As an atheist in America, I find myself often somewhat outcasted for being atheist even by friends. Does anyone else often get excluded or anything for being atheist? Whats the worst youve been treated for being atheist?
I had a couple of strangers make nasty remarks back when I was young and had an atheist bumpersticker, but that's it. Most of my relatives and all my friends take it in stride, altho I should mention that the relatives who didn't take it in stride were already out of my life for different reasons.
Yea. My relatives still don't know, mainly because my grandpa was a huge christian. I don't normally hide anything from my parents buts the one of the things I haven't told them about outright. I've made several kinda hints about it but never just went straight out and said i'm atheist to them. My friends sometimes try to belittle me by talking about how I don't believe in god then i generally say "at least I get to sleep in on sundays" xD I haven't really had something terrible happen to me about my atheism. I think the worst thats happened to me was i was told i'm going to hell, but that doesn't really faze me.
Well, to be honest, I haven't been all of that open about it. Several years ago during my first bout (for lack of a better term) of Atheism I was more open, though. I had my religion set as "Agnostic" on Facebook. Mostly to avoid the attention of being an Atheist instead... I think... I don't remember. Some individuals knew I was an Atheist. Although, I don't think I ever told the friends I currently hang out with.
Nowadays, I can't do that. Facebook is much bigger and has so many more people on there. Plus, potential employers check out Facebook profiles, and I live in the Bible Belt. Saying you're an Atheist is not the best thing to do around here. Beside that, my Mom is on Facebook, and I'm not 'coming out' about it to her.
Back when I was more open, I did have one girl that kept on bothering me about it. I think I brought it upon myself, but I don't really remember. It's been five years. Anyway, she'd constantly say "Jesus loves you", and it got on my nerves.
But as for actually being criticized for it, I don't recall it ever happening. I just wasn't open enough, and I shall remain that way. Although I do think I will bring it up to my current friends, if the subject does get brought up. Which one of them is pretty religious, while another isn't so much, and it does get brought up. Unfortunately, the religious one has complained about Atheists being intolerant and has also made comments like "You have to believe in something". That will be fun. ::)
Outside of my mom I haven't had anyone give me a hard time about it...and my mom thinks I'll come back to religion at some point so she just leaves me alone and hasn't brought it up since the one "seed are planted" speech she gave when she found out. All of my friends are non-religious even my boss. Basically, I somehow lucked into a little bubble of freethought; even in Texas. Though I can't say that I necessarily have put myself in very many social settings where meeting really religious people was highly likely. I did have religious friends in college and they didn't give me any trouble either; I don't think they were really that religious though I know a few have grown more so now (facebook updates is ultimate in unintentional stalking). I do know that if I had been openly atheist in high school I would have been given a horrible time; possibly would have had to do home schooling...it was bad enough just being a liberal believer who spoke up against prayer before games. In college the only issue I had with being open was in dating and even then it was just a few idiots who for some reason thought atheist meant slut...and I wasn't completely over the line to atheism then yet either; it was just a good way to weed out the fundies.
I haven't been given a hard time about it, really. I'm just selective in who I tell that I don't believe. My grandpa and my dad, for instance, don't and won't know. With my grandpa (who is stubborn, elderly and very set in his ways), it'd just be asking for a blow-out argument and I honestly don't want to deal with that. My dad would take the opposite tactic, which would be to try every philosophical argument and faith-related guilt trip in the book until he hoped I'd cave, which I wouldn't. He lives across the country and I have him on my facebook, so I'm just careful about what I post/say, and it's all good. Religious friends haven't given me any flack or tried to 'save me', and other friends aren't religious at all anyhow, so. :)
Is anyone worried about posting atheistic comments on their facebook?
Do you think a future potential employer might turn you down if they found out you are an atheist during the hiring process?
Quote from: Stevil on February 19, 2012, 05:31:14 AM
Is anyone worried about posting atheistic comments on their facebook?
Do you think a future potential employer might turn you down if they found out you are an atheist during the hiring process?
My privacy controls on facebook are so tight that any employer would have a difficult time finding me. If an employer did find out I was not a theist and wanted to turn me down for a job due to it though, without even knowing me, chances are I wouldn't have been a good fit anyhow.
Quote from: Stevil on February 19, 2012, 05:31:14 AM
Is anyone worried about posting atheistic comments on their facebook?
Do you think a future potential employer might turn you down if they found out you are an atheist during the hiring process?
Nope - loud and proud! And my response is exactly as Amicales.
Soon after reading Dawkins's TGD I had the courage to ask this question in my status:
"...Wonders how many of you are prepared to admit your atheism. And if not, why are you ashamed of it? I urge you to think about this for yourself."
I had just three positives in response - one of those a declared Humanist. Of the 87 possible respondents I know of only a single declared Christian and no others to my knowledge that have religious feelings. Most people don't include a 'religious views' entry in their profiles.
Interestingly the first response from one friend was "What is this, Atheists Anonymous?". My reply was to mention that his choice of words illustrated my point exactly.
So a brief discussion afterwards showed only 3 of us prepared to admit it, and a few more prepared to discuss, but not openly say it. I had sincerely expected more integrity from some of my (closer) friends. Shame on them and I let them know it.
So, even though here in the UK Christianity is not overtly oppressive, its effects are deep rooted and powerful. We've got a long way to go, even in this comparatively secular culture.
Quote from: Stevil on February 19, 2012, 05:31:14 AM
Is anyone worried about posting atheistic comments on their facebook?
Do you think a future potential employer might turn you down if they found out you are an atheist during the hiring process?
