Your Atheist Lifestyle December 10, 2008

Your Atheist Lifestyle

By Guest Contributor
December 10, 2008

I’m doing a small project. Your comments could help.

I want answers to the questions:

How do you know when your atheism is a major part of your life?

What experiences do atheists have in common?

Normally, I’d be looking for a humorous list, but this one is actually serious. For example, maybe you’ve attended a protest involving religion, or you’ve participated in the Blasphemy Challenge, or you’ve received Bibles as presents from people you know, etc.

Funny responses are fine, but I’m hoping for a solid mix of serious, too!

Thanks in advance.

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  • Emily

    I’ve participated in the Blasphemey Challenge… otherwise I’m pretty lacking in atheist experience. I got three bibles when I was six years old but I wasn’t an atheist then really. My family just thought I needed some churching by then.

  • Diagoras

    Atheism is as large of a part of my life as is the religion around me. The more religion there is around me the larger a role atheism plays for me. If there was no religion then atheism would not play any role in my life whatsoever.

  • I’ve been a member of the British Humanist Association and the Humanist Society of Scotland. I’m having a Humanist wedding ceremony, that isn’t particularly activisty but part of choosing to have this ceremony rather than a registry office ceremony is because I am a Humanist. Most of my family are atheist/agnostic, I’ve had a few difficult situations with those that aren’t but not many.

  • Scott

    I get things done on a Sunday morning. Otherwise, not much else!

    Bill Gates once noted, “Just in terms of allocations of time resources, religion isn’t very efficient. There is a lot more I could be doing on Sunday morning.”

  • Atheism became a major part of my life not by my own direct choosing,b ut as a reaction to the religious around me. The saved-vs.-evil-heathens (in which all non-Christians were somehow blamed for the attacks on regular basis) rhetoric that followed the 2001 attacks in New York and Washington led me to realize that a small but politically active group of Christians were a potential danger to themselves and others. From there, I found myself routinely proselityzed, preached to, and both metaphorically and literally manhandled by various religious folks, and that led to me becoming both more open and less passive about my lack of belief in the supernatural.

    I think that one experience that atheists have in common is being routinely branded as evil or untrustworthy by others. Another, related, experience is having people be confused when they discover that we are basically decent people.

  • Arnaud

    How do you know when your atheism is a major part of your life?

    You often find yourself thinking about it, you’ve read many books about it, you spend a lot of your time trying to debunk religious arguments.

    What experiences do atheists have in common?

    I don’t know if you can really call it an “experience” but we often have to justify and/or clarify what we do/don’t believe as atheists.

  • I think part of it was helped by my mother hiding from Jehovah’s Witnesses and snapping at my aunt who’d started crying because she was unable to “save” me and my family.

    I think I grew up respecting religion, but safe in the knowledge that I didn’t have to participate in it to feel welcome around my friends who were all bible type people. I don’t know why I gravitated to them – maybe because they weren’t into drugs and violence and hideous music (although a lot of Christian rock would be considered that now).

  • * How do you know when your atheism is a major part of your life?

    When I find myself visiting blogs about atheism, or reading about naturalistic origins of religions. When I donate money to the fund for the AHA bus signs. When I find myself discussing religion in skeptical forums (although it’s been a while since I’ve done that last part).

    * What experiences do atheists have in common?

    I’m probably the last person to ask about that. As an atheist, I’m somewhat of an outsider, sometimes arguing with other atheists and being downright suspicious of many of them. Part of my deconversion was working around other atheists who’ve spread lies and bad arguments for the sake of promoting atheism in much the same way as creationists have spread lies and bad arguments for the sake of promoting their own beliefs. As a result, I’m not inclined to see other atheists as necessarily being on my side and am somewhat pleasantly surprised when they don’t act like irreligious counterparts of religious fundamentalists.

  • Polly

    How do you know when your atheism is a major part of your life?
    Strange Question for me. It’s not a major part of my lifestyle, per se. And yet, it’s one of the most important things that ever happened to me. I haven’t read a single atheist book, I don’t attend atheist rallies or belong to any atheist org’s. My activity is limited to being a steady reader of two atheist-themed blogs – this one and DA. Yet, my whole outlook has turned upside down since deconversion. The way I interpret everything has changed. I am 1,000 X more cynical than I was. I ask a lot more questions and look for contradictions when people tell me stories. I’m not afraid to contradict authority or to demand answers. I care less about seeming nice, but I’m still…friendly.

