NationStates Jolt Archive

How come I barely see atheists in RL but they're EVERYWHERE on the internet? I'm sensing that some ppl don't step up to admitting they're an atheist in RL because they fear being ostracized by their society. :rolleyes:

Being ostracized by the canadian society? Let me laugh...

How come I barely see atheists in RL but they're EVERYWHERE on the internet? I'm sensing that some ppl don't step up to admitting they're an atheist in RL because they fear being ostracized by their society. :rolleyes:

That is probably true. I know that I generally avoid telling people that I am agnostic/leaning towards atheist unless I am very familiar with them. The constant need for justification of my views gets very annoying, and I worry about ruining first impressions.

Being ostracized by the canadian society? Let me laugh...

Hehe

That is probably true. I know that I generally avoid telling people that I am agnostic/leaning towards atheist unless I am very familiar with them. The constant need for justification of my views gets very annoying, and I worry about ruining first impressions.
Seconded.

How come I barely see atheists in RL but they're EVERYWHERE on the internet? I'm sensing that some ppl don't step up to admitting they're an atheist in RL because they fear being ostracized by their society. :rolleyes:
Absolutely no idea what you are talking about. I am openly missionating people, god-believers and atheists alike, to the apathetic agnostic "faith". I have religious discourse in my fave pub (they even call me Reverend by now ;)), i discuss with the minister of our local church and am open towards anyone who shows interest.
Besides, who are you talking to, atheists or non-believers. Atheists are believers after all.

Apathetic Agnosticism is great for that. I don't mind telling them I don't really know or care, because I simply don't really know or care about what I'm not knowing or caring about.

In Britain it's pretty much assumed you're an atheist.

How come I barely see atheists in RL but they're EVERYWHERE on the internet? I'm sensing that some ppl don't step up to admitting they're an atheist in RL because they fear being ostracized by their society. :rolleyes:

Maybe religious people have more difficulty using computers.

Because the internet is generally composed of rich (well off), white teenagers and people of college age, who are highly intelligent, which is the age where you tend to find the most atheists.

(Not a jab at religion, just stating that in my experiences most atheists tend to be highly intelligent)

do you have lots of religious discussions in real life where people openly discuss all their religous beliefs and of those hundreds of people you are discussing religion with none end up revealing they are non believers?

or do you only have religious discussions in church related activities and in the rest of life you never actually discuss anyones faith or lack thereof?

we talk about it HERE because this is a forum for discussing serious issues. i cant say i have EVER told any casual aquaintence in real life anything about my religious beliefs.

In Britain it's pretty much assumed you're an atheist.
Or a Druid?

Maybe religious people have more difficulty using computers.
Maybe religious people have better things to do. :)

Being ostracized by the canadian society? Let me laugh...

Ditto for Aus. It only seems to be America where it's an issue. It's just not very relevant/important here.

That is probably true. I know that I generally avoid telling people that I am agnostic/leaning towards atheist unless I am very familiar with them. The constant need for justification of my views gets very annoying, and I worry about ruining first impressions.

Funny. Christians here need a constant justification for their beliefs. I see no reason why anyone else should be diffrent.

I'm very up-front about it. Even with the tract-bearing conversion-monkeys who ring my doorbell on Saturdays. I think this is why they swing by so often. It's like waving a red flag at a bull.

How come I barely see atheists in RL but they're EVERYWHERE on the internet? I'm sensing that some ppl don't step up to admitting they're an atheist in RL because they fear being ostracized by their society. :rolleyes:You don't ask.

Funny. Christians here need a constant justification for their beliefs. I see no reason why anyone else should be diffrent.

Come on, you Christians love being embattled. It gives you a chance to draw your little fishies in the dirt.

But seriously, by "here," you mean NS, not the US, right?

But seriously, by "here," you mean NS, not the US, right?

Yes

Funny. Christians here need a constant justification for their beliefs. I see no reason why anyone else should be diffrent.

That is why if I were a Christian I wouldn't post it on here. I will try to give you a fair shake, but I will freely admit that there are people on here who just roam around waiting for a Christian to pounce on.

That is why if I were a Christian I wouldn't post it on here. I will try to give you a fair shake, but I will freely admit that there are people on here who just roam around waiting for a Christian to pounce on.
Yeah, I've noticed some posting patterns...

Or a Druid?

Interestingly enough, my school has had two Druidic RE teachers in the past...

I'm very up-front about it. Even with the tract-bearing conversion-monkeys who ring my doorbell on Saturdays. I think this is why they swing by so often. It's like waving a red flag at a bull.Take one of their pamphlets, dial the number on the front, and explain that if you get one more knock on your door or one more piece of their litter laying close to your door, you'll call the law. It worked just fine for me. If that doesn't work, put up a "no soliciting" sign, and call the law. Feel free to press charges. When you've gone a few weeks without a bang on your door, you can take the sign down.

In the united states there is sometimes a stigma associated with atheism, though i am sure this varies with location.

Interestingly enough, my school has had two Druidic RE teachers in the past...


RE?!?!

Rylosian Economics?

Religious Experimentation?

Righteous Evil?

RE?!?!

Rylosian Economics?

Religious Experimentation?

Righteous Evil?


Registrated Egocentrism. :)

In the US, you can often get really big scholarships for being a Christian. (Not saying that completely explains it, but it could contribute a little.)

