Why is atheist a dirty word?

[airbefore]

I get more side eyes and shocked gasps when I say I'm an atheist than I do when I say I'm a lesbian. Look, I get that there are some real asshole atheists out there who will bellow at the top of their lungs about how religion is the opiate of the masses and how god is dead and we should all just stop pretending otherwise. I am not one of those

Comments

[airbefore]

I'm have spent my entire life in the Bible Belt (Texas and now North Carolina) so you'd think I'd be used to this kind of prejudice by now but I just cannot wrap my mind around it. The double standards and the hypocrisy are insane. Christians can talk about their religion and try to convert me to it from sun up to sun down but the moment I make a comment about not believing in God, I'm in the wrong and am not respecting them? So, it's ok for you to preach your beliefs at me whenever you feel like it but I cannot even MENTION mine? Way to be open and accepting, folks.

I've not heard of her. I'll check it out sometime.

[princealia]

Preach. If it's not someone thinking I assume they're an idiot because they believe in God and I don't, it's someone thinking I am an idiot because I don't believe in God and I'm making a bad choice. Religion is so incredibly personal to me that I can never understand why anyone makes assumptions about a person based off it.

[airbefore]

Religion, spirituality, whatever you want to call it is, in my opinion, pretty much the most personal thing in our lives. No one truly knows our hearts and beliefs but ourselves. And to have the assumption made that I'm a) a bad person or b) an elitist asshole because I don't believe in the concept of god and sins and heaven and hell is frankly sickening. And, to my understanding, those kinds of assumptions are pretty much in direct opposition to what Christianity is supposed to be about. Hmm. Things that make you think.

[thecowboycliche]

Welcome to the South? But you're from Texas so you should be aware of this lol

[airbefore]

Yeah, you'd think spending 30 years in Texas would have desensitized me to this stuff but not so much.

For me, the foundation of any religious belief is respect for the beliefs of others. We can all disagree but we can be respectful and polite about it. When I am at a function where religious practices are being observed (prayer and the like), I respectfully bow my head and usually spend the time counting the floor tiles or contemplating how ugly my toes are. I may not share the beliefs that are being celebrated but I can respect them. Like you said, if your friend wanted other to respect his atheism, he needs to show them the same consideration. It's simple human kindness, really.

I wish I could share your belief that this latest round of radical conservatism is the last gasp of a dying movement. Sadly, I feel like it's just more of the same and that these folks that are now serving as the face of this movement might actual have the ability to give it legs.

[foggymornings]

ALLLLLL OF THIS.

I consider myself an atheist, and yet, I've really only told my best friend (who, ironically, wants to become a pastor, and is completely okay with it. go figure, eh?). It's too bad there's such a bad perspective on atheism; because of this, I feel like I can't tell people--especially my family--that I'm not Christian. Instead, I end up pretending, and it shouldn't be that way. :-/

[airbefore]

I've been pretending for years to believe in god and christianity but have recently made the decision to be open about my atheism. Most of my family is Southern Baptist and have been very dismissive and judgmental of my beliefs and lifestyle and while it is upsetting I'd rather build a family that will support me than be part of a family that requires me to lie about who I am.