Is anyone else an atheist with BC besides me?

Hernie · January 2016

Control children, for sure! My dad proudly called himself "a good Catholic" but we never went to church and he never ever discussed religious beliefs or morals except for the old, "Do you know the fourth commandment?!" I hated that one. Religion for him was just something to use for his own purpose.

My mom called herself a pagan but with a nervous giggle. After she died, my dad said her life philosophy was just to be a good person, but she never discussed the topic with me. I still don't understand why.

When I had kids, I made a point of talking to them about this. I told them that religion is a part of culture. Here, it happens to be Christian, but other people all over the world have other religions. Religions began as attempts to explain the universe and to guide human behaviour. Now we have science to find the truth about the universe (which is awesome) and we have (hopefully democratic) governments to make laws. But, as you kids' shenanigans have clearly shown me, neither I nor any commandments or laws can predict every situation and tell you what kind of nonsense not to do -- you have to think for yourself.

muska · January 2016

Just saying hi and Happy New Year to everyone! I have not read all the posts on this thread - just browsed through the last two or three pages.

I was born and grew up in a country where all religions were mostly banned for about 70 years. That didn't make my parents' or my generation any less 'moral.' I consider religion a therapy of sort and have no issues whatsoever with the people who are religious. However, after living in the US for over 20 years and raising two children in public schools here I have yet to meet really religious folks. The overwhelming majority see religion as part of ethnic and cultural tradition and so do I. The difference is, many go to church or temple two or three times a year whereas I do not.

solfeo · January 2016

My son decided on his own to go to a Christian church youth group, from around 11 to 16, with some friends of his. I didn't like it but his dad is a non-religious spiritual believer, so my thinking was that his beliefs deserved equal play. I decided it wasn't my job to tell our son what to believe, but rather to teach him critical thinking so he could make these determinations for himself. We would have what I jokingly referred to as our deprogramming sessions when he got back from class, which were really just open discussions about what he had learned that night. I would bring all of the different belief systems (and non-belief) into the conversation and tell him he gets to choose what he believes. We did a lot of talking about morals and being a good person just for the sake of it, and not needing any threat of eternal damnation hanging over your head. The subject of hypocrisy came up a lot.

He will be 18 in a few months, and I have to say I'm pretty proud of how he processed all of the information. I think he believes in a higher power of some sort, but he doesn't think any religion gets it right. "Believes" might be too strong a word. I think he hopes there is something more, but would never claim to know the unknowable. A real agnostic, which puts him right smack in the middle of me and his father. He lost interest in the Bible class on his own a year ago.

Howdy muska!

Hernie · January 2016

I think kids are naturally skeptic. I was in Catholic elementary school because it was the most convenient for my parents. When the teacher got to the "virgin birth", the kids dragged her over the coals. We were just old enough to know where babies came from, and this was too much to swallow. "You just have to have faith" was the only answer the teacher had, over and over again. I will never forget that scene. I wonder if she even believed it herself.

Shutterbug73 · January 2016

solfeo - what a wonderful way to approach your son's curiosity. As much as I love my Mom and think she did a good job raising me, politics and religion were rarely discussed. When I did express an opinion or thought I was told "I don't know where you get your crazy ideas". Thinking for oneself was not exactly encouraged, so I kept my thoughts to myself and it took her a long time to accept my lack of belief. I'm not sure she really has. To be honest we still don't discuss it.

I don't think I met an openly agnostic/atheist until I met my husband in 1998.

I don't mind that religion brings meaning and comfort to many of my friends and family, but it is frustrating that we are looking at the world through two different lenses. I can't accept "because the Bible says..." as an argument for anything. That to me is the end of the conversation. Religion can be used to justify just about anything.

glennie19 · January 2016

Shutterbug: I agree with you. Religion can be justified for anything,,,, look at all the violence and wars that have happened in the name of "religion". "Because the Bible says so" is not a reason to me either.

Hernie · January 2016

glennie19 · January 2016

Excellent!!

Englishmummy · January 2016

Ha, Ha brilliant!

Hernie · January 2016

rossileo18 · January 2016

Hi, I'm new to this thread, though I have been been reading off and on for a while. I was raised totally a-religiously in a scientific family. Don't believe in God, but soon after my diagnosis with recurrence after initial Stage 3 and possible bone mets, I found myself sometimes going into churches and asking for strength to deal with the situation. It seemed a quiet contemplative place and I actually hoped that maybe a priest would appear to help comfort me. (But now that I think of it, he/she would probably have given me the 'God will take care of your spiel') which would have totally turned me off.

I've a cousin of mine is quite religious and he has been sending me meditations which are somewhat religious in nature, but I try to ignore that and get the bigger message.

Anybody else have a similar experience?

Hernie · January 2016

Welcome, rossileo18

Any way you find courage is great. It's all about personal choice. I have found a lot of strength in my chickens. They are content just to be alive and get something good to eat, and watching chicks hatch and grow gives me joy to see renewal of life. No human sacrifice required!

