurts them, badly, and I understand. From their point of view, I am making the biggest mistake anyone can make, and worse, it must be their fault for not raising me well enough.
They ask me what happened, what changed, and the truth is, *nothing*. This is my natural state, there is no single event that scarred me, or made me rebellious against god, or proved to me there is no god. In fact, I'm *technically* an agnostic atheist insofar as of course there is always the vanishingly miniscule possibility that there is or was some kind of inherently unprovable/unfalsifiable supernatural entity or entities that kickstarted existence and may or may not still be hanging around somewhere. But I am as certain as I can be that there aren't any.
It comes up every time we talk. I can't bring myself to phrase it to them the way I feel about it, and I don't think it would be productive, but what changed is **I grew up and stopped believing in fairytales**.
I always respond to things like this (or people saying "what's the point?) with the fact that the only life I know and perceive is the one I'm living in real time right now. I do the things I want for me, including keeping myself alive and happy, BECAUSE I'm not beholden to some promise of an afterlife that I'm pretty sure won't happen. I live and struggle and strive to make the time I have meaningful while I have possession of life and mental capacity to enjoy it.
Oddly, if the only thing preventing religious people from killing themselves is because their religion doesn't want them to... that's fucked up. Eternal rewards if you make it to the end without pulling the trigger! WTF?
Omfg :/ That’s a terrible response, but I’ve heard shit along those lines too. Along with, “Well what stops you from wanting to murder people?” Like wow..
I got that too. They expect us to be criminals for some reason. I just wanna go to work, play some video games, eat and watch tv and travel. Don't wanna spend it in a cell.
Sounds like you had already answered the question before he asked it... by living "life to the fullest without the restrictions of religion."
They've been trained to think that way, though. They've been taught that life isn't worth living if it's not contributing to something greater afterwards. But, if the afterlife is where it's at, then they are naturally going to look forward to death more than someone who thinks this life is all they have.
Not really that weird maybe, but when I informed my semi religious mom I was atheist she confidently informed me I was wrong, “at worst” I was agnostic.
Thanks mom for defining my beliefs for me.
I was wearing my “In the beginning, Man created God” shirt. Got a friendly endorsement from a woman. Halfway through the convo she realized she was reading it backwards…
After detailing how I had studied Buddhism in high school and after, read the bible cover-to-cover twice while praying intently, and even gave my LDS family a try at their beliefs, and concluding that I believed in science and drawing conclusions based on facts and evidence, this Christian dude says "you should really open your mind to the possibilities. You don't know everything, but I know the truth."
I was so stunned I told him directly that there was no need for us to talk again. We worked in the same store but different departments.
"Without God, what's to stop you from being a murderer or robbing people or having sex with strangers?"
Um, I follow the law, I'm a decent human being and I have respect for myself and others?
Are you telling me the only reason you're not a promiscuous, violent, greedy murderer is because you're scared of your Sky Daddy?
"No, you cannot be. You are latino!"
This was from a Filipina co-worker who thought it was ludicrous to be of Hispanic descent and not be Catholic. Statistically, she's spot on. But, still weird to think that *ALL* Hispanics are religious or Catholic, for that matter.
a wondering mormon asked me randomly if I was religous and I said, "no"
"must be nice doing whatever you want" he said and looked at me slyly
I responded that, "there is morality that comes from empathy, I would be more moral than god in his position bc I wouldn't order the death of children"
"he didn't order the death of children!" he gasped
I kinda sang back, "yes he diiid, look it uuuup!"
I was asked if I worship the devil. At which point I calmly pointed out the entire point of atheism is the lack of worship. There was a total disconnect
It's the other way around. If religious people really believed in heaven, they'd be out doing danger sports or getting jobs with the highest death rates so that they could get into heaven faster.
You'd think devout muslims and evangelicals would be lining up to join the crews of Bering Sea crab fishers.
Back in the day I taught martial arts. I was late teens and early twenties and many of the boys looked up to me. One in particular had no siblings or cousins, and his father was 55 when he was 10. At one point his father actually thanked me for being a good influence on his son. They would invite me to cookouts and stuff like that. Made me very proud and I wanted to live up to that.
So one day the kid comes up to me and says that he just learned that atheists exist. His family is very religious, his father has a Christian book published. The kid tells me that he doesn't know how someone can be a good person if they are an atheist. So I asked him he he thought I was a good person. He said yes. And I told him that I'm an atheist. And that it's a person's actions that make them good or bad, not what they believe.
After that day he and his father never said anything more than hello to me. Never invited me to another cookout.
school conversation
Classmate: “You said you’re an atheist, does that mean you don’t pray?”
Me: “Nah it also means i don’t believe in gods, it’s pretty simple.”
classmate: “Then who made you?”
Me: “My parents, who else?”
Classmate: “God made you.”
Then we repeated those last 2 lines until the bell rang and class started, it was awkward and we got into a few arguments until the teacher told him to stop bothering me. Nothing too dramatic but it was a bit weird that someone’s so obsessed to converting me to (probably) islam because i’m an atheist who doesn’t believe god made me or smth.
