Yep, this sound exactly like my wife. Is your SO Hispanic?
My wife is fearful of my atheism and treats it like a disease that she believes I’ll be cured of one day. She’s eternally hopeful. Good luck with that. At least we don’t fight about it anymore.
I’m fine with it as long as I don’t have to endure any of her faith’s requirements, and am only minimally affected by its festivities. Try as I might, I haven’t been able to completely extricate myself from the bloody nightmare and over-the-top Jesus worship of a Latino Catholic Christmas that never seems to end.
Thank God my Latin BF isn’t really a believer anymore. I wasn’t aware that a Latino Catholic Christmas would be like that, but now that you mention it, I could see where they’d make a month-long megafest out of it.
This bothers me when I’m dating a Christian. I want to ask them, “So what parts of the Bible do you get to ignore whenever you want?” I’d rather them be at least consistent with their beliefs, as I am with mine. If you’re going to commit to something, then goddamn commit to it.
I had one who began is the first category, but had some sort of upwelling of guilt or faith and then started worrying about where my immortal soul was destined. It didn’t last long after that.
I’ve done it before and it was fine. I can feign support for things that I don’t care about if needed and have before. I tend to shy away from the term atheist for myself and tend to use the term ‘empiricist’ though. (Using the definition of empiricism as “the practice of relying on observation and experiment especially in the natural sciences”). I’d rather date someone that’s a passing Catholic than someone who accepts ghosts and magnet therapy as real things. Critical thinking is more important and if there’s no critical thought behind a person’s belief, then I draw the line.
Could you elaborate on the ‘trust’ aspect? Just want to know what you meant by that specifically.
I can see what some people are saying about people who “dabble” in a religion, but choose to ignore some parts it. It seems to me that some people who believe in the God they subscribed in, ignore the parts that aren’t favorable to them. It’s hard to respect that.
I’m not talking about their interpretation of God’s word, but rather faith ‘with benefits’. Mostly Jesus followers… probably afraid of going to hell.
When I was dating, I was very open about my atheism and let the women I went out with know from the start I would not participate in any religious ceremonies or services other than the occasional wedding or funeral and the like. If later on they wanted to start attending a church regularly or started becoming more religious, I would not join them. They could if they wanted but I wanted no part.
This is a big reason why I didn’t get married until I hit 40. That and the fact I did not want children.
Whom you date or decline to date, whom you fuck or decline to fuck is of course for you and you only to decide. I’m just not able to understand why an otherwise in many ways attractive person suddenly should become unattractive just because they’ve been brought up with religion and thus has some vague ideas about a deity somewhere.
That smacks of anti-theism, not a-theism. And it reminds me somewhat about certain closet cases when they talk about the abhorrence of homosexuality.
Either I’m whooshed, or you lack some basic respect for fellow human beings who don’t precisely conform to your view of the world.
My wife is a catholic. i was long ago. My son went to catholic schools from start through college. He is an atheist.
I never made it a point to talk to him about it. I just made it clear i was not going to church or getting involved in religious activities. I attended baptisms, communion and confirmation.
I would (and have), depending upon the type of religion and the degree. Regular churchgoing, evangalistic Christians, no. There would be too much difference that would create conflict, although he might be under consideration for casual friendship. Religious Muslims, no. Too much difference in culture.
Cultural Christians with an open mind, most Buddhists, Reform Jews, the occasional Pagan or Wiccan, OK.
My real preferance is another agnostic or an atheist, but unfortunately, they’re difficult to come by in my neck of the woods.
No, I don’t have a problem with those whose views don’t ‘precisely conform’ to mine. I am irked by full-grown adults who believe in ancient tribal fantasies. And in a relationship I’d want to embark from a relatively sane starting point.
Being a believer they by nature at best have poor judgment on anything touching their religion. Even if they mean well i don’t trust them not to screw it up. Believers also tend to be casual liars about anything remotely related to their religion, and I despise lying. And on top of that believers tend to look at atheists as monsters, and people who think that way about you are dangerous.
At least we don’t fight about it anymore.