Ask the other atheists the non-religious questions.

In My Humble Opinion
1

We’ve had a lot of atheist religious threads.
I’d like this one to be different. No big questions. No demands for explanation. No speculation about the spirit and the universe.

Just the factual questions about the daily lives of atheists.

Since I’m not “The Atheist Guy”, any other atheists should feel free to jump in with their own personal answers.

Here’s my own questions to start this off.

  1. Do you have plans/hopes for the disposal of your body?

  2. Are there other atheists in your family? In your circle of friends? At work? Or don’t you want/dare to find out?

  3. Will you say grace if it’s obvious you’ll have to in order not to ruin a hot date?

  4. Do you forget it’s Sunday and some people won’t be home when you call?

  5. What do you do when the pledge of allegiance is said?

  6. Do you get tired of being asked to explain your beliefs?

  7. Do you think you’re missing out on some fun around the holidays?

2

Here’s my own answers to start this off.

  1. No. I know it will probably be handled by the religious side of the family and I’d rather not hope for something that will never happen.
  2. I have some friends and relatives who are atheists, but it never comes up in conversation. I stopped telling people at work after one woman treated me like I had measles.
  3. I’ve said grace for a lot of odd reasons. It has no meaning for me, so I can’t really object.
  4. I often forget about Sunday being different for others.
  5. I don’t remember the pledge of allegiance so I just mouth the whole thing until it’s over.
  6. I never get asked my beliefs, exactly. People always try to ask my opinion of their beliefs.
  7. I have pretty quiet holidays, and yes, I envy people who go out to carol.
3

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by AM/PM *
**We’ve had a lot of atheist religious threads.
I’d like this one to be different. No big questions. No demands for explanation. No speculation about the spirit and the universe.

Just the factual questions about the daily lives of atheists.

Since I’m not “The Atheist Guy”, any other atheists should feel free to jump in with their own personal answers.

Here’s my own questions to start this off.

  1. Last month’s Discover had a blurb about a new process for turning the corpse into fertilizer. And I recall reading a guy who wanted to be buried in a biodegradable coffin beneath an acorn as his best hope for eternity. I’ll definitely be burned. Not sure where I’ll be scattered. Hope there’s a hell of a party.

  2. Wife and 3 kids aged 10-13. Several friends, mainly from UU churches. A couple at work.

  3. If someone else says it, I will respectfully be silent. In our home we say “Thank you for this lovely meal.”

  4. We go to UU church most Sundays.

  5. I say it with feeling, showing proper respect for the flag.

  6. Few people ask. It is disappointing when you sense that people have made unfavorable judgments about yu and yours without getting to know you.

  7. Naw. We celebrate it all!

4

Damn, I screwed

pu.

5

a) What would you do with your parents’ bodies, assuming they want something you would never pick for yourself?
b) Do you trip over food rules when serving your friends on religiously affected diets?
c) Do you join prayer services in foxholes? Or just serve the punch?
d) Do you care if your descendents follow you in this?
e) Are there any places you would be afraid to travel because of your beliefs?

6

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Predeceased *

[QUOTE]

a) They both wanted to be burned and then buried. So that’s what we did, after having services in a catholic church where I gave the eulogies. Would’ve done whatever they wanted, short of having them stuffed and on display in my front hall.
b) I try to make my guests comfortable in my home. But if their choices are a pain in the ass or involve undue expense, I’ll socialize with them other than by serving them dinner.
c) Hope to never be in a foxhole. Don’t imagine I would pray to something I’m sure doesn’t exist, but if I were sufficiently scared, I can imagine begging to cover my bets. Guess that wouldn’t be sincere enough to earn me a “get out of jail free” card. Can’t imagine that if things got really nasty that would be just what it took to make me believe in a benevolent God.
d) I’d just as soon they exhibit skeptical and rational thinking as well as humanist values. But I won’t love them any less should they make different choices than I. Should they turn out to be intolerant and judgmental, I assume our relationship wil be somewhat strained.
e) No. Why would I be? It’s not as tho I have a big A on my forehead or anything.