    The only visible outward effects are that I no longer attend church and I no longer read and re-read the Bible. I choose the million other things to read about, instead. I also don’t view the world as my mission field where I have to be a salesman for christ. I also use more profanity in public. But, still the same amount in private; which was already a LOT.

    What experiences do atheists have in common?
    Deconverts have tons in common I bet. I can identify with most of the deconversion stories I read. The nagging questions, the lack of satisfying answers or explanations, the tension between scientific knowledge and mythological stories, the discomfort with cherry-picking scripture.
    Having to listen to the stupidity of religious “knowledge” about salvation and the End Times and sin and to cringe at it the way you do when fingernails run along a chalkboard, I suspect is a common experience.

  • Richard Wade

    How do I know when atheism is a major part of my life?

    Let’s see… In the last year and a half I’ve been invited to be a contributor on one of the most important atheist blogs in the world, 😉 I became a member of Freedom From Religion Foundation, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Atheists United, I’ve attended lectures at the Skeptics Society, I’ve attended meetings of local atheist groups, I’ve bought copies of The Demon Haunted World, The End of Faith, I Sold My Soul on Ebay, The God Delusion, 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God, How We Believe: The Search for God in an Age of Science, and The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality. (I haven’t read much of any of those since I spend most of my time goofing around on this blog.)

    What experiences do atheists have in common?

    Tough question with this diverse crowd. I can only describe the experiences others have expressed that I recognize in myself:
    Isolation, feeling alone and unsupported in my views.
    Fear of negative consequences for “coming out” such as job discrimination, family conflict, social shunning and even violence.
    Frustration about negative stereotypes of atheists.
    A sense of peace, clarity and freedom in being god free.
    Camaraderie. A pleasure in sharing the company of rational people and the fun of learning skilled argumentation.
    The finding of close friendship.

  • How do you know when your atheism is a major part of your life?

    I’d say joining an Atheist or Humanist group is one sign. Also when your Atheism is how other people identify/label you, when you’re the village Atheist so to speak.

    Maybe “going on” about your Atheism a bit too much. I’ve fallen into the professional Atheist trap on occassion 🙂

    What experiences do atheists have in common?

    I think then sense of seeing through a con that most other people haven’t.

    A negative experience that many of us share would be hostility from Theists.

  • Stobrawa

    When my annual Christmas letter to the family cited that the Jesus story is just one of many other Winter Solstice based messiah-like stories including…

    * Attis of Phrygia from the virgin Nana
    * Dionysus of Greece from the virgin Parthenioi
    * Horus of Egypt from the virgin Isis-Merion
    * Krishna of India from the virgin Devaki
    * Mithra of Persia (ok, born out of solid rock, forming a cave)
    * Zoroaster of Mesopotamia’s Saoshyant (Iran?)

  • I never wanted atheism to be a major part of my life. It began because of GWBush and the Religious Right gaining power in the US. I also have periodic obsessions and atheism is one of the current ones. I actually hope it will fade into the background again in the future and I won’t spend much or any time thinking about these things.

    I guess what atheists have in common are the experiences of coming out to religious friends and relatives and strangers, and being frustrated or intimidated by some of the responses and sometimes feeling left out of the larger cultural setting, especially (as we’ve been discussing) at the holiday season. Also many atheists seem to feel isolated but I’ve never actually felt that way myself. I stopped wanting to be part of that type of community when I quit church. I also got married around that time and moved near some relatives, so that probably helped me not need an outside community so much.

    For the most part, I don’t think I have much more in common with my atheist friends and relatives than I do with my believing friends and relatives. Mostly I all talk about other things when I get together with people, like our hobbies, our families, our work, books and movies, activities we are planning, and so forth. I rarely talk about atheism with my friends, although it does come up once in a while. In that way, atheism is not a big part of my life.

    Mainly it’s a big part of my thought life and I mostly act in that arena only in my writing and online. It’s not a part of my life in the “real” world at all.

  • Atheism is incidental. Maybe I’ve bought a few books and visited a few blogs that I otherwise wouldn’t have, but I don’t think the simple fact that I don’t believe in other people’s fairy tales makes all that big a difference.

  • Ramon C.

    Every night, my kids, who are children of my catholic wife, they say: “Good night, I hope you rest, dream with angels”, and I always reply: “Good night yourself, likewise, they don’t exist”

    My wife every time she wants something and I am around instead of saying “Now that you are here”, she says: “Now that God brought you here”; and I always reply: “I always bring myself”

    Google Reader have 6 feeds of Atheism related blogs.

