Is Neo-Atheism The Way to Go? [Poll]

[Case Closed]

lesat,

WRT your OP I would have to say that I am a weak atheist. I am not this neo atheist who goes about the world speaking strongly about their lack of faith. I fear the loss of friends and public ridicule and the constant public harassment that comes with even speaking to people about being an atheist. With the close people around me who are non-theists I discuss things without worry. I am also much more upfront with people I have just met. But the core group of people around me I am far too afraid of alienating them when speaking about it...and with some I am afraid of changing their mind(ie turning my catholic friend to atheist). I don't know if this post has any relevance to this thread, but I have felt the need to illustrate this point and perhaps get a comment or two about it.

[luckyme]

[ QUOTE ]
lesat,

WRT your OP I would have to say that I am a weak atheist. I am not this neo atheist who goes about the world speaking strongly about their lack of faith. I fear the loss of friends and public ridicule and the constant public harassment that comes with even speaking to people about being an atheist. With the close people around me who are non-theists I discuss things without worry. I am also much more upfront with people I have just met. But the core group of people around me I am far too afraid of alienating them when speaking about it...and with some I am afraid of changing their mind(ie turning my catholic friend to atheist). I don't know if this post has any relevance to this thread, but I have felt the need to illustrate this point and perhaps get a comment or two about it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Some on here would have you delusional. You'll thrive in business and socially by expressing your atheism in a non-threatening manner apparently, and you'll just have to deal with the inconvenience of majority of your countrymen thinking you are worse than an illegal alien in the political realm.
Somehow, I guess, they think of you as two people - the atheist who shouldn't even be a citizen and the atheist who is a great neighbor and businessman to deal with. I don't buy it.

luckyme

[madnak]

Oh yeah...

[ QUOTE ]
Somehow, I guess, they think of you as two people - the atheist who shouldn't even be a citizen and the atheist who is a great neighbor and businessman to deal with. I don't buy it.

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The "neighbor" thing I've never seen. You're in the US and people think atheists are good neighbors? Can you back that up?

The business thing... Well, atheists are "good at business" the way Jews are "good at business." If you catch my drift.

[luckyme]

[ QUOTE ]
Oh yeah...

[ QUOTE ]
Somehow, I guess, they think of you as two people - the atheist who shouldn't even be a citizen and the atheist who is a great neighbor and businessman to deal with. I don't buy it.

[/ QUOTE ]

The "neighbor" thing I've never seen. You're in the US and people think atheists are good neighbors? Can you back that up?

The business thing... Well, atheists are "good at business" the way Jews are "good at business." If you catch my drift.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was approaching it as a martian. Finding out that atheists are deemed unfit for citizenship by a president and unfit for office by a large majority of the population would have me predict that they are not held in high regard and are repressed in other social instances ... without even hearing about them. As a rational martian I couldn't conceive of atheists being considered 'equal' and not discriminated against in business or the general mix on the political data I had.

I know they are, with some pockets of exception, I was challenging the concept that reality could be "well, heck, so you can't just run for federal office, big deal".

luckyme

[vhawk01]

[ QUOTE ]
lesat,

WRT your OP I would have to say that I am a weak atheist. I am not this neo atheist who goes about the world speaking strongly about their lack of faith. I fear the loss of friends and public ridicule and the constant public harassment that comes with even speaking to people about being an atheist. With the close people around me who are non-theists I discuss things without worry. I am also much more upfront with people I have just met. But the core group of people around me I am far too afraid of alienating them when speaking about it...and with some I am afraid of changing their mind(ie turning my catholic friend to atheist). I don't know if this post has any relevance to this thread, but I have felt the need to illustrate this point and perhaps get a comment or two about it.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, sorry, we've been informed that it is the brash atheist who is at fault "more often than we think" so I think its safe to dismiss your personal experience as anecdotal and irrelevant. Its not like you were burned at a stake. Atheists are the rude ones.