7
  1. Do you have plans/hopes for the disposal of your body?
  • I plan on being cremated, just because that’s what the rest of my family has done
  1. Are there other atheists in your family? In your circle of friends? At work? Or don’t you want/dare to find out?
  • My brother is. I have a suspicion that my Dad and Step-Mom are too, but I don’t really care to ask. I think that my Mom knows, but hasn’t brought it up yet.
  1. Will you say grace if it’s obvious you’ll have to in order not to ruin a hot date?
  • Wouldn’t say to ruin a hot date, but I would in front of my Girlfriend’s parents, because they are fundamentalist Christians and would prolly shoot me if they knew, or wouldn’t let me see their little girl anymore.
  1. Do you forget it’s Sunday and some people won’t be home when you call?
  • Yes
  1. What do you do when the pledge of allegiance is said?
  • Stand and say it proudly.
  1. Do you get tired of being asked to explain your beliefs?
  • No. Every time someone asks me to explain why I feel that way, I see it as an oppertunity to educate that person, because they are showing an intrest and open-mindedness of sorts.
  1. Do you think you’re missing out on some fun around the holidays?
  • We still celebrate the holidays, because the majority of my family is Christian.

a) What would you do with your parents’ bodies, assuming they want something you would never pick for yourself?

  • Do what they would have wanted, out of respect for them.

b) Do you trip over food rules when serving your friends on religiously affected diets?

  • Never really came up.

c) Do you join prayer services in foxholes? Or just serve the punch?

  • Once again, it’s never really come up.

d) Do you care if your descendents follow you in this?

  • No, as long as they consider it an option, and make the decision on their own, and are educated about their options.

e) Are there any places you would be afraid to travel because of your beliefs?

  • No. I don’t think it would be an issue in another country, and if it was, I’d do my best to fake it.
8
  1. Do you have plans/hopes for the disposal of your body?

Cremation. The memorial service is up to those who are living.

  1. Are there other atheists in your family? In your circle of friends? At work? Or don’t you want/dare to find out?

No, my father is a minister, my husband is Catholic and everyone at work is quite religious. I have one or two atheist friends.

  1. Will you say grace if it’s obvious you’ll have to in order not to ruin a hot date?

More or less. The only time it comes up is when we visit friends who have the tradition of making everyone say something during grace.

  1. Do you forget it’s Sunday and some people won’t be home when you call?

No, I often go to my husband’s church.

  1. What do you do when the pledge of allegiance is said?

Just say it.

  1. Do you get tired of being asked to explain your beliefs?

Very few people know.

  1. Do you think you’re missing out on some fun around the holidays?

No, I still respect Christianity as a philosophy, so I celebrate holidays.
a) What would you do with your parents’ bodies, assuming they want something you would never pick for yourself?

I would never dream of violating someone else’s wishes in that way.

b) Do you trip over food rules when serving your friends on religiously affected diets?

It’s never come up, unless you consider veganism to be a religion.

c) Do you join prayer services in foxholes? Or just serve the punch?

I don’t think I’ve ever been in a foxhole. Adversity certainly hasn’t increased the likelihood that I would believe in God or the power of prayer.

d) Do you care if your descendents follow you in this?

I hope they don’t grow up to be intolerant. Their faith is their own business.

e) Are there any places you would be afraid to travel because of your beliefs?

There are places I wouldn’t travel because of their treatment of women, but not for religious reasons.

9

  1. Do you have plans/hopes for the disposal of your body?
    A. “Plan” would be srtetching the word; all I’ve done is sign the back of my donor card. At some point I may take steps to donate my whole corpse to science.

  2. Are there other atheists in your family? In your circle of friends? At work? Or don’t you want/dare to find out?
    A. Both my parents are atheists. My brother converted in his childhood, then came back to atheism in his twenties.

  3. Will you say grace if it’s obvious you’ll have to in order not to ruin a hot date?
    A. Never been in that situation, so I can’t say, but I don’t think I would. I’m going to have to tell her at some point, so saying grace would just make me look like a big hypocrite later.