    My message in MSN, GTalk, Yahoo and Skype is: “Happy Winter’s Solstice!”

    Every time a person says “God” I always reply “your god” (politely)

  • Spurs Fan

    I generally know all of the time. My wife is an active Christian and I attend church-related events with her, my kids are active in their church, etc. Also, if my job as a union organizer wasn’t difficult enough politically in a rural part of Texas, then it’s much more so when it comes to religion. Part of my job is to recruit members, so despite my feeling confident about being open with my skepticism, it’s crucial to not be “too” open. (It’s fairly common for me to have to hear a story about how god intervened on someone’s behalf and after being asked something like, “God is good, you know?”, having to nod and reply with a not so truthful, but not so deceptive, “Yep”)

    Did I mention that I live in rural East Texas? I’m keenly aware of my atheism most of the time (not usually when I’m sleeping though).

    I imagine most of have a few things in common and many of those things have been mentioned above in earlier posts. I suppose this depends quite a bit on family situations and geography. It’s always easier to be in the majority and many of can’t claim that we are. Still, I’m also pretty convinced that we’re quite the diverse lot with many different personalities, interests, and even political views.

  • SASnSA

    I’d spent a good half of my life in the Air Force, mostly as a quiet unassuming atheist. I was pretty isolated from the issues affecting atheists in the real world.

    Atheism became a big part of my life when after retiring with 21 years in, I saw the previews and stories coming out about the movie “Expelled”. Up until then I’d never realized that there was even any real doubt about evolution. I had figured, sure there had to be people who didn’t understand it, there are always people that don’t understand science. But I didn’t really know that there could actually be people opposed to teaching it, and in fact wanted creationism/intelligent design taught as science!

    That was my wake-up call. I voted for the first time this year. Unfortunately there were no school board members up for election in my district this year (San Antonio Texas), but I could at least make an attempt to keep McCain/Palin out of the WH (even though it didn’t really mean much in a red state). I’ve joined the Texas Freedom Network to find ways to help influence our schools against this “teach the controversy” stance.

    I had volunteered to defend the Constitution, only to come back and find it under attack from within. Time to take a stand.

  • Stobrawa:

    * Attis of Phrygia from the virgin Nana
    * Dionysus of Greece from the virgin Parthenioi
    * Horus of Egypt from the virgin Isis-Merion
    * Krishna of India from the virgin Devaki
    * Mithra of Persia (ok, born out of solid rock, forming a cave)
    * Zoroaster of Mesopotamia’s Saoshyant (Iran?)

    I can already see at least two bogus entries. Dionysus was born either of Semele, a paramour of Zeus, or of Persephone, who was impregnated by Zeus, who took on the form of a snake. These two myths have been combined. Isis was no virgin, either, being impregnated by Osiris. It is also telling that you write that these are examples of “Winter Solstice based messiah-like stories” when Jesus himself was not said to have been born in winter. This is the sort of crap that I was talking about when I wrote about atheists spreading lies.

  • How do you know when your atheism is a major part of your life?

    It wouldn’t be a major part of my life if those my surrounding wasn’t so religious. I spend a great deal of time discussing it with others. I also subscribe to several atheist or atheist-related groups.

    What experiences do atheists have in common?

    That’s a tough one. Perhaps not being able to be open about it. Also for those not raised as atheist, the process and inquiry that led them to atheism.

  • How did I know when atheism was a major part of my life?

    When I started spending more time in atheist blogs than in sex blogs.

    When I started writing/ blogging about atheism more than I do about sex.

    When I started getting excited about every cool new atheist book that came out, and feeling vaguely obligated to read all the important ones.

    When friends started emailing me every piece of atheism- related news they saw. (And when I realized that, almost every single time, I’d already seen said piece of news in the atheist blogs.)

    When I donated money to a political candidate I’d never heard of before, because her opponent was using her tenuous connection with two atheist lobbyists in a bigoted anti- atheist smear campaign, and I just couldn’t let that stand. (And also because I wanted the candidate I donated money to to know that she got elected, in part, because of the atheist community, and to feel some obligation to us.)

    When I went to an LGBT bloggers’ conference… and, in the introductory “Tell us three words that describe yourself and your blog” bit, gave “Atheism” as my first one. (And repeatedly brought up the issue of secularism in discussions when it was relevant. And found that people kept coming up to me to talk about it and to disclose their own godlessness.)

    And on a less light note: When I started losing acquaintances and friends over my atheism.

