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Does anybody else here think that your atheism/agnosticism is actually a pretty uninteresting part of yourself? Not a particularly interesting topic and a bizarre thing to build an identity around.

OrangeJuice 6 Apr 12
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47 comments

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8

Totally. I don’t think the idea of atheism should necessarily be promoted, but that the world should just be secular. Kind of like how we don’t have deep conversations about Sasquatch, we just don’t ever mention it.

8

I wish that it was uninteresting. In a world where theism didn’t capture so many minds, it would be uninteresting. But we live in a world where many people believe this life is just a stepping stone to eternity. And despite their belief in eternity, many still feel the need to spend their time on this “stepping stone” persecuting LGBT folks, preventing responsible birth control, and manipulating children into a false worldview. In that context, the identity of atheist seems pretty important to me.

Why join this community if you think the identity is uninteresting?

Sure, but you could certainly do all those things as an atheist, as well, you would just have different reasons. Being an atheist doesn’t necessarily make you a liberal defender of human rights. (Although yes they do go together quite often.)

7

It's like one of my toes, it's there, it's part of me, but I rarely focus on it or bring it up until someone steps on it.

6

Hmmm, How many things are less interesting than my disblief in other peoples imaginery friends?
Pretty much nothing really.
Yet I would rather discuss everything with people who don't have imaginary friends.

6

UNLESS your past life centered around theism. Like mine - it was a huge part of my identity, so now I'm known for being an ex-convert. It raises interest in people, and starts conversations about consciousness expansion...

5

I think there is a collective humanist identity being formed via social media partly in response to the surge of religion in the US and religious conficts on a global scale. My personal identity is based on my life experiences, interests and goals. Being an atheist is just one facet.

Identity atheists -Atheists - are the ones to look out for. Not contented to be merely godless, rejecting theology, they want to define themselves and set those definitions as criteria for the rest of us; 'just who is and is not a real Atheist'. Popery...

5

Never built my personality or persona around my lack of believe. I just happened to be a non believer.

Yes for me all of that was formed long before I identified as Atheist.

It's just been a struggle lately in the States with Religious Majorities making life miserable for us.

It's still not how I mainly identify. Just where I go to enjoy myself without the BS.

@RavenCT The man should always feel to be Larger than his beliefs or his lack of them. A Man and his Will against all odds.

5

It is a part of me. Not the most interesting part but a part nonetheless. I felt like commenting because while reading your question I realized I'm friends with some individuals and they don't know or never asked about my religious preferences and I realized I don't know theirs either. So I guess in some circles, at least, it doesn't matter at all.

5

That's exactly how I think - it is not a defining characteristic.

5

I came here because I didnt want to talk about it that much HA THought we would skip it and move on. I have never felt that strongly about it, just wasnt into the religious thing

4

Yup. But.

When my kids were young, I didnt actually pretend to be a believer but made a big deal about how the bible was bunk and disliked organized religion which made people think that I was a believer but just disliked church.

When I was finally able to be open about it, I was a bit of an asshole about it and felt compelled to be in your face about it. Which made it a big part of my identity for a while.

Now it rarely comes up in most interactions with people and only becomes known after someone has known me for a while and is part of some other subject being discussed

That asshole phase is something we all go through. It is justified on some level i believe because it's not nice to discover that you have been duped from an early age by the very people who are responsible for nurturing you as a child. It perfectly ok to be angry and resentful of that. The good thing is you have moved through that phase and come out the other side. Unfortunately some don't and they remain angry atheists all their lives to such an extent that atheism becomes their religion. (Which i think is the point the original post is hinting at?)

4

I did until I came on this site. None of my close friends are religious, I was raised atheist. To me, the weird bizarre people are the ones who believe in organized religion.

4

To me, it's not all that interesting. Seems to be a lot more interesting to others, primarily believers. I'm not building an identity, I am who I am.

Hmm I got into an argument/conversation with someone else earlier today about this. I tend to think everybody has built an identity for themselves, whether or not they feel like they are “just being themselves.”

4

There seems to be a lot of confusion in concerns to the differences between atheism and agnosticism. Atheism refers to disbelief, while agnosticism refers to a lack of knowledge. So an agnostic, is someone who doesn't know, that they are actually an atheist.

Oh no I've seen the definition argument before - it can get ugly! 😉 Good luck!

Small differences between people are much more interesting than their similarities

Oh dear! .... I've been here before. It's someone elses turn this time. 😉

@RavenCT I'll prepare the popcorn for the next Agnostic v. Atheist war....

