Buzzfeed has posted a listicle about 21 Awkward Situations That’ll Make Non-Religious People Cringe — I don’t know about you, but there are solutions to many of these:
1. When people pray before meals and you sit there wondering what you should do.
I start eating. I don’t respect religious beliefs.
2. When people assume you’re actually evil since you don’t have “religious morals” to fall back on
I don’t care what people think about me.
8. And sometimes they’ll force you to go to a house of worship
Nope. That’s against my Human Rights.
11. When you’re asked, “Where do you think you go after you die?”
Nowhere. The same place I was before I was born.
12. See also: “Well how do you think the world was created? Someone had to start it!”
I haven’t seen any shred of evidence pointing to a creation. And no, after Heisenberg‘s uncertainty principle, things can come from nothing; and there’s a case to be made in that sense.
13. And of course being asked, “If you’re not [insert religion here], then what are you?”
I’m an atheist. What’s cringeworthy about this one?
15. When people say “Well the [insert religious doctrine here] says…” in a political debate
But modern States and the cultures that are heirs to the Enlightenment have separated politics and religion, so whatever any religion says should have no bearing on any public policy.
Do you have any actual evidence or non-religious argument for your point?
17. When you go to a wedding and it’s the world’s longest religious service
I don’t go to religious ceremonies. Ever. No matter what.
18. And when you’re planning your own wedding and disagree on the religious aspects with your spouse/parents/future in-laws
We’re all citizens. Those are the grounds that we have in common, so even if I entertained the idea of getting married, it would only be a civil marriage. I won’t subject myself to the superstitions of other people, in-laws or not.
But I won’t have that problem, because if I love someone that’s our business. Not anyone else’s, neither the State’s. And it’s pretty unwise to promise how you will feel for the rest of your life when you don’t even know how you will feel tomorrow!
19. Plus, when you start to have kids and everyone suddenly weighs in on what religion you should raise them in
Won’t have kids, so that won’t be a problem. Nevertheless, I am against religious child recruitment, so that’s a not-issue: children should grow up free of religious indoctrination and doing otherwise is to infringe on their rights.
21. And when you try to explain that you’re pretty tolerant of all religions — it’s just not right for you.
I’m not tolerant of any religion. People have the right to believe whatever they want, even when that is harmful to themselves. And I won’t try to force them to change, but, like I already said, I don’t have respect for beliefs that are not supported by the evidence, and that includes all religions and gods.
(via Friendly Atheist)