  4. Do you forget it’s Sunday and some people won’t be home when you call?
    A. Rarely. But I usually only call friends on Sunday mornings, whose religious habits I know and don’t surprise me.

  5. What do you do when the pledge of allegiance is said?
    A. Stand, cover my heart, and say it, but I omit the “under God” part.

  6. Do you get tired of being asked to explain your beliefs?
    A. No. It doesn’t happen very often, since I only advertise my lack of religious belief occasionally.

  7. Do you think you’re missing out on some fun around the holidays?
    A. No. Our whole family gives gifts, eats turkey, and everything.

  8. What would you do with your parents’ bodies, assuming they want something you would never pick for yourself?
    A. I’d do anything they wanted done. Neither has discussed the matter with me.

  9. Do you trip over food rules when serving your friends on religiously affected diets?
    A. I’ve never had to serve a friend on a religiously affected diet. Obviously I know better than to serve pork to a Jew or Muslim, but beyond that I’d probably trip up.

  10. Do you join prayer services in foxholes? Or just serve the punch?
    A. Never been in a foxhole. If what you mean is, “do I pray when I’m scared?” the answer is no. I do use religious terms as swear words from long unthinking habit: i.e. “Damn!” “Oh God!” “The hell you say!” and so on.

  11. Do you care if your descendents follow you in this?
    A. I would like them to be atheists also, but will not try to force it on them.

  12. Are there any places you would be afraid to travel because of your beliefs?
    A. No.

10

  1. (Disposal of body) Probably a regular burial. I’m indoctrinated into the conventional wisdom enough that I think anything else would be creepy.

  2. (Know other atheists?) My folks are not religious. I have athiest friends and many religious friends. I try not to get into religious debates with them unless they also think it’s fun. My wife, much to my chagrin, believes in God, but since she doesn’t practice it’s not a big deal.

  3. (Grace) I will not say grace under any circumstances (unless I think I’ll get beat up, which hasn’t ever happened.) I have said grace before but I’ve come to believe that’s hypocritical and I don’t anymore.

  4. (Forgetting it’s Sunday) Not a problem as I never get out of bed early on Sundays anyway.

  5. (Pledge) I don’t say the pledge of allegiance at all so I don’t worry about the “Under God.” I consider myself moderately patriotic, but I love this country because I have throught seriously about it and I believe this is the best country in the world, not because my elementary school civics teacher told me I should.

  6. (Tired of explaining?) Not at all – I feel I’m doing tremendous good for anyone I convert and am happy to try whenever presented with the opportunity. OTOH, I realize that most people aren’t convertable, so I don’t do a lot of prostelytizing (sp?).

  7. (Missing out on holidays?) No, becasue I can do whatever I want at the holidays. I usually have a seder on Passover; I usually have a tree on Christmas. The only thing I don’t do is go to church, and that seems like a pretty good deal for me.

a) (Parents’ bodies) Whatever they want – why should I screw with their beliefs? (Anyway, neither of my parents are really believers, although they’re not a ruthless about it as I am.)

b) (Feeding the kosher, etc.) Most of my friends are pretty mainstream, so I haven’t had the problem. But given that I mix milk and meat in my kitchen regularly and that most of my knives are well-nicked, I can’t imagine anyone who keeps a restricted diet would be interested in eating at my house; even were I to make a herculean effort, I’d never get the place “up to code.”

c) (Foxholes) Of course. There are no athiests in foxholes. (For about a 1/10 of a second I prayed on 9-11 when I heard they’d hit the Pentagon – I work a block away from the White House.) But that’s because when I’m scared, I’m not rational.

d) (Children’s beliefs?) Absolutely. I will raise my children strictly within my own religious traditions; that is, none. The reason is because I don’t want them wasting their money, their time, or their happiness trying to please a God that not only can’t be pleased, but doesn’t even exist. And I hope to God none of them ever stray. :wink:

e) (Fear of going places?) Can’t think of any for the same reason Dinsdale mentioned. Anyway, it’s easy to fake.

