DescentBB

Atheists in the Bible Belt: A survival guide

You'd think that atheists were scared for their lives- they might be beheaded, flogged, stoned or otherwise mutilated by Christians.

Obviously there are closed-minded Christians that think you're going to hell and shun you...but they're the minority- and they're NOT going to pull you out of a crowd and put you on trial for apostasy and sentence you to death like *cough Iran/Saudi Arabia/Pakistan/Afghanistan/Sudan/Islam* other religionists might around the world.

In the attached video to the blog, atheists speak of 'coming out' as if they're gay or something. We need support groups and gathering places because...well...we're "different."

Very insulting.

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2014/05/2 ... hpt=hp_c2/

Only unfree people may assume that atheists need the support of society. Atheists is simply free people who are willing and able to see and study the nature, such as it is in reality. Many great scientists human society tried to force to believe in God. And they were forced to maintain a good relationship with a society that believe in incomprehensible God. Atheism above any faith.

Ridiculous comments in there.
I've lived in the south almost my whole life and rarely do I meet someone and discover if they have any religious beliefs.

I tried to make a mental list of the people I know, customers, employees, neighbors, etc.
I can only identify 5% of them as having any degree of religious belief.

I hear the atheist perspective/commentary often when a religious topic comes up. So from my experience I find that blog to be a bunch of anti-Christian trolling agitprop.

Damn, there sure a lot of people who need to get over themselves.

The cowardly atheist support group? I read through the article and what I get out of it is that they suffer from being so afraid of what the consequences of stating their beliefs might be that they suffer more from knuckling under and trying to fit in than from being honest in their dissension. Also I think the guy that said "don't argue with a fundamentalist" is an idiot. I know from experience that you can have a profitable conversation with someone who is even very opposed to your point of view, as long as they're honest, you just can't demand that they skip from A to Z just because you're certain. Argument should never be about winning. That's what you see on TV. The purpose of a good argument is to convince someone of what's right. Most people react about the same when you try to tear down their world-view to satisfy your desire to legitimize your own. .

ThunderBunny wrote:atheists speak of 'coming out' as if they're gay or something.

Atheism isn't socially acceptable like you think. It seems that way on the Internet, but I've experienced some firsthand discrimination in the workplace because of my atheism (two separate employers). In an ironic twist, at a third job my department head always paired me with this born-again-Christian guy, not because he wanted to torture me, but because I had more patience with his constant preaching than all our other employees, haha.

And sadly, I've recently fell out of contact with a friend who became more religious over the years and eventually didn't want to associate with my "evil atheist ways." She even moved to the Bible Belt.

My advice to anyone that is “discriminated” against in the workplace because of being an atheist…

Just shut up and do your job, nobody really needs to know your leanings anyway. If you want to express your opinions there…then…well…deal with it.

Same advice goes for gays, demon worshipers, Christians, people with foot fetishes…and whoever.

Spidey wrote:My advice to anyone that is “discriminated” against in the workplace because of being an atheist…

Just shut up and do your job, nobody really needs to know your leanings anyway. If you want to express your opinions there…then…well…deal with it.

Same advice goes for gays, demon worshipers, Christians, people with foot fetishes…and whoever.

You've obviously never been the victim of being singled out for some trait or belief. It's very hard to ignore people who go after you because it only eggs them on to do it more and besides, most times you can't get away from it due to circumstances. So why does the victim always have to turn the other cheek? Why can't the aggressors be dealt with summarily like the insensitive jerks they are?

All of the people I have met over 66 years of existence, not one of them told me what their religious preference was and I never asked. So if you are a atheist, why would you be telling anyone?

woodchip wrote:All of the people I have met over 66 years of existence, not one of them told me what their religious preference was and I never asked. So if you are a atheist, why would you be telling anyone?

I know the religious preferences/non-preferences of most of my close friends. Why would I not know them?

woodchip wrote:All of the people I have met over 66 years of existence, not one of them told me what their religious preference was and I never asked. So if you are a atheist, why would you be telling anyone?

I'm personally not an atheist, nor would I tell someone that fact if I was. However, it seems once in awhile, someone will broach the question in conversation and then it should be honestly answered without inviting retribution or derision. Unfortunately, some people just can't get past something they don't agree with once they find out about it. Kind of like an itch, it invites scratching.

As for not knowing the religion of other people I've met, most Christians are quite open about their faith and will tell you if the conversation steers that way. You almost can't avoid it. I also don't comment about it once I find out either.

tunnelcat wrote:You've obviously never been the victim of being singled out for some trait or belief.

Yes...right...because I live on another planet, where everyone is the same.

My point is you shouldn't be discussing "anything" at the workplace, now get back to work...

Tell that to nosy people who can't mind their own business in the workplace.

That sounds more like slavery than work. ★■◆● that.

tunnelcat wrote:Tell that to nosy people who can't mind their own business in the workplace.