  • BTW, Hemant, thanks for asking this question. It’s interesting to realize how different atheism is from religion, at least for me. I know there are some religious people who are just in it for tradition and who don’t think about it every day, but when I was a Christian, my “relationship with Jesus” consumed my entire life. My atheism does not do that.

  • I knew atheism was a big part of my life when I began to wonder whether every single person I met was religious or an atheist. The more “normal” they seemed, the more I gave them credit for not being religious. I am usually wrong though. Blogging about it and being more open with family and friends, was another sign.

  • How do you know when your atheism is a major part of your life?

    when you find yourself thinking of god (yaweh/allah/jehova) in the same way you think of Osiris, Thor and Athena.

    What experiences do atheists have in common?

    birth. death.

  • llewelly

    hell. I just read a few atheist blogs, and email a tiny minority of the people and organizations I feel are discriminating against atheists.
    I find it very difficult to join communities, so I haven’t tried to find any atheist groups in my area.

  • Coincidently just today, a publisher contacted me to ask me if they could interview me for a section where they want to present views from a local minister
    and an atheist (being me) side by side. He found my website and contacted me. So my outspoken atheistic posts on my blog have affected my lifestyle in this case. Not to mention I obviously have a naturalistic world view since I realized I was an atheist and started to apply the same degree of criticism to all other aspect of my life. I’ll let you know how the interview and publication goes!

  • As for me, it’s when I:

    (1) write a blog dedicated to atheism
    (2) listen to atheist podcasts
    (3) read atheists magazines
    (4) read atheist books
    (5) enjoy ranting about religion to my wonderful new atheist wife since I have no one in my family who understands

  • Hmmm…

    I am a member of an atheist/rationalist group on my college campus, I participated in the Blasphemy Challenge, I write a blog about atheism, I read several atheism-related blogs, and I have the scarlet letter of atheism on my door and on my window. Not that it’s important or anything…

    I don’t know. I’d have to be in denial to say that it means nothing to me. I kind of admire those atheists who say isn’t of no importance, because I feel that ideally this is the way it should be. But the way things are now, I feel like I need to be involved.

  • You know you’re an atheist when you have compulsions to argue with or object to anything religious– and you want to argue out loud, not just to yourself.

  • SASnSA

    Alice,
    That’s exactly how I’ve been feeling lately. Not that anyone who needs to hear it actually listens!

  • I belong to a local atheist Meetup group, and we have a monthly social meeting.

    I’m also lesbian, and one of the two local gay organizations is a church. Although the vast majority of community gatherings take place at the church, I don’t feel comfortable attending anything sponsored by them. They may have started as a gay church, but they quickly evolved into a pretty hard-core bible-thumping christian church. So, I’m even more isolated in an area where being gay is already extremely isolating.

    Being atheist has also affected my options for obtaining a better education. There are lots of colleges here, but they are all either private christian colleges, or traditionally black colleges (I’m of the Caucasian persuasion). I actually interviewed with one of the christian colleges for an adult education program, and when I told them I might have a conflict with the biology lab because I’m a vegetarian, they responded with a shocked, “Well, we’re a CHRISTIAN college!” LOL!

    Anyway, yes, being atheist has a huge affect on my life in an almost exclusively christian part of the country. Even the majority of hospitals and clinics are Baptist, Catholic, or Methodist.

  • P.S. What experiences do atheists have in common?

    I guess that would be getting to see what the top of everyone else’s head looks like when everyone but you nods their head to pray at public events. Or maybe that’s just for those of us who are height-challenged, anyway.

  • Hey Hemant

    Good question!

    Offline, my godlessness barely even enters the conversation or influences what I do. My friends & family are either all heathens, lapsed Christians or just not religious enough for it to be a topic of discussion. We love each other’s company and that’s enough – there’s no religious test required to be accepted.

    However I do get instantly annoyed when I see the Mormons at my train station – they always target people sitting by themselves and they always attack in groups of at least two – seems they can’t handle a fair fight!

    Online, I’m probably one of those militant atheist bloggers we’re always hearing about: railing against constant, ridiculous strawman arguments and against the brutality, inequality and flat-out stupidity of any religious group or person that takes things to hysterical or violent extremes (extremes that are only permissible by their version of their faith and usually wouldn’t happen with someone who’s faithless – unless they had a mental illness). That’s probably one thing a lot of atheists have in common – frustration & exasperation at the behaviour of what’s usually a minority of religious believers who take things too far or attempt to insert their dogma into inappropriate situations like public policy or science education, then cry persecution if they’re denied.