–Cliffy

11

Not really. I wouldn’t mind being creamted, but I don’t think I’d be in a position to care if it happens. To paraphrase a quote from some episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, “This body is now an empty shell. You may dispose of it as you wish.”

My brother, my wife, and my son are atheists (though the last one is probably too young to really have an opinion on the matter :slight_smile: ). I haven’t asked about anyone else, and it’s not really a big concern of mine.

You mean, in a social situation? Sure, just to be courteous. My wife has an uncle who insists on saying grace before a meal, and whenever we dine together, I let him say grace and just sit silently until it’s over.

Never had that problem.

Say the pledge. Like the “grace” question, it’s more about courtesy than anything else. I may or may not repeat the line about “one nation under God” depending on my mood at the moment.

Depends on the time of day. People who have horrible stereotypes about atheism try my patience, though.

Missing out on what? I give gifts at Christmas, I dye eggs at Easter … what am I missing? Just because I leave the religious aspects out of it is no reason not to have fun. I especially enjoy reminding my Christian friends that those holidays began as pagan celebrations that were “annexed” by the early Christians (Christmas holly comes from a winter solstic festival, and Easter eggs come from pagan spring fertility rites)… :smiley:

12

a) I’m pretty sure the religious side of the family would lock me out of that decision.
b) Not sure what you mean. Worst problem now is with Dairy/No-Dairy.
c) I’m guessing I would be the medic, handing out bandages.
d) I doubt I could control any descendnts. My nephews do what they want, so why should I fare better as a parent?
e) I get a little spooked in Florida, when I go there, because there seems to be a lot more religious talk from strangers.

13

I want to be frozen. Assuming advances in science don’t come quickly enough for me to live forever.

No family, except my wife. My family’s fairly religious. A lot of my close friends are at least weak atheists, and two are very strong atheists. Work? Dunno. Don’t really care if they find out.

This situation hasn’t come up yet. Hopefully, if it does, I’ll have the strength of conviction to respectfully decline. If my date thinks it’s that important, I’m going out with the wrong person.

Only my aunt and uncle- 'cause they go to church on Sunday night. It’s not like I’m up during normal church times.

I omit the “under God” part- you know, the part that was added during the McCarthy years.

Nobody ever asks.

Nah. I get all the benefits- family, presents, eggnog- and none of the drawbacks- going to church, prayer, etc. The best of both worlds!

14

  1. I’ve always kind of wanted a really cool mosoleum. The kind you can walk in to. Old graveyards are historic and facinating places, and it would be cool to contribute to such a rich tradition and go for a true monument, not those geeky little plaques on the ground that are so popular today. I recognize at this point in my life, however, I have no resources for that, so I’d be fine with a discount crematiom with my ashes scattered in some way that makes my family feel better.

  2. My family gets more and more atheist as one goes down the generations. We started out with Great-Grandpa the preacher, went to Grandma who loves the ideas behind all of it but doesn’t go to church and Grandpa who digs Nietze. Then we get mom, who seems to hold active hostility to christianity, to me. Most my friends are athist or religion-neutral (with the notable exceptiion of one hard-core Christian and one Hindu) and I would imagine that the majority of my co-workers are as well. In my circles, religion is seen as kind of wierd, the sort of thing we accept but see as a vague character flaw.

  3. I won’t lie about my religion. I will bow my head respectfully if someone else wants to say grace. I might even say some sort of non-God invoking blessing myself. I think that prayer and the like can serve a very useful psychological purpose. But I would not pretend to hold beleifs that I don’t have, because it would be both wrong and silly.

  4. I don’t know a single person that goes to church on a regular basis.

  5. Usually I will stand respectfully, hiding the inward fuming that constant religious displays can cause. If this were high shcool or some other coerced situation I might sit or scowl or otherwise espress my displeasure.

