How come it is so awkward being a atheist?

Don't say Athiest, just brush the subject off with "None". I doubt they'll really care... it's YOUR decision on what you beleive.. not theres.

Oh, and in my suburb in Australia Athiest is the norm.

Every man's hand against you

That lucky Canadian, DragonsDemesne, surmised that you live in a country or locality where a person's religion is a 'really big deal'. What this means is that you live in a country where religion is a badge of identity.

When someone in your country asks, 'What is your religion?', they are really asking, 'Are you one of us, or one of the enemy?'

By replying 'I am an atheist', you think you are saying, 'I am on my own, I do not belong to any tribe, I am nobody's enemy.' But what they hear is 'I am not one of you; I am the enemy'.

The writer Iain Banks recently wrote, only half in jest, that travelling to America nowadays is a bit like migrating to Germany in the 1930s. Let us hope it does not come to that. But with religious degeneracy sweeping the country and infecting the highest levels of government, things do look bad -- at least from the perspective of an outsider like me.

[edit on 11-6-2007 by Astyanax]

You sound like an agnostic rather than an atheist to me.

Atheist is denying that any god exists, mainstream or not.

This is why I am an agnostic now. In the past, I used to be a hardcore atheist, in fact I used to make fun of Christianity.

But I mellowed out and became an agnostic, and I've noticed that religious people rarely freak out as much when you tell them you are agnostic than when you tell them you're atheist.

I am always concerned about really young people having such strong religious convictions, as -- no offense to the OP -- youth don't have enough life experience to really know what they believe in yet.

To me, children asking about religion is a symptom of their brainwashing. It's why I won't expose my kids to religion until and unless they become curious about it. I didn't go to church until I asked to, about age 8, and I figured out in less than a year that religion was definitely not for me. The inconsistencies and exclusionism inherent in all the churches I sampled told me I wanted no part of it; it made no sense to me then, and it makes even less sense to me now.

I second what madness said -- there are people here who are atheists and would be glad to support you if you need to talk after a hard day of being proselytized by kids who probably don't have any real idea of what their religion is, its history, or what their Bible really means, who are just spouting what they've been indoctrinated with in churches their parents have been dragging them to since they were born. If you need to chat, U2U me.

Alternatively, you can do what I did the time I was walking down the street in a D&D costume when I was 17. A guy was washing his car in the driveway, must have taken offense at my get-up, and bellowed after me, "Do you believe Jesus died for your sins?"

Without missing a beat, I bellowed back, "No, I'm a Jew."

He shut up and I went on my merry way.

When asked which flavor of Christian you are, say you're a Jew. They really don't know what to say about that.

I personally would just reply that I don't really practice a religion. I am spiritual, but not religious, and leave it at that. Since I am not an atheist, I suppose that it is a little easier for me than it would be for you.

There is absolutely no reason for you to be uncomfortable answering them. As far as anything goes whatever you believe is just as hokey as what they believe, its just that with them more people have bought into the hokeyness.

I'm in a similar situation to you. I do NOT believe in anything to do with organised religion. I believe something created us, but that something wasn't an intelligent designer, more like something just spitting random life out. If anyone asks me what I believe I tell them that, and if they laugh I merely say "It doesn't sound any less crazy than believing an almighty being went out of his way to create a universe bigger than our perceptions and only populated it with one race of people, who He also lets destroy each other."

That usually shuts em up. If you get any stick for being an atheist tell a teacher. Its no different than if you made fun of a Christians beliefs. They have their religion and you have yours. If yours is mocked, they are in the wrong.

[edit on 11/6/07 by JackofBlades]

No offense did you ever think that it is wrong

What do you mean? Could you be more specific as to what you are referring? There are two pages of replies here and you could be speaking about any of them.

And I'm sure you don't need to be reminded on the policies regarding one-liners...

That what is wrong? Telling people they'll burn in hell if they don't believe in the same sky fairy as everyone else?

Having the courage to see the universe clearly without looking through the lens of superstition?

Having the courage to see that there is no after life, there are only the acts of the life here and now? These are the only acts that matter, because it's all there is?

Or are you trying to say that not believing in your particular version of the ever-changing, never-agreeing sects of Christianity is wrong?

[edit on 11-6-2007 by MajorMalfunction]

Originally posted by MajorMalfunction
That what is wrong? Telling people they'll burn in hell if they don't believe in the same sky fairy as everyone else?

Having the courage to see the universe clearly without looking through the lens of superstition?

