There’s no point. I am not aware of any other god that is supposed to respond in that way. But, even if I were, my faith is not about being right. That’s what I’ve had to give up. I believe in God because I want to believe in God, not because I have any proof he exists. I would love to be offered proof, but it isn’t necessary. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.
I’m not one of those Christians who can’t understand atheists. I get the worldview, and am tempted to follow it at times. But it inevitably leads to worse outcomes every time. So I choose not to follow it.
Why bring up your atheism with Christians in the first place? Was were the various scenarios in which you were with some Christians and you found yourself explaining why you didn’t believe in God?
“Where do you go to Church ?” is considered an icebreaker in some parts of the US, I’m given to understand (BTW, quick tip for travellers : in half of Europe, that’d be more of an icemaker).
I suppose atheists who live in those parts of the US quickly adjust and come up with rote, tactful phrases to deflect ; but I can see how that would come out of left field for new people, even be considered aggressive.
Why do you assume that I was the one that brought it up? Atheists aren’t the ones that go door-to-door or stand in the commons accosting people about their beliefs.
Sure they do … they canvas door-to-door for politicians and accost people to sign any number of petitions for the cause du jour. Politics is the new religion.
RCC and no; I haven’t prayed to mine to reveal himself either. I mean, dude is pretty bipolar, I’d rather not get a visit from Him in one of his black mood days, yanow?
I’m not concerned with the reason my doorbell rings, just that the ring interrupts my life. I don’t care what a stranger believes, why should I? If a person interrupts my day, I don’t care what they’re selling. I’m not interested if they are Xtian, Muslim, Taoist or Atheist. I don’t care. I just want them to leave me alone. Why would I care what they believe?
Then why did you even bother posting it? You tried to make the claim that atheists going door to door for political causes or candidates counts as going door to door promoting atheism, and it just doesn’t fly for this reason: When someone comes to my door promoting religion it can reasonably be assumed that that person follows that religion, but when someone comes to my door promoting a political position I have no way of knowing if they are atheist unless they advertise the fact(which has never happened in my experience) or if I ask(which would be off-topic and rude). This “politics is the new religion” crap doesn’t even belong in this thread, it’s so weak.
I think you’re wrong. At it’s core, a belief isn’t about supernatural entities necessarily, but about anything. One can sincerely believe in Humanitarianism, in Environmentalism, in Holistic Organic Lifestyle. Whether a Deity is involved doesn’t matter.
Once, a woman knocked at my door. She was collecting donations to save the whales. She wanted to leave me a pamphlet about evil American polluters, and large commercial fisheries (American), and military experiments that annoyed whales with low frequency sounds. I can’t remember if her talking points mentioned Japanese whaling. I told her I have my own charities and causes I support, and that I don’t give money or accept manifestos from strangers at my door. She was angry … angry that Mother Earth was being raped by American Republican Evil Corporations, and people like me were the problem … I obviously didn’t care if Gaea was being destroyed by the Right Wing. She was also an Atheist.
I didn’t care if she was an Atheist, or if she blamed George Bush’s Methodist leanings for America’s dire environmental record. All I cared about was that a loon was harshing my mellow.
I don’t get the importance you place on the actual beliefs of door-to-door evangelism. What does the religion have to do with it? This is about control, not God. Some group of manipulators have decided that more acolytes makes for more tithing and more donations … it’s about power and money. That’s all anything is about. Religion is just one of the methods that the clever use to manipulate the gullible.
1.
the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, esp. a personal God or gods.
"ideas about the relationship between science and religion"
synonyms: faith, belief, worship, creed;
Do you know what a synonym is? “Belief” and “Religion” are NOT synonyms and are not interchangeable. Politics may involve the personal beliefs of its followers, but that doesn’t make politics a religion in any way, shape or form.
Full Definition of SYNONYM
1
: one of two or more words or expressions of the same language that have the same or nearly the same meaning in some or all senses
2
a : a word or phrase that by association is held to embody something (as a concept or quality) <a tyrant whose name has become a synonym for oppression>
Oh, for Nobody’s Sake. “In some or all senses.” In this case, not the important, defining senses as defined by anyone who uses the term a) academically in the study of religion and spirituality or b) like a normal native speaker if English.