  6. Naw. Atheism is standard. Beleifs are wierd. It would be the other way around.

  7. Naw. I celebrate holidays. We have huge Christmases. It is my families method of wealth redistribution. Celebrations, on a primal level, are about culture and humanity. On Easter I dye eggs and think about creativity and spring. I think that making parts of the year with celebrations is good for us psychologically and culturally. Sure, I don’t ponder the wonder of Jesus’s birth on Christmas eve, but I do think about my family and friends and what it means to celebrate and what it means to give. Heck, almost all the major Christian holidays are co-oped pagan blowouts anyway.

Second Round

a. I would do what would make them happy. they are my parents for Lack-of-God’s sake and it wouldn’t help me nor anyone else heal if we went against their wishes to make some sort of point

b. I’m vegetarian myself. Not to many ways I could screw things up.

c. I do even better than that- I avoid foxholes =) I do pray sometimes. It helps me get my thoughts together and organized, reminds me what I should be thankful for and forces me to figure out what I really want.

d. I would hope that any decendents have the understanding of themselves to shoose their path. I might get disturbed if they became a Falwellian or something, but if they decide that they need a religion in their lives and that religion serves them well, then ther is no reason to object.

e. Not anywhere beyond where every American might feel afraid (like, say, Afghanistan) I usually don’t wear my big “Godless Heathen” badge and I don’t go around looking to start fights.

15

  1. Do you have plans/hopes for the disposal of your body?
    They can take all of the body parts they can use, then cremate and scatter the rest. I’ve always been partial to the flower garden fertilizer idea in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

  2. Are there other atheists in your family? In your circle of friends? At work? Or don’t you want/dare to find out?
    I’m not sure what my parents believe, other than nothing strident. I was surprised to find out recently that one friend is, but usually we don’t know what someone believes unless their really good at Catholic trivia.

  3. Will you say grace if it’s obvious you’ll have to in order not to ruin a hot date?
    I wouldn’t want someone like that anyway. If someone else is doing it, I just bow my head and stay quiet.

  4. Do you forget it’s Sunday and some people won’t be home when you call?
    Yep, but getting better.

  5. What do you do when the pledge of allegiance is said?
    skip the “under god” part

  6. Do you get tired of being asked to explain your beliefs?
    Not if people have an honest question. If what they’re really doing is trying to put me down, that can be annoying.

  7. Do you think you’re missing out on some fun around the holidays?
    Nope. We always did the fun parts - gift giving, chocolate, tree decorating, chocolate, egg dyeing, chocolate

  8. What would you do with your parents’ bodies, assuming they want something you would never pick for yourself?
    What they asked

  9. Do you trip over food rules when serving your friends on religiously affected diets?
    I try to be aware, but if I’m cooking for someone and I’m not sure, I ask or we go out.

  10. Do you join prayer services in foxholes? Or just serve the punch?
    I’d like to think I’d be the one who took out the bad guys while everybody else is busy praying, but probably the punch thing.

  11. Do you care if your descendents follow you in this?
    It’d be my first choice, but I’ll love them as long as they respect others.

  12. Are there any places you would be afraid to travel because of your beliefs?
    Not because of my beliefs, maybe as a woman or an American.

16
  1. Do you have plans/hopes for the disposal of your body?

I want whatever organs are needed to be harvested, and the rest to be disposed of by whatever method is cheapest for my family - they have been directed to refuse to pay any bills related to the disposal of my body and let the authorities do whatever they do with the corpses of homeless people with no relatives.

  1. Are there other atheists in your family? In your circle of friends? At work? Or don’t you want/dare to find out?

Family - My father is agnostic, my mother doesn’t follow any organized religion but believes there is a God that she isn’t showing any respect towards until she gets some explanations. I had one sister who was actively involved in her church until she was murdered (the reason my Mom is pissed at God), one sister who is Christian but doesn’t go to church much anymore, and one sister who is vaguely theistic but not religious. I think my brother is an atheist or agnostic but I haven’t discussed religion with him. My wife was raised in a family that experimented with several religions, the longest lasting ones being Catholicism and the Baha’i faith. I don’t discuss religion much with her because my lack of faith makes her uncomfortable, but she doesn’t attend church herself.