I've done that plenty of times, and know many others who do as well. (you just need to be polite about it)

Top Gun wrote:That sounds more like slavery than work. ★■◆● that.

You're being paid to work, not talk.

Spidey wrote:

tunnelcat wrote:Tell that to nosy people who can't mind their own business in the workplace.

I've done that plenty of times, and know many others who do as well. (you just need to be polite about it)

Yeah, but there's always that one who can't resist................

Then suffer the consequences...like I said.

If you are going to talk about your belief system, or lack thereof, then deal...

Top Gun wrote:

woodchip wrote:All of the people I have met over 66 years of existence, not one of them told me what their religious preference was and I never asked. So if you are a atheist, why would you be telling anyone?

I know the religious preferences/non-preferences of most of my close friends. Why would I not know them?

Your close friends wouldn't be a problem for you though so you haven't addressed the alleged scenario that athiest are hiding in the 'closet' for fear of a Taliban-like reaction from co workers etc.

Some of the people in the article mentioned that they'd lost supposed "friends" when the news got out. And sometimes situations come up where someone at work would find out; social media is one obvious pathway. I don't doubt for a moment that there are rural communities out there where being "outed" as an atheist would lead to widespread ostracization.

Spidey wrote:

Top Gun wrote:That sounds more like slavery than work. ★■◆● that.

You're being paid to work, not talk.

Yes suh, Mr. Boss Man suh!

I'm an employer, not a boss, and never have been.

Spidey wrote:My point is you shouldn't be discussing "anything" at the workplace, now get back to work...

Right... And when you boss is a Jehovah's Witness and brings up religion frequently, and continues to ask about your "spiritual health," and one day gives you a bible to help "save" you, and then asks you repeatedly to read certain passages, and then proceeds to make your job uncomfortable after you politely decline to be saved... (true story!)

Eventually you get pushed out of your job.

Now, I could have taken some legal action against the two small companies I worked for where my religious non-preference became a problem, but luckily it was during a time when getting a new job wasn't too hard. In the future I might react differently. In the future I am less likely to ignore when the boss makes off-color remarks about Mexicans or gays or Muslims or any group. After all, it's only money.

I wouldn’t have to be forced out of that job, I would have left long before that.

vision wrote:

ThunderBunny wrote:atheists speak of 'coming out' as if they're gay or something.

Atheism isn't socially acceptable like you think. It seems that way on the Internet, but I've experienced some firsthand discrimination in the workplace because of my atheism (two separate employers). In an ironic twist, at a third job my department head always paired me with this born-again-Christian guy, not because he wanted to torture me, but because I had more patience with his constant preaching than all our other employees, haha.

And sadly, I've recently fell out of contact with a friend who became more religious over the years and eventually didn't want to associate with my "evil atheist ways." She even moved to the Bible Belt.

Right. Religious society rather justify blue and pink sex, pedophilia, killing people of other religions, but not heretics. Atheist - it's like a pacifist in the army. Atheist never go down to the church and he will not cry - "People see this temple in which you are built with the help of absolutely atheistic mathematics, geometry and physics, instead of using the" word of God ". While religious people try to impose religion as drug addicts. It is in fact so. Atheists are well aware that religion has not only a good psychotherapeutic effect, but and this causes a greater dependence. But to take the drug is much easier than the effort to try to understand the true nature of the device and our true Creator.

Spidey wrote:I'm an employer, not a boss, and never have been.

Kind of a hairsplit, don't you think? Don't you have any employees that you oversee? If you do, you're a "boss". If you don't, you're self-employed and accountable only to the customer.

tunnelcat wrote:

Spidey wrote:I'm an employer, not a boss, and never have been.

Kind of a hairsplit, don't you think? Don't you have any employees that you oversee? If you do, you're a "boss". If you don't, you're self-employed and accountable only to the customer.

Yes, it was a hair split, but only because of the context the word was used.

I don't "boss" people around, I pay people to do a job.

sigma wrote:Right. Religious society rather justify blue and pink sex, pedophilia, killing people of other religions, but not heretics. Atheist - it's like a pacifist in the army. Atheist never go down to the church and he will not cry - "People see this temple in which you are built with the help of absolutely atheistic mathematics, geometry and physics, instead of using the" word of God ". While religious people try to impose religion as drug addicts. It is in fact so. Atheists are well aware that religion has not only a good psychotherapeutic effect, but and this causes a greater dependence. But to take the drug is much easier than the effort to try to understand the true nature of the device and our true Creator.

Dude... do you happen to remember Soviet Russia? Oh wait, I forgot, communist oppression is fueled by theistic beliefs.

Marxism-Leninism believed in absolute control, repression and elimination of all religious beliefs, period. Didn't quite work out did it sigma? The Russian Orthodox Church has come back as strong as ever since the fall of the Soviets. I guess religion was never eliminated in Russia under Marxism, it only went underground to blossom all over again once the Soviets left power.