# Mundane pointless post about me and theism **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 3, 2014, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-post-about-me-and-theism/685223 "2014-04-03T03:23:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-post-about-me-and-theism/685223/21 "2014-04-03T20:12:49Z")
> [@PurpleClogs](#): > > That’s why it’s called faith. I believe, without proof. If faith is being quite certain without proof, and if proof is whatever is sufficient to justify reasonable certainty, then faith is not a virtue. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-post-about-me-and-theism/685223/22 "2014-04-03T20:42:24Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > That isn’t how many (most) atheists use the term. I’ll stick with agnatheist. I’m not sure whether I believe there is no God. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-post-about-me-and-theism/685223/23 "2014-04-03T20:45:18Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I’ll stick with agnatheist. I’m not sure whether I believe there is no God. That works, too. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-post-about-me-and-theism/685223/24 "2014-04-03T21:03:29Z")
Have you come out to family and friends? If no, are you afraid? Or you still attending church? Has anything in the way you live changed much? How does it feel to be more honest with yourself? Do you have doubts about your new identity, or is it all pretty meh? I regret not keeping a diary. I don’t remember when exactly I dropped the “I’m a Christian!” pretense and acknowledged to myself that I didn’t believe. I sometimes amuse myself by reading old Straight Dope posts (prior to 2004) where I call myself a “believer”. But I can’t pinpoint the moment I saw the light and asserted my true self. So I envy you. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-post-about-me-and-theism/685223/25 "2014-04-03T21:09:02Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I regret not keeping a diary. I don’t remember when exactly I dropped the “I’m a Christian!” pretense and acknowledged to myself that I didn’t believe. I sometimes amuse myself by reading old Straight Dope posts (prior to 2004) where I call myself a “believer”. But I can’t pinpoint the moment I saw the light and asserted my true self. So I envy you. 9/11 flipped the switch for me, so I have a point of reference, though I guess I don’t know exactly when I first said “I am an atheist.” I remember telling my then husband and he said, “Huh. Good.” Very dramatic! 😃 OP, I’ll be interested to know if you ever regret ditching the “Christian” label (if you do in public). I don’t feel my atheism causes me much if any grief, but I know some people do feel more isolated because of it. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-post-about-me-and-theism/685223/26 "2014-04-03T22:15:19Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Have you come out to family and friends? If no, are you afraid? > > Or you still attending church? Has anything in the way you live changed much? > > How does it feel to be more honest with yourself? Do you have doubts about your new identity, or is it all pretty meh? > > I regret not keeping a diary. I don’t remember when exactly I dropped the “I’m a Christian!” pretense and acknowledged to myself that I didn’t believe. I sometimes amuse myself by reading old Straight Dope posts (prior to 2004) where I call myself a “believer”. But I can’t pinpoint the moment I saw the light and asserted my true self. So I envy you. As to family and friends, I don’t mind most of them knowing but my parents will probably not find out for a while, not because I’m afraid but because frankly I’m not sure it’s worth the drama. I am kicking around the idea of writing a book expanding on the statement I made above that “my Christianity points away from Christianity” and so if I do end up following through with that, I guess they’ll find out for sure at that time. As to church, I haven’t been a churchgoer in years. As far as I know, this transition in labeling practices will have no practical effect on my life. I am not sure I am being more honest with myself than I was two days ago–the transition has mostly been about realizing there’s just no value in talking like a theist if my beliefs (as I had previously already been wont to acknowledge) were conceptually equivalent to atheism. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-post-about-me-and-theism/685223/27 "2014-04-03T22:17:00Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > OP, I’ll be interested to know if you ever regret ditching the “Christian” label (if you do in public). I don’t feel my atheism causes me much if any grief, but I know some people do feel more isolated because of it. I’ll let you know! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-pointless-post-about-me-and-theism/685223/28 "2014-04-03T22:24:36Z")
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