Anyone non-religious here? Please be nice!

[RobbingPeter]

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I wonder about his emotional state. Standing over a relative's grave looking like an under-dressed Braveheart whilst casting the shadow of a cross with a conveniently shaped sword and claiming that god is honouring the visit doesn't seem very well balanced to me.

Holy Cow that was painful to read (the site).

I haven't had a chance to read this entire thread, but I wanted to post just to say how happy I am that it is here.

I look forward to reading more and getting to know y'all.

 

[Reinbeau]

People, we are wandering into bad territory here. Many of us came come up with ugly stories, let's keep them out of this discussion so the thread can remain open - you may not realize how many Christians are reading this thread.

 

[deb1]

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Understood. And thanks for the warning instead of just closing the thread.

 

[deb1]

What do some of you think are the most common misconceptions about atheism or nonreligious people?

 

[thaiturkey]

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Understood. And thanks for the warning instead of just closing the thread.

Seconded.

Not all bad things come from religion, of course, but religion does set itself on moral high ground and so many people expect something better from religious people than they get.

Perhaps the Christians and people of other religions who read this thread can see the genuine concerns of the posters here. It's clear that many were introduced to organised religion and have since rejected it for their own personal reasons. Many of those reasons are connected with the lack of logic or consistency in some teachings. Others are linked to aggressive evangelism or just poor examples of how a religious person behaves. Many posters here still have spiritual inclinations. Some focus on doing their best in this life rather than focusing on their chances in the next , should it exist.

Something that I have noticed every day that I have read this thread is the tolerance of the posters. They have expressed their own views and read the different views of others with an open mind. I guess that is all that they ask in return.

 

[thaiturkey]

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I find it difficult to answer that because it's a long time since I was in a society that expressed any view about atheists or non-religious people. Either they are the majority and the norm or everyone just keeps his views and beliefs to himself.

Going back to when I was a churchgoer in my early teens, my view was as expressed many times here. I saw non-believers as darn to hell for eternity, very dangerous people to have around and probably without morals. People from other religions were no better. People from other Christian churches were suspect and probably heretics. I felt warm and safe when I saw a politician going to church and reassured when a movie star was said to be Christian. I felt very uncomfortable when a non-believer was recognised for doing a good deed - it didn't seem possible. All in all, I felt good because I had something that they did not and I had my ticket to eternity.

Nowadays I believe that 'goodness' is within, whatever one's spiritual inclinations. If there is a god, I see him when someone hugs a hurt child or a grieving adult. I see him when the sun rises over the palm trees and clears the early morning mist. I see him in the trust of an animal and in the eyes of someone who has just been shown a kindness. I weep when I see cruelty to children and believe that, if there is a devil, he is within too. Those beliefs remind me all the time that I am responsible for my own actions and cannot pass on the blame to a satan or give the credit to a god. That thought guides me more than fear of eternal damnation.

 

[deb1]

I think that was very beautiful thaiturkey. If there is a god then we see him when we are kind and expect nothing back in return.

 

[Kev]

What do some of you think are the most common misconceptions about atheism or nonreligious people?

1. They have no sense of morality.. there is belief that all morality is derived from religion. So they believe an atheist has zero morals or zero limits. Plus no motivation to be a good person.

2. They are denying God. As in they know there is a God but are "denying him" or being rebellious.

3. They are angry at God.

4. They are atheists because something bad happened in their life that caused them to reject God.

5. They don't know much about their religion or texts considered important to them..

6. They are not very smart OR are "way too smart for their own good"


edited to add.. after submitting I thought above could be possibly misread.. I'm an atheist and this is what I've experienced or observed elsewhere.​

 

[KDbeads]

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The common misconception around this area is that if we are not religious in the right way, then we are automatically devil worshipers and horrid evil people with no morals who want to steal children and convert them to satanism among other nasty things. (I'm being serious, I live across the street from a wonderful church and their outdoor spring sermon on the field was dealing with this when we first moved in) It doesn't matter how many people you help, how kind you are, etc. There just is no in between or plain moral.

Other places I've lived have had the misconception that we were raised wrong or that we were taught that religion was bad. Assumed ignorance is another biggie. Another misconception is that we are angry at the world and in particular, god, and this is our way to rebel.

 

[thaiturkey]

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The principle of Kharma is very spiritual and seems to work. Expect nothing in return but note how often something that you need comes to you from another source. If you do a good turn for someone they may not be able to pay you back. Should all good things be given only to those who can pay for them? Belief in Kharma also reduces the temptation to seek revenge or to judge the actions of others. Buddhists will walk away from conflict rather than inflame it, let the episode fade from their memory and get on with more positive aspects of their lives. Very liberating if you can do it!