3

I'm a recovering Christian. That defines who I am and who I always will be. After several decades of physical and emotional abuse from my parents in the name of God, I was a dangerous wounded cornered animal.lt took a long time for my wife to heal me. I despise my parents, their church, and their religion. I don't despise their God because there's no way it can be real. I spent 40 years studying the Bible, the history of the Church, Church dogma, and anything else I could find about Christanity because I couldn't make Christanlty fit into reaity. I finaly met a professor in graduate school who had been raised Catholic but no longer belived. I ask him why he didn't beilve. He simply said "It doesn't make sense". That was the answer,and the only answer. Accepting that Christanlty didn't make sense freed me of the burden of trying to make it make sense. I was able to cast off the heaviest buden I had carried in my life. For the first time in my ilfe I was free to think. It was a wonderful feeling. It upset my family, but I could no longer carry the burden of making them happy at the cost of the happiness of my family and myself. My parents died miserable and my sibilngs are still miserable. Nothing I can do about that, but I no longer let their misery become my misery.

3

Well yes I like to think I'm interesting for things other than being an atheist.I'm a fairly eclectic fellow and apartment smells of rich mahogany and I have many leatherbound books......People like me.

Interesting, I also have many leatherbound books while my apartment smells of rich mahogany.

@OtisJesser scotch,scotch,scotch,scotchy,scotch,scotch

3

I identify with my lack of liking sports mor!

Jk...I think this whole identity building from a dozen labels is nothing more than navel-gazing. People are largely unique...and yet we share many characteristics with many other people. This is nothing new. Being an atheist doesn't make you special...it's the 100's of different things you are that makes an individual who they are.

It's almost like we fought the civil Rights movement only to digress and want to apply stereotypes to ourselves. "It's okay if I do it"....no it's not.

Ricky Gervais says something down the lines of Atheism is like saying not skiing is your favorite hobby. I love to not ski. I literally do it all the time.

3

Yes. I suspect the draw of this website and the reason for the name choice instead of calling it a "liberal intellectual discussion" dating site is that all the people here are tired of online alt-right attacks and Trump nonsense.

Hmmm. I have yet to see much “liberal intellectual discussion” happening here. Perhaps I have simply not been a part of it long enough.

3

I agree completely...I never bring my beliefs up unless we are discussing something that it would apply to. A belief in god or not, seems unimportant, but if attacked over my beliefs...I will make a fast exit!

Why?

@OtisJesser why 'exit,' I have had enough abuse for this life time and due to the makeup of my personality...it sucks my energy down! I know people who have no interest in discussing 'stuff,' they are only there to win...and with whatever it takes! I want participate with that, since I learned some things!!

@Freedompath sure, attacked is different from being simply asked about your beliefs. I see from your profile you’re moving out of Georgia to New Mexico. Excited for you, New Mexico is a beautiful state

@OtisJesser thank you...I am so lucky, I feel!

2

Yep. Cats are much more interesting.

2

Not the most obvious. My political and social activist stance is much more relevant.

2

I do indeed! It ever comes up, except once in a while in passing. When I first came on here, I was gobsmacked by all the questions about "how do I announce...my atheism" What? It's Nobody's business, and IMO nobody wants to hear it, and Why would you make such a big deal about such a private thing? Unless to a " missionary" of some kind trespassing on your porch, I suppose. I did come to understand, however, if you sadly live/work in a Babble Belt area that it can be a scary big deal...but again, why not keep yourself to yourself?

2

It's just another label that people give themselves. Recently I've come to believe that living under a label is the worst possible decision anyone could ever make.

Freaking A!

2

I once was a member of a vegetarian dating site, not because I was building my identity around not eating meat, but just to filter out some of the people who would find me incompatible (clearly not all of the people - my defects are far too diverse for that). I suppose it's the same here. I've never yet met anyone who has built their identity around being an atheist though.

I would say if it’s a label you give yourself, it’s a part of your identity.

@OtisJesser Being a part of my identity does not mean something I build my identity around, if I remember your original question. And as something you find "uninteresting" I think you are spending too much time over it.

@NoTimeForBS atheism as a topic is not interesting. Identity, on the other hand, is fascinating

2

I have more comments about stuff I do than what I don't do. There are people I don't bring it up around but it is apparent I suppose. I came here not so much for the label's defintion. I came here for what I hoped it meant. As birdingnut put it, "Yes. I suspect the draw of this website and the reason for the name choice instead of calling it a "liberal intellectual discussion" dating site is that all the people here are tired of online alt-right attacks and Trump nonsense."

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