Pretending to Believe

[JMAnon]

Shouldn't a rationally self-interested atheist pretend to be religious? Church is a great place to socialize and network. It is unquestionably easier to get along in our society and to influence other people if you pretend to agree with their kooky beliefs about what happened 2000 years ago. And, of course, most people treat out-of-the-closet atheists as either monsters or misguided souls in need of saving, either of which is quite annoying and impractical. I suppose a better strategy might be to hold out and until a particularly useful (i.e., rich, attractive, your boss, a big client, etc.) zealot comes along and let him or her "save" you.

Since athiests don't believe in god, they shouldn't be bothered by thoughts of sacrilege when lying to priests, taking communion as a non-believer, etc. And because there is no god, ultimate objective morality doesn't exist. So why not fake it and have more friends and an easier life?