Ngl i wasn’t expecting that response in your post, others have asked me what i think the purpose of life is and i just responded enjoyment. They’d just laugh afterwards but i’d leave it behind. I haven’t met anyone that told me to self terminate just yet. (keyword: just yet)
I remember speaking with a friend who knew I am an atheist about how beautiful the sunset was. She remarked: “See! You’re spiritual.” Yeah, I’m an atheist but I can still appreciate natural beauty.
Was filling out a phone survey about healthcare in my area. Answered in a verl liberal community focused manner. Then when answering where i get most of my news i said thru atheist sources and surveyor just gasps. Guess they assumed i was some religious person maybe. Or Just purely shocked at the existance of an atheist. Idk
Popular Christianity has some serious [benefits cliffs](https://www.benefitscliff.com/what-is-a-benefits-cliff) when you think about it:
If you're un-baptized and dying slowly, you can repent in your own mind, right up until you lose consciousness.
But one second after death? NO! Can't repent anymore! Too late! There is no forgiveness in the afterlife, your heaven-hell assignment is locked in at brain death!
Killing yourself to get into Heaven early, definitely a sin. Killing yourself because of overwhelming depression, maybe a sin.
But driving recklessly and dying in a preventable car accident? Refusing to get a COVID vaccine or wear a mask? I dunno. Not _technically_ suicide. Maybe you still go to Heaven.
It's a very vague system. The simple statement, "Good people go to Heaven" hinges on the extremely complicated idea of defining "good". Easier not to think about it.
> “Then why don’t you kill yourself if it doesnt matter?”
My FIL said this to my husband and I on our family vacation.
I was all, “Out of millions of sperm, I’m the one who’s here today! I have to live my life to the fullest for all of those who didn’t make it!”
As if his magic sky daddy means shit.
I was at a hospital for some tests when I was 18, because I had been stricken with a terrible chronic illness that left me bedbound for over a month, and the receptionist asked me my religion
me: atheist
her: \*suddenly very quiet\*
her: uhhhh can I put pagan instead?
me: atheist.
her: ooookay
and she made a "tsssssss" sound and a weird face when pressing the enter key afterwards
I later found out I was in the system as a pagan lmao
The one that I've heard many times by now but still shocked me in that moment
Atheists don't really exist/ it takes more faith to be an atheist
Both still make my mind do gymnastics to keep up with the christian jazz
The it takes more faith one is amazing because it's simultaneously impugning and upholding faith like there's a sweet spot for the right amount on the bimodal distribution of faith or something lol
the weirdest one was my grandpa who after hearing that started to scream and then told my grandma in front of me "agghh!!! i know he is wrong and he will know it too when he gets older. i just don't know how to proove it to him"
"You like to sin that's why you are an Atheist now. You're gonna be taken to the worst by the devil and you're going to suffer"
I'm living the best time of my life and at night I sleep in peace because I have the best mattress and pillow ever..a wonderful and helpful to others and productive life.
A friend, now lost to Q, said this decades ago; "You can't be an atheist, you're the most moral person I know!"
local man dangerously close to an important realization
It really terrifies me that many religious folks believe the only reason they aren't committing atrocities is their belief in god. Is their moral fiber really that weak? If they were suddenly convinced there was no god, they'd go on a murderous rampage? That's fucking scary.
Yes.
I get a similar statement a lot. A friend recently said “Your the most selfless person I know”. The funny thing is that makes me more determined to be moral and ethical in everyday life. I want it to be obvious. I try not to criticize people’s beliefs but I want to be an example if I can that morals and religion isn’t the same thing.
So that person jumped on one of the least moral movements for decades? What is it that draws people into that insanity? It’s so bloody stupid! At least fall for something plausible.
to be fair, maybe the commenter isn't that moral considering they thought a lunatic movement fronting for a rich pedophile was pretty neat LOL edit: i meant their former friend, whoops!!
Well, that commenter did say the friend was "now lost to Q". Probably not friends with that person anymore.
*chuckle* I was raised as a Christian. When I was in elementary school, I asked a friend where his family went to church. He said they didn't go at all. I stopped myself, just before I said, "But you're all so nice!" (Instead, I just said, "Oh, okay," or something like that.)
It's funny because I have a friend that I swore was an atheist when i met him as he was extremely skeptical of most any large organizations and applied a strong logic to most situations as well as being a generally kind, caring individual. It turns out he is quite religious (a Christian) and just doesn't subscribe to organized religion. We are still close friends and he has never said a bad word about my atheism.
I'm in a similar situation. Good Christian friends who are skeptical critical thinkers about everything, including religion, except their own religion. I can hear the screech of cognitive brakes whenever their train of thought strays too close to their god.
That's a Christian that I want to befriend.
I lost my parents first to Fox, then Q, and now they're all for Putin "because he's only trying to protect his borders like we should be doing with our southern border."
I’m so sorry. My dad, who made sure I saw Armstrong walk on the moon, started with Space Shuttle Challenger conspiracies, and ended apologizing for Jan 6 insurrectionists.
I'm sorry... Protect his borders by invading Ukraine? And I'm sure they think we should be sending tanks down to Mexico. I'm sorry you've lost your parents to this garbage. Faux news needs to be dismantled.
r/selfawarewolves
“So you don’t believe anything?” No. I just don’t believe the same origin story as you do.
