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I am a confirmed atheist, and have been so for 30 years now. I am confident in my beliefs, and have no fear of judgment. However, I find myself in an interesting position due to a series of events.
1. I have a friend who is a devout Mormon. We discuss many things, including religion and philosophy. Not surprisingly, he is giving me pressure to convert. It isn't going to happen, as he cannot provide proof of his religion, other than personal revelation. We have also discussed the Mormon scriptures, which I find to be riddled with logical fallacies.
2. Coincidentally, I have been to a number of funerals recently. All have been religious services, and filled with people who are devout.
3. I recently joined a sports league. The team that I joined has prayers before every event. This is a private league, not affiliated with any school or governmental entity, so there are no church:state separation issues. I am not a dick, so I stand quietly while everybody else does their prayer thing. My lack of participation may or may not have been noticed yet.
4. I have had a fair bit of business contact with a local pastor. While the contact is a professional relationship that is job related, he does make a point of letting me know that I am in his prayers. He probably doesn't know that I am an atheist, but by my lack of response in kind, I am sure he has me categorized as non-religious of some sort.
This is more religion in a short period of time than I have encountered since the 1980s. I find the social pressure to conform to be stronger than I had expected. While I have no intention of converting, I can see how people in religious areas might do so after years of constant pressure. I am sure that it can influence your thinking.
I don't really have a question, just the comment that I understand socitetal religious pressure in a new way.
I am a confirmed atheist, and have been so for 30 years now. I am confident in my beliefs, and have no fear of judgment. However, I find myself in an interesting position due to a series of events.
1. I have a friend who is a devout Mormon. We discuss many things, including religion and philosophy. Not surprisingly, he is giving me pressure to convert. It isn't going to happen, as he cannot provide proof of his religion, other than personal revelation. We have also discussed the Mormon scriptures, which I find to be riddled with logical fallacies.
2. Coincidentally, I have been to a number of funerals recently. All have been religious services, and filled with people who are devout.
3. I recently joined a sports league. The team that I joined has prayers before every event. This is a private league, not affiliated with any school or governmental entity, so there are no church:state separation issues. I am not a dick, so I stand quietly while everybody else does their prayer thing. My lack of participation may or may not have been noticed yet.
4. I have had a fair bit of business contact with a local pastor. While the contact is a professional relationship that is job related, he does make a point of letting me know that I am in his prayers. He probably doesn't know that I am an atheist, but by my lack of response in kind, I am sure he has me categorized as non-religious of some sort.
This is more religion in a short period of time than I have encountered since the 1980s. I find the social pressure to conform to be stronger than I had expected. While I have no intention of converting, I can see how people in religious areas might do so after years of constant pressure. I am sure that it can influence your thinking.
I don't really have a question, just the comment that I understand socitetal religious pressure in a new way.
The pressure is great, even when it is subtle. Everyone seems to want confirmation they have the right idea by getting others to accept their belief.
If religious churches have a lot of funerals then it is not the church to be going to , ...or find the churches with less or no funerals , there will God be
I am a confirmed atheist, and have been so for 30 years now. I am confident in my beliefs, and have no fear of judgment. However, I find myself in an interesting position due to a series of events.
1. I have a friend who is a devout Mormon. We discuss many things, including religion and philosophy. Not surprisingly, he is giving me pressure to convert. It isn't going to happen, as he cannot provide proof of his religion, other than personal revelation. We have also discussed the Mormon scriptures, which I find to be riddled with logical fallacies.
2. Coincidentally, I have been to a number of funerals recently. All have been religious services, and filled with people who are devout.
3. I recently joined a sports league. The team that I joined has prayers before every event. This is a private league, not affiliated with any school or governmental entity, so there are no church:state separation issues. I am not a dick, so I stand quietly while everybody else does their prayer thing. My lack of participation may or may not have been noticed yet.
4. I have had a fair bit of business contact with a local pastor. While the contact is a professional relationship that is job related, he does make a point of letting me know that I am in his prayers. He probably doesn't know that I am an atheist, but by my lack of response in kind, I am sure he has me categorized as non-religious of some sort.
This is more religion in a short period of time than I have encountered since the 1980s. I find the social pressure to conform to be stronger than I had expected. While I have no intention of converting, I can see how people in religious areas might do so after years of constant pressure. I am sure that it can influence your thinking.
I don't really have a question, just the comment that I understand socitetal religious pressure in a new way.
Perhaps God wants you to become a Mormon. He exposed fishbrains to all of this so that he would would start this thread, knowing it would reach your eyes and give you something to think about.
If religious churches have a lot of funerals then it is not the church to be going to , ...or find the churches with less or no funerals , there will God be
Because God abandons people when they die? Because those who truly believe in God don't die?
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