Another school mom recently gave me a calendar with blessings. I asked my son, "Does she not know me?" He said, "She means well." He is a sweet kid, but this is part of the whole "pray for people" thing. I thought this was a neat breakdown of why it's not OK.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/godlessindixie/2015/02/10/whats-wrong-with-telling-an-atheist/

Wren44 · January 2016

Good articles. Thanks for posting.

Sarah0915 · January 2016

Split-bean, I loved your post about your chickens. My friends and family never understood what pleasure I got from having my girls (and rooster) in the back yard. I used to sit for hours and just watch them. I had several that were lap chickens and came running to sit in my lap for a while when I went out. I even had one that loved coming in the house for morning coffee and reading the newspaper once in a while. She would have come every day if I had gone to get her. I've had several flock over the years but don't have any now. They would be a great comfort, I'm glad you have them.

glennie19 · January 2016

When you say you'll pray for me, you're telling me that this isn't about me, it's about you. You're suggesting that of all the things you could do, the one that will make the most difference is casting a vote for me in the Heavenly Miracle Lottery. You're making this about your little religion, not what I'm going through. You're tapping into a kind of hubris I can't muster by suggesting that of all the thousands of gods and religions, yours is the correct one, and you're in so good with your god that you're actually going to change his mind.

Exactly!

rossileo18 · January 2016

I too take take much joy in the natural world -- the picture of the panda in the zoo rolling in the snow, the deer running down the streets of DC (?) unimpeded by cars. I was in Argentina at a penguin colony before my recurrence was diagnosed and the beauty of the coastline and the rhythms of the birds as they went on with their lives was just so peaceful. And yes, there is nature in Chicago too, but it's a little harder to find.

I do have some comments on the 'praying' for the you phenomenon. I'm more forgiving than some of you are, but no time to write. I am supposed to be working.

ananda8 · January 2016

I didn't have this when I was diagnosed but I found it after my younger brother died of cancer. Now it helps me with his death and it helps when I contemplate the eventual end of mine.

Every year I get a bit less orderly.

Wren44 · January 2016

Ananda, I like that. Sort of my belief system. I also remember that for the caterpillar it's a death and for the butterfly it's a birth.

ananda8 · January 2016

I had a friend who tried to save me via email. She was in a different State. She was so insistent and badgering that I had to end our friendship. I came away from the experience understanding how people can be forced into cults. It was awful through email but if I had been surrounded by people just like her, I don't know what I would have done. In my opinion, people are right to be wary of evangelicals. Some are good, friendly people and some are truly frigntening.

Wren44 · January 2016

Yes, taken too far, both Christian evangelicals and Muslim extremists meet at a really scary place.

ananda8 · February 2016

Atheists sometimes wonder why other atheists stay silent about their lack of belief. This is why.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2015/12/arizona-woman-shoots-and-kills-atheist-for-not-believing-in-god/

fizzdon52 · February 2016

See that just wouldn't happen over here I don't think (New Zealand). I tell everyone I am an Atheist and no one even bats an eyelid. Most of my friends are too because I try and hang out with intelligent people haha!

ananda8 · February 2016

And...New Zealand has Haka.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhhedH6wK6I

And...New Zealand has the All Black.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiKFYTFJ_kw

Wren44 · February 2016

And I believe New Zealand has fewer guns. Actually most people have fewer guns that we do.

fizzdon52 · February 2016

Yes aren't we an awesome little country?

fizzdon52 · February 2016

We have very strict gun laws Wren44. My 21 son is getting his gun licence at the moment. You have to sit a test at the police station, then a policeman has to come to your house and make sure you have an adquate gun safe that no-one can break into and somewhere else to store your ammunition. Then they interview someone in your family etc. to make sure you are the kind of person who can be trusted with a gun. We do still have problems, but nothing like you guys are suffering.

JWoo · October 2016

We've been so quiet here!

Fizz- that is how it should be! I grew up around guns, and my dad was reaaaaally big on safety. He made sure we had no access to anything without supervision, etc. I just can't understand why people are so opposed to common sense gun laws requiring things like training, testing, inspecting, etc to ensure that guns are less likely to be in the hands of a maniac. Pretty sure we have not gone a day in the last 15 years without hearing about some mass shooting in our country. It is insanity.

I love Haka. So moving.

NZ just sounds like an amazing place to live, and it sure is beautiful. My BF has family in AUS, maybe we should just scoot a bit to the right and move to NZ

Hope everyone is well, and feeling good.

xo- jeni

ananda8 · October 2016

It has been quite here. I think I'm a bit distracted by the Presidential election. It's a train wreck.

JWoo · October 2016

I think train wreck is an understatement

i'm actually trying to ignore it now, focusing on the local elections, and things that bring me joy. the bigotry and hatred that i see in my fellow americans is disheartening.

ananda8 · October 2016

I'm checking our ballot initiatives and reading them word for word. One of them wants to change the ballot. If a local office has only one person running, they want to leave that office off the ballot. Sounds efficient, but in reality it's a way to eliminate write-ins. In small towns, write-ins can get elected.

It is important to pay attention to the local stuff because those elections affect every day life.

Is anyone else an atheist with BC besides me?

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