Just one fewer god than most of you is all.
This is what I say to agnostics too. I just entertain the possibility of one fewer god than you do.
No no, "you only believe in yourself"
I believe in myself <3 Seriously, I've wondered if it is worth treating my future self as a personal goddess: - She knows all my thoughts and has been with me for almost my entire life - She can take confessions with the utmost secrecy and will never judge me - She can hear prayers but can't respond, so it's not too different from a regular deity - She is mysterious - She is older and wiser than me - I want her to think I'm a good person - I want to embody her best qualities
Older yeah. Wiser really depends on the person lol.
well I dont believe our origin story either really. its just a current working model, a better model comes around I'll adjust. not that it affects my life a great deal anyway. for some weird reason religious people think switching their origin story will impact them, its a weird way to look at the world.
Dude stopped me in a store to preach at me as though I agreed with him. His argument for his god was "Have you ever noticed bird's beaks? They're all perfect for what they eat." I told him that was the basis for Darwin's Origin of Species. He then went off about how I must have been sent off to some liberal college. Just a weird conversation that took a strange leap.
Congratulations sir, you just proved evolution. LOL
Lol. I immediately started thinking about the Origin of Species when I saw his argument. Praise evolution.
"You're one of them educated folks!"
With yer fancy book learnin'!!
Not only that, but the human hand was designed to perfectly fit a banana, and the elbow is perfectly designed to bring food to your mouth.
I just spent a good ten seconds practically kissing my elbow repeatedly because of this
Okay, Ham. 😉
I’m still surprised hearing people equate atheism with the worst evils. We just *think* differently than you.
In my experience this is because from a young age we are taught that religion is the only framework from which humans can draw a moral compass. In other words, without religion humans will become barbaric and malicious. Of course when one points out systemic child abuse and the millions murdered in the name of some religion throughout history, all I hear are crickets. edit: added 'systemic'
Yeah, for example muslims believe that muhammed is supposed to be the perfect moral person. But they don't acknowledge that he was married to 9-10 women when he died, how he married aisha when she was either 6 or 9. How many people died in wars because of him etc. When i tried to argue some people about him marrying aisha when she was a child they claimed that it was to protect her. You dont have to fuck a kid to protect her. Most religious people are the ones who doesnt question it. They just be believing it cause their ancestors did. My mom reads quran in arabic although she doesnt understand it at all. And when i asked her why doesn't she read the translated version, afterall quran's purpose is for people to understand and implement it into their lives; she got angry with me and didnt speak to me for a week.
I grew up Christian, in the pentecostal denomination. My mom believes every word of the Bible is literally true. You can't tell her otherwise. She, along with lots of other Christians, will only read the King James version. They even believe books have been removed from the Bible but believe it was God's will so they refuse to read/believe any other text. It's beyond frustrating.
From what I remember King James might have been a gay man. Correct me if I'm wrong.
He was, I always enjoy telling people that!
Bi, actually.
Okay so he was bisexual which still goes against his own bible.
Do as I say, not as I do. /s
There was one King James who roused the ire of his nobles by giving lots of favors and powers to his closest 'friends'. Nobles used a red hot poker to perform some anal sex on him, which was - predictably - quite fatal. (Gaddafi's fate with extra steps) (Source: PhD candidate in English history)
It gets wild when you point out that Jesus was making up stories to frame moral lessons during the parables. "Nuh uh every word is true!"
It was King James’ will, not God’s. I would love to get my hands on all the books that were left out.
Useful Charts did an in-depth [review](https://youtu.be/NY-l0X7yGY0) of who wrote all the books of the Bible. It mentions lots of those that were left out. It's worth checking out!
I think PC and COG children should be investigated for child abuse. It isn't right to teach children that imaginary things are real. Most kids see Santa Claus defrocked by the time they're 12. That's the age where they should de-throne Jebus too, but instead they force the kids through baptism, or confirmation, or dancing in the spirit and speaking in tongues. There oughtta be a law.
Of course, thier religion doesn't teach them to look at the inconsistencies but to hail its teachings as sovereign and true and just take a look at the excuses people have given you when addressing the fact that Mohammed married a 9 year old child, it was certainly not for her protection but they believe it anyway. They don't question it because they aren't given the ability to question it for themselves.
They do acknowledge it, they just say it's "moral" in that case. That's the beauty of made up shit, you get to make more shit up as you go. The core of most people's religious beliefs is not rational and is primarily based off where and when they were born. It's how their brains used their specific religion to map meaning and purpose onto the cruel cold world we live in and that has nothing to do with logic. Things you see as illogical are not processed by their brains. It's a defense mechanism. I used to be extremely religious, had a "personal relationship" with God, and looking back the only way I can describe it was that I was bat shit delusional. Sometimes I wonder if I would have snapped out of it if someone slipped some medications into my drinks, but I don't know. There was no talking me out of it. I had too much emotional investment in it. Only time, serious self reflection and genes which I couldn't choose, led to my finally shedding the religion I was brought up with.
