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[Gray Matter]

It is almost like none of them bothered to read the bible or what Jesus supposedly preached.

I think a lot of people who claim to be religious do not read the bible.

 

[Tesseract]

We're getting all gnostic atheism/agnostic atheism up in the hizzy.

i don't like those categories, dem isms iz poopy butter gooby out my butthole

 

[studyguy]

That's why I don't converse about religion with randoms.

Pretty much.
As for atheism, half the time you can't hear it mentioned on social media without an accompanying image of a dude tipping his fedora. I don't really care either way both on and offline.

 

[leakey]

Could have been worse OP. You could have disclosed your political affiliation.

 

[Gray Matter]

Could have been worse OP. You could have disclosed your political affiliation.

I don't even know my own political affiliation.

 

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

I always found it weird that there are religious people who fear death. Makes me wonder if that fear comes from doubts they have.

Heaven is forever, right? That would make this life almost negligible in the grand scheme of things. A blink of an eye.

If they really believed, they would behave completely different.

 

[Linkark07]

I think a lot of people who claim to be religious do not read the bible.

You are right.

Know some people who claim to be so religious that they go to the church each Sunday, yet they don't know nothing about the Old or New Testament.

 

[Valhelm]

I blame the Communism scare of the mid-1900s.

That played a big part in the strength of Evangelism. "Under God" wasn't added into the Pledge of Allegiance until the Cold War, to separate us from the godless Communists.

 

[Jaffaboy]

I remember having a conversation at my friend's bachelor party. His dad was saying how running has caused severe problems in his knees until he started using the FiveFingers shoes (like gloves for your feet). I made a comment on how those shoes are good probably because other shoes are not good for our feet, due to us being naturally barefoot and it's all to do with evolution or whatever.

There was then a tirade of 'BUT THERE ARE GAPS IN THE FOSSIL RECORDS!' and 'WHY WE STILL GOT MONKEYS?!?' poured down upon me. I didn't even know they were a religious family, but it sure took me by surprise how immediately defensive they got.

 

[adj_noun]

I don't even know my own political affiliation.

Whig.

 

[explodet]

I wonder if you would have gotten more of a reaction if you had said you were a Satanist.

Or a Jedi.

 

[LogicStep]

I'm agnostic and here most people are religious. I just keep quite and to myself when it comes to that topic so I don't have to deal with what happened in the OP. Sometimes I want to say something but I just remind myself that no one is going to change their minds.

 

[Gray Matter]

I remember having a conversation at my friend's bachelor party. His dad was saying how running has caused severe problems in his knees until he started using the FiveFingers shoes (like gloves for your feet). I made a comment on how those shoes are good probably because other shoes are not good for our feet, due to us being naturally barefoot and it's all to do with evolution or whatever.

There was then a tirade of 'BUT THERE ARE GAPS IN THE FOSSIL RECORDS!' and 'WHY WE STILL GOT MONKEYS?!?' poured down upon me. I didn't even know they were a religious family, but it sure took me by surprise how immediately defensive they got.

Another girl said the same thing. Apparently evolution affects every species.

 

[Aquamarine]

I blame the Communism scare of the mid-1900s.

It was also widely perceived that the Nazis were atheist (they weren't...Hitler put atheists in concentration camps), but it helped fuel the atheophobia.

 

[Gray Matter]

I wonder if you would have gotten more of a reaction if you had said you were a Satanist.

Or a Jedi.

I'm sure they would have been less offended.

 

[Real Hero]

In my school you would have been laughed at and called a bible basher if you said you believed in god

 

[Chezzymann]

The worst part is my parents sincerely believe that you can't ever be truly happy without God. I bet my parents kind of view me as 'broken'. They're really nice about it and act like they're supportive of my decision, but every once in a while they try to invite me back to church which reminds me that they secretly desperately want me to be religious so I don't burn in hell.

 

[tootsi666]

If you said that in a classroom here in Finland, you'd just get shrugs and a couple of "Yeah, and?".

In my High School someone would probably laugh if you said you believe in god. Finland as well

 

[Krassus]

Thankfully my grandpa laid the law down and said stop the nonsense church is in your mind. Before then it was Sunday school and church twice a week =(

 

[ElTopo]

America's not the world.

In France it's pretty much normal to be an atheist.

I want to live in France.

Where I live there's nothing but born again evangelical fucks.

 

[Rebel Leader]

Just say that you have permission to go to heaven. The pope said so

 

[Tesseract]

In my High School someone would probably laugh if you said you believe in god. Finland as well

that's a damn shame

 

[Valhelm]

I want to live in France.

Where I live there's nothing but born again evangelical fucks.

You don't need to leave the US to get out of that. Go to a major city on the coast and you'll find tons of people just like you.

 

[S¡mon]

I say today, meaning in the day and age that we live in.