My facebook wall's had plenty of atheistic things posted on it by both me and friends. Thankfully all my friends are either atheists, agnostics or pagans, living in a UK city it's easy to meet plenty of heathens. Plus I work at a university, and there are very few religious people at my work too :)
I am openly atheist, and I live in the norwegian bible belt. But I haven't taken much flak for it. Primarily because I am selective about my friends, have pretty secularly minded relatives, and work for a company with a lot invested in maintaining a decent reputation. And of course, officially christian Norway is a lot more religiously tolerant then "secular" america.
Quote from: Guardian85 on February 19, 2012, 12:43:05 PM
I am openly atheist, and I live in the norwegian bible belt. But I haven't taken much flak for it. Primarily because I am selective about my friends, have pretty secularly minded relatives, and work for a company with a lot invested in maintaining a decent reputation. And of course, officially christian Norway is a lot more religiously tolerant then "secular" america.
Funnily enough one of my 3 fellow out-of-the-closet Atheist Facebookers is Norwegian. What do they feed you guys up there?
Quote from: Scissorlegs on February 19, 2012, 01:49:57 PM
Quote from: Guardian85 on February 19, 2012, 12:43:05 PM
I am openly atheist, and I live in the norwegian bible belt. But I haven't taken much flak for it. Primarily because I am selective about my friends, have pretty secularly minded relatives, and work for a company with a lot invested in maintaining a decent reputation. And of course, officially christian Norway is a lot more religiously tolerant then "secular" america.
Funnily enough one of my 3 fellow out-of-the-closet Atheist Facebookers is Norwegian. What do they feed you guys up there?
A decent public education and dried fish. ;D
In regards to FB: same as Amicale.
As far as being outcast IRL, not really, but I'm not super vocal about it in my real life. If people ask I will tell them, and all of my family and close friends know, but I don't really feel the need to announce it to people unless they ask, so it's not typically an issue. One of my coworkers asked me, I told him, and then he started leaving religious pamphlets on my desk which was a bit annoying. But I knew him well enough to know that it wasn't meant maliciously so it was just kind of....meh. That's about it. My parents hate that I'm an atheist, but they also know that there isn't much they can do about it, so we just don't talk about it much.
As far as facebook, I don't post anything on there about atheism 1) because my parents are on there with me and they still don't know and 2) i have super christian friends (who are i guess in that state where they are all about jesus and have to relate everything in life to god. If i posted something on facebook that is just asking to get raged on (in the teen range of age, that's what would happen). Not saying i couldn't take it and completely defend it, its just too much trouble.
It seems like a lot of people (not really a LOT but taken from this thread a couple) get crap from their parents for being atheist, which is why i doubt i will ever tell my parents. They are both with health problems and I think that would put way too much of a burden on them if that makes sense.
I am being excluded by the "friends" at work. They will gather and chatter together, but I am left outr because they know that I will answer their religious nonsense. That makes me feel lonely and depressed since I am at work all day since 6 pm but in the longrun it saves me from many facepalms
Atheism is not common (at least not expressed) here, so people dont know how to respond. Fortunately there are no swears and hellfire threats (yet) like the idiots we see in america
GAH!!! Sorry, but I get so incredibly frustrated at stories of people being scorned or judged due to their atheism. Look, even as a theist, I know that belief or disbelief in a deity is no arbiter of one's actual morality. I'm fortunate enough to live in the relatively secular urban enclave of Los Angeles, but even here I've found that admitting one's lack of belief in a God of some sort is often met with confusion at best, and utter horror at worst.
Quote from: Xiilent on February 19, 2012, 01:47:55 AM
As an atheist in America, I find myself often somewhat outcasted for being atheist even by friends. Does anyone else often get excluded or anything for being atheist? Whats the worst youve been treated for being atheist?
Not in the US, so this doesn't really apply, but when it happens, I just bite back.
Quote from: Xiilent on February 19, 2012, 01:47:55 AM
As an atheist in America, I find myself often somewhat outcasted for being atheist even by friends. Does anyone else often get excluded or anything for being atheist? Whats the worst youve been treated for being atheist?
I do think that there have been times when my views have had a detrimental effect. I don't usually tell people my views, but I don't hide them either. As far as friends, why would you consider someone who would hold your beliefs against you a friend?
Quote from: Reprobate on February 20, 2012, 02:21:30 PM
As far as friends, why would you consider someone who would hold your beliefs against you a friend?
Often the friendship developed before the atheism did, or before the atheist was aware it was such an issue with the other person.
Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on February 20, 2012, 07:16:16 PM
Often the friendship developed before the atheism did, or before the atheist was aware it was such an issue with the other person.
Yea. My friend used to be "buddhist" but when shit hit the fan for him he ran to jebus. (Mainly cause the girl he liked was a hardcore-raise your hands in the air and feel his spirit-christian)
While I don't hold back about my beliefs with friends and family, I don't go out of my way to trumpet them either. I also live in one of the most left-leaning states in the US and my immediate family is all very secular, so I've never really had much concern about who knows and who doesn't. So much so that I even listed my religion as "atheist jewish heathen" on facebook and didn't think much of it :) I'm actually starting to wonder if I should take that down after reading some of your comments; maybe I've just been too sheltered. I pretty much stay out of political and religious discussions at work unless I really know it won't be an issue, and even then I only present it as my beliefs and try not to get into any debates about it. It's better that way.
My wife and most of her family are quite secular, with the exception of her grandmother. She apparently got very upset when she found out that our hypothetical future children would not be raised Muslim. But she also seems to like me, so our lack of religion is not a line in the sand for her, which is all I ask for.
Dating has been another story for me. I make my non-religion clear up front, and it seems that what is initially not an issue usually becomes a big one. Or hell, maybe that's just a convenient excuse.