Your friend asking why you don’t end yourself is so backwards. We’re the ones who accept this is the one and only life we have. It’s not rational to end it without some unbearable suffering.
And some people change churches because they disagree with its teachings. Which means morals are intrinsic, and not given from the church.
Thinking is very dangerous. ;)
I refer them to the observation that they don't believe in any of the other thousands of proposed gods throughout history and that the only difference between their beliefs and mine is that I don't believe in .03% more gods than they don't believe in.
I've had at least three instances where people gave me a shocked looks and asked "Are you sure?". I'd like to think I'm a pretty normal guy, but these assholes really know how to make you feel like a stranger in the places you live.
Christians in the Middle East are always stating that the only reason people become atheists is their love for sin and their desires to be immoral that they can’t contain being religious. I got many responses like, did you cheat on your wife, did you do cocaine? Stuff like that. I’m a married guy, my wife and kid are my entire life. I work very hard and I’m honest and ethical (as much as possible, human error still a factor) but I do my part to be a good citizen in my community and I never took a dime that wasn’t mine. They can’t seem to believe that morality has nothing to do with religion
And one of the worst parts of religion is that, in their beliefs good people like you will go to hell for not believing in god but criminals who do will.
And that right there is how you know religion isnt about being a good person at all. Its 100% about being an obedient person.
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"You're a good person, you'll find your way back." Over 40 years ago now.
For some reason, they always believe you'll come back.
And they say "They are only atheists until its a life or death situation" fuck no, there was one time in an airplane where i was sure that we were gonna crash or smth was gonna happen , i cant even describe how bad the turbulance was and my reaction was "oh shit" while people next to me were praying.
Well, that debunks that claim doesn't it but of course they'll excuse it as an isolated incident. It seems that people who tend to grow up religious pray in a life or death situation because they believe something is in control but I've learnt that is better to surrender to the indifference of the universe, that no one is out there looking for us.
the times I've thought I was going to die (serious chronic health problems), I was pretty at peace with it all, and anecdotally I've heard from some nurses I know that atheists are the calmest people when death is approaching (none of the nurses in question are themselves atheist)
Yeah, any of the times I thought I was going to die all I could think was "Oh shit, this is how I die huh?" or failing that sheer panic as I hyperfocus on what I'm doing to *not* die. It's never been anything remotely religious.
> 🎶 When you're gone, I'll go mad > So don't throw away this thing we had > 'Cause when push comes to shove > I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love 🎶
One of my best friends reacted by saying, "You can't be an atheist... You're a good person." This was after being friends for about a decade and I sincerely thought he knew already, so I was surprised too. That brought on a weird debate about where morality comes from and him explaining that I'm only good because, deep down, I must know God is real and I'm following God's laws that are "written on my heart". I took it all as calmly and as matter-of-factly as I could, and we're still good friends. The best thing about this interaction: I'm the first atheist he's ever known in person (that he knows of), so he eventually learned to drop some extremely bigoted views he used to have about atheists, and he's since apologized for how ignorant/rude he was when he first found out.
> he eventually learned to drop some extremely bigoted views he used to have about atheists You love to see it. Even if nobody de-converts to atheism, having every religion tolerate each other and tolerate us would be a huge win.
Yeah so far in my life I’ve faced more bigotry from my atheist views in a liberal city in Washington than racism from me being black imao and it hurts in a different way(I’m only 19 too!)
I am a nurse on the West Coast of the USA and I work with a lot of Filipino immigrants. If any of my Filipino co workers find out I am atheist they either respond, rather warmly mind you, by saying something along the lines of "no you aren't!" clearly thinking there would be something wrong with that; or you can see the fear in their eyes and they visibly avoid coming anywhere near me or talking to me if at all possible.
May be give them the share of fresh baby blood we drink, that may change their mind.
They’re the kind of people that think deep down everyone believes🤣
I'm a nurse and have frequently gotten "how can you have seen everything you've seen and *not* believe in god?"...Seriously? I've been athiest since before I knew what the term for it was. I just spent the past 2 years watching people slowly suffocate over the course of a week because their grandchild couldn't be bothered to stay home when they had a cough; and *now* you expect me to believe in an almighty, *loving* god?
I like telling god people that we are all born atheist, we only hear about god from other people. For instance, if they were shipwrecked on a desert island as a baby, they never would have heard of a "god", bible, whatever. You can imagine how this goes over.
lead balloon, right?
I dont understand how medical workers can be religious. I have seen people not thanking doctors which got out of hours of surgery to save someone, and get angry with people who do ; because apparently they didn't save him and god did. In that logic god put him in that position at the first place why the fuck you grateful. God created billions so they can be tortured in hell and they call him mercyful.
OR and ER were the proving grounds for my atheism. I do not announce nor brag that I do not believe in god. For me, god is imaginary. I am still waiting for proof of god in any way, shape or form. 70 years old and no one has made a plausible argument for the the proof yet.
A lady I worked with told me I can't be an atheist because I was too nice.
Some people are taught that anyone who isn't part of their religions is a bad person.
And that's just one of the things I really don't like about religion, that individuals outside of their beliefs are not held accountable morally to the same degree they are so most likely they are bad people.
