I can relate. Best friends sometime remain such when people are able (and determined) to look beyond religious and political persuasions. In our immoderate age, however, this practice would seem to be less frequent.

Sometimes the best thing that we unbelievers can do is remain friends with those who wish we would reconsider our non-belief, if for no other reason than to serve as an example that it doesn't take belief in a deity to be a decent and ethical person... or a friend.

There are christians who are good. Christians who are just, fair, caring and compassionate.

They're not good BECAUSE they are christian. They're good IN SPITE OF BEING christian.

That's why they don't wander around the place killing anyone they see working on the sabbath as the bible tells them to.

I have had friends who were Christians. I got tired of their attributing every good thing that happened to their god, while not holding the same entity responsible for the bad. That is why I distanced myself from them.

An eternity of forced singing praises to a deity that forced my existence is the best they have and it sounds horrifying.

I have a friend who is a pastor but never ever does he try to either coerce or convince me to become a Christian, never.

It is the evangelizing that prevents me from having religious friends of that ilk. Believe anything you desire especially everything on the internet as President You-Know-Who did. The Constitution might consider my freedom FROM religion. In the Pledge, on our currency, inside of our government with their "prayer breakfasts". Give me a break from religion & I will give you a break from fasting.

I have a friend and former colleague who is an evangelical Christian. We were both science teachers when he revealed to me that he did not believe Darwin's theory of evolution was A) a valid explanation of the origin of species, B) supported by a vast and growing mass of evidence, and C) almost universally accepted by scientists the world over. He admitted that his religious belief was guiding his thinking on this matter of science. I told him he had better take another look at it, and that until he did he would be doing his students a disservice. We did not communicate much or at all for some time after that (we taught in different schools, so this was natural). When we finally did meet up again (for a long hike in the back country) he told me that his thinking on Darwin had shifted 180 degrees. I was very gratified to know that I had had a role in making a better teacher and very proud of my friend for showing mental flexibility and the ability to grow.

I experience this everytime I get together with my sister, a die hard baptist. I usually challenge her the same way, because she has never met the challenge; "If the evidence for the existence of your god is so compelling, then please unite all religions under one church and get back to me. It should be easy because all those religious people 'Want to believe' as much as your do. I'll wait!" .... I have to re-issue the same challenge time after time, because she never delivers .... Imagine that!!

We'll all miss you here when you're gone, Walt. Your old buddy? Not so much.

I think Fox is amping up its psy-ops and the Trumpers are literally going crazy now. They have completely lost it in the last two weeks.

My best friend and I went to catholic school together, grades 7-12. We went to mass, went to confession, all that stuff. We went two different ways as we matured - I became a fully fledged atheist and he became a Jesuit(!). We stayed best friends - he was the best man at my wedding years ago (he was nowhere to be found for my divorce, LOL), And just 2 weeks ago at my request he conducted a wonderful and moving graveside service when we buried my dad's ashes. We would never try to proselytize each other, that has kept that friendship strong. You can be religious and not be a prick.

I have several friends in Texas that are “true believers”. I love them dearly, and we have always agreed to not talk politics or religion. They do try to sneak in an “I’ll pray for you” sometimes, but the running joke between us is that my response is always, “and I’ll think for you”!!

I lost a friendship of 45 years due to my unwillingness to embrace the Mango Mussolini. It truly is a loss. My condolences.

It's kinda sad. It's a long time to be invested in a friendship to have it end this way. It's a shame that you both can't agree to keep religion out of your relationship. Good long term friends are a rarity.

I can relate. I have a close friend whom I've been friends with for over 32 years. Over the years we've become more dissimilar. He's always been a Christian but he's grown more conservative over the years and he has become more anti-science and pro-bible nonsense. Our political views are generally at odds as well. He's a good guy but I know that if he were someone I met today it would be very unlikely that we'd become friends.