When I made my recent post about atheists’ feeling of coercion when forced to attend prayer against their will, I got a rather odd comment, which said this:
…this bit about “being asked to attend religious services or participate in religious activities against one’s will (74.4%)” proves Prussian’s point. Isn’t this even worse than being
offended by a request for a cup of coffee. It is worse because this is a
Christian’s way of asking you to in his circle of friends. It is exactly
the opposite of oppression, it is inclusion. Also how else is one to
learn if you are a fellow traveler or future friend if you never ask questions
or make invitations? It is a very silly thing to get upset about.
Is it silly to be upset when you are forced to part of a religious service you do not believe in? Can you withdraw without having to worry about the consequences? When all your friends/family/work colleagues are on their feet praying at the dinner table, is failing to participate going to have no effect on your personal relationships or career? And what happens if you are in the military and don’t care so much for a candlelight prayer? This is inclusion all right, but it is compulsory inclusion, which means taking away your freedom of conscience.
It is worth noting that atheists aren’t always the victims of this kind of “inclusion”. I posted some time ago about the attitude of evangelicals toward the Jews:
Of course, not all Israelis are happy with this expression of “love” and “support”: while evangelicals tells the Jews that they love them, they won’t stop demanding and praying that the convert. Author and journalist Gershom Gorenberg points out in the documentary [Waiting for Armageddon] that while Jews are told they are loved, they are also told that they should be “perfected” (in the words of Ann Coulter) by accepting Jesus, which means giving up the most basic thing to their identity. In other words, they are told to stop being Jews.
It is a patronizing kind of “love” indeed, but it is not so hard to see the “logic”. According to these people, you are going to be tormented in hell forever and ever unless you accept Jesus as your savior. Hence, even as they insult you and force their beliefs on you, they are thinking that they are doing you a favor. This is not the kind of love I care for.