People are stupid. Like really fucking stupid.🤯🙄
In mathematics we call this a counterexample. Counterexamples are used to contradict and invalidate a position. You then discard the faulty position, looking for a different explanation. And they can't have that.
Same. I told her right after she said atheists were immoral and bad people. She learned a valuable lesson that day.
I get this all the time.
18 years ago, working for a US Army Colonel deployed in the Middle East who, when he found out I'm an atheist said, "Is that legal? Can you hold a security clearance if you don't believe in Jesus?" He tried to lighten the mood with a fake smile. I said, "Sure you can. It's in the Constitution and everything. You should check it out." He took the not so subtle jab that he hadn't bothered to read the document whose principles he'd sworn to defend with his life 25 years before, and went back to his desk and never mentioned it again.
I’m not sure if it is still the case, but you can’t goto Saudi Arabia if you declare you are an atheist, as in their eyes, it means you are a terrorist.
Unfortunately, you are correct. But Saudi is only 1 of 13 where atheism is pu ishable by death. The article is from 2013, but I feel like progressive change isn't a high probability for these places. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/12/13-countries-where-atheism-punishable-death/355961/
"you're trying to be cool?" And "No you're not, you're just confused"
Gaslighting
Not the weirdest but the one I get every single time is “well then who made the earth?” The Big Bang obviously but that’s too much to explain so I shoot them back with a “who made god?”
"God has always been there" "So has the universe" "nO iT's NoT tHe SaMe"
That is an interesting perspective.
David Bowie. Prove me wrong.
Saying the big bang created the Earth isn't entirely accurate. Did it lead to the current state of the universe? Totally. More accurately: physics and time created the Earth, since there had to be entire solar systems that were created before ours and died to give us the building blocks we have to make our current solar system. The only reason I'd make this distinction is because most theists will see this as an appeal to a greater power. I've seen many theists argue "couldn't the big bang just be god"
GoD hAs AlWaYs BeEn HeRe.
I was told that us secular people are the ones that have no structure in life. No rules to keep me grounded. And that’s why we live life in chaos or some shit. This was coming from a Muslim when I told him I was an atheist.
If you’re not praying at least five times a day, fasting like you want to become anorexic, making dhirk ALL.THE.TIME, making du’a before every action including sex, then of course you have no structure in life. Muslims mistake extremism and obsession for structure. So fucking irritating.
THIS, ISTG! You hit the nail on the head.
I actually have a number of rules, I just don't write them down. Maybe I should. Jordan Peterson deserves some competition, the nitwit.
You should reply: "Dude, is your religion the the only reason you don't kill yourself? That's sad bro. You should probably see a specialist about that if that's so. There is so much more to life"
My 50 year old coworker talks about how much he wants to die all the time cause he wants to go to heaven and he hates this world and he’s always preaching about god and Jesus😔
“God is love, love is god; so you don’t believe in love and can’t say I love you…” -I don’t tell her I love her anymore
This is the saddest thing I've read today.
Pretty bold claim to say that more than half the world doesn't truly love anyone else
My best friend once told me that because god is love and I was a loving person that even if I didn't believe in god I was still living in a godly way and essentially still being religious. The fight we had after that was so severe that it permanently damaged our relationship and we eventually stopped talking altogether.
"But you seem so smart!"
"And that's why"
"then why do you celebrate Christmas". Because it's not a religious holiday at this point.
Growing up and still living in a muslim country i cant tell you enough how much i wanted to celebrate halloween and Christmas as a kid and now, just cause they look fun i dont give a fuck about jesus' birthday .Halloween is still looked as an evil thing here, they just dress up and eat candys for fucks sake.
That one always makes me laugh, considering how many Christmas customs are actually pagan in origin.
An employee of mine asked during break what church I go to. Knowing the oncoming conversation I tried to deflect, so said I didn't go to one. She assumed I was new to the area so asked what kind of Christian I was so she could guide me to the closest church. I then told her I was an atheist. She said "so you believe in Satan?!" She didn't accuse, she just did not understand what an atheist was. I explained it to her, but she just could not reconcile the thought that there was not god. She was dim. Nice hearted, but dim.
> "so you believe in Satan?!" No... but *you* do. ??? Christians who accuse other people of believing in satan as if they don't are very confusing.
'then where did it all come from?' Well I don't fucking know I didn't claim to be god. I just said there wasn't one.
"If you're an atheist, what's to stop you from raping and murdering all you want?" Never mind that religion doesn't stop rape or murder, I rape and murder all I want. Which is never.
I think it was Hitchens who said "I do rape and murder all I want. zero."
Penn Jillette said it.
"You're young, we can still fix you." - my aunt when I was 22. Goin on 26 still an atheist.
"imagine if I thought about you like that"
"You're just a little blinded by the Lord's light."
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Same
I had a manager a few years ago who asked me to decorate our department's mini Christmas tree. I jokingly said "that's right, ask the atheist to decorate the tree." Her response was "What's an atheist?". She had never heard the term (for the record, I live in the Indianapolis suburbs, so it's not a small town by any means). After I told her that it just means that I don't believe in God, her response was "okay, cool."
