Is anyone else an atheist with BC besides me?

There are no cures. All you can do is reduce risk as much as possible. I personally believe you have to come at it from multiple angles and whatever doesn't hurt, helps. And the effect is cumulative. Just knowing I'm doing everything I possibly can is a big stress reducer in itself.

The hardest part is not beating yourself up when you're not perfect. On an individual level we all know It's a crapshoot no matter what you do or don't do, so I just try to focus on what I'm doing right rather than on my shortcomings. Your successes in combination are what really matters, because that is what builds up your defenses against those times when you can't let the stress roll off. It's gonna happen, don't stress out about it.

I am looking forward to Winter Solstice. It is on the night between 21 and 22 December, depending on where you are (early morning for me).

For me, this moment is something REAL to celebrate, so important for every living thing on earth.

A wine store I passed the other day had this on their billboard out front:

Wine sale - Cheaper than therapy

ALL my friends, who I've known for almost 50 years, are holier than thou, bigoted, holy rolling hypocrites who tell tall fairy tales. Where did I come from? They went from 'good' sinners to born again, always right, and they KNOW. I never told them I am an atheist, evil and going to hell. I'm sure I'll be dropped off at hell's door....and I'll get breast cancer as punishment.....never have a good life.....be alone....How ignorant. FU

When they pray for me I tell them IF god gave me BC, who the f--k are you to ask him to take it back?

The only people I can share with are my 2 adult children who live in the city and our conversations are mostly short, but we will be celebrating Newtonmas (love it) and festivas, with all the gifts, lights, and food.

It is lonely being an atheist, but it makes life easy. The only contact I have is here, and I love the humor, and reading the posts.

Winter is coming

enjoy

I don't know if you have access to a Unitarian church, but they are comfortable with agnostics and atheists. When we lived in Houston, that's where we went and took the kids. The 11:00 service was pretty religious, but the early service was not. The joke about Unitarians is that they believe in, at the most, one God. The churches do vary, however.

Seattle is pretty unchurched. Very low attendance with congregations having to combine. Many people think the ideal Sunday spiritual event is outside in the mountains, or sailing on a boat. I think evolution is even more miraculous to think that all this is the result. I told my son I thought that the interweaving of all things on earth is sacred.

If you were forced to worship a god of your choice, which one would you choose?

I would choose Shakti the goddess who is the  primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe. Besides I like her outfit.

I belong to several atheist groups on Facebook as well as my family group that is very Christian. Some of them are terrified of "others" and think Trump should be President.  When I post to the family, I try to post things to make them better Christians because in my opinion, one cannot be a good Christian and support Trump or Cruz.  This is my latest from a Christian blog called Sojourners.  https://sojo.net/articles/why-jesus-was-and-political-threat

What does everyone think of the article? 

Bemba, I went to the local Unitarian and found it to be too rigid and theistic with not much room for non believers.  Not openly hostile, but not warm either.

I've been an atheist and a Unitarian Universalist for more than twenty years and found enough diversity in the churches I've attended to find my niche. I'll admit that the major attraction for me was having a choir, but I also don't object to a certain amount of ritual. The church in New York I currently belong to is strongly humanist and generally a good fit for me, but I attended another in Texas for many years that was more theistic - not so many Christians, but a strong pagan group. You know - the Gospel according to Mercedes Lackey. The choir tended to be more humanist and the acoustics were great!

We originally joined because our kids were bombarded by Baptist schoolmates who let them know they were doomed to hell if they didn't accept Jesus as their Savior and it helped them to know there was a community that agreed there was no hell. When my younger son toured with the Texas Boys Choir his experience in church school helped him to stand up for his beliefs when discussions on the tour bus turned to religion. In fact, the director called me to ask if Andy would try to avoid these discussions since other parents were complaining that their sons were picking up some dangerous ideas. Apparently he won too many arguments!

My feelings are similar to those of suersis. I don't think friends have to agree about everything. I have a few friends who are believers that I can I have open, non-judgmental discussions with, but those relationships evolved over many years. For those conversations to work, I believe both parties must refrain from passing judgment. With most people I don't feel the need to bring it up. I don't like it when they proselytize so I'm not going to do it either.

There's only one type of religious person I try to avoid completely, and those are the ones who combine their religion with their politics in ways in which Jesus would surely disapprove - and can't shut up about it. It's not their religion that bothers me, it's the hypocrisy.

Shutterbug,  It looks like you are fairly eclectic when it comes to Buddhism as well.  I see a bit of Pure Land and a bit of what looks like a Theravada monk/nun.  Have you looked into Taoism?  It's another "religion" without a creator god.

Shutterbug: I like your altar very much. I have been fascinated by Buddhism for a long time and study it on and off. I like the idea of a god-less religion and the focus is on alleviating suffering so that all beings can be happy. Have you read The Dalai Lama's Cat? It's a cute book, that explains some Buddhist principles thru the eyes of his holiness's cat.

Ananda- You know way more than I do. The mini-prayer flags were from my husband's aunt. A cause she supports send them to her every year. It came with the paper with the heart stamp. The Nam Myoho Renge Kyo card is from a friend. The photo, elephant and candle were all brought back from Thailand from various friends. I haven't looked into Taoism other than to read the Tao of Pooh, but I find that eastern religions just make sense to me in a practical way, but even they can get quite dogmatic.

Louisap- I find it is hard to find friends who admit to being non-theists, but that is changing as it becomes more accepted. It depends what part of the country you are in, I guess. I think there are many who identify as Christian who probably believe more like we do, but aren't ready to admit it or just don't give it much thought.

Glennie – Thank you. I have not read that one, I'll have to look for it. Thanks for the recommendation! I'm part way through "The Buddha Walks into a Bar" which I've found to be good at explaining the basics of Buddhism, and "How to Be Sick" by Toni Bernhard is the only book I read when first diagnosed that I think actually resonated with me.

Ksusan – Oh did your post make me laugh! You must be from Michigan! That was in a care package from my wonderful coworkers. It is even signed by Narwal Motawi! We are big fans here…I even had a Motawi calendar last year. Also, your laser kittens are awesome.

Hydranne – Yes! A friend of mine bought an RV and took off on a trip around the country after her divorce and sent me that Post Card from New Mexico. I thought it looked good on the altar.

Suersis – I'm curious, what is your background in? I majored in Microbiology with a minor in Anthropology. I agree that religion has nothing to do with morality. I think I came to that realization early on in life and it is probably what first made me question everything I was being told.

Four teenagers in togas -- one in blackface!!! -- tried to write their thing on my house door yesterday without my permission. So not OK, in so many ways....

Hi Bug. The thing on Dec 6 is that guys dressed as three kings "bless" your house and write their initials and the date (CMB 2016 or someting like that) in chalk on the door. I live in a farmhouse and treasure my solitude. The arrival of any stranger is stressful for me and my brain damage makes it impossible to function under stress. My partner told me don't answer the door, but when they started writing anyway, I chased them off. Then my partner got seriously mad at me for that. It was awful. I just want to live in peace.

Have you heard of Emily McDowell? She had BC and came up with great cards for that and other occasions. Her website is www.emilymcdowell.com. The kind of thing you can send a friend that shows her you "get" it.