    Cheers
    H

  • Carlos

    The first questions a bit ambiguous, but I’ll try to cover the bases:

    I know atheism is a major part of my life because it informs my decisions and the things I choose to do. Not everything, just the stuff that’s relevant.

    I am reminded atheism is a major part of my life whenever I respond skeptically to any statements of faith or belief in the supernatural (often insensitively).

    I realized atheism was a major part of my life when I started spending lots of time reading atheist, freethinker, and skeptic blogs, as well as getting really pissed off when hearing of people trying to inject religion in government and public policy.

    I am a lifelong atheist, so I don’t share the conversion experience that so many do – I have my parents to thank for that. Many of us deal with feeling alone or oppressed as members of one of the few remaining minorities against which it is widely acceptable to discriminate.

    I share with many atheist parents the doubts and worries concerning how to raise freethinking children in this overwhelmingly religious country.

    I share with many atheists the joy and personal reassurance that comes with finding others of like mind, whether it be in local groups or online.

    On those last two notes, thanks to Hemant, Dale McGowan, and so many others that serve to bring us together.

  • Sandra

    Online – I like to debate with the religious extremists, and fight for civil rights.

    Real life – I like to show the religious that I am a kind, intelligent person who just happens to be atheist…and fight for civil rights.

    I am just a normal person who laughs when I think something is funny, and cries when I am sad. I can’t say I have tons in common with other atheists, actually I would fall more along the lines of paganism except that I don’t believe that I create magick, and don’t believe in deities.

    Cheers!
    Sandra

  • For me, atheism really is where my “search for the truth” lead me; being that I am a professor in a mathematics department (small college) my being an atheist is not at all unusual.

    I suppose what is a bigger deal for me is the appeal of rationality and I tend to befriend people who think the same way. I do have exceptions.

    Sure, I hang out here and at other sites, but what usually keeps me coming to a site is my finding rationality there.

    In short, atheism is really a consequence of my lifestyle rather than something that influences it.

  • sushi

    Hm… besides what atheism and skepticism directly imply, my life hasn’t changed much. My internet behaviour is more oriented towards skeptic and science-related blogs and sites and IRL I research medicine a bit better but that’s about it.

    Religion isn’t a big part of my friend’s life either. Usually when in a discussion about the supernatural, someone says “I’m an atheist so I don’t believe in that stuff” and I or others say “me too”, but nothing more. Or someone might say “I’m religious, so I believe…” but nobody’s biting their head off either. Guess we’re just tolerant around each other

    Guess I’ve got the more secular part of orthodox Romania.

  • AxeGrrl

    Diagoras said:

    Atheism is as large of a part of my life as is the religion around me. The more religion there is around me the larger a role atheism plays for me. If there was no religion then atheism would not play any role in my life whatsoever.

    *wondering to what extent that is true for ALL of us*

  • GullWatcher

    What experiences do atheists have in common?

    The constant assumption that I am a christian or other sort of god-worshipper, because OF COURSE every average-looking American that you meet must be one of those. Followed by the decision – do I speak up or let them continue with their error? Those are probably pretty universal experiences for people of European or African-American or Hispanic descent.

  • How do you know when your atheism is a major part of your life?

    I’m not sure if by “you” you mean how I personally know, or if you’re looking for the Ten Warning Signs that any individual can use to tell if atheism is a big part of their life.

    Like Polly above, atheism really isn’t a huge part of my lifestyle. It mainly manifests itself as a deep-seated annoyance when others try to foist their religion on me. I don’t belong to any atheist organizations, but I do try to encourage freethought by doing things like donating to Kay Hagen’s campaign and writing an “attagirl” letter to Governor Gregoire for the whole atheist-display-by-the-nativity-scene thing.

    What experiences do atheists have in common?

    I don’t know about common experiences (other than the tendency to be criticized by religious types), but I’d imagine we all share a healthy dollop of rationalism and critical thinking.

  • Michelle Bell

    How do you know when your atheism is a major part of your life?

    I was entered into the Catholic Church at the age of 7. By the time I was 13, I was an atheist. I had doubts for a very long time, but several days after my birthday, I had a thought of “How would my life change if there was no God?”. I gave it a whirl for a week. I found I didn’t kill anyone, I didn’t lie anymore than normal, and I still devoted time to service and charity. I just obsessed a lot less about if I was doing the “right thing”.

    What experiences do atheists have in common?

    I’m not sure that atheists do have something in common with all the other atheists out there. I’d have to think about this for a little while.