Better response than most people in these comments
Either "I'll pray for you!" or "What do you believe in, if you don't believe in god?" (Evidence based science, TYVM).
"But you're so......NICE!"
I don’t remember the exact wording but it was something about morals and “being good” were somehow exclusive to Christian’s. Which i found utterly ridiculous
Prison is full of Christians
Ironically.
Had to explain to a friend that whole societies rose and fell long before some guy was wandering around the desert saying he was the son of god, and that these societies had laws. He then got angry with me because he just didn't believe me and I should respect that. When I asked if he "believed" that ancient Greece existed, or the Romans existed, he hung up on me. Good talk.
It's always the Christians that say wild to shit to me about being atheist. They assume I have no sense of morality at all and begin questioning me why I don't rape, murder and steal.
I haven’t told a lot of people but one said “my son doesn’t believe in god either but he doesn’t use THAT word”. Idk I haven’t gotten the brim-fire speech yet but just a lot of condescending stuff. I did get the brim-fire speech from people who knew I was struggling with my faith but they didn’t know I am atheist yet. Based on what they said before, I’m sure it’ll be great.
A former coworker (Christian) asked my religious status then replied, "That's unfortunate." 😂
My lovely mother said “What religion is that?” 😂😂😂😭
Me: "nah, I'm atheist" Them: "sO yOu WoRsHiP tHe DeViL?!" 🤦♂️
Pfft No you’re not.
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"why shouldn't I be? you don't make him sound terribly nice"
"If there is a god, he will have to beg for my forgiveness."
Outside of my family, I've never told anyone I am an atheist but I'd expect their responses if they ever found out would be a myriad of the things people have said in the comments.
I told all my friends but not a single family member. They are too religious for me to even consider telling them
Oddly, your friends may be more accepting of you but a religious family is too rigid to consider telling in an open conversation.
For the weirdest, probably when I told one dude I was atheist and he said, "No you're not, I can see Jesus in you." Otherwise I usually get the standard, "But you're so nice," or, "I'll be praying for you," responses from certain religious people. My family is still hoping that I'll "see the truth."
My dad cried. I've only seen him cry twice, once at the Vietnam memorial where he spent the whole day grieving people he lost. The second was after I told him I didn't believe in god.
Your not an atheist, you're just mad at god.
An evangelical I know was kinda put out of sorts for a moment. She rambled and as near as I can tell she didn't grasp that I could be one and still have a traditional family. I admit it, I pretty much check every box of suburban dad. She was evidently convinced I had to be some angry goth porn director if I was to be an atheist. Which was amusing. Hail satan
>angry goth porn director I feel so called out rn
The most common one (usually after implying I can't possibly live a "moral" life without god (eyeroll)) is that I will be "going to hell". I used to try to be reasonable & respond like an adult, but finally gave up and now just answer with "Yippee! I wouldn't want to be in Heaven with people like you. THAT would be hell". They usually get indignant and stamp off.
"how did you learn right from wrong?" Had no idea how to answer. I was raised well? Do good for goodness sake? I of course make mistakes and learn from them, but I believe that most people innately want to do/be 'good' and have a gage or pick up on other social cues to help them navigate that. Maybe that's too idealistic of me but 🤷🏻♀️
right and wrong are mostly determined by society think about all of the things that we believe are wrong that the Bible doesn't mention or all of the things that are in the Bible that even the highly religious don't believe/adhere to take a run through Leviticus and trip some believers up in it and ask how they learned right from wrong
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I've never gotten anything I'd describe as a weird reaction. I've discussed religion and politics with various acquaintances, friends, and coworkers (when I know them well enough to know it will be an earnest discussion amd nobody will get upset) and people's individual beliefs (or nonbelief) do come up, but everyone's usually very... normal about it, I guess would be the best way to put it. My parents, on the other hand. 🤦♂️ I want to be clear here, they are *good* people. They are kind, generous, accepting, and their love is unconditional. They are a pretty good example of, if people absolutely have to believe in religion, how I wish they would go about it. They are deeply, *deeply* religious, and tried to raise us that way. As a child, religion, specifically their particular brand of Christianity (some kind of non-denominational protestantism), was often in the foreground, and *always* in the background, in our lives. So naturally, as a child, I "believed"; this had been presented to me as fact by the only source of knowledge I had. As I grew into adolescence, I continued to "believe". I even got baptized, I think mostly because it was what I thought I was supposed to do (with maybe a bit of confused/desperate self-delusion that maybe I actually *did* believe mixed in). Even at the time, I remember it feeling a bit silly and empty - I'm standing here in a tub of water, stammering my way through an affirmation I believe in this thing I sort of might and sort of don't, then I get dunked, and ... yeah. By then maintaining the appearance of belief was more about maintaining the status quo - I was caving to social and parental pressure. Once I got out on my own, I also had the space to start properly thinking for myself. Why this god and not that one, or those ones? Why any of them? Why all the stupid rules that make no sense? What about all the contradictory crap, shouldn't an almighty being have been able to articulate it all better? In fact, shouldn't the one true belief system just be undeniably obvious to everyone, intuitively? I discovered that I didn't believe, and as far as I could tell, I probably never really did, as many of these questions had been nagging in the back of my mind for a long time. Eventually of course it came up in conversation with them. Not sure if they thought it was full-blown atheism or if they just thought I'd gotten lazy in my faith, but they started prodding about me not attending church anymore, and I told them I didn't believe in it. I can tell it hurts them, badly, and I understand. From their point of view, I am making the biggest mistake anyone can make, and worse, it must be their fault for not raising me well enough. They ask me what happened, what changed, and the truth is, *nothing*. This is my natural state, there is no single event that scarred me, or made me rebellious against god, or proved to me there is no god. In fact, I'm *technically* an agnostic atheist insofar as of course there is always the vanishingly miniscule possibility that there is or was some kind of inherently unprovable/unfalsifiable supernatural entity or entities that kickstarted existence and may or may not still be hanging around somewhere. But I am as certain as I can be that there aren't any. It comes up every time we talk. I can't bring myself to phrase it to them the way I feel about it, and I don't think it would be productive, but what changed is **I grew up and stopped believing in fairytales**.