Today in class, I half jokingly said that god doesn't exist (I'm atheist). When the rest of the class heard it, they all fucking went nuts. Some people asked me why, some got really offended and some just started saying random shit aloud. What shocked me the most was one girl, who wanted to argue with me, she got really defensive, said all she had to say and didn't let me have a word. Collectively, the class was shocked that there are people who don't believe in religion.

It's not bizarre, you just probably live in America.

 

[Extra Sauce]

I live in Montreal and most people I know don't believe in God.

 

[explodet]

I'm sure they would have been less offended.

Isn't that so weird? I think there was an American Dad episode about that.
The few Satanists I met were quite pleasant fellows, in any case. Can't say I've met any actual Jedi, though.

 

[richiek]

I say today, meaning in the day and age that we live in.

Today in class, I half jokingly said that god doesn't exist (I'm atheist). When the rest of the class heard it, they all fucking went nuts. Some people asked me why, some got really offended and some just started saying random shit aloud. What shocked me the most was one girl, who wanted to argue with me, she got really defensive, said all she had to say and didn't let me have a word. Collectively, the class was shocked that there are people who don't believe in religion.

Sounds like the reverse of this movie:

 

[Cartman86]

It's great being an atheist in America. The average person hates you for no reason and the well informed people who would normally be on your side hate you because of all the little ass hole racist/sexist atheists who speak for you online.

 

[adj_noun]

Sounds like the reverse of this movie:

I still can't believe they effectively made a movie out of that atheist professor meme.

 

[CountAntonius]

You casually shit on people's beliefs. That tends to trigger a reaction.

I'm agnostic and I just let people be.Their believing in God doesn't do me any harm. I don't look down on them or think they are "primitive". I really hate the smug attitude a lot of atheist carry when it comes to their beliefs. You have a different opinion it doesn't make you a better person. Only time I speak out is when they quote religion for supporting social injustices but even then I don't harp on about my "enlightenment".

 

[speculawyer]

I say today, meaning in the day and age that we live in.

Today in class, I half jokingly said that god doesn't exist (I'm atheist). When the rest of the class heard it, they all fucking went nuts. Some people asked me why, some got really offended and some just started saying random shit aloud. What shocked me the most was one girl, who wanted to argue with me, she got really defensive, said all she had to say and didn't let me have a word. Collectively, the class was shocked that there are people who don't believe in religion.

Where do you live?

 

[GamerJM]

I don't think it was necessarily the fact that you don't believe in God that shocked them, but rather the way you said it. A lot of people take their religion very seriously, so when you say "God doesn't exist," instead of "I don't believe in God," or even "God's existence can't be scientifically proven," even if you're just poking fun at religion, a lot of people will interpret that as "You're wrong about your religion and I'm right". I think you just have to be very specific about what words you use when speaking about religion, it's a touchy subject that's close to the hearts of very many people. As a religious person though I typically don't state my religion as fact if I'm speaking about it in a non-religious place though.

However, I could be completely wrong. Maybe you just live in the bible belt where people who aren't religious are hard to come by or something.

 

[The Albatross]

I remember having a conversation at my friend's bachelor party. His dad was saying how running has caused severe problems in his knees until he started using the FiveFingers shoes (like gloves for your feet). I made a comment on how those shoes are good probably because other shoes are not good for our feet, due to us being naturally barefoot and it's all to do with evolution or whatever.

There was then a tirade of 'BUT THERE ARE GAPS IN THE FOSSIL RECORDS!' and 'WHY WE STILL GOT MONKEYS?!?' poured down upon me. I didn't even know they were a religious family, but it sure took me by surprise how immediately defensive they got.

I don't care about evolution, but the FiveFingers thing is a marketing plot that Vibram got sued over for misleading consumers

 

[Arjen]

Here is assume everyone I meet is an Atheist, I only know a couple of people who are religious. I learned not to talk about religion in the states though, people sometimes got really weird when the subject of not believing came up.

 

[Chezzymann]

Isn't that so weird? I think there was an American Dad episode about that.
The few Satanists I met were quite pleasant fellows, in any case. Can't say I've met any actual Jedi, though.

All you have to do is say you're agnostic and then the hate meter goes way down. Although then the downside is that you're open to people thinking that means 'undecided' (When it doesn't) and can be converted to their religion.

 

[Interfectum]

It's great being an atheist in America. The average person hates you for no reason and the well informed people who would normally be on your side hate you because of all the little ass hole racist/sexist atheists who speak for you online.

Hah you pretty much summed it up perfectly.

 

[ampere]

And money.

Donation collections every Sunday.

Helping out the Church with volunteer work.



Thousands of dollars wasted. All futile except for the community aspect.



That kind of thing is extremely hard to reconcile...like politics, people will go the ends of the Earth to justify their faith.

Yeah, also the potential loss of their social circle if they admitted to losing faith.

I fully understand that point in keeping some people from speaking out about 'maybe it's not true'.

 

[Kurdel]

I live in Montreal and most people I know don't believe in God.

Even in our rural areas, thanks to our history with the Catholic church!

