# Closet athiests. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 6, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071 "2009-09-06T18:07:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/41 "2009-09-07T16:31:42Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > I am, I guess, an athiest. > Today on _McLaughlin Group_ on PBS some discussion centered around the statistic that the percentage of americans presenting themselves as athiests has increased to 15%. One of the members mentioned “closet athiests”. I wonder about this myself, how many people are simply afraid to “admit” their non-belief. And I wonder about the many who claim the “higher power” hedge. > I wonder what percentage of the population who claim christianity actually practice christianity with all it’s requirements and responsibilitys, including tithing. > Peace, > mangeorge I suspect far outnumbering the closeted-in-fear atheists are those like me, the "i don`t care" atheists. I've never believed in god and wasn`t raised to believe in god. I don’t have any strong feelings on the subject. I find the whole issue akin to whether or not Santa Claus exists. Yes, people who believe in god seem silly to me, but so do people who get into drawn out argument on the Internet about his lack of existence. I don`t really care to be associated with being an atheist given that. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/42 "2009-09-07T16:41:02Z")
I would think that with all the evil the happens in the name of religion, that meme is far more important than the one around Santa. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/43 "2009-09-07T16:59:13Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > I would think that with all the evil the happens in the name of religion, that meme is far more important than the one around Santa. I know you\* do, but it isn`t any more important to me. That’s why I don’t like being associated with atheists even though I am absolutely one by definition. \*where _you_ is devout atheists. ---
**Author:** ![moonstarssun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@moonstarssun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moonstarssun)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/44 "2009-09-07T17:41:13Z")
I’m an out atheist. I was never closeted, but then I wasn’t raised to believe in anything, so being a nonbeliever was never a big deal as far as I was concerned. The thing that frustrates me is that we don’t have a symbol we can display on our bodies or in our homes to say “this is who I am.” Someone wears a cross necklace, you know about their faith. I’d like to be able to wear something that gives someone that little bit of insight into me, but it doesn’t exist. Maybe it’s a question mark… Being an atheist is nothing to be ashamed of. We’re people who aren’t afraid to ask why, and aren’t afraid to say “I don’t know.” That’s a powerful thing. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/45 "2009-09-07T19:42:49Z")
> [@Mighty\_Girl](#): > > By the time I graduated from university I was an agnostic who had frequent guilt pants. I REALLY wanted to believe, I really did, but I could not drag myself back into delusion. Perhaps if you just went around pantless… ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/46 "2009-09-07T19:44:08Z")
dang! ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/47 "2009-09-07T20:08:07Z")
Here ya go, the image; [The big bang](http://www.biblelife.org/bigbang.jpg) And the Word; αλήθεια = “Truth”, in Greek. I just noticed the source of that image. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/48 "2009-09-07T23:43:44Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > I have a couple pair of those. I keep them well hidden most of the time, but once in a while _something_ compels me to drag them out and wear them for a day or two. > Oh yeah, catholic school. Me too. That’s where I got them, in the fifth grade. They’ve grown with me. How the hell did “pangs” turn into “pants”? Do these Guilt Pants make my ass look fat? ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/49 "2009-09-07T23:55:47Z")
> [@Carmady](#): > > I don’t believe in god, but I still fear him. For a while I tried to trick god into thinking I still believed in him, but eventually I had to accept that if god exists he already knows I don’t really believe in him. And he knows I am sorry. Hopefully that counts for something. Also, if he exists, and is omni-potent and all, then arguably he influenced your towards your non-belief, and it’s part of the ineffable plan. And that should count for something. - Apollyon; agnostic empiricist… or ignostic… depending on which side of bed I get up on. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071/50 "2009-09-08T00:47:52Z")
> [@Mighty\_Girl](#): > > How the hell did “pangs” turn into “pants”? > > Do these Guilt Pants make my ass look fat? The “g” key and the “t” keys think it’s very funny to switch positions while you’re not looking. That much I know. I haven’t had the pleasure of sizing up your ass. 😉 Peace, mangeorge [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/closet-athiests/509071.md?page=2)