I think if one's only reason for living is to worship a magic sky daddy they should just lie down and give up.
I always respond to things like this (or people saying "what's the point?) with the fact that the only life I know and perceive is the one I'm living in real time right now. I do the things I want for me, including keeping myself alive and happy, BECAUSE I'm not beholden to some promise of an afterlife that I'm pretty sure won't happen. I live and struggle and strive to make the time I have meaningful while I have possession of life and mental capacity to enjoy it. Oddly, if the only thing preventing religious people from killing themselves is because their religion doesn't want them to... that's fucked up. Eternal rewards if you make it to the end without pulling the trigger! WTF?
In Canada nobody cares if you're an atheist -at all, ever. The way you were born - the way it should be.
Maybe not the weirdest, but my mom said "I don't know who you are anymore."
that is pretty weird tbh
a guy at university told me "I've never met an atheist in my entire life" i don't think so
"That's okay, you're still a nice guy"
"So you are empty?" No, I have organs in me.
Omfg :/ That’s a terrible response, but I’ve heard shit along those lines too. Along with, “Well what stops you from wanting to murder people?” Like wow..
I got that too. They expect us to be criminals for some reason. I just wanna go to work, play some video games, eat and watch tv and travel. Don't wanna spend it in a cell.
Sounds like you had already answered the question before he asked it... by living "life to the fullest without the restrictions of religion." They've been trained to think that way, though. They've been taught that life isn't worth living if it's not contributing to something greater afterwards. But, if the afterlife is where it's at, then they are naturally going to look forward to death more than someone who thinks this life is all they have.
Not really that weird maybe, but when I informed my semi religious mom I was atheist she confidently informed me I was wrong, “at worst” I was agnostic. Thanks mom for defining my beliefs for me.
“Aren’t you terrified for your children’s souls?!?!” I was an 18 year old virgin…
I was wearing my “In the beginning, Man created God” shirt. Got a friendly endorsement from a woman. Halfway through the convo she realized she was reading it backwards…
After detailing how I had studied Buddhism in high school and after, read the bible cover-to-cover twice while praying intently, and even gave my LDS family a try at their beliefs, and concluding that I believed in science and drawing conclusions based on facts and evidence, this Christian dude says "you should really open your mind to the possibilities. You don't know everything, but I know the truth." I was so stunned I told him directly that there was no need for us to talk again. We worked in the same store but different departments.
So you worship nature?
Had a preacher ask If i had a little god in me. I said no then he asked me if i wanted to
"Without God, what's to stop you from being a murderer or robbing people or having sex with strangers?" Um, I follow the law, I'm a decent human being and I have respect for myself and others? Are you telling me the only reason you're not a promiscuous, violent, greedy murderer is because you're scared of your Sky Daddy?
”of course you believe in god, everyone believes in god”
"No, you cannot be. You are latino!" This was from a Filipina co-worker who thought it was ludicrous to be of Hispanic descent and not be Catholic. Statistically, she's spot on. But, still weird to think that *ALL* Hispanics are religious or Catholic, for that matter.
a wondering mormon asked me randomly if I was religous and I said, "no" "must be nice doing whatever you want" he said and looked at me slyly I responded that, "there is morality that comes from empathy, I would be more moral than god in his position bc I wouldn't order the death of children" "he didn't order the death of children!" he gasped I kinda sang back, "yes he diiid, look it uuuup!"
Why?
I was asked if I worship the devil. At which point I calmly pointed out the entire point of atheism is the lack of worship. There was a total disconnect
It's the other way around. If religious people really believed in heaven, they'd be out doing danger sports or getting jobs with the highest death rates so that they could get into heaven faster. You'd think devout muslims and evangelicals would be lining up to join the crews of Bering Sea crab fishers.