Friends - my two best friends are pretty religious. One is Catholic, attends mass fairly regularly, doesn’t eat meat on Friday, yet is quite the sinner (cheats on his wife all the time, steals, deals drugs). The other is weird, she’s a fundamentalist protestant in many ways, yet also has experimented with witchcraft.

Work - don’t discuss religion at work

  1. Will you say grace if it’s obvious you’ll have to in order not to ruin a hot date?

Probably if it came up. I will join people in prayer or even lead it if asked to, it doesn’t bother me to pretend to be religious if it benefits me to do so (my wife’s rich aunt who sends us $900 a month thinks I’m a nice methodist boy).

  1. Do you forget it’s Sunday and some people won’t be home when you call?

Nope, I’m pretty good about knowing the schedules of people I call, though I rarely call someone before noon on Sunday.

  1. What do you do when the pledge of allegiance is said?

I say it too - I am somewhat patriotic, and saying the ‘Under God’ part doesn’t bother me any more than thanking God for the food I bought.

  1. Do you get tired of being asked to explain your beliefs?

Nope, I’m always happy to dispell ignorance and most people with questions about agnosticism or atheism have misconceptions about non-believers that should be cleared up. It does disturb me somewhat when a religious person asks ‘If you don’t believe in Heaven and Hell, what’s to stop you from killing, stealing, and raping?’

  1. Do you think you’re missing out on some fun around the holidays?

Nope, the religious element of holidays usually isn’t the fun part.

17

a) What would you do with your parents’ bodies, assuming they want something you would never pick for yourself?

I would of course respect my parents wishes. Fortunately for me, both of them want a simple cremation.

b) Do you trip over food rules when serving your friends on religiously affected diets?

Nope, but I was reminded once when ordering pizza to get half with no meat for a Catholic friend.

c) Do you join prayer services in foxholes? Or just serve the punch?

Never been in a foxhole, but in a few desperate situations I have said ‘If you’re there God, I’d appreciate some help right now’, on the off-chance that I’m wrong about His non-existence.

d) Do you care if your descendents follow you in this?

I would rather my children weren’t religious, but I wouldn’t try to discourage them from it. I would tell them what I think about religion when they got old enough to ask. Things are different with my stepdaughter, out of respect for my wife’s wishes I answer her questions about God, Heaven, etc. as my wife would answer them. She’s only 6, maybe when she’s older things will change.

e) Are there any places you would be afraid to travel because of your beliefs?

Nope, I’ve grown up in an area where most people are religious and a good portion feel disdain for non-believers, I know how to play along. If some stranger that seems like they could possibly be a threat asked me my religion, I tell them I’m Methodist, it’s the church my parents attended in my early childhood.

18

Not really, I look at it as time to spend with family and friend and ignore the religious aspects. It is difficult at times, but I stand firm on my beliefs, do not question or belittle others and so far it works well.

8.I will add has it interferred with your romantic life.
Yes, one woman I went out with (mormon) YIKES!!! though not strongly devout and was on probation or whatever with the church. When we spoke on our beliefs I told her (as I like to make plain early in a relationship) that I would under no circumstances attend a church service or be in anyway involved with it. She at first said she understood, then later admitted it bothered her. I feel I did my part and was honest and she was not. The relationship did not last as she turned out to be not the person I thought she was

19

  1. Do you have plans/hopes for the disposal of your body?
    I used to want to be buried, but now I think I want to be cremated and have my ashes scattered in the Swiss Alps.

  2. Are there other atheists in your family? In your circle of friends? At work? Or don’t you want/dare to find out?
    A couple of my friends are atheist, a couple are Christian (but all of them are gracious about it), a couple are Hindu… the rest of my family is all Catholic except for (I think) my dad. Shit will hit the fan when my wedding rolls around some day and mom discovers I won’t get married in a church.

