Atheist unite!!

[Sweet_E]

To chime in about the title, I think reading the title out of context (or one that says "Christians Unite") without reading the actual post/question could give the impression of something other than just looking for "Support for Atheists" which I think would have been a fantastic title too. I think we hear the "unite" buzz word in politics or in the context of controversial social issues a lot. So it could have an unintentional connotation for some. HOWEVER, I think it's probably only a minor issue for those of us who are very exacting when it comes to word choice. AND the most important thing about this post is that it has created a place for atheists to feel supported, so bravo on creating the thread! I was an atheist for a very long time and I remember how isolating it felt if I did not have interactions with people who had similar perspectives.

 

[Sweet_E]

True.


:D:D:D


Absolutely.
Sometimes I become less vocal about my lack of beliefs (though it's not...

I grew up as a born again Christian and became atheist in my 20s. Then became a theist again in my 30s. It's been an interesting journey.

To give a perspective as someone who USED TO have an erroneous view of atheism, I was raised to believe that we do good things and avoid being bad things BECAUSE OF God. So basically my source of morality was based on belief in God.

In high school, I found out that one of my class mates was an atheist. I was so confused as to why someone would WANT to be an atheist (as if it was a deliberate choice). I literally asked him, "Why don't you want to be a good person?" I wasn't trying to insult him. I just literally didn't understand his perspective because I was conditioned to believe that morality was based on God-Belief.

However, when I became an atheist myself, due to theological exploration, I still held onto my core values of treating people kindly, being honest, etc. This actually confused my Christian friends. One of my friends told me that she thought it was not possible for someone to be a good person without the Holy Spirit but that I made her realize that was not correct.

So when you tell someone that you are an atheist, you may be giving them a message about yourself that is not accurate. I find that in social settings, if I don't know where someone stands in their knowledge or experience with atheism, it is helpful to choose another term that is also true. For example, I would tell people that I was a humanist or even a secular humanist. This forced them to also consider the humanism aspect of my perspective which is loaded with morality!

It was not a matter of trying to hide the fact that I was atheist. It was about patiently educating people about another view in a way that they could better understand. I feel that this approach has a more positive influence on opening people's minds.

And a side note about the title again, LOL. I think it's VERY appropriate to use the term Atheist in this context because the audience is fellow atheists, not believers.

 

[Sweet_E]

Not sure if this thread is still actively frequented, but hello fellow atheists :)

One of my flatmate...

I think what she said is mean and ignorant but she doesn't know any better. I also think what she said triggered you. I think that what she said would be taken negatively by anyone it was directed to, but for someone with PTSD, for whom this kind of message is a trigger, this would rattle us even more.

In a normal situation, I would confront her, but because this is particularly sensitive for you, and because of her ignorance, I would not expect the conversation to be constructive. It might be more productive for you to focus your energies on trying to process through the trigger. Perhaps you could write her a letter than you do not give her. If you wish to keep her in your life, you may need to set boundaries and agree to avoid talking about religion.

I went to Bible college. There is a whole branch of theology dedicated to exploring why bad things happen to good people and vice versa. No one with any theological sense would have said what she said. Keep in mind, that the statement she used reflects on her, not you.

 

[Cactus Bloom]

I’m so glad I found this thread! Thank you! I grew up in the Mormon Church and believed everyone and everything I was taught. I’ve had an extremely sensitive temperament from birth so I soaked everything in. Why do I make that statement? Well, I have 5 siblings that were not traumatized by the religion but I was significantly. I also have the all or nothing personality type like my father but the self-hate and insecurity from my mother. I was the second oldest child. Well, I could accurately say I should have been the child but it was my father who was the child! He’s an interesting guy to say the least. I’ve kept journals starting from the age of 12 basically because it’s something that the “prophet” told us to do and that’s one thing I’m extremely glad I did because I don’t have to rely on memories of what I was feeling or what was going on in my life. It is a little tricky to write things down now because I associate that with religion. Those journals are my map and have been for me to study myself and to pinpoint why some of coping mechanism started and why. For instance around the time I started writing on a daily basis even before 12 I know why the anorexia began and it corellated with my dad becoming extremely fanatical with “underground Mormon groups”. Sorry, I’m not in the mood to explain so much right now but anyone who has questions about anything I love to answer because right now everything is fascinating to me. I was scared all of the time because I had to be perfect so I wouldn’t get burned when Jesus came which supposedly was supposed to happen when I was around 16. I know, this has been said since the beginning of time but I didn’t know. I didn’t question anything because it was of satan and blah, blah, blah. I took the perfection thing to the extreme but no matter what, I could never be perfect enough for my parents love or gods love but I just tucked away my feelings and I was strong.

The thing about me and my story is that I not once questioned my religion or god or blame anyone or anything for the awful things that was done to me. After a rape when I was 16, I had a personality shift but I still believed in everything but I wasn’t always active with going to church throughout my adulthood. I’m 43 now but it was about maybe 6 years ago (too lazy to get up to check actual year this happened) when I woke up from a coma-like state (trauma induced) and my belief in everything was just gone. Just like that. Since that happened I have spent these last 6 years studying and learning about anything and everything I could get my hands on. Of course things are more complex than how simple it seems to be by how I’m writing it but I am glad my eyes are open and my brain is being used!

How about this Jordan Peterson?!!!

 

[Cactus Bloom]

Does anyone have any beliefs as to the mind, body and spirit or triggers with the word god, spirituality, higher self, etc? And thoughts about using psychedelics for healing purposes? I am not able to do meditation of any kind or yoga either. I really don’t care about anything to bother with it.

 

[Cactus Bloom]

Hmmmm....nice thread :confused:

 

[talon]

A bit. I grew up in a cult. Called Christanity, "god said..." but was modeled after many di...

religion and faith are two different things religion is an invention of man . Faith works if you believe and want to but early Church in UK and other European were using religion to control and ensure obedience from the masses. Using Latin meant much about what was taught was believed as there was no way of knowing the truth. The Bible despite many myths perpetuated in this modern world is full of useful knowledge and has much to teach us. Love is very much a part of the heart of faith and love conquers all . Even faith without love is nothing 1 Corinthians 13 v 4-8 is beautiful whether you believe or not the words sum up what true love is all about

 

[somerandomguy]

@ROBERT TALON, are you an atheist?

 

[talon]

I agree with you. (My personal belief is Christian based). I was turning away because I was horrified...

All religions are nothing to do with faith and many Christians have died at the hands of muslims in Turkey and elsewhere . Being a Christian means loving all whoever they may be the Church does not represent anything but a place of congregation and means a different thing to many people . If people ignored you then they are most certainly not following Christian teaching to love one another. Do not be dissuaded by people . 1 Corinthians 13 v4-8 expresses love and what it means Robbie

 

[talon]

@ROBERT TALON, are you an atheist?

No i am a Christian i have a faith but not a religion religion destroys . faith is not religion and religion is not faith .

 

[somerandomguy]

No i am a Christian

Then it is quite rude for you to be in this thread, in my opinion. Please take your proselytizing someplace else.

 

[talon]

Agreed. People are fallible. Even scientists have egos.

And many are religious . I was once told that people who believe in god and have a faith are of low intelligence . I responded to this by stating the NHS in the UK is full of devout Muslim surgeons, Doctors and nurses and many of the pioneers of surgery, dentistry and other areas of medicine have been devout muslims. This lady then stated Oh i meant Christians . It's easy to attack Christians and their faith Muslims as we know do not allow an attack on their faith