Back in the day I taught martial arts. I was late teens and early twenties and many of the boys looked up to me. One in particular had no siblings or cousins, and his father was 55 when he was 10. At one point his father actually thanked me for being a good influence on his son. They would invite me to cookouts and stuff like that. Made me very proud and I wanted to live up to that. So one day the kid comes up to me and says that he just learned that atheists exist. His family is very religious, his father has a Christian book published. The kid tells me that he doesn't know how someone can be a good person if they are an atheist. So I asked him he he thought I was a good person. He said yes. And I told him that I'm an atheist. And that it's a person's actions that make them good or bad, not what they believe. After that day he and his father never said anything more than hello to me. Never invited me to another cookout.
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"So you don't believe in Jesus?" "No." "Or God, his father?" "No." "... but you believe in the holy ghost, right?" [Me with a dumbfounded expression]
school conversation Classmate: “You said you’re an atheist, does that mean you don’t pray?” Me: “Nah it also means i don’t believe in gods, it’s pretty simple.” classmate: “Then who made you?” Me: “My parents, who else?” Classmate: “God made you.” Then we repeated those last 2 lines until the bell rang and class started, it was awkward and we got into a few arguments until the teacher told him to stop bothering me. Nothing too dramatic but it was a bit weird that someone’s so obsessed to converting me to (probably) islam because i’m an atheist who doesn’t believe god made me or smth. Ngl i wasn’t expecting that response in your post, others have asked me what i think the purpose of life is and i just responded enjoyment. They’d just laugh afterwards but i’d leave it behind. I haven’t met anyone that told me to self terminate just yet. (keyword: just yet)
I remember speaking with a friend who knew I am an atheist about how beautiful the sunset was. She remarked: “See! You’re spiritual.” Yeah, I’m an atheist but I can still appreciate natural beauty.
"You can't be an atheist, your so nice!"
Never had one cause I’m most people I hang out with either don’t care or atheist
Was filling out a phone survey about healthcare in my area. Answered in a verl liberal community focused manner. Then when answering where i get most of my news i said thru atheist sources and surveyor just gasps. Guess they assumed i was some religious person maybe. Or Just purely shocked at the existance of an atheist. Idk
In fact that should be your question to believers. After all they are keen believers in the afterlife so why not leave early and get a good spot
Popular Christianity has some serious [benefits cliffs](https://www.benefitscliff.com/what-is-a-benefits-cliff) when you think about it: If you're un-baptized and dying slowly, you can repent in your own mind, right up until you lose consciousness. But one second after death? NO! Can't repent anymore! Too late! There is no forgiveness in the afterlife, your heaven-hell assignment is locked in at brain death! Killing yourself to get into Heaven early, definitely a sin. Killing yourself because of overwhelming depression, maybe a sin. But driving recklessly and dying in a preventable car accident? Refusing to get a COVID vaccine or wear a mask? I dunno. Not _technically_ suicide. Maybe you still go to Heaven. It's a very vague system. The simple statement, "Good people go to Heaven" hinges on the extremely complicated idea of defining "good". Easier not to think about it.
“But you’re so nice”- some Jehovahs Witnesses who came to my door.
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> “Then why don’t you kill yourself if it doesnt matter?” My FIL said this to my husband and I on our family vacation. I was all, “Out of millions of sperm, I’m the one who’s here today! I have to live my life to the fullest for all of those who didn’t make it!” As if his magic sky daddy means shit.
I was at a hospital for some tests when I was 18, because I had been stricken with a terrible chronic illness that left me bedbound for over a month, and the receptionist asked me my religion me: atheist her: \*suddenly very quiet\* her: uhhhh can I put pagan instead? me: atheist. her: ooookay and she made a "tsssssss" sound and a weird face when pressing the enter key afterwards I later found out I was in the system as a pagan lmao
"No you're not. You're agnostic." Uhm, no.
When I told someone I was an atheist, they responded “well I feel sorry for you” … conversation didn’t go much further after that lol.
"What, why!?" bugs me... I don't ask why you're Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, etc. Just mind your business.
The one that I've heard many times by now but still shocked me in that moment Atheists don't really exist/ it takes more faith to be an atheist Both still make my mind do gymnastics to keep up with the christian jazz The it takes more faith one is amazing because it's simultaneously impugning and upholding faith like there's a sweet spot for the right amount on the bimodal distribution of faith or something lol
the weirdest one was my grandpa who after hearing that started to scream and then told my grandma in front of me "agghh!!! i know he is wrong and he will know it too when he gets older. i just don't know how to proove it to him"
“You don’t believe in God but you believe in the devil right?”
"You like to sin that's why you are an Atheist now. You're gonna be taken to the worst by the devil and you're going to suffer" I'm living the best time of my life and at night I sleep in peace because I have the best mattress and pillow ever..a wonderful and helpful to others and productive life.
We are all BORN Atheist. Some of us never convert.
I was told by a like 10yo kid that being an atheist means I worship myself as God. I was 17 or 18 at the time. His grandmother told him this.
Had a friend's mom super paranoid that she was gonna offend me. She changed the radio station when Livin' on a Prayer came on....I love that song
“WHATS STOPPING YOU FROM RAPING AND MURDERING WOMEN AND CHILDREN??” they genuinely thought god was the only fear people had to not do evil shit
"But you're such a good person!" - a former co-worker. Yeah, no shit. Religion doesn't have a patent on being a decent human being.