All the churches are going bankrupt here, and they are starting to fly in preists from Latin America who speak french, becsuse they can't find any locals who wants to become preists.

It's beautiful.

 

[Valhelm]

Another girl said the same thing. Apparently evolution affects every species.

Well, it does. But the "why we still got monkeys?" argument just shows an ignorance (possibly willful ignorance) about evolution.

 

[Captainbojanglesiii]

Most of the people in my high school class are atheists honestly. Honestly wouldn't be surprised if atheism is the majority in my generation.

Edit: U.S.

 

[Aquamarine]

Even in our rural areas, thanks to our history with the Catholic church!

All the churches are going bankrupt here, and they are starting to fly in preists from Latin America who speak french, becsuse they can't find any locals who wants to become preists.

It's beautiful.

I was the organ player (I'm atheist) for a Christian church in Maine that had an openly lesbian, now married pastor. It was a wonderful thing to see.

I went every week to hear her sermons because they were so practical and down-to-earth.

 

[Gray Matter]

Even in our rural areas, thanks to our history with the Catholic church!

All the churches are going bankrupt here, and they are starting to fly in preists from Latin America who speak french, becsuse they can't find any locals who wants to become preists.

It's beautiful.

Montreal sounds lovely.

 

[TheKaeptain]

If you said that in a classroom here in Finland, you'd just get shrugs and a couple of "Yeah, and?".

Probably the same thing in German. Most of my German buddies would make fun of the religious Americans in the Army.

 

[Agnostic]

I still get a kick out of people being in complete shock when they find out I'm a godless heathen.

 

[Josh7289]

Where you live has a huge correlation with people's reactions to atheism.

Where I live in NJ, I don't think I would ever get a reaction like the OP's to me saying "god doesn't exist". Especially if I said that in the company of people in their 30s and below, most wouldn't give a shit, and I wouldn't be surprised if half of my coworkers and acquaintances in that age group simply agreed with me.

But again, the main point is that most people just wouldn't care. Religion is not a very public thing here.

 

[SkeptiMism]

This is how it goes 100% of the time.

*random conversation about god/relogion*

Them: so, do you believe in god?

Me: no.

Them: WHAT THE FUCK? Why not? What is wrong with you? You're going to hell.

I hope you answer them with for example a question of what they think about a being that would throw a person into hell just because the person doesn't believe even if for example by doing that the being would separate a loving mother from her child.

Even though Finland is a fairly secular country nowadays (though the percentage of people in the church is still large), there are still a lot of people, old people especially, who strongly believe. I've asked that question from a couple of old people who have asked me if I believe in God and then when I've said no, they've said something like "oh what a shame, I just really hope you'll find salvation". I think the question managed to make them think about it for a little at least. There are actually several theories to explain why such a thing wouldn't happen, but it's just incredible how some people don't think about it at all.

Then again, I'd guess that a large amount of the people who don't give it much thought, kind of think that if you're atheist, you're just a bad person. I think a lot of people have the religion so ingrained in them that they can't imagine someone actually not believing without just rebelling against it for example.

 

[Kilrogg]

Here is the thing: the concept of belief (whether in God or in the absence of a god) goes contrary to the concept of fact. The problem is: metaphysics, faith or the belief in something that operates beyond the realm of human intelligence and cognition cannot in essence be proven or disproven. There is no such thing as fact once you go beyond what humans can realistically hope to know in their lifetimes.

Stating "There is no God" or "There is a God" in a matter of fact way, like you did, is fundamentally contradictory, and an incredibly presumptuous stance to assume.

You're essentially saying "I hold the keys to the universe." No you don't. You have no idea what you're talking about, because you're only human, like the rest of us.

Of course people are going apeshit. That's because you're acting like an asshole.

 

[Valhelm]

Where you live has a huge correlation with people's reactions to atheism.

Where I live in NJ, I don't think I would ever get a reaction like the OP's to me saying "god doesn't exist". Especially if I said that in the company of people in their 30s and below, most wouldn't give a shit, and I wouldn't be surprised if half of my coworkers and acquaintances in that age group simply agreed with me.

But again, the main point is that most people just wouldn't care. Religion is not a very public thing here.

Absolutely. I feel like OP lives in a more rural part of the United States, which explains their situation.

 

[jmdajr]

Whatever you believe be humble about it.

 

[Surface of Me]

Yep. You are pretty much an outcast if you don't do the whole church thing/believe in god down here in Texas. People are so misguided. You see these mega-churches and just laugh because of how much money people give away just to line the pockets of some rich pastor.

Maybe some day they'll realize that there isn't actually anything out there and it's just the way the world is.

I live in Texas and this has literally been the opposite of my experience. My Middle/High school had so many different beliefs/cultures/peopleno one really cared. Sure there were cliques and such, but nothing like you and the OP are saying. Granted I'm in a suburb near Dallas, so rural areas Im sure are worse.

Also, you sound pretty smug, that might be part of it.