Here in the UK I would freely admit (although admit is the wrong word, really) my atheism; occasionally I expect to be challenged on it, but I like the prospect of debating it anyway.

That is probably true. I know that I generally avoid telling people that I am agnostic/leaning towards atheist unless I am very familiar with them. The constant need for justification of my views gets very annoying, and I worry about ruining first impressions.
i dont really care, i wrote a rant on why all religions are fucking nuts, for a frank summary, and let some of the more religious people in my class read it, they were angry, it was great

RE?!?!

Rylosian Economics?

Religious Experimentation?

Righteous Evil?

RE = Religious Education. In my secondary school it was teaching one about religions, but in my primary school it was just teaching one to be a christian.

I am up front about my atheism (though I've gotten some argument on whether a physiolater is an atheist), but don't bring up theology that much, because it seems to turn people off. Same thing with politics--I hold strong opinions and argue them here, but not in real life because people don't react well. Though I am still an open and savage environmentalist both here and in my normal life. Or what qualifies for one. :p

How come I barely see atheists in RL but they're EVERYWHERE on the internet?

Maybe it's because on places like this, half the topics are about religion so people views come out fairly quickly. In RL you could go months without talking about religion and not knowing someone's beliefs.

I've no problem with being up front about my beliefs in real life. I dont however live in the US, and cant help but wonder if I wouldnt be intimidated into silence if I did. We are talking about a country where it appears the government was largely decided on religious grounds....that's just plain scary!

Hears a quick hint, people who are atheists tend not to tattoo this fact on their foreheads. There is plenty of everything around you. You just don't know it.

Also, I really doubt it has much to do with persecution. I go to a Catholic college and never got crap for being an atheist. I've discussed it, but never been "persecuted" or anything close to that. Granted this isn't the deep south bible belt, but nonetheless I hardly feel uncomfortable with my beliefs.

In Britain it's pretty much assumed you're an atheist.

In most of Europe(specifically western), NO ONE GIVES A SKIT!...about religion. It's not worth the bother.

How come I barely see atheists in RL but they're EVERYWHERE on the internet? I'm sensing that some ppl don't step up to admitting they're an atheist in RL because they fear being ostracized by their society. :rolleyes:
i'm agnostic rather than atheist, but i have never felt the desire or need to conceal my beliefs. i don't bring up the subject of God in public, any more than i bring up the subject of unicorns, Santa Claus, or gnomes, but i certainly am willing to enter discussions if invited to do so.

in America it is quite likely that many people keep their atheistic or agnostic beliefs on the DL, particularly given the current climate. though the percentage of American citizens who identify as religious is dropping steadily, the religious are still a majority...and an increasingly hostile one. we currently have a CIC who feels an atheist would not be qualified to be president, and whose father flat out stated that atheists should not be considered citizens of this country. we have leaders who state opennly that persons who don't embrace one of the Judeo-Christian sects are immoral, dangerous, and even insane. we have more groups trying to force prayer into public schools than we have groups trying to raise money for textbooks.

if the atheists of America are keeping their heads down of late, can you really blame them?

The reason a lot of Atheists post is because most Christians don't really care about religious issues. They're basically secualr humanists who go to church, so they call themselves Christian. They tend to avoid the religious posts because they don't care. The Apathetic Christians are a very large group, for example in my town the majority of people are unafilliated.
The Athiests are more outspoken than you may think, and though not all of us are militant, percentagewise its probably more than the Christians.

In Britain it's pretty much assumed you're an atheist.

Or a Druid?

Or a Jedi?

Or a Jedi?
:eek:
They're all over the place now.

:eek:
They're all over the place now.
At one point, I'm not sure if this is still true, but I believe that enough people in the U.K. filled out "Jedi Knight" under religion that it actually became a recognised religion. I don't remember where I heard that, but it seems plausible enough to me.

Are you for real??? C'mon. I don't always bring the fact up that I don't buy the big-guy-in-the-sky theory because I don't talk religion or politics in public.
I save my personal life for friends and family,
Call me crazy.

At one point, I'm not sure if this is still true, but I believe that enough people in the U.K. filled out "Jedi Knight" under religion that it actually became a recognised religion. I don't remember where I heard that, but it seems plausible enough to me.
I thought it happened on the U.S. census. If it happened on both, that's even funnier.

What do they do, sit around and watch Star Wars on Sundays?

I thought it happened on the U.S. census. If it happened on both, that's even funnier.

What do they do, sit around and watch Star Wars on Sundays?
and jedi hell is having to watch episode 2 over and over again?

and jedi hell is having to watch episode 2 over and over again?
with a hundred-foot-tall Jar Jar making MST3K comments the whole time.

How come I barely see atheists in RL but they're EVERYWHERE on the internet? I'm sensing that some ppl don't step up to admitting they're an atheist in RL because they fear being ostracized by their society. :rolleyes:

One factor I haven't seen touched on much yet is that for atheists our atheism isn't exactly the central tenet of our lives or anything, it's just one more thing we don't believe in (Well, for most atheists I know anyway). I don't go around pointing out to people that I don't believe in bigfoot either, I just don't see the point.

Christians on the other hand are actually instructed to go out and wave their Christianity around at people and try to get them to join up, so they tend to be a little more visible in RL.

The only place the topic ever even comes up in my life is when I'm on online discussion boards.

In Britain it's pretty much assumed you're an atheist.
Or CoE.

Or both, I mean they don't really seem to believe in much.