  3. Will you say grace if it’s obvious you’ll have to in order not to ruin a hot date?
    Christ, no.

  4. Do you forget it’s Sunday and some people won’t be home when you call?
    Never had this probelm, as I normally sleep until noon on Sundays anyway. :slight_smile:

  5. What do you do when the pledge of allegiance is said?
    Say everything but the “under God” part. That really ought to have been taken out by now, anyway.

  6. Do you get tired of being asked to explain your beliefs?
    No, I consider it a chance to educate people. I always tell people that they should never, not for a second, stop questioning things - it’ll keep them on their toes.

  7. Do you think you’re missing out on some fun around the holidays?
    I still celebrate Christmas and Easter with my extended family, although when I have a family of my own I think I will do it a lot differently. I’m not too crazy about Christmas anymore, and the only thing fun about Easter is helping my cousins hunt for Easter eggs, and of course the chocolate bunnies. :slight_smile: I would feel fine about giving my kids candy at Easter and not preaching to them about the resurrection at the same time.

My boyfriend’s family is Hindu, and with luck I’ll get to celebrate Diwali with them this fall. I’m looking forward to that.

20

1.) My husband has explicit instructions for my cremation and which two places I want my ashes scattered. He’s promised to do what I wish; if he disposes of me somehow else that’s fine. He could use me as a Halloween decoration for all I’ll know.

2.) My family is a mix of religions, but I never knew until I was an adult that my dad and his mom were both atheists. None of my friends (except Mr.Holly) are atheists; most are fundamentalist Christians. One is a Wiccan. I’m self-employed now, but when I worked in the hospital I didn’t know anyone who would have admitted to being nonchristian for fear of severe repercussions.

3.) I’d never say grace on a date, but I have felt forced to pray in nursing school and at work for fear of being fired or expelled.

4.) I rarely call anyone on Sunday mornings. I don’t have the luxury of sleeping in, but I agree it’s a great time to grocery shop.

5.) I haven’t been in a situation where I’d be asked to say the Pledge since I was a Christian myself, but I’d just omit “under God”. It peeves me that they stuck that in there anyway; it ruins the rhythm of the verse.

6.) I would love to have a chance to discuss my beliefs, but the few people who know what my beliefs are rarely mention it. They consider my atheism to be a shameful thing and occasionally they try to preach. For the most part, they just stay silent and try to pretend I’m not really a hellbound infidel.

7.) I think we have more fun than most Christian families because we’re free to celebrate anything we want. It’s great to introduce the kids to different religious traditions. I really dig the Winter Solstice parties.

8.) It hasn’t interfered with my romantic life. My husband was raised to be a fundamentalist, but he was too stoic to buy into the hysterical crying and speaking in tongues. After that, religion had no importance in his life. I gradually abandoned Christianity during the first few years of our marriage, and he comfortably morphed into an atheist too. If I was single again, I’d probably move back to Illinois.

a.) I’d respect my mom’s burial wishes, no matter how goofy she wanted it to be.

b.) The only friend I have with a religiously affected diet is a Mormon, but she’s never eaten at my house.

c.) I never pray, not even when I’m terrified. At certain times, I do wish that I still believed I had someone to pray to. Praying was such a habit with me when I was a Christian- I spoke “to God” several times during every day- that it was kind of difficult to not do it anymore.

d.) I’d be thrilled if my kids became atheists too, but it’s more important to me that they’re comfortable with their beliefs (or nonbeliefs). I’d much rather my child be a happy fundamentalist Christian who never spoke to me again than a miserable atheist. (In my experience, though, the fundamentalist Christians I know receive far more unhappiness from their religion than comfort.)

e.) The only way my beliefs affect my travel is that I feel an enormous sense of relief any time I step outside of the Bible Belt.

We all know the great side-effects of being atheists. What do you think is the worst thing about being atheist?

For me, it was the initial terror when it occurred to me that if god doesn’t exist, there’s no nice guy in the sky to prevent death from being really, really, horribly painful. By now, I’ve seen enough people die that I don’t worry about it.