  • Roger Scott

    How do you know when your atheism is a major part of your life?
    * After my father’s death from a particularly ugly cancer it dawned on me that never once had I prayed for his recovery. (He used to pray; e.g. after my brother lost his job).
    * The director for my mother’s funeral had to be told several times that there was to be no religious component of any kind. He complied in the end.
    * Unlike my parents, my kids received no threats of physical violence to literally get on their bikes and go to church; none of my kids, all adults now, is religious.
    * Religion was at the heart of 911 (but not the only major factor in 911) and it has been a strong influence; I find myself quite repelled by strongly expressed religious views.
    * On the very odd occasions when I find myself in a church, (choir performances and the odd christening/baptism) I contribute nothing to the collection plate; my father hardly ever went to church but when he did always made a sizeable donation.
    * When our local choir practice begins with a prayer (for a one-off religious performance I was persuaded to join) I look around the room marveling at the closed eyes.
    * Driving by a large church I wonder at the massive exertion and costs involved and seem to automatically think of better ways to direct the effort.
    * Hearing people talking about the love of god and wondering what planet they are from.

    What experiences do atheists have in common?
    * A more rational life.
    * Deciding whether or not to reveal you are an atheist. Not every situation lends itself to simple disclosure. I get annoyed with myself for not being more outgoing in this regard.
    * Supporting charities which are not religion based (with one exception, the Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia; it was founded by Christian missionaries, one of whom, Dr Catherine Hamlin, still works there.)
    * Voting against politicians who are outspoken in their fundamentalist beliefs.

  • What experiences do atheists have in common?
    * A more rational life.

    This is not necessarily true. I know atheists who believe in homeopathy, alien abductions, ghosts, and many other supernatural things that have nothing to do with the existence of gods.

  • I knew that this was a big part of my life when Alison Bates, former Campus Organizer, resigned from the Secular Student Alliance. Just that semester I had landed my first two teaching gigs (valuable for someone with a Masters and no XP). I have an established ensemble to work with here in Peoria and own a house. I was strongly considering sending applications to graduate programs in fall 2009. I had spent the whole year up to that point trying to lessen my workload, rather than continue taking on a bunch of volunteer work that left me without enough time for friends, family and leisure.

    But when I saw Alison’s resignation, I turned right around and emailed August that I would be willing to help him make ends meet while he looked for a new CO. Not a second thought. When the discussion turned from an offer of help to the possibility of a job working to promote freethought and really make a difference, I knew that this wasn’t an opportunity I could pass up.

  • Peter

    When you get annoyed that Amnesty International’s posters talk about the persecutions of 8 different religions, but say nothing of atheism.

  • Jake

    When you “come out” to your wife because she sees all of the atheism websites in your browser history. And it really strains your relationship for months, not because you are an atheist, but because you didn’t tell her sooner.

  • Eric

    My atheism is usually low key. But recently my wife applied for and accepted a job at a day care in a church. She is mostly religious, she hasn’t gone to church in a while, but thats mostly because of a time issue.
    Anyway, the subject came up about sending our youngest to the day care, especially if it was free or reduced cost.
    That’s when the atheist in me came out. I absolutely refused to allow my son to attend the day care even if it was free on the basis that:
    1. ITS A CHURCH!
    2. They require the kids to attend some sort of mass/religious/woo woo ceremony every other day.
    3. Procedures that they outlined for discipling the children when they mess up.
    (Namby-Pamby, over sensitive, conflict avoiding, denialism that doesn’t help the children one bit)
    Luckily we didn’t argue much, and she see’s my side and actually agrees with me.
    So no church day care for my son!!

  • Just because we have a world of hypocrites and con- artists, as well as people trying to take advantage of each other is no reason to diss on God. The Bible is a book about man, and man’s response to God’s request. God made man a free willed thinking creature and perhaps many atheists think He did it all wrong. Perhaps you think if God was really sincere he would not have remained such a mystery. God kept his message and gospel simple so it is available to all men, not just the wise. It is available now in our Bible. God used language to communicate his gospel and he uses preachers to get the message out to the world. Man is not perfect and this is why God sent Jesus to die for our sins. Jesus rose from the dead and now offers his sacrifice on the cross for all men regardless of who they are. Any man can be saved and you don’t need religion and you don’t need to send money and you don’t need to join a church. What you do need is a seeking heart for God and a desire to know him and believe what He said. If you want to listen to the Apostle to the gentiles you will find his writings which were inspired by God in the King James Bible starting at the book of Romans to Philemon.