Having the courage to see that there is no after life, there are only the acts of the life here and now? These are the only acts that matter, because it's all there is?

Or are you trying to say that not believing in your particular version of the ever-changing, never-agreeing sects of Christianity is wrong?

[edit on 11-6-2007 by MajorMalfunction]

I didnt try to say anything but answer the question the thread maker posted. Other than that I say prove that he does'nt exist. God is out there and you cannot disprove the matter, no more than I can prove that he does.

I think s/he means did he ever think being atheist is wrong.

If that IS the case, then its a very narrow, small minded opinion which we could ALL do without.

[rant]
Its remarks like that which make people like the OP uncomfortable. If I woke up tomorrow and decided the world was carried on the back of a giant monkfish after being created by a ninja called Sammy I would probably be laughed at. But it would be what I believed and anyone who dared laugh would get an earful.

Mocking or insulting someone's belief, or claiming they are wrong is a very hateful thing to do. Should I decide to create a topic on here called Christianity is Wrong and then provide reasons why I think its wrong I would be shut down... and rightly so.
Your opinion on his beliefs is irrelevant. Completely, totally irrelevant. Should you have a rational, reasonable discussion with him in which you both assess the pros and cons of your beliefs, fair enough. But calling him 'wrong' to believe that is just complete, pig headed arrogance!
[/rant]

I agree with Madness and MajorM, but we have to remember that the first poster is in highschool, and kids that age worry about being rejected by their peers. A challenging answer would probably get him/her socially ostracized.

You might try "Humanist" or even better, "Eclectic." (look it up). That is, you can tell them that you try to find the best of all philosophies, religious and non-religious, and adopt those ideas. That's probably the least distressing to the other kids while not lying or backing down on your own beliefs.

Occam

It's weird one time me and my cousin were having a conversation about how we thought the world was created and we were going back and forth between how can something come from nothing and then how can this entity that created us not be seen for 2000 years. So I'm in the middle, but I do not really believe in all the organized religions.....


And to were I live I live in southern California, my school is really religious which sucks.


Off to Norway I go!

Geez, I live in So. Cal., too, but my no one even discussed religion in my daughter's schools, or earlier, in mine, all in Los Angeles county. You must live in Orange, Riverside, or San Bernardino counties. Either that or you're not going to a public school.

Occam

I used to be a really hard-core Catholic. Just check some of the really old threads I used to have. I'm an atheist now and it took me a bit to be comfortable with it. Most of this had to do with the fact that most people I know are believers in a high power, and that was something I was very used to in my life. But now it does not feel awkward at all.

Oh, and it's fun to think about really far out things like the origin of the universe, but don't get hung up on it or draw conclusions like "the universe can't come from nothing so god must have made it." Wait until you have more information, like a number of college physics, astronomy, and philosophy classes before you get serious about considering these deep questions.

Occam

Occam-Yea I just wish everything could be figured out, but then again thats pretty much all I do everyday just reading up on cool things that are a mystery here on ATS.


And yup I live in orange, I'm not saying you get asked constantly but it comes up every once in a while, there's a few religious clubs at school and stuff and yea it's pretty awkward.

I just have to add, just because organized religion purposefully distorts Truth so you dont understand the Divine, doesnt mean there isnt a Divine.

I see alot of my brothers out there denying the existence of God because of what Man does in His name. Worse, they will blame God for what Man has done in His name. That is foolhardy.

There is a source of all life, all energy, and this source is what we call God. And God sent many teachers here, the most famous being the great prophets Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed etc. They told you exactly what you need to do to be in balance with God and Creation. If Man, in his ignorance, misinterprets it and worse uses the teachings for evil and for war and greed and hate and fear, the complete opposite of what God and the prophets taught you, that is YOUR fault, not Gods.

God didnt create the mess we live in, WE did, and Gods not gonna fix it for us, WE are....and we shouldnt expect Him to and deny Him when he doesnt.

But, if you insist that you turn your back on your Creator, you mays well not be afraid to live your "truth" by proclaiming loud and proud that you are an athiest.
To deny God, and to be fearful of what others think, is the complete opposite of what you should be doing, in my opinion.


[edit on 12-6-2007 by LightWorker13]

Originally posted by slymattb
I didnt try to say anything but answer the question the thread maker posted.

with bigotry...

Other than that I say prove that he does'nt exist. God is out there and you cannot disprove the matter, no more than I can prove that he does.

well.... the burden of proof is on whoever makes the damn postulation. you're postulating god exists. i'm not postulating anything. that means you have to prove that god exists