Is anyone else an atheist with BC besides me?

Wren44

I heard that lost socks return as tupperware lids that don't match anything you own.

Spookiesmom

Good one Wrenn 🤣🤣🤣🤣I think you’re right.

Trishyla

I think I may have originally seen this here. Apologies if I did, but it's worth reposting.

"Spirituality is about an individual's relationship with the universe. Religion is simply crowd control."

magiclight

Trish, I have not seen that one before - thanks for posting

Spookiesmom

I swiped this from someone who used to post on BCO.

Religion is for people who are afraid of hell. Spirituality is for people who have already been there.

She attributed it to the Lakota Nation.

AliceBastable

Ooh, I like both of those!

I'm stuck at being nothing. I thought Pantheism would be right, since I love nature, but too much of it seems to have been taken over by Ayn Rand loving libertarian nuts (really, don't most people outgrow her by the time they're out of high school?). And Secular Humanism is hard because there are days when I really don't like people at all, and, more importantly, the logo looks like a traffic warning or bathroom sign of some sort. If I'm going to be an adherent of something, I want a stylish symbol. Maybe a human form wrapped in artistic flames would do, since the religious types think I'm going to burn anyway. Flaunt it!

Elderberry

To those latest posts: Ha ha ha. I will have to look up Secular Humanism because I thought it was just a practice and didn't actually have a logo. Ayn Rand ---- nope. Didn't like her in High School either.

wrenn

My most recent take is that ALL gods are symbolic or mythological and some of them have nice myths attached to them and some are hideous. I know some good christians but christianity is not what made them nice. There are just some nice people. There do seem to be more shitty people now though but maybe the interwebs just introduced them to us.

Trishyla

For so many of the people I see, religion seems to be mostly about fear of the dark. The rituals so remind me of those I did when I was little, and afraid of the monster under the bed. Close my eyes, keep my toes under the covers, and tell myself over and over again that there was nothing under my bed that could hurt me.

I eventually outgrew all that, when my rational mind conquered the magical thinking of a frightened child. I sometimes feel their frightened child never grew up, and religion is their way of keeping their toes tucked under the covers.

Kinda sad, when you think about it.

magiclight

To those religious and political folks who refuse vaccinations:

AliceBastable

Magiclight, yep. Didn't any of those people ever see a 1950s science fiction movie? Those things that mutate will bite you in the ass every time!

DivineMrsM

In the past year, in casual conversations I find that some people who "believe" in the Christian God automatically assume it is a belief shared by all people. They don't seem to even consider that others may see things differently. I've had a Walmart worker putting groceries in my car talk about angels and how "you know, all that stuff is real!" The young mail lady also talks in a similar way, as tho we are both on the same wavelength. I don't bother to correct them as I am usually just marveling at how gullible these people are. Well, I was once one of them. I don't have a problem smiling and saying in a calm way, "I don't share your beliefs." But I only do it if it seems appropriate. Otherwise, I just let people blather. I have to decide if it's worth my time and energy to get in to any further discussion.

Dh and I love our neighbor, but he derives his self-worth from being a church elder. At least once a year he suggests dh and I attend his church. Oh, that parrish would love the chance to try to bend my assertive, feminist will into submission and compliance with the patriarchal church and its deity. The last time neighbor suggested we attend, I said, "We probably never will, but thanks for the invite." I mean, never once does he directly ask me what my belief system is. There isn't any discussion about spiritual matters. I think it's just a social scene and an attempt at "getting more members to join" so they have some kind of bragging rights. I'm happy if he finds church-going so satisfying, but why wouldn't he? A white male in power calling the shots and just wants more minions to do his bidding. Naw, I'll pass. The thought of being in their clutches makes me want to hyperventilate. And the thrill of knowing I never have to is liberating!

KIDI919

DivineMrs.M, 2 years ago or so I had the J witnesses show up at my door. At least once a year. Anyway he said to me can u believe was is going on in this world? I said I know! He said they are allowing same sex marriage. ( Let's forget about world wide hunger, wars etc. ) I said my daughter is married to a women and SLAMMED the door in his face. Haven't seen him since. FU . Did it come as surprise my daughter was gay? Yes it did as she always dated guys. We could give a rats ass who she fell in love with and married. We love our DIL. That shit doesn't matter. Now these people are suppose to be "christians" and they are worried about who is with who? I would say we have bigger problems than that. My mother ??" it's an experiment." My MIL " I will come to the wedding to support the family" I don't need your help was my reply. Really I don't care what u think)

We dragged her ass and my mothers to the wedding (both in wheel chairs)

AliceBastable

I just quit a FB group because somebody posted a bizarre Hallelujah Brother type christian rant. I could have ignored it because I liked the group otherwise, but a sane member asked if it was appropriate since it was way off topic for that group. Those kind, loving christians verbally beat the crap out of him. Fuck 'em. This was I think the fourth FB group I've left for that reason. The one that really pissed me off was a kidney cancer group, because it's hard to find active groups or forums for that beyond endless congratulations for clean scans. Sigh.

In other news, this was the year I found an ancestor who was tried (twice!) for witchcraft in late seventeenth century Connecticut and acquitted. Her mother had been charged, and acquitted, earlier in Massachusetts. Her husband and father were also frequently in trouble. I have other ancestors from the same period who got in trouble in Maryland and Virginia, one for living with a man who was not her husband, and one who led her grown children on a midnight rampage through the town, stealing all the melons. Does that make her a melon felon? I've found mention of other family scofflaws. Maybe I'm just hereditarily ornery. Whatever works. 😜

KIDI919

WOW Alice that's some interesting history in your family. When I retire I want to get back into genealogy. We know a lot about my father's side but not much on my mother's.

AliceBastable

KIDI919, I really enjoy it. I worked in historical research libraries which introduced me to a lot of sources pre-internet, and gave me the skills to weed out other people's bad genealogy. If there's no citations or source lists, it's not research.

magiclight

I found this iconoclastic website posted on another thread, watched several and laughed out loud. Thanks to all who post on these threads and open so many doors that I can choose to explore or not.

Garfunkel and Oates

Miriandra

G&O are brilliant! xD

saltmarsh

I had to look up secular humanist symbols...all I found was the "Happy Human" bat-person symbol -- with which I definitely do not identify, lol. I believe people have the ability to make ethical and moral choices...so I find it particularly disappointing when they choose to do otherwise. I'm of the mindset that we are all born with inherent worth and dignity...I'm not at all sure we all retain that inherent worth and dignity.

AliceBastable

Salt Marsh, too many people squander their worth and dignity and never replenish them.

Elderberry

AliceBastable: I went to look up the "logo" for Secular Humanism. There is a basic one created by a Brit that was used from 1965-1980, but there were several variations. My favourite was one that looked like something out of the Star Trek franchise. The laurel like wreath around the figure was straight out The Federation of United Planets --- or whatever

magiclight

Catholic Church refuses to allow LGBT adoptions. Fork them, Pete Buttigieg and Chasten Reveal are close to adopting.

AliceBastable

Elderberry, I like the wreath, but that Hoo-mon still looks too much like a bathroom sign.

Lucka

Hello! I am also atheist and so is my whole family. A chaplain I work with on Critical Response Team believes that everyone finds God when life is threatened but I know it is not true. I find peace in meditation, being Inpresent moment as much as possible. Sometimes I do wish I believed, but it just does not make logical sense to me.

DivineMrsM

DivineMrsM

Lucka, I was one who, after being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, basically broke up with God. (Phrase taken from a book title). It wasn’t that I was “angry” at God for letting this happen to me. It was never that. The diagnosis led me to seek and insist on getting more, a lot more, from every and all areas of my life. I started living more fully. At some point, I realized how bland, tepid, mediocre the religion I believed in was. I was getting nothing from it. So, like a good little Christian woman, I prayed about it, seeking direction and expecting my “spirit to be renewed.” Nothing. For months. Then a year or more. Then I saw the patriarchy and that was the death knoll on the white male God.

The thing I find interesting about my seeking is that I did get an answer to my prayers even though it wasn’t what I ever expected! So to my way of thinking, something out there revealed things to me. I would say I believe in maybe a higher power but what that is I cannot define.

wrenn

I'm listening to an audio book by Julian Barnes called 'Nothing to be Frightened of' and he says "I don't believe in god but I miss him" and I think that comes up for a lot of former/recovering believers where to look for something to lean on. I think the missing part is short lived when you find peace in general or remind yourself about other ways to settle.

DivineMrsM

wren, yes, I agree. After a lifetime of believing, there’s a sense of loss. It was more difficult at the beginning but I feel like I’m adjusting to it.

I think knowing what they would lose is why some people choose not to ask the hard questions or choose to gloss over the hypocrisy, rationalize etc. I can understand in a small way how hard it is for women (and men) to leave/escape a cult like the FLDS. They may still believe in God in some capacity, but they leave their whole lifestyle and all friends and family. Parts of that I’m sure they miss

Wren44

We were discussing symbols earlier so I looked up the Unitarian Universalist emblem which is a chalice (looks like a champagne glass) with a flame. The flame symbolizes light (which can be from within), warmth, and community. Interesting. We attended the Unitarian church in Houston to counteract the stuff the kids were hearing at school. The joke is that they believe in, at the most, one God. Belief in a deity is not required. A group resettling refugees after WWII wanted a symbol to indicate they were safe for everyone.

AliceBastable

I've looked into UU in the past. Unfortunately for me, they include a lot of people who DO believe in a god, just not one with a triple-split personality. They also have a lot of pagan types, which means yikes